Carnival Releases the 2 New Zones on the Jubilee

Carnival just released some new information about their upcoming ship Carnival Jubilee, which will debut in December 2023. Learn about the new information and how it compares to Carnival’s other ships. 

Jubilee and other Excel-class designs 

Carnival’s Excel-class ships (Mardi Gras, Celebration, and Jubilee) are broken into six zones which are themed areas found around the ships. 

Carnival took a unique approach with their Excel-class ships and decided to customize two zones for each ship. These customizations offer different restaurants, bars, and overall designs, essentially offering a unique experience on each ship. 

Now we know the new themes for the Jubilee. Both zones will pay homage to the ocean, one above and one beneath.

Currents on the Jubilee replaces French Quarter and The Gateway

Currents will be the two-story area on Deck 6 and 7 and will be themed around underwater worlds around the ocean. It’ll replace the French Quarter on Mardi Gras and The Gateway on Celebration.

The area will use advanced technology like LED screens and lighting effects to transport guests underneath the waves. The designers fashioned the windows along the boulevard to resemble submarine windows peering into the ocean’s depths, and the ceiling will resemble the water’s surface. 

It’s an impressive evolution of the concept; you can see how far they’ve come with each iteration of the idea. The French Quarter on Mardi Gras was pretty standard, while Celebration saw the innovative screens and ceilings which turned the space into a dynamic scene. It looks like Currents will continue on that transition. 

Currents will also feature some new bars and restaurants.

Inks, Ph. D (instead of Fortune Teller Bar or Latitutes)

Inks, PH. D will offer fun and aquatic-themed cocktails. Like Fortune Teller Bar or Latitudes, this venue will offer unique drinks that are sure to impress. The drinks here will use advanced bartending techniques to make drinks with bubbles, foams, boba pearls, and even change color. If the menu is as varied as Fortune Teller Bar and Latitudes, you might have to stop in here a few times. 

The bar itself has a quirky presentation, with octopus arms climbing out of the bar area. It’ll be interesting to see how cheesy this looks in reality. The Celebration did a great job of being whimsical and fun without being silly and tacky. It’ll be interesting to see if the designers can continue that trend.

It also looks like Carnival learned a lot from the previous two ships. The bar will be in the main corridor like Latitudes, and not along the side like the Fortune Teller bar. This layout makes it easier to grab a seat and have better views of the boulevard. 

It also looks like they realized the header/top in Latitudes was too tall and blocked the massive LED screens behind it. The top of the bar here lets guests see the windows above. 

The Golden Mermaid (in place of Brass Magnolia or Golden Jubilee)

The Golden Mermaid will be the two-story bar venue located in the Currents zone, right next to Grand Central. Like the Brass Magnolia or Golden Jubilee, it looks like a more upscale bar. According to Carnival, it’ll feature “cocktails inspired by precious gemstones and metals are made with edible glitter, as well as drinks presented in pretty glassware and adorned with graceful garnishes for an elevated experience. “

The layout looks to be similar to the Golden Jubilee, which moved the live music to the inside-back corner, making it better for performances. In the renders, we can’t see if Carnival got rid of the weird glass panes looking down from the casino into the bar.

Emeril’s Bistro 717 

Emeril’s Bistro 717 is the newest version of the extra-fee dining venue by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. The menu will feature some of the favorites from the other versions, Emeril’s Bistro 1396 and Emeril’s Bistro 1397, as well as some new seafood offerings. Don’t worry; they’ve said they’ll still offer the delicious beignets. The food will likely continue to be priced a la carte, and hopefully the prices will remain as reasonable as the other two ships. 

Carnival again shows they learned from their previous ships and changed the layout of Emeril’s again. On Celebration, they moved the restaurant to the other side of the walkway which opened up the windows for seating and added some booth seating. 

On Jubilee, they moved these booths to be along the way and put tables closer to the walkway. This design change really opens up the space. On Celebration, you couldn’t really see the tables along the way because the bulky booth seating right along the walkway blocked the view. 

The Shores on the Jubilee replaces La Piazza and 820 Biscayne

The Shores is the zone that borders the outdoor promenade deck along Deck 8. On Jubilee, it will be themed after a boardwalk area. This space connects Guy’s Pig and Anchor Smokehouse and Grand Central.

New and returning food options

This area will be home to two fast-casual favorites, the pizza place, and the deli.

On Jubilee, the pizza place will be called Coastal Slice.

The deli will be called Beach Buns and will offer a variety of sandwiches and hot dogs. These two venues are far away from the Lido Marketplace Buffet which reduces the lines during peak hours at lunch (although these are the only late night options for food available).

Two returning favorites, Rudi’s Seagrill and Cucina del Capitano, will also return to this zone. Both will continue to offer indoor and outdoor seating. 

Marina Bar (in the place of Bar Della Rosa or Bar 820)

Guests will also find the indoor/outdoor Marina Bar along The Shores. There’s also a lot of great seating outside on the lanai. 

The bar remains an additional place to get premium coffees (on top of Java Blue Cafe), which means it should be busy both night and day. They haven’t released what kind of cocktails will be served here. On Mardi Gras, the cocktails were Italian-themed and on Celebration, they were Miami-themed. 

Our take: Carnival Jubilee looks amazing

It looks like the Jubilee will be another amazing ship for the fleet. Carnival has learned from the previous two iterations of Excel-class ships, and this might be their most refined design yet. Frankly, I’m shocked that one zone wasn’t themed after country music or cowboys, since the ship will sail out of Galveston, but it looks like this concept will work really well. I was really impressed with the Carnival Celebration when I sailed recently (follow along here), and I think the Jubilee will be just as good, if not better.