Texas-themed Jubilee Celebrates Carnival
Cruise Line's New Flagship
GALVESTON, Texas, Feb. 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The stars were out in
Texas on Saturday as Carnival
Cruise Line celebrated the naming of its new flagship Carnival
Jubilee, global music superstar Gwen
Stefani was honored as the ship's godmother, and
Feb. 24 was declared "Carnival
Jubilee Day" by Galveston Mayor
Craig Brown – all on the same day
that marked the 100th birthday of the late Ted Arison, Carnival Cruise Line's founder. To
see highlights from the event, click here.
"We hold a very warm place in our hearts for Carnival Cruise
Line because they initiated the entire cruise industry for the
City of Galveston. They were the
first and will always be first in our hearts," said Brown.
Stefani spent the day on the ship, visiting the bridge to meet
the captain and blowing the ship's horn and then cutting the ribbon
at several venues including:
- Joining Carnival Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse at his
newest Emeril's Bistro on Carnival's Excel class ships
- The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital's sculpture, where
she met Ty Crowninshield who drew
the artwork that inspired the sculpture while he was a patient at
the hospital
- The EFFY Jewelry store, where she was presented with her
godmother gift of an EFFY Legacy panther ring.
After a cocktail reception and celebratory lunch, the invited
guests of public officials, community leaders, travel advisors,
business partners and Carnival cruisers attended the 45-minute
naming ceremony in the ship's theater. Noting that Carnival Jubilee
is the first brand new ship to be homeported in Galveston, and the first cruise ship to be
christened in Galveston, Carnival
Cruise Line President Christine
Duffy welcomed the guests and thanked the Galveston community for their decades of
support. And with reference to the embossed Texas star on the bow of the ship, she assured
them that Galveston is Carnival
Jubilee's forever home.
Carnival also used the occasion to celebrate its relationships
with its two national charitable partners. Duffy announced that
after meeting its goal of $33 million
for St. Jude by 2024, the company has set a new pledge goal of
$50 million by 2030. And a
specially-designed pair of Carnival Jubilee-themed cowboy boots by
Houston-based Parker Boot Co. were
auctioned off for $25,000 to benefit
Operation Homefront, which is dedicated to supporting military
families.
"I know she has been honored in so many ways for her music with
numerous awards and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and now
she has a ship!," said Duffy as she introduced Stefani.
"She's also put giving back as an important focus in her life,
especially to a number of children's causes, so we are truly
thrilled to have Gwen as the Godmother of our flagship Carnival
Jubilee!"
As she joined Duffy and Captain Stefano Bonica on stage,
Stefani blessed and named the ship, and then pulled a lasso rope
and lever that released the champagne bottle that struck the ship's
bow to officially christen Carnival Jubilee. Stefani then treated
the guests to a private concert of some of her hit songs, including
"Just a Girl," "The Sweet Escape" and "Hollaback Girl."
Carnival Jubilee is homeported year-round in Galveston, sailing week-long Western Caribbean cruises. The ship is powered
by a liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology platform and
accommodates 6,500 guests and 1,750 crew. Leveraging technology and
enriched by detailed theming, the ship celebrates the sea and
features the ultimate fun, from a top-deck roller coaster to a
resort-like retreat. Carnival recently announced that a fourth
Excel sister ship will join Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Celebration
and Mardi Gras in 2027.
Click here to watch the special ceremony. For
additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and to book a cruise
vacation, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, visit www.carnival.com, or contact
your favorite travel advisor or online travel site.
ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE
Carnival Cruise Line, part
of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is
the first cruise line to sail over 100 million guests and is proud
to be known as America's Cruise Line, for carrying more Americans
and serving more U.S. homeports than any other. Since its founding
in 1972, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise
industry and popularized the cruise vacation as an affordable and
fun travel option. Carnival operates from 14 U.S., two Australian
homeports and seasonally from Europe, and employs more than 48,000 team
members representing 120 nationalities. Carnival's fleet of 27
ships reflects an exciting period of growth since 2021. Carnival's
next new guest offering will be the all-new exclusive destination,
Celebration Key, set to debut on Grand
Bahama in summer 2025.
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SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line