Carnival Jubilee Makes First Call at Celebration Key

Carnival Jubilee made its first call at Celebration Key, the line’s private destination on Grand Bahama, on September 22, 2026, during its inaugural Bahamas cruise from Galveston. The eight-night voyage also includes Nassau and RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.

The visit follows a change in the ship’s Texas deployment to alternating Bahamas sailings and six-night Western Caribbean cruises. Before September, Jubilee primarily operated seven-night Western Caribbean itineraries.

Captain Andrea Catalani and fellow ship’s officers celebrated the arrival with Bahamian pilots on the bridge, according to John Heald, Carnival Cruise Line’s brand ambassador.

The 183,521-gross-ton Excel-class vessel has been based in Galveston since its December 2023 debut. Built by Meyer Werft in Germany, the LNG-powered ship accommodates 5,362 passengers at double occupancy.

“Carnival has been a valued partner for this port and this community for 26 years,” said Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO.

Jubilee shifts to shorter cruises in 2028

Jubilee’s schedule will change again when Carnival Tropicale joins the Galveston operation. The 183,900-gross-ton newbuild, under construction at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, will offer voyages ranging from four to eight nights, including longer Bahamas itineraries.

Tropicale’s inaugural departure is scheduled for April 15, 2028. That six-night Western Caribbean voyage will visit Cozumel and Isla Tropicale in Roatan, Honduras.

With the new ship taking over much of the longer-cruise program, Jubilee will introduce regular four- and five-night departures from Texas for the first time. Carnival opened reservations for its 2028/29 Galveston season on September 17, 2026.

The four-night cruises will visit Cozumel, departing on select Thursdays between April 27, 2028, and April 26, 2029. Five-night voyages will add Progreso, with select Saturday and Monday departures from April 17, 2028, through April 30, 2029.

Jubilee will retain some longer Western Caribbean sailings. An eight-night voyage departing April 9, 2028, will call at Cozumel, Isla Tropicale and Montego Bay, Jamaica. A six-night departure on October 29 will visit the first two ports. The released schedule contains no seven-night cruises.

Before the regular short-cruise schedule begins, Jubilee will also sail an eight-night Bahamas voyage from Galveston on April 1, 2028, returning to all three destinations on its inaugural Bahamas route.

See current Carnival Jubilee fares and itineraries on Cruise Lookup.