Definitely would do the Jubilee again. I thought the ship was fantastic. It was nice having all of the dining options, when the inaugural season ends and some of the places that were free become pay, it may lose some of it's luster. Especially if the marketplace doesn't improve. Overall very pleased with the Jubilee. Beautiful ship and it was really easy to find your way around.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was super easy and fast. Carnival in Galveston has this down.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
A lot of people complain about MDR food, but my party found it to be very good with very few misses. Shaq's Chicken, Guys Burgers, Pig & Anchor and Blue Iguana are all also very good. The little street eats spots are fantastic small bites places for a quick snack. We were a big fan of these. Marketplace was a bit disappointing. Not a lot of selection. My guess is that since we are on the inaugural cruise year and some places are free that won't be soon, that marketplace will expand as they are clearly set up to do so. But we didn't find ourselves eating there very much, although we did stop in to try the gelatos fairly regularly.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Pools are crowded as they typically are. The water slides were a big hit with my family and they were very good. We didn't do the Bolt coaster but it did look like a lot of fun. Mini golf was good. Overall there was a good amount of activities.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Lido DJ was good. We didn't get to do a ton of entertainment (didn't make it to a single comedy show). The parades and shows in the Jubilee Theater were good. I heard Family Feud and Love and Marriage shows are good too but we didn't catch those.
Children's Programs
We did not check our kids into the Camp Carnival.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Probably the best MDR wait staff I've ever had on my dozen or so cruises. We found all of the staff to be very pleasant and helpful.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
It's a beautiful ship. Definitely enjoyed it. It's fairly new so that helps too, everything was still in great shape.
My only huge complaint I have is the elevators. It makes no sense as to why the elevators are as small as they are. Plenty of times we would see an elevator pass us by that was almost empty. I do wish there were more places where you could set down a cup, plate, etc. Too many times we would be looking for a place to put something.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Really enjoyed the cove balcony. Loved the fact that the life boats are directly above you blocking off the sun for a good period of the day. Rooms are much smaller that we have had in the past. You make it work, but it is definitely noticeable. Bathroom is also significantly smaller than your typical small bathroom. However, we did like the size and layout of the shower. It felt bigger.
Ship tip
We brought USB powered cheap little fans and stayed nice and cool the majority of the time. It's nice that the Jubilee has little USB ports on the side of the beds. When you get to an elevator, press UP and Down then take the first one you can get. Definitely prepare to take stairs though.
Carnival's port is 100x better than the other side where RCCL ports. This was our first time at this one and it was convenient with a nice area to get to the beach.
Not a fan of Costa Maya. The port area is ridiculous, expensive and crowded. We where ported the same time as the Icon, that's over 13,000 people at the port. There is no way to easy escape the port area either, you have to rent a vehicle or taxi. We have been over to Krazy Lobster before and it is fine. Horrible facilities though. But it would be a long walk to get over there.
Just got off of her in June and it was a great trip. I too love the stunningly beautiful ship 🚢 Thanks for your review and I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise
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