Cruise News

Gwen Stefani names Carnival’s newest cruise ship in Texas

Heather Baxter

February 25, 2024

Carnival Jubilee was christened by the ship’s godmother Gwen Stefani during an official ceremony in Galveston today, two months after the ship first started sailing from the Texas port.

Gwen Stefani is standing on stage in front of a large cruise ship during a carnival celebration.

The event kicked off with a live performance of the national anthem followed by a blessing of the ship. To honor Jubilee’s Texan spirit, trick roping artist Will Fitzpatrick took the stage to show off his lasso spinning skills.

Trick roping artist Will Fitzpatrick performs on stage on board Carnival Jubilee

Mayor of Galveston Craig Brown then presented Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy with the key to Galveston, declaring February 24 to forever be “Carnival Jubilee Day” for the city.

Duffy thanked everyone involved in bringing Jubilee to life before acknowledging the two culinary stars in attendance, award-winning celebrity chef and Carnival’s Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse and cookbook author and master chef Rudi Sodamin. Both chefs have restaurants on Jubilee and have influenced Carnival’s culinary experiences.

Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy honors the company's founder Ted Arison, who would be 100 years old on the day of the ceremony

Carnival’s president also mentioned the cruise line’s founder, Ted Arison, noting that the day of Carnival Jubilee’s christening would have been his 100th birthday. “I know he would be as proud as we are to see how far Carnival has come,” said Duffy.

Godmother Gwen Stefani on stage in the Carnival Jubilee theater at the ship's christening

And finally, the ship’s godmother, three-time Grammy Award–winning singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani, officially christened Jubilee.

A group of people on stage in front of a red background at a jubilee event.

The ceremony then concluded with a live performance by Stefani, who sang five top hits of hers and her band No Doubt: “Sweet Escape,” “Underneath It All,” “Don’t Speak,” “Just a Girl,” and “Hollaback Girl.” For the last one, she changed the lyrics just slightly, joyfully belting out: “This my ship, this my ship!”

Three people stand together on stage on Carnival Jubilee. Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy is in the middle in white, while to the right is Grammy Award-winning artist Gwen Stefani, dressed in gold and black.

Carnival Jubilee is the first new-build cruise ship to home port in Galveston and the first and only cruise ship to don the Star of Texas on her bow. It joins sister ships Mardi Gras and Carnival Celebration as the third ship in Carnival’s Excel class, which all run on liquefied natural gas, or LNG. Coming in at 182,800 gross registered tons, Carnival Jubilee can carry 5,282 guests.