Carnival cuts steel on Carnival Jubilee

Carnival Cruise Line has cut the steel on Carnival Jubilee, which will join the fleet in November 2023. 

The steel cutting ceremony is a maritime tradition, and represents the first significant milestone in a vessel’s construction. It took place in Papenberg, Germany, with representatives from Carnival and shipyard Meyer Werft. 

Alongside a confetti and champagne toast, a silhouette of the ship was cut from the steel and signed by everyone in attendance. The line celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and to mark the occasion a special plaque was also cut from the same piece of steel.

Carnival president Christine Duffy said: “It’s our birthday and with today’s steel cutting for Carnival Jubilee, this is a great way to honour the accomplishments of Carnival Cruise Line’s first 50 years and to celebrate the excitement ahead.”

Jubilee will debut from Galveston in 2023, featuring many popular Carnival features, including the BOLT roller coaster. It will offer seven-day Western Caribbean cruises from Galveston from November 18, 2023. It will be the sister ship to Mardi Gras, which sails from Port Canaveral, and Carnival Celebration, which will be based in Miami later this year.

The 182,800-ton ship is part of Carnival’s Excel-class design, which was first delivered by the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.

Jan Meyer, Meyer Werft’s managing director, said: “This is the first ship Meyer Werft is building for Carnival Cruise Line and the first time a ship design has been transferred from Meyer Turku to Meyer Werft, which shows our flexibility.”

Earlier this month seven Carnival ships held simultaneous parties when they met up at sea to celebrate the line’s 50th anniversary.