A Birthday At Sea! Turning 33 on the Carnival Jubilee

I am local to the Houston area, so I had a very short drive down to Galveston, but Galveston is a great place to start the party. I recommend stopping at Shrimp n’ Stuff for lunch or Mod Coffeehouse before embarkation or after debarkation to wait out the returning traffic.

Outside of the most commonly needed trip items, I suggest packing a light sweater if you are sailing in the fall/winter months. The nights can be windy or chilly onboard. Also, bringing your own refillable water bottle to use at the refill stations anytime is clutch. If you are a first-time cruiser, make sure to bring some magnetic “flair” for your stateroom door to help you find your room easily in those long hallways.

Image 1: Crimson Catch cocktail ; Image 2: Traditional Mayan lunch

The ship has 19 decks full of many different dining options and activities! One key difference between this ship and some of the other Carnival ships is that you can find select specialty dining options included in the cruise fare and simply need to make a reservation ahead of time on the Hub app. At the time of this report, those options include Chibang! (Asian/Mexican fusion), Shaq’s Big Chicken and Cucina del Capitano (Italian). Street Eats is a hidden gem with big flavors and a menu that changes daily (lunch only) located near the pool on Deck 16, and is also included with your standard cruise fare. If you are opting to eat in the dining room, the Carnival chocolate melting cake is the perfect way to top off (or start!) your day. I did utilize the spa for a massage, which I recommend booking on a port day for slightly discounted prices as these services aren’t cheap. From my perspective, the casino was lacking in table games for a ship of that size, but there were plenty of slot machines.

By far my favorite bar/lounge area was Dr. Inks, P.H.D. Just sitting at the bar and watching the bartenders pour color-changing cocktails and smoke-filled bubble drink toppers is a nightly activity in and of itself. If beer is your vibe, the Guy’s Pig & Anchor Brewhouse offers a tour of their onboard brewery with multiple tastings and a full pint of your favorite beer included for an extra fee. Soulbound is the Center Stage + Playlist Productions evening show you DON’T want to miss in the theater. Daily bingo games are great family activities, and possibly a way to recoup the price of your cruise fare if you win! My travel group consisted of mostly 30’s - 40’s age range, but we did notice a wide variety of kid-friendly activities going on all day.

The ports of call for this sailing included Mahogany Bay (Roatan), Honduras; Costa Maya, Mexico; and Cozumel, Mexico. Mahogany Bay is well known for the portside beach, which is well-maintained and has on-beach dining/drinks. Beach chairs do fill up during peak times of the day/year depending on when you are visiting, but you can walk up and pay for a chair without needing a prior excursion booked. The nice thing about this beach being portside means you can return to the boat throughout the day if you want to go back to eat onboard, take a nap, etc. and then come back to the beach before departure time. Costa Maya has one of the largest port malls for shopping I’ve ever seen, so this is a great place to debark and get some steps in for the day if you don’t want to do an excursion elsewhere. Cozumel is jam-packed with excursion options, but our group opted for the cenote swim and Mayan village lunch package. I had done this excursion on a previous cruise and loved it enough to do it again. If you are new to visiting Cozumel and looking at excursions, be sure to note that mainland excursions will require you to take a water ferry roundtrip. This will add about an additional 30 - 45 mins of transport each way. The cenotes are AMAZING, crystal clear and pleasantly chilly to swim in. My only wish…. was that we could spend all day in them.

Watch out for hurricane season in the Gulf. If possible, cruise outside of June - October to avoid chances of getting caught in storms and to avoid the famous Houston heat. You may start out chilly in Galveston, but it will quickly warm up once you set sail! February was a great time to get out and see some Caribbean sunshine. On this particular cruise, some of my group were first-time cruisers. For both the first timers and myself, we were all wow-ed at the sheer size of the Jubilee! Make sure to download the Carnival Hub app before even setting foot on the boat. This app will be your best friend when you want to find your way around, chat with others in your party, see the daily activities, and most importantly, see what’s for dinner every night. Your must-do activity? The Bolt roller coaster!!! Yes, it is an extra fee, but how many times can you say you will ride a roller coaster hanging off a boat in the middle of the ocean! Avoid waiting in line and check the Carnival Hub app to make your timed reservation ahead of time.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Galveston. In need of further inspiration? Check out Erica Gould’s guide, Family-Friendly Guide To Galveston, Texas.