by John Maddox
Last updated: 3:00 PM ET, Mon February 26, 2024
A Texas-sized
celebration occurred on Saturday as Carnival officially named their latest ship
Carnival
Jubilee.
With ship Godmother and
three-time Grammy winner Gwen Stefani onboard, the day included a ribbon
cutting of Emeril's Bistro - a new eatery onboard Carnival's Excel class ships,
which includes sister ships Mardi Gras and Celebration.
Also in attendance were
several local government representatives, Carnival
Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein and former CEO and Chairman of the Board,
Arnold Donald. Award-winning chef and Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse
rounded out the star-studded attendees. Also in attendance were several hundred
travel advisors, VIPs and press.
The naming ceremony
culminated with the traditional smashing of a giant bottle of champagne over
the ship's bow, which was sent careening toward the bow on a zip-line.
During the ceremony,
Galveston Mayor Craig Brown presented Carnival President Christine Duffy with a
key to the city and a proclamation declaring February 24th “Carnival Jubilee
Day."
During her portion of
the ceremony, Duffy discussed the recently ordered fourth
Excel class ship coming in 2027, Celebration
Key, Carnival's first private island, as well as hinting that the Galveston
port may grow the number of Carnival ships. "Carnival Cruise line is
committed to the Port of Galveston with more to come." Additional details
were not made available.
Galveston's Mayor was
just one of the many dignitaries in attendance. "We will always hold a
very warm place in our hearts for Carnival Cruise Line. They initiated the
entire cruise industry for the City of Galveston."
After the Mayor's
remarks, a brief demonstration by roping champion Will McBride furthered the
Texas theme of the day.
Emeril Lagasse, Carnival's Chief Culinary Officer, celebrates the opening of a third Emeril's Bistro with Gwen Stefani, Christine Duffy and Josh Weinstein. (Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise Line Media)
Next up was the renewal
of Carnival's commitment to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital with the
announcement that Carnival had not only reached their original pledge amount of
$34 million by 2024 but that they were raising that pledge to donate $50 million
to St. Jude by 2030. Rick Shadyac, CEO of ALSAC (the fundraising arm of St.
Jude), accepted not only the increased pledge but also the $50,000 check from
Carnival on behalf of Gwen Stefani.
In addition, Duffy
announced that an auction of specially designed Carnival Jubilee-themed boots
by Parker Boot Company, a Houston-based company, raised $25,000 for Operation
Homefront as a continuance of Carnival's commitment to the non-profit that helps
military families with access to support resources for financial and other
needs.
Following the official
naming, Gwen Stefani performed for the roughly 500 guests, including hits such
as "Hollback Girl" and "Don't Speak."
Carnival
Jubilee, which began sailing on December 23rd, offers week-long Western
Caribbean cruises. Jubilee uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as its fuel source,
accommodating up to 6,500 guests and 1,700 crew. Jubilee is the first ship
named at the Texas port of Galveston which welcomed over 1,49 million
passengers in 2023.
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