Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) & PLC (LSE:CCL) has announced that its Carnival Cruise Line has notified guests booked on the first six cruises of 'Carnival Jubilee' that because of shipyard delays, delivery of the ship has been postponed and the first cruise will now be on December 23, 2023, with embarkation from Galveston, Texas.
'Carnival Jubilee' is under construction at Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany. Meyer has notified Carnival that due to supply chain logistics and related matters, the October 2023 delivery date has been re-set for early December 2023. 'Carnival Jubilee' will then transit directly to Galveston to operate the first guest cruise for the Christmas holiday, departing on December 23, 2023, the company said.
Guests and travel advisors have been notified of the change. In total, the original October 30, 2023, transatlantic journey from Southampton, UK to Galveston, and then five Caribbean sailings from Galveston have been cancelled.
"This is disappointing news, but with the notification from the shipyard, we are advising our guests as quickly as we can," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line in a statement. "We appreciate their understanding as we work to deliver another spectacular ship that will provide a vacation experience our guests deserve and will absolutely love."
Since its founding in 1972, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise sector, making a cruise vacation an affordable and popular option for millions of guests. Carnival operates from 14 US and two Australian homeports and employs more than 40,000 team members representing 120 nationalities.
Carnival currently operates 24 ships and is currently in a period of growth, with 'Carnival Celebration' and 'Carnival Luminosa', which began guest operations in November, and three additional ships joining the fleet by 2024.