Carnival Jubilee

Carnival Jubilee Cruise Review

lrwellnitz

Contributor Level: Second Mate

9 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 7

Helpful Votes: 130

Overall rating:

3.5 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Galveston Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 20, 2024

Ship: Carnival Jubilee

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10309

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 9 months ago

Review summary

Coffee cups with large handle openings are an excellent upgrade. Buffet deserts are better than any ship we have been on. Why aren’t there odd/even signs visible or at all when exiting elevators. No floor numbers if walking the stairs on some levels? No early afternoon movies on lido deck was disappointing. Avoid all balconies on decks 10 and below if they are one of the indented rooms. No privacy and if cleaning balconies above you get wet.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

The ship was late due to medical emergency and everyone was supposed to show up one hour late. We sat in line of cars for over 90 minutes waiting to drop off luggage. The port is not set up properly for large full ships. Instead of waiting in line like the rest of us numerous cars were using right lane to bypass traffic and forcing themselves into line at front. There should be cones and police directing traffic at entrance. Once in terminal the boarding was pretty fast and easy.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Beach Buns (deli) has 9 sandwiches plus hot dog options. They sandwiches looked pathetic and are all bread and no filling. I tried the CLASSIC BARBECUE PULLED PORK-American cheese, onions, mustard,red cabbage & carrot slaw, rustic bread. It was bland and tasted like nothing. The meatball was a sad cousin of what we had on the Mardi Gras. I was very disappointed with the options also after having 12 fantastic good tasting options on Mardi Gras a few years ago. The cutbacks on deli sandwiches went overboard and they ruined this as an option for us.

Cucina del Capitano

4 out of 5

We ate at Cucina del Capitano multiple times and enjoyed our food. I was disappointed that they have reduced the menu options and food quantity. In the past they have advertised this as family style with sharing. We ordered a Nona’s Meatball and it was the size of a cocktail meatball. The dinner menu doesn’t have a bolognese sauce available.

Guy's Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse

5 out of 5

We were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was. We tried the pulled pork and beef brisket and both were perfect. The chicken had a gritty rub which we were not a fan of. We also liked the fried onions, fries and Mac n cheese. The beans and coleslaw were not to our taste. We had the apple tart which was very good. Since the ice cream machine is in the same space we added vanilla ice cream to the top.

Big Chicken

5 out of 5

Very good chicken sandwiches and biscuit options. The fries are also a highlight.

Carnival Kitchen

4 out of 5

I did the PASTA CLASS and it was very good. We made fresh pasta and a marinara sauce and ate what we made. The recipe didn’t match the quantities we were given to add. The recipes were emailed to us so we can replicate at home. I would recommend trying a class.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

I was disappointed there were no afternoon movies on lido deck otherwise standard carnival activities were available

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Our cabin steward was excellent. It appeared that the rest of the staff was overwhelmed and already downtrodden and this was one of first cruises. The MDR staff was disorganized, slow and not happy.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Cabin 10309 is a balcony cabin with the standard amenities. The balcony itself was a larger square than normal but only has a half roof and no real privacy. The BAD- there was a horrible smell in the cabin that was a mix of sewer and gas. The cabin attendant told us it was only our cabin and it is a known issue on all three ships of this size. Supposedly they can fix it but since the ship was late they couldn’t fix it our sailing. I was worried the whole trip it was toxic and tried to open balcony door frequently to let in fresh air. The AC was never cold even after I closed door and hit the quick cool button. I would avoid this cabin till they fix the smell

Ship tip

While still free I would suggest Your Time Dining to take advantage of the numerous dining options by just selecting in app.

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

The lack of available elevator space was an issue as usual. They were using new procedures but I’m not sure it helped the situation. The port layout makes it hard to get your car and come back to pick up luggage and passengers.

Traveler Photos

9 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 5 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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Gwbigdog 9 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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babygrljaz 9 months ago

I was in this sailing. We showed up an hour later, as directed. There was little traffic. Although a little confusing because people were still waiting to be picked up, we were they the line in less than 20 min & parked quickly at the Express Lot. The check in line was extremely long, extended almost the length of the building but it went pretty fast. This wasn't our greatest cruise but absolutely not Carnival's fault. The ship is AWESOME but weather was bad. Can't blame the cruise line for what's beyond their control

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cruising2004 9 months ago

Thank you for your review.

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lrwellnitz 9 months ago

I know the review comes across a little harsh but I love Carnival and was very disappointed. I already have 3 more carnival cruises booked this year with 2 being on Jubilee again.

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mary0909 9 months ago

Thanks for the review. We were on the cruise before yours and it was a sad situation. They had turned the ship around to go back to Cancun. First time in all my cruises I had heard announcements asking for blood donations. Unfortunately right before we made Cancun the passenger passed away.It was a late disembark but we heard very few complaints. Carnival truly did all they could in this situation.

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karlgrgurich 9 months ago

Eek. A few misses for sure

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javawoody 9 months ago

Appreciate your thoughts

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Niavlys 9 months ago

Thank you for your review and advice

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Other reviews of this sailing

Love Carnival, just a little disappointed with Jubilee

Beautiful ship

The Jubilee is a big ship. Its decor is beautiful and you will enjoy going floor to floor to explore.