We were thoroughly impressed with Jubilee! From the design, layout, colors, venues, everything just gave way to a great cruise! Even the mass of the ship provided a pretty smooth ride during high winds and “bumpy” seas.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was better than expected considering the ship holds over 6,000 passengers. My only issue was the traffic when arriving at the port. The port needs to have officers directing traffic at the intersections. We watched someone cut in front of a car and got hit because they were too impatient to wait like the rest of us. I definitely recommend arriving at the port early so you don’t feel rushed.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The options available almost seemed endless. There are so many new options with new food, and so many items included with the cruise fare. The service was great at each venue as were the food options!
Dr.Inks bar is not listed to review independently, so I’ll add my review here. GO! This turned out to be our groups favorite evening hangout! Owen Stephens provided great music several nights, Dajana, Milovan, Ana, Sebastian, and Karina are great! While I connected most with Dajana and Milovan, members of my cruise group each had a favorite in the others. This area has an amazing vibe and was an enjoyable place to end a great day of cruising!
Big Chicken
5 out of 5
What a great addition! Ate here several times and the lunch sandwiches and fries are wonderful! Get the BBQ ranch for your fries. We didn’t care for the biscuit at breakfast as it was hard and the flavor wasn’t appealing.
Cucina del Capitano
5 out of 5
New menu options were fantastic! I had the osso buco (additional charge) and it was fantastic! The only downside at this time, this restaurant is included at current and it can get very noisy. It’s amazing how much the normal small fee keeps out the noisy customers.
Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse
3 out of 5
This is the only food that to me was just okay, and there was one bartender who really didn’t want to be there. I don’t recall her name, but she never greeted anyone nor thanked them. Others working there were amazing as expected. I really did enjoy the smokey watermelon margarita.
Chibang!
5 out of 5
Ate at Chibang twice, lunch and dinner, and we were served great food each time!
Street Eats
5 out of 5
What a great addition! Go by daily to see what they have and you won’t regret it. You can grab an item from each and create a full lunch or just swing by for a snack.
RedFrog Tiki Bar
5 out of 5
Moving the red frog outside and rebranding it was a great idea! This was a popular hangout and the drinks and service were amazing! Yedhi and Dusan were quick and always friendly! Leaving a good tip creates a little noise! I’ll let y’all learn that for yourselves 😉
Bonsai Teppanyaki
5 out of 5
The sushi was great as was the customer service! Bang Bang rolls will always be my favorite on Carnival ships
Lido Marketplace
5 out of 5
The new layout was very nice! We had breakfast here two or three times and surprisingly we were able find seats with ease. As always, the omelet station was a hit!
Heroes Tribute Lounge
5 out of 5
What a great area and a way to pay respect to our military men and women! When there are sporting events on tv, this is the place to be!
Havana Bar
5 out of 5
As always, the vibe here is great! The band kept was wonderful!
Dining Room
5 out of 5
Had brunch and dinner in the Pacific dinning room. At brunch the normal options are still available, but you can purchase Emeril Select items for a small charge. I recommend the shrimp and grits! If you happen to get Dhio as your waiter, he also answers to Bryan! Such a great guy and so much fun!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The Jubilee does not disappoint and our favorite CD, Kyndall Fire, brings the heat! BOLT was more fun than I expected! Ride it once, note your lap time, then book again and again to beat your time and compete with a friend!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The new shows were very well performed. You can usually tell when a cast member is going through the motions or if they genuinely enjoy what they’re doing. They enjoyed what they were doing and performed each show with so much enthusiasm. While I did not see every show performed, those I was able to watch I liked!
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Carnival team members really are The Best! I have always enjoyed meeting team members and seeing the smiles on their faces. If you get time to visit with any, do so. They are wonderful people who work very hard to make our experience great!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
When it comes to design, I was blown away! The Excel class ships, Jubilee, Celebration, and Mardi Gras, have a new flow and design like none before. The Jubilee did not disappoint. Venues are spread out in a way that limits congestion. With over 6,000 passengers and 1,700 team members, it never seemed crowded. The only bottleneck that happens is when exiting the Jubilee theater on decks 6 and 7 as so many people want to jump on elevators. Plan on skipping the elevators and go to one of the many venues on the floor of which you exit.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The cabin was very nice and the new colors are much brighter and nicer! While the bathroom served its purpose, it is a bit narrow. Having said that, I don’t think it’s worth docking stars for this, but I do hope the next ship class will give a little room back to the bathroom. Removing the shower curtain and replacing it with a glass door was nice touch.
Ship tip
Book BOLT upon entering the vessel. I recommend booking at least one or two days while at port if your schedule allows. When seas are rough and winds are high, BOLT does not operate.
First time to Costa Maya and learned the hard way, don’t go for the first taxi! Our friend, fluent in Spanish, told the guy where we wanted to go, and while we were taken to the same area, we were charged to go to a beach we didn’t want to. We walked a short distance to where we wanted to be and from there found our own taxi to return. While at Mahaul beach, be prepared to be asked again and again to purchase items. Nicely let them know you’re not interested and they’ll leave you be. I highly recommend the Krazy Lobster for lunch!
I have always enjoyed Roatán and this trip we took the lift to the beach neighboring the ship. Here we booked a cabana that gave us access to small beach area with a limited number of people. This was well worth the price.
Cozumel is always a great time. Some of our group went on an excursion while a couple of us opted to visit the port and return to the ship early giving us time to ride BOLT!
Getting off the ship was organized and surprisingly smooth. The port though still has work to do. Leaving the ramp to gather bags was a bit of a mess. You have to walk through the line of people who have already gathered bags and some people don’t like to move. We also know some will not act right without direction. There needs to be more assistance in the area to keep the crowd in control and flowing.
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