It’s a big day for Carnival Cruise Line as it announces two major milestones.
First, Carnival Celebration — an upcoming sister ship to Mardi Gras — had its iconic “whale tail” funnel placed atop the ship. Still under construction in the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the piece was put atop the ship via a massive crane. Carnival released some photos of the occasion and a time-lapse video on its website:
While the piece is just one more step in the process of completing the cruise line’s newest vessel, it is no doubt a big moment. Carnival’s funnel is arguably the most famous identifying feature on any ship in its fleet. And in this case, placing the funnel means Celebration is getting closer to joining her sister ship, Mardi Gras.
Passengers have to still wait for a bit, however. The first voyage aboard Celebration is scheduled for November 6, 2022, when she will sail a 14-day transatlantic trip from England to Miami. From there, the ship will sail from Miami on 6-8 day voyages around the Caribbean.
Carnival Jubilee Opens for Booking
That’s not the only news from Carnival, however. While cruisers will have until late 2022 to sail aboard Celebration, the cruise line is planning even further ahead.
Beyond Celebration is another new sister-ship dubbed Carnival Jubilee. This ship is slated to sail from Galveston, Texas beginning in November 2023 — almost two years from now.
Even so, passengers can officially book their spot as cabins are open for sale through 2024. The ship will primarily sail week-long cruises from Galveston to the Caribbean and Mexico.
As the third ship in a class with Celebration and Mardi Gras, Jubilee will have a number of features also found on those vessels. This includes six “zones” around the ship (of which Carnival says two will be brand-new concepts).
Celebration will have the BOLT roller coaster, more than 20 different stateroom categories and a three-deck atrium that overlooks the water. As well, it will be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG), in a push to offer a more clean-burning fuel.
If you want to be among the first to sail on Jubilee from Texas, you can find fares on Carnival’s website.
