Carnival Jubilee Full Review: What we Loved, Didn't Love, and Hated

After a week on board Carnival Jubilee, I share my full review. Keep in mind, I've been on all 3 of Carnival's Excel-class ships: Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and now Carnival Jubilee, so I have some good perspective on what I loved, didn't love, and hated about the newest ship in Carnival's fleet.
Additionally, I've been on a ship in every operating class for Carnival Cruise Line, so I'm able to talk about things I don't love when it compares to the smaller ships.
If you're thinking about booking a cruise on Carnival Jubilee, this video talks about the food, the drinks, the entertainment, and general things about the ship - and gives you a preview to all of the things you'll love about the newest ship in Carnival's fleet.
Sailing year-round from Galveston, the Carnival Jubilee has so much to offer - from line favorites like Blue Iguana Cantina and Alchemy Bar - to new favorites like The Currents and The Shores zones featuring new bars and interior designs.
We hope you have enjoyed all of our Carnival Jubilee content! You can see our thoughts after the First 24 Hours: • Carnival Jubilee First...
And all of our Carnival Jubilee content in the playlist: • Carnival Jubilee Inaug...
If you have any questions about the Carnival Jubilee, her sisters Mardi Gras, or Carnival Celebration, be sure to drop those in the comments below and we'll be sure to review.
Additionally, you can watch our Carnival Jubilee pre-launch video where we use existing ships and deck plans to give you a full tour: • Carnival Jubilee Detai...
Thank you for tuning in!
-Mark and Rocky
#carnivaljubilee #carnivalcruise #newship #inauguralcruise #cruiselife #cruise #shipreview

[@brookscoker9018]

We go on this ship in June.. My wife, myself and our ( then will be 6yr old ) son. We are excited

[@thiscruiselife]

Gosh! I’m excited and I won’t even be on the ship!!! lol - she’s a great ship; I hope you all have a wonderful time. -mark

[@friskyjellyfish2706]

Wow! Another detailed and informative video. You miss NOTHING! I will be rewatching this one again! Thank you so much for sharing! Hurry up April 2024, I’m so ready to experience the excitement of Jubilee!! ❤ 🚢 ❤ Btw, I absolutely love that Jacket!!!

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your kind words and support. And thank you for watching it and watching it again. :) I can't wait to hear what you think when you sail her in April. Truly, the countdown is on!!! And I love the jacket too. It's much warmer than it looks, so it was perfect outside when we filmed our opening. :)

[@cellqueen]

Thank you for such an informative video on the Jubilee! We will be on the Jubilee in April, and your video has made me even more excited for our cruise!

[@thiscruiselife]

We’re excited for you. Hope it’s an amazing cruise for you!

[@dustinburgess5212]

I'm glad I found you guys!!!! Keep up the good work.

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you and welcome to the channel! We’re glad to have you here.

[@Erinkuchar]

I just watched all of your Jubilee playlist. I’m so excited for our sailing! Glad I found you guys. Love your videos. You really made me want to try the Alfredo BBQ!!

[@thiscruiselife]

The food is just so good! One week isn’t enough to be able to enjoy it all! Hope you have an amazing cruise!

[@kimkelly4586]

Thank you for the great review. We were on the madri gras and our favorite part was the thermal spa. It wasn't huge but we really didn't have a problem. Once or twice the loungers were full but we got one pretty quickly after we arrived. We have a spa room on Jubilee in. April. I hope our luck holds out and it's not too crowded. Where we did find the crowd ridiculous was trying to get pizza. Most times we gave up.

[@thiscruiselife]

Thanks for sharing, @kimkelly4586! :) Mardi Gras is such a fantastic ship. But, as you mention, the spa is the same size as Jubilee. My tip/trick for maximizing spa use is go throughout the day as it seems there are busy times that actually vary by ship! :) I found later in the evening I had everything to myself, or there may have been a couple other cruisers in there. When sailing Galveston in the winter, I also find it gets busier as it's cold outside. I think by April, you'll have good luck! :) Pizza lines were LONG, but we timed it a couple visits and never once did it take more than 10 minutes (at least for our inaugural sailing). So if you see a ton of people in line at night, don't let it fool you. It moved really quick for us! Have a blast!

[@cspriggs96]

Alrightythen...you are like my 12th cruise tuber I've subscribed to lol can't get enough. Great vid, I get on her Feb 3rd.

[@thiscruiselife]

Hey there!!! Thank you so much for the support. :) And thank you for the kind words about our video. I hope you enjoy Carnival Jubilee as much as I did!!! -Mark

[@IraBoholanaUSA]

Thank you for sharing your experience, very detailed! We'll be cruising next month

[@thiscruiselife]

Hope you have an amazing cruise!

[@angies6pack]

I am sailing on her next month and can't wait! Thanks for the review!

[@thiscruiselife]

Very welcome! Have so much fun. Would love to hear what you think!!

[@Fadedroute_back]

Is the food free there?

[@zptwin2]

I am gonna semi starve myself for a couple days before so my appetite will meet all the expectations. I am so freaking excited for this cruise!

[@thiscruiselife]

Hope you have a great time! The food on board is fantastic so you'll definitely be well taken care of!

[@kmcbride2988]

Great video. I can’t wait to sail on this ship. I wish she had different port options but sounds like I could skip a certain port and explore the ship. Thanks again. I wanted Alaska but it may be Jubilee for my 50th this August.

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you for the kind words, @kmcbride2988! Appreciate you tuning in. :) I do tend to agree with you; if you've been on a lot of cruises, the ports are nothing new - but we still managed to have fun in each port! Oooh, Alaska vs. Jubilee... now that's a tough one. I absolutely loved my time in Alaska on both Carnival Splendor and Norwegian Encore. It's such an awesome experience - and the glaciers are just surreal. If it helps, Texas and the Caribbean will be hot and sticky in August with risk of hurricane season... Just thinking out loud. Though, I don't think you'll go wrong with either choice. Happy early birthday! -Mark

[@maoren95]

Awesome review, Mark! Thanks for sharing. I will be doing my first inaugural aboard the MSC World America in April 2025. Would love to see you guys there!

[@thiscruiselife]

Hey there! Thank you for watching. :) And congrats on your first inaugural. The MSC World America looks to be a massive ship with so many incredible options. I'm going to ask Rocky to look into when that is / if it works for us! Thanks for the suggestion.

[@tracyn5096]

Thanks Mark for this amazing and always informative video. just got back from the New Years cruise Hands down chi bang ‼️ 😂😂❤. They moved the tailgate to the fourth day if memory serves me right so it wasn’t too bad outside. The internet was out several times on the second sailing as well

[@thiscruiselife]

Hi Tracy! You are so very welcome. Thank you for watching, always. 💙 Glad to head that Chibang won your heart; hopefully you got to meet Alina at the host stand. She’s wonderful! Also, great to know about the Texas Tail Gate - appreciate the update! And I’ve seen many many posts about the internet now. Hopefully they can work out the kinks stat! :) Hope it was wonderful!!! -m

[@sharoncruisingscene]

Thanks for sharing all this!! We board this ship next month!!

[@thiscruiselife]

I hope you love it as much as we did!!! :)

[@johnf8070]

Thanks for your detailed review! I'm booked on this ship in November 2024. It will be my first experience on Carnival, and I'm looking forward to it

[@thiscruiselife]

Awesome! We hope you have an amazing cruise!

[@nicolehelbing8422]

Great review! Was great running into you several times on the ship. Would agree with most of what you said. I thought the spa system and billing was also a bit of a mess. Had to deal with a lot of errors. All in all loved the cruise

[@thiscruiselife]

It was such a great sailing; thank you for joining us on the journey over here on KZbin, too! Sorry to hear about the spa billing issues and errors. The joys of an inaugural I always say! 😜 Hopefully everything got resolved while still on board - but, still, never fun to deal with. Hope to see you on the sea again!

[@roger25375]

Thanks for sharing. Going on the Jubilee twice, August and then March. Have not tried an XL ship yet, looking forward to it. Celebration also booked now.

[@thiscruiselife]

Oh wow! You are in for a treat with the new Excel-class ships! Forget everything you know about Carnival designed ships! ;) But they still have all of your favorites, so that makes them extra special!

[@anthonyonthemove]

Thanks for your very informative review.👍🏽

[@thiscruiselife]

You are very welcome! If you have any questions, just let us know!

[@bradcolby3624]

Sounds like you had an excellent time. Glad Carnival moved your stateroom and took care of you. Will think twice about Carnival now

[@thiscruiselife]

It really was an amazing cruise! And I’m glad, too. Was really happy with how they handled the entire situation. :)

[@maryannpiccirilli454]

Great review! Makes me want to drive to Galveston🥰. Love the cowboy hat and jacket😉

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you for watching! And the merch they have for this inaugural season is super fun; the jacket is so much warmer than it looks. Was perfect to record outside on a chilly morning! ;)

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you for watching! If Jubilee is driving distance, I recommend! And the merch they have for this inaugural season is super fun; the jacket is so much warmer than it looks. Was perfect to record outside on a chilly morning! ;)

[@DR-fr7ur]

I'm sold. You sold me. I live near Galveston and there doesn't seem to be many nice ships out of our port (I am new to cruising so trying to figure out what I will enjoy). I had always heard of Carnival as the "walmart" of cruising and had seen the videos on the "shit ship" so did not consider ANY carnival ships an option and had filtered them out of all my results. This completely changed my mind so thank you!

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you so much for tuning in and sharing your comment; totally made our day! Carnival has come a LONG way from the "poop cruise" reputation over the past several years. The Excel-class ships really have made a splash and have changed a lot of opinions on the brand. While some of the older ships or shorter itineraries can still attract more of a party/rowdy crowd, we love the newer ships and longer itineraries. You'll definitely have to let us know what you find - and if you sail, what you think!! Thanks, again, for the kind words. -Mark

[@angrybeaver6667]

We are sailing on the Jubilee very soon, very excited!

[@thiscruiselife]

We're excited for you. Please keep us posted on what you think - and let us know if you have any questions! -mark

[@oliviasmulyan]

I love that you have the pa announcement chime in the beginning of your review! love it!

[@thiscruiselife]

We’ve been busted! Haha. We love that chime and were glad we were able to capture it for our channel.

[@oliviasmulyan]

@@thiscruiselife its so good and the sound is great! how have you been busted?

[@thiscruiselife]

@@oliviasmulyan Haha. Busted in the fact that you figured out the audio bite we're using. 😜

[@oliviasmulyan]

A ha! That chime is just so pretty sounding and not annoying

[@davisfamily5092]

This was an AMAZING SHIP!!!! We were on for the New Years sailing!!! Thanks to Carnival for a great time!!!!

[@tracyn5096]

We were on for the new year’s cruise as well we actually missed the ball drop inside the limelight lounge because of technical difficulties lol but it was all good 😊

[@thiscruiselife]

New Years is one of our FAVORITE times to sail. The energy on board is just unlike any other time of the year. Glad you had a GREAT time and enjoyed the beautiful Carnival Jubilee!

[@thiscruiselife]

Oh no, Tracy! That's a bummer to hear that there were technical difficulties on the ball drop. Glad to hear it was still good - hopefully the energy in Lime Light was AMAZING as well. Did you have streamers/noisemakers?? :)

[@tracyn5096]

@@thiscruiselife it was hilarious no one realized it was new years until I said something lol we didn’t even get our champagne 🍾 🥂 so at 12:06 we had a redo and all was good 😊 I heard Havana bar was having issues as well but they did bring it in closer then we did. lol was just grateful to be there

[@Misbehaven99]

Hey there, great review. My idea of a Cruise is rest and relaxation not an Amusement park. Would never cruise on one of these, but do appreciate the reviews the ships are beautiful.. it’s simply not for us, but can see why it would be good for others ;-) Nice that their are options out there ;-)

[@thiscruiselife]

We always say that there is a cruise ship for everyone; that’s the beauty of multiple brands and multiple ships! 💙 With that said, this time on Jubilee we skipped the amusement and focused on the food, shows, and new spaces on the ship. We love that there are multiple zones on the ship as it creates differentiated experiences. :)

[@richfugate593]

Can't wait until February 10th!!!

[@thiscruiselife]

You are going to have so much fun! Please share you’re experience with us; would love to hear from you!

[@JustinR316]

booked my very first cruise on the Jubilee for Aug. 24th. this is definitely a big help as to what to expect

[@thiscruiselife]

Awesome! Thanks for watching! Don’t miss all the Tips and Tricks shorts that we’re putting on the channel this week. Quick little bites of information as you prepare for your cruise!

[@JustinR316]

@@thiscruiselife will do. this will be my first cruise…ever. will look at everything

[@thiscruiselife]

@@JustinR316 oh! Soak it all up like a sponge! We hope you have an amazing cruise!

[@javiermanjarres4550]

As did my wife and I. Hope it’s great.

[@AbilityToBeAwesome]

I appreciate your honesty about the tail gate party. I can’t remember why we bailed but now I’m not sad we did. I had an amazing time. We enjoyed Rudi’s Seagrill and TEPPANYAKI dinners! We had fun with Carnival Kichen class in Spain but due to miscommunication I was pretty hungry and frustrated why they would not let us eat our own cooking. 😂 telling people just a taste and never completing a class before trigger a lot of frustration for me and for my husband who also didn’t understand what was going on.

[@friskyjellyfish2706]

Did you happen to have “late night bites” at Pig and anchor? Or how bout snacks at The Rum Frog place that overlooks the pool area? I’m a foodie and so interested in trying new yummies! (Sailing Jubilee in April) ❤️ 🛳️ ❤️

[@AbilityToBeAwesome]

@@friskyjellyfish2706 okay we had food at pig and anchor and my husband presented me a huge plate of chicken tenders, pizza cut into squares I prefer over the slice place and he had a brat one night. I like the chicken cause I was tipsy that night. As for the red frog I did not believe they had food at the poolside bar. I remember on magic there were two red frog bars but on Jubilee I do not believe there was a second red frog. . Honestly the night we dressed up for a group photo at 10:30 and missed dinner our only late night sit down option was Bonsai Teppanyaki and we got Ramon soup and sushi that was great! I was not eating pizza again I refused. Hope that helps. Oh and on my channel I record Rudi seagrill vlog. Highly recommend that experience and chef kitchen. Just sample or you’ll end up frustrated and hungry waiting to sit down to eat. 😂🤣😂

[@thiscruiselife]

Hey @AbilityToBeAwesome! Yes, you didn't miss much with the Tail Gate. ;) Thank you for sharing about Rudi's Seagrill and Bonsai Teppanyaki! And, yes, odd that they wouldn't let you taste your food. I met fellow cruisers who made apple pies and they kindly let me have a slice. Such a cool experience!

[@thiscruiselife]

Hi there @friskyjellyfish2706! The late night buffet was bigger than other ships we've sailed on and ran from 11:30pm-1am. As @AbilityToBeAwesome mentioned, it had square cut pizza (the sausage was sooo good!), hot dogs, a variety of pasta/potato salads, and desserts. I ate way too much food late at night there, but, honestly, I didn't find anything I didn't like. (Beach Buns hot dogs were better, however, just FYI.) With Red Frog Tiki bar being a different concept, they did not have food there (however, they may have had popcorn during the movies as I didn't see where that was served from). Across the way at Street Eats, they have Chicken Wings available (for an up charge) and Seafood Shack (for an up charge). Check your Fun Times when you get on board to confirm all of the open times as I'd hate you to miss anything on my account!!! :)

[@commonsense246]

We are Diamond + RCCL cruisers and have only one Carni cruise under our belt, Ecstasy years ago. We thought their ships were horridly decorated, plain and uninteresting, plus that ship was just filthy, and we swore off Carni as we were working on status with Crown&Anchor. But now the design of the new ships are rivaling RCCL and it's time to try again. Cruising Jubilee in 3 wks, sooooo excited! Thx for this very informative review. BTW Dude you look pretty good in your cowboy hat even though its really a kids hat! LOL Just joshin ya!

[@thiscruiselife]

The new ships really have stepped it up for Carnival! Plus, the number of included fast casual restaurants is outstanding compared to competitors like Royal. The theaters / stage shows aren’t quite as advanced as the new theaters on Royal-owned Celebrity, but we still very much enjoyed all the shows. In terms of cleanliness, you definitely shouldn’t have an issue with brand-new Jubilee! Everything should still be spotless and in working order! :) You’ll have to let us know what you think about the ship and your thoughts on cruising Carnival after all these years. We met a loyal-to-Royal cruiser on our last sailing and he said to us he didn’t like it because “it’s just not the same.” If you go in with the expectation that it’ll be the same, you’ll be disappointed. Go in with an open mind and try all sorts of new things - and have soooo much fun! -mark

[@cindyt987]

Awesome review! I’m wondering if Jubilee will ever go to more exciting ports?! Would love to sail her because Galveston is so much more convenient for us (as you in AZ) however I would like to go where I haven’t been before and I have looked at future sailings and it doesn’t look like the itineraries differ at all. Anyway looks like an amazing ship and we appreciate all your hard work in reviewing her. ❤🎉😊

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you so much for the kind words, @cindyt987! :) I'm with you... These are ports we've all been to many times (though, Costa Maya is still newer for us). With that said, we've found something we love to do in each of those ports and that's where we spend our time. For the inaugural sailing, we didn't spend a ton of time off the ship - but we wanted to experience debark and embark in every port - and, every time, it was super smooth. Glad you enjoyed the review! We'll be talking about MSC Meraviglia next. I just finished my lunch as I look out over Icon of the Seas here in Port of Miami. A good day!

[@melaniefacundo1190]

@@thiscruiselife Do you have a list of your favorite places in each port? i am a first-timer so need good info.

[@jesselucas3874]

Board the 20th can’t wait panorama is the biggest we have been on so it will be a new experience for us

[@thiscruiselife]

Oh wow! You are in for a TREAT! It has all of the favorites from Panorama, but adds in so many more food and entertainment options. Plus, I love the design work that went into this ship - I hope that you'll enjoy it as much as I did!

[@melweathers91]

Loved your videos of the Jubilee, it's making me more excited for cruise in April. I'm not sure if I missed it, but do you know the menu for Guy's Pig & Anchor dinner? Sorry if you posted it in a video already!

[@thiscruiselife]

Hey there! Thanks for the comment and for checking out our videos; appreciate the kind words! I don’t know that we included Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse and Brewhouse in the videos, so I went ahead and tweeted the menu, along with my recommended dinner picks for you over on Twitter (link below). Let us know if you have any other questions! -Mark x.com/thiscruiselife/status/1750188984788304146?s=46&t=7-bEIsSMHth2cDNli2qLNQ

[@melweathers91]

@thiscruiselife thank you & that looks delicious!!

[@smurphy7266]

Looks amazing. I booked our first cruise on the Jubilee for March. I'm hoping that she will be hitting her stride by then!!! I booked the behind the scenes tour, the Chef's Table, and Carnival Kitchen!!!!!

[@kimkimmel4453]

what is Carnival Kitchen? Sounds interesting :-)

[@smurphy7266]

@@kimkimmel4453 Carnival Kitchen is only the excel class ships. You can book the "classes" online under specialty dining. They have a cooking class setup for an extra charge. I picked the Cupcake class. They walk you through mixing, cooking, and decorating. They have many classes for all different types of food.

[@thiscruiselife]

Hi @kimkimmel4453 ! As @smurphy7266 mentioned, you can book a variety of classes where you learn to bake a pie, make a multi-course meal, create appetizers for the Super Bowl, and many other options. Really cool experience first introduced on Carnival Panorama and it has carried on to Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee. As @smurphy7266 also mentioned, these are an upcharge option. If you have your heart set, I do recommend booking pre-cruise as we've seen popular ones sell out on each sailing we've been on! Enjoy!

[@thiscruiselife]

@smurphy7266 - I can't wait to hear what you think!!! :) By March, it'll be a well oiled machine (knock wood)! I'm sooooo excited that you snagged yourself Behind the Fun. It sold out long before the inaugural sailing, so we didn't get to experience it on Carnival Jubilee, but we love it on other ships. We talked to folks who did the Chef's Table and they absolutely loved it - will be curious what menu you have when you sail. And yummmmm on Carnival Kitchen. Which class did you book?

[@smurphy7266]

@@thiscruiselife I booked the Cup Cake Class in March. Then the Cake class in May. We aren't really "foodies" but we wanted the experience of the Chef's Table again. The last time we did it was the Mardi Gras just after the re-start. We are looking forward to the cabin and all the experiences!!!! Thanks again for the lovely videos and kind words!

[@lanareeves6696]

We too loved the ship and agree with just about everything you said. We sailed January 6, fantastic time. One thing, how do you get that jacket❤

[@thiscruiselife]

I'm sooooo happy to hear that you had a fantastic time and enjoyed the ship. Truly one of my favorites! As for the jacket... thankfully, I snagged it on the inaugural cruise while they still had some supply. I figured at $79.95 they'd hang around for a while, but NOPE! Folks went wild over the jackets. :)

[@debp5983]

Thank you😊

[@thiscruiselife]

You are very welcome! Thank you for tuning in!

[@toddschweikert7123]

We will be on the Jubilee at the end of February. And we can't wait to try out the new places that's on it

[@thiscruiselife]

You're going to have such a great cruise! Enjoy all the food on board!

[@sharonbednorz6808]

On the jubilee is there a state map of Texas somewhere on the ship. I know the state sell is on the bow but looking for pictures of more Texas items on inside

[@thiscruiselife]

Hmmmm. Great question. Honestly, I don’t recall seeing the state map anywhere on the ship, and I scoured the ship from top to bottom! :) There were some more Texas touches as you entered The Patio in the Summer Landing zone on deck 8. Likely your best chance. Have fun and enjoy the beautiful ship!! -m

[@AngieLovesTraveling]

That magician was on Celebration when we sailed in November. He stole my watch from right off my wrist without me noticing.

[@thiscruiselife]

We have sailed with Manoj on Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and now Carnival Jubilee. He always manages to surprise and delight us with his magic!!!! And he’s such a great guy; so personable and always takes the time to say hello.

[@Cruise465]

If you had to choose from one of the three XL class ships which one would you choose? It seems like Miami or Port Canaveral are better ports for embarkation and debarkation than Galveston.

[@thiscruiselife]

I do think Miami is the easiest of the 3 ports - only due to the fact that the airport is a quick rideshare away. Both Galveston and Port Canaveral have at least a 45 minute ride from the nearest airport to the port. With that said, we loved our time in Galveston and absolutely fell in love with Carnival Jubilee - so much so that I'm working to get another booked so Rocky can experience the ship. My favorite Zone on board the 3 ships is on Mardi Gras (Fortune Teller), but I think Carnival Jubilee wins for overall design - and Beach Buns! :) Thanks for watching and tuning in. Look forward to hear what you choose!

[@JoshBailey-gl7fn]

Hey!! You mentioned the entertainment, was there Karaoke like usual? Love Carnival Karaoke

[@thiscruiselife]

Yes! It was hosted in the Limelight Lounge on deck 7, near alchemy. Great venue for it, and there were always people checking it out!

[@forcedair92gt94]

Mark, do you have any pics/video of the new parking area for The Jubilee? Thanks.

[@thiscruiselife]

Because we took a ride share, I did not get to experience the parking. Sorry to not have those in my arsenal for you!!

[@forcedair92gt94]

@@thiscruiselife Thanks.

[@jammindave8483]

First cruise April 6 on the jubilee. Excited and looking forward to meeting new friends. Anyone else sailing April 6 ?

[@thiscruiselife]

We hope you have an amazing time!

[@jammindave8483]

I don’t do FB SO THIS and the app are my only communication ways.

[@user-su7cn7ns6y]

Booked for mid december 2024 I think I saw where there are refrigerators in the rooms??

[@thiscruiselife]

They have coolers in the room. They keep things chilled, but not refrigerator temperatures.

[@carolynmoore5419]

Are there any themed nights? And are some of the restaurants still offering complimentary meals?

[@thiscruiselife]

Chibang! and Cucina del Capitano are included for the entire inaugural season on the Jubilee. We’re not sure exactly how long that is, though. As for the themed nights, they host the 80s Rock n Glow party, White Hot party, and elegant night.

[@fmonahan]

What did you think if the Havana Cabana experience as opposed to the Vista?

[@thiscruiselife]

Both are very exclusive. The unfortunate thing with the Excel-Class is that the pool is much smaller than the Vista-class for the Havana area. There’s a lot of cabins on the Excel-class, and it’s in the forward of the ship, which is nice. The Vista-class all spans the aft of the ship, watching the wake.

[@toneybeasley2390]

Theather was way to small its smaller then the Breeze and the Dream. but the shows was great. also we had to keep pulling the door for it to close. but we will be back on there again!

[@thiscruiselife]

I think the capacity is around the same size as the Dream Class, however, the ship holds so many more people, so it feels much smaller. It's too bad because, like you said, the shows were great and I want everyone to experience them!!! When you mention pulling the door closed, are you referring to your stateroom door? We noticed that with them being so new, we had to pull them shut each time we entered or left. :)

[@MRsavard73]

Good morning You are the 2nd person to state banging in the inner wall. Can I ask which room were you in for this banging noise?

[@thiscruiselife]

Oh wow! That sucks. We were in stateroom 12259. You can find the full review of that room below. Hopefully whatever if is is a quick fix and it’s not impacting a lot of rooms on board. 🤞 kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHjLlGWkrZ1rqc0si=YrHwe8bL2JRnom4o

[@aalaviza1]

What did you think about loft 19? Would it be worth it to purchase for the week if 5 people went in together?

[@thiscruiselife]

Loft 19 is a very nice secluded area. Perfect if you're looking to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the ship. If you find value in the ability to escape and the inclusions will make your group happy, then why not?! They do have a capacity limit of 5 people per cabana. If you end up adding this experience to your cruise, look at purchasing it ahead of time. We just pulled the pricing for our upcoming Carnival Celebration cruise and it's coming in at $2,000 for the week plus gratuities.

[@nicki1651]

Does the rooms have a plug next to the beds? If so is it a plug or a usb? Thanks

[@dougwesthoff3255]

Both

[@thiscruiselife]

Hey there! Thanks for the question. Officially, Carnival reports that there are 3 outlets by the desk along with USB outlets. Additionally, you'll find two USB outlets by the beds as well. (Source: help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2822/~/electric-outlets) With that said, we've seen reports that some handicap-accessible rooms have a power outlet by the bed. Carnival does not include that in their official page, so I would not plan for an outlet there in your stateroom.

[@vivianegoodman5933]

I'm sailing on the 3rd of February will they give us hats as ?well

[@thiscruiselife]

Please let us know how your experience is with the ship! I don’t know that they will still have the hats at that point, but there is a ton of merch in the gift shop that is very well themed! :) Have an amazing trip!

[@chasiehowell289]

Hi! Cruising June 2024. Is it in your opinion necessary to get the drink package (non alcoholic)? Aren't some of the drinks free? Also was wondering about the internet packages too. If we dont purchase, are we still able to use phones for playing games and social media? Thanks in advance for your help.

[@thiscruiselife]

Hey There! Thanks for watching and commenting. The included drinks across the cruise are juices (not fresh-pressed), lemonade, iced and hot tea, and hot coffee (not crafted). The non-alcoholic drinks package gives you unlimited access to sodas and it cannot be shared. For the internet, you have 4 options. 1) you can pay $5 for the entire cruise to have access to their chat system which allows you to chat with other people on your cruise who have also paid $5. 2) the Social Plan gives you the ability to use other means of communications and to stay in touch through sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, and Snap Chat. 3) the Value Wi-Fi Plan gives you access to the full internet and you can check your email, and lastly 4) the Premium Wi-Fi Plan allows you the ability to stream and participate in video conference calls. With regards to the internet on board, the connectivity and speeds are not guaranteed. If you use any games on your device that require an internet connection, you'll likely need the Value Wi-Fi Plan. In all cases, it's best to purchase the plan of your choice (both beverages and Wi-Fi) prior to your cruise. You'll find the best pricing available when booked ahead of time.

[@thiscruiselife]

Adding onto Rocky’s response, please be sure to put all phones in airplane mode before sailing! You definitely don’t want to get hit with Cellular At Sea roaming charges!! Hence, an internet plan would be required for any cloud-based games. In terms of whether or not the drinks packages are worth it… it depends on how much you plan to drink (soda or alcoholic). With soda, remember you can bring a 12-pack on per person. Alcohol has various break even points depending on what you drink, but you’d need to drink at least 5-6 every single day (including port days) to even break even. We don’t purchase either as a result. Of course, many cruisers we talk to don’t want to have to lug soda on and don’t want to worry about a bill at the end. Personal preference often trumps. ;) Hope that helps with your decisions!

[@brandonbrownlee643]

I’m going on this ship on March 31 the inaugural season

[@thiscruiselife]

We hope you have an amazing cruise!

[@Alithia_Edmond]

Is the pizza still included or do you have to pay now

[@thiscruiselife]

The pizza is still absolutely included! The Tex Mex and BBQ Chicken are included, along with the Carnival classics. The cruise line has introduced two new specialty pies that come with a cost, but that’s only if you want one of those. Hope that helps!

[@user-bd3fu9cg2g]

Where is the best place to park in Galveston?

[@thiscruiselife]

Sorry for the delay! Since we don’t drive to Galveston, we asked around for you and got multiple answers! The one that seemed to come up most is the port parking lot due to its convenience. A couple folks shared issues with parking off site with shuttle service. Others had zero issues, but want to make mention of it. Here’s the “official” Galveston cruise parking that’s located on port property. Let us know where you park and how the experience is!! -Mark www.portofgalveston.com/9/Cruise

[@diamondlowe8319]

I'm thinking of canceling out 1 million dollar slot tournament for the carnival jubilee after watching all the reviews

[@thiscruiselife]

We have heard very mixed reviews on the Excel-class of ships when it comes to tournaments or even slot pulls due to the layout and size. It’s still the largest casino on a Carnival ship, but the ship is also significantly larger. Here’s a quick video we tweeted. Hope this info helps! x.com/thiscruiselife/status/1742325120478371844?s=46&t=7-bEIsSMHth2cDNli2qLNQ

[@sarayoung6594]

We are sailing on the jubilee in March. Our son has type 1 diabetes and we are wondering if nutrition facts are available so that he can find carb data for insulin dosing. Also we have 2 adults and 2 children in our room, how many 12 packs of soda can we bring on board? If we bring our own water bottles and cups are there water fill stations throughout the ship?

[@thiscruiselife]

Hi Sara! Thanks for the questions. Carnival has something unique called Menu Mate which is a food ingredient program. It tells you about everything in the food you eat. The best thing to do is talk to the maître d’ on board who can guide you and your son through everything. Each person in a stateroom can carry on one 12-pack of soda. So that would be 4 for your stateroom. :) Finally, yes, there are water fill stations! A water bottle with carabiner hook is one of our recommended cruise items! You can find them all here: amazon.com/shop/thiscruiselife Have an amazing sailing! -Mark

[@sarayoung6594]

@@thiscruiselife thanks! As always y’all are so helpful! Would you mind sharing more about the exercise and fitness options available on the jubilee? It’s been many years since I was on a carnival cruise and I don’t recall what all they have to offer for those of us that enjoy exercising on our vacation.

[@lovemiplants5003]

My cousin (22 f) and I are embarking this weekend... where is the best place to dance?

[@thiscruiselife]

Depending on what kind of dancing you all enjoy, the Limelight Lounge is usually open in the evening hours, until late as a dance club. They usually feature all different types of music in there. The best thing to do, is pay attention to the Carnival Hub App so you don't miss any of the dance parties!

[@thiscruiselife]

Have so much fun! In addition to Limelight that Rocky mentions, all of the deck parties include lots of dancing! Enjoy yourselves! -m

[@trainbub7500]

Does anyone know how long the inaugural season will last

[@jannikoley9627]

I think it’s one year

[@trainbub7500]

@@jannikoley9627Thank you, going in July and was hoping to get book+Jacket!

[@thiscruiselife]

Great question. For Mardi Gras, it lasted the longest due to coming out of the shutdown post pandemic (they had so much inaugural merch!) For Carnival Celebration it was just under a year (about 11 months). We're hoping it'll be a year for Carnival Jubilee, but they have not confirmed any timing. I would THINK that July would still be inaugural season, but I certainly don't want to disappoint since Carnival hasn't communicated that. Enjoy the cruise. Come back and let us know what you thought!

[@brandonbrownlee643]

I’m 17 and my dream is to work on one of these massive crusie ships sice I saw the movie titanic when I was like 10 or 9 idk but sice that I loved the ocean and my first cruise to so

[@thiscruiselife]

Awesome! Don’t lose sight of your dreams! What type of job are you looking to hold on a ship? Captain?

[@tootieb624]

You should have given them a peek at the Water park and the Bolt

[@thiscruiselife]

Great point! Sadly the weather wasn't great for us when we were on board so we didn't have a chance to enjoy those features. Carnival Waterworks and Bolt: Ultimate Sea Coaster are identical to the experiences found on Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration, which we feature in our Full Review video from the Celebration.

[@ginasmith8840]

Well I didn't like the pizza but a lot of kids did. Corn on pizza😮 Chibang was very good❤ lots of food onboard. The main dining room was slow and the food was ok. Pig and anchor was good. Dr Inks 🎉 the bubble drink is a must try. The golden mermaid drinks were beautiful ❤️ Coffee Bars galore get a shot of Bailey's ❤ Plays were awesome Bingo was good nobody won the $5000 The magician was awesome. The ship was full of entertainment. I slept pretty good too The ship was beautiful ❤️ Embark/Debark was easy I did get the book too yay. Shout out to Dr Inks. The family harbour area for the kids 4stars Agreed about the theater Departure was a breeze especially if you needed assistance

[@thiscruiselife]

Sounds like you had a great time on board overall! Believe it or not, one of my friends introduced me to corn on pizza late last year - I was like, "HUH???" and now I'm a fan! lol I mean, I agree with everything that you said - with the exception about Family Harbour as I didn't get to experience that, so I'll have to take your word. :) Glad to hear that Debark was easy - and that you got the special book!!! So glad you had a great time on Carnival Jubilee. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and commenting! -Mark

[@Erinkuchar]

Do you think kids will like the tailgate in July?

[@thiscruiselife]

They have fun games for people of all ages to enjoy! Hopefully the weather will be more conducive to the celebration, though.

[@tishmoseley9415]

What were your favorite things to do at the ports?

[@thiscruiselife]

I’m working on an article documenting the things to do in each port. 💙 We’ve been to each of these sooooo many times. We’ve done beach days and active days both - let me know if there’s a specific type of activity you’re looking for? :)

[@deeplansandbudgets]

I had no idea what the Texas Tailgate was. I did not go, thought it was a Football game. I was on the Second Cruise and was a little underwhelmed by the entertainment. They have the Center Stage and a Showroom, and I thought they could do way more with entertainment. When you compare the XL class to the entertainment on other Large Ships the Jubilee is a huge miss. I love Entertainment, and I just thought they could have wowed so much more. The Casino was absolutely Horrible. Way too small for the Texas crowds. If you like Gambling, go on another ship. Thanks for your great review. I think the Jubiliee is excellent if you like to sit at bars and have cocktails in the evening for sure. The food was amazing, the design of the ship rocked, and Serenity was perfect.

[@thiscruiselife]

We totally understand your frustrations with the nightlife/entertainment on board. For some reason with all of the Excel-class ships, Carnival didn't roll out all of the shows for the theater and Center Stage. Instead, they do a staggered release to both venues as the ship continues through her inaugural season. We sailed on the Carnival Celebration 3 months after her debut and they were still in the process of rolling out new shows after our sailing. Hopefully the experience will improve in the coming months on the Carnival Jubilee!

[@hueydavis3716]

Good job going on jubilee on 8m

[@thiscruiselife]

Thank you!

[@lizziebakeoven3225]

They had dinner at guys smokehouse right?!?

[@thiscruiselife]

They sure do! I had the Pig & Anchor Melt with the Mac & Cheese and both were absolutely out of this world good. Plus, with the sauces to top everything, you just can't go wrong!

[@msblu713]

❤

[@lexiannehills]

I just got off it. It was the WORST start to finish. So hot everywhere, everyone grumpy, small rooms, bad service, lines, no seating at bars, bad SMALL night club, leg swelling I’ve never had on any other cruise.

[@thiscruiselife]

Oh goodness, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. While I didn't experience the things you did, I can confirm that depending on the room you pick, they definitely are smaller than the standard Carnival stateroom. We try to book uniquely shaped rooms on the Excel class as they give you a bunch more space. Here's an example from sister Carnival Celebration: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y37UiGqQpaairtU In terms of service, that really bums me out to hear. We had phenomenal service wherever we went on board Carnival Jubilee and are still in touch with several of the crew members we met. Now, several of that inaugural crew has likely cycled, so that might have something to do with it, but we were spoiled all week! As for the nightclub, it's very much on par with other new ships we've been on with different cruise lines. Actually, I'd say it's much larger than MSC Meraviglia - and the design of Carnival's is SO much better. Something to keep in mind if you ever start to think about MSC. ;) Thanks again for sharing your experience. Bummed it wasn't great, but hopefully the next one is fab! -Mark

[@user-ew9vx3ck9j]

Does Carnival Jubilee have Bingo?

[@thiscruiselife]

Yes! While we were sailing, it was hosted in the Center Stage area! Always a busy event on board!

[@lortiz8223]

no 24 7 food ??

[@tier3rd375]

Pizza place is open until 4 AM. I think breakfast starts at 6. Only 2 hours without anything serving food.

[@thiscruiselife]

The only true 24 hour offering is room service, but there is a fee associated with that. Pizza is open late and breakfast starts early, so if you really need something in the couple hour gap, room service is the option. Thanks for watching and the question! -mark

[@ginasmith8840]

I sailed NYE🎉🎉🎉 they gave out lots of party favors.

[@thiscruiselife]

I love the NYE party favors! The little hats, noise makers, and sometimes even some surprise gifts like mittens.

[@Annalise-uj3bv]

🚢

[@pamkelley9723]

Didn’t like getting Covid on day 3. So many people got it.

[@thiscruiselife]

Oh no; I’m sorry to hear that! I can relate; I shared my story about being quarantined on board Carnival Miracle to kick off 2022 on our sailing. No fun, but we realize the risk going to concerts, Vegas, cruise ships, restaurants, etc. - hopefully it was a mild case and you recovered quickly!!

[@ashleysmith9992]

Do u need a passport

[@thiscruiselife]

A valid US Passport is recommended for ease of embarking and disembarking your cruise. A certified birth certificate may be used instead, however this may delay your processes. For all of the details on travel document requirements, visit Carnival's site: www.carnival.com/help?topicid=3409

[@commonsense246]

What about the Teensy elevators, see lots of unhappy elevator people here.

[@thiscruiselife]

We are blessed to be healthy and only use the stairs (it’s our rule on cruises due to all the food we eat!) With that said, we see backups during busy times (after theater shows, forward gangway opens in port, etc), outside of those, the elevator banks were never super crowded. Hopefully won’t be too much of an issue for you!! :) -m