This week Carnival Cruise Line announced the remaining US ships will enter service on or by March 2022. 

Ships To Enter Service & Expected Date:
1. Carnival Legend - November 14, 2021
Sailing From Baltimore, Maryland
2. Carnival Pride - November 14, 2021
Sailing From Tampa, Florida
3. Carnival Conquest - December 13, 2021
Sailing From Miami, Florida 
4. Carnival Radiance - December 13, 2021
Sailing From Long Beach, California
5. Carnival Sunshine - January 13, 2022
Sailing From Charleston, South Carolina
6. Carnival Liberty - February 11, 2022
Sailing From Port Canaveral, Florida 
7. Carnival Sensation - March 5, 2022
Sailing From Mobile, Alabama 
8. Carnival Ecstasy - March 7, 2022
Sailing From Jacksonville, Florida
9. Carnival Paradise - March 12, 2022
Sailing From Tampa, Florida 

What Are The Health Protocols For These Ships As They Resume Cruising?
               The health protocols have been modified several times over the past year and could continue to evolve depending on the CDC's guidance and requirements as well as the destinations the ship's visit. I recommend visiting Carnival's Have Fun Be Safe Guest Protocols online for further information: Click Here (link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide to Carnival's website). 
​
Ships That Won't Be Returning From The Coronavirus Shutdown
​              The Coronavirus shutdown began in March 2020 and for the ships listed above is still ongoing. However, there are some Carnival ships that were sold or scrapped last year that will never be able to return to service. The Carnival Fantasy, Carnival Imagination, and Carnival Inspiration were sold for scrap in 2020 in Turkey. Check out some posts with videos of these ships arriving in the scrapyard from last year:

• Carnival Fantasy: Click Here To View
• Carnival Imagination: Click Here To View
• Carnival Inspiration: Click Here To View

The Carnival Fascination was sold in 2020 to Century Harmony Cruise Ltd, but the ship was sold for scrap in 2021. All four of these previous Carnival ships will unfortunately never be able to return from the Coronavirus shutdown. 

      This week Carnival Cruise Line announced their third Excel class newbuild ship, the Carnival Jubilee, will sail from Galveston. In 2023 the Carnival Jubilee will enter service and the ship's homeport will be Galveston, Texas. 

Itineraries
            Carnival will open the Carnival Jubilee for bookings out of Galveston in early 2022. However, Carnival's press release mentioned the Carnival Jubilee will be sailing 7 night Western Caribbean itineraries from Galveston. 

Ship Features
                 The Carnival Jubilee will have 6 themed zones similar to the Mardi Gras that debuted earlier this year and the Carnival Celebration that will debut in 2022. Carnival's press release noted that 2 of the 6 zones will be new concepts that are to be announced. The Carnival Jubilee will have the BOLT Roller Coaster on the ship's top deck and a three level atrium that converts to an entertainment venue at night. 

Carnival's History From Galveston
                The newbuild Carnival Jubilee's name may sound familiar to cruisers because this is not the first time Carnival had a ship named the M/S Jubilee. The first Jubilee cruise ship was a Holiday class ship that sailed for Carnival from approximately 1986 - 2004. The original Jubilee cruise ship sailed from Galveston in 2002. Carnival began sailing year-round cruises from Galveston in 2000 with the M/S Celebration (not to be confused with the 2022 newbuild Carnival Celebration) and then in 2002 the M/S Jubilee joined the M/S Celebration. Carnival's capacity continued growing out of Galveston in the early to mid 2000's when the Carnival Elation and Carnival Ecstasy were repositioned to Galveston and later the Carnival Conquest came. In the early 2010's, the Carnival Triumph and Carnival Magic began sailing from Galveston to replace the Carnival Ecstasy and Carnival Conquest. In 2015, the Carnival Freedom began sailing from Galveston as Carnival's third year-round Galveston based ship. Over the second half of the 2010's, the Carnival Liberty replaced the Carnival Triumph out of Galveston and was then was replaced by the Carnival Valor. The Carnival Breeze replaced the Carnival Magic from Galveston and in 2018 was replaced by the Carnival Vista. Currently, the Carnival Dream sails 6 & 8 night cruises from Galveston, the Carnival Breeze sails 4 & 5 night cruises, and the Carnival Vista sails 7 night cruises from Galveston. 

Carnival Jubilee Ship Size and Fast Facts
Year Entering Service:  2023
Gross Tonnage: 182,800 gross tons
Capacity: 5,400 guests and 1,700 crew
Length: Approximately 1,130 Feet
Ship's Class: Excel Class

It will be exciting to see what information Carnival releases on the Carnival Jubilee in the future including the ship's Galveston itineraries. 

For more information check out these links (both links will take you away to Carnival's website): 
Carnival's Official Press Release:  Click Here To View
Carnival Jubilee's Webpage on Carnival's Website:  Click Here To View

    Carnival Cruise Line has posted their Thanksgiving Dinner menu online for Thanksgiving 2021. For dinner on Thanksgiving the ship's dining room will serve a special menu that has a mix of some special items for Thanksgiving and regular Carnival Cruise menu favorites. 

Carnival Cruise 2021 Thanksgiving Dining Room Dinner Menu
Below is a list of the items that are planned on Carnival's Thanksgiving Dinner dining room menu. I have excluded food item descriptions for the sake of space, but if you scroll down you can view a link to John Heald's Facebook post for the full menu (including descriptions). 
Appetizers
Cold
Shrimp Cocktail
Tuna Poke
Carpaccio Figs and Mozzarella 
​
Hot
Pumpkin Leek Bisque
Seafood Gumbo
Sticky Wings
Stuffed Shells

Salad
Field Greens
Tomato Salad
​Caesar Salad


Main Courses
Seafood
Grilled Creole Shrimp
Roasted Bass

Meat
Slow Roasted Tom Turkey
Pan Seared Steak
Smoked Pork Loin

Vegetarian
Pappardelle
Cashew Cheese Korma and Baby Eggplant


Desserts
Melting Chocolate Cake
Roasted Pumpkin Pie
Slow Stewed Plums
Classic Pecan Pie

Steakhouse Selections
​Carnival's menu states a surcharge of $20 applies per entree. 
Broiled Lobster Tail
Surf & Turf
Broiled Filet Mingion
​New York Strip Loin Steak

If you would like to view the actual menu and each food item's description I recommend you check out the embedded post below that is by John Heald on Facebook. Clicking into this post will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide to John Heald's Facebook page. The menu items listed above were taken directly off this photo of the menu that was posted, but you can get better information on the food descriptions by looking at this post:

Carnival Cruise 2021 Thanksgiving Activities
Carnival's website shows a few Thanksgiving themed activities and events will be taking place onboard the ship for the 2021 Thanksgiving cruises. The following activities are scheduled to take place on the Carnival ships sailing this Thanksgiving:

• Turkey Trot
• Thanksgiving Trivia
• Gratitude Box
• Thanksgiving Day NFL Football
• Turkey Hunt
• Thanksgiving Dinner

If you are cruising during Thanksgiving, have a great cruise and enjoy the food! Please note, I am not responsible for any changes that may occur to the menu or planned Thanksgiving activites as I am simply re-posting information Carnival released. Check with Carnival for the latest information!

       Carnival Cruise Line has released the 2021 Christmas decoration schedules for the ships that will be sailing this year. On the day the ship is decorated for Christmas, the atrium and other public areas of the ship are decorated with Christmas and holiday decorations. This schedule includes the dates Carnival Cruise Line has planned to decorate each ship with Christmas and holiday decorations. 
        Below is the 2021 Christmas Decoration Schedule by Carnival ship:  ​

      Carnival Cruise ships with a Seaside Theater will show movies in the evening as part of Carnival's Dive In Movies program. The movies shown typically change each month. On your cruise if you are interested in Dive In Movies, check your Fun-Times activity newsletter or the Carnival Hub App for movie offerings and the time the movie will be shown. 

December 2021 Carnival Dive In Movies List
John Heald posted on November 20, 2021 the movies for December 2021 and mentioned this will also be shown the last week of November 2021 as well. These movies are scheduled to be shown on ships that have resumed cruising and have Seaside Theaters that can host Dive-In Movies. If you are scheduled to cruise in December 2021 on a ship that does Dive-In Movies make sure to check your Carnival Hub App for the times that the movies for the day are scheduled to show. 

• Free Guy
• Shang Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings
• The Suicide Squad
• Space Jam: A New Legacy
• Black Widow
• Snake Eyes:GI Joe Origins
• Cruella de Critic
• Fast and Furious 9
• In the Heights
• Jungle Cruise
• Boss Baby: A Family Legacy
• The Grinch
• ​The Man Who Invented Christmas

​
November 2021 Carnival Dive In Movies List
John Heald posted on October 20, 2021 the movies for November. These movies are scheduled to be shown on ships that have resumed cruising and have Seaside Theaters that can host Dive-In Movies. If you are scheduled to cruise in November 2021 on a ship that does Dive-In Movies make sure to check your Carnival Hub App for the times that the movies for the day are scheduled to show. 

• Black Widow
• The Hitmans Wife's Bodyguard
• Cruella
• Dream Horse
• Fast and Furious 9 
• In The Heights
• Jungle Cruise
• News of the World
• Peter Rabbit 2 
• Snake Eyes GI Origins
• Tenent
• Stillwater
• Boss Baby 2

​October 2021 Carnival Dive In Movies List
John Heald posted on September 21, 2021 the movies for October. These movies are scheduled to be shown on ships that have resumed cruising and have Seaside Theaters that can host Dive-In Movies. If you are scheduled to cruise in October 2021 on a ship that does Dive-In Movies make sure to check your Carnival Hub App for the times that the movies for the day are scheduled to show. 

• Cruella​
• F9 Fast & Furious
• Hocus Pocus
• In The Heights
• Maleficent Mistress of Evil
• Nomadland
• Raya and the Last Dragon
• Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
• The Boss Baby: Family Business
• The Invisible Man 

September 2021 Carnival Dive In Movies 
           John Heald posted on August 19, 2021 the movies for September. These movies are scheduled to be shown on ships that have resumed cruising and have Seaside Theaters that can host Dive-In Movies: 

• ​Cruella
• Dream Horse
• News of the World
• Nomandland
• Peter Rabbit 2 
• Raya and the Last Dragon
• Soul
• Tenet

August 2021 Carnival Dive In Movies List
           John Heald posted on July 24, 2021 the movies for August. It looks like the list of movies for the month of August 2021 is the same as July 2021. These movies are scheduled to be shown on ships that have resumed cruising and have Seaside Theaters that can host Dive-In Movies: 

•  Nomadland
• Raya and the Last Dragon
• Minari
• Tenet
• Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar
• Independence Day
• News of the World
• Captain America The First Avenger ​

​
July 2021 Carnival Dive In Movies List
The Carnival Vista, Carnival Breeze, and Carnival Horizon will be restarting cruising after the coronavirus pandemic shutdown in July 2021. John Heald, Carnival's Brand Ambassador, posted on Facebook the following movies are scheduled to be shown on these three ships in the month of July 2021: 

• Tenent
• Minari
• News of the World
• Nomadland
• Raya and the Last Dragon
• Soul
• The Father
• Independence Day
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar 

Please keep in mind the movies are subject to change! 

       Norwegian Cruise Line recently announced the first of its Prima Class ship, the Norwegian Prima, is scheduled to sail from Galveston in the Winter 2023 and Spring 2024 season. The Norwegian Prima is scheduled to enter service in 2022. 

Seven Night Round-Trip Cruises
            The Norwegian Prima is scheduled to sail seven night cruises from Galveston that depart on Fridays. These itineraries are scheduled for Winter 2023 and Spring 2024. Based on Norwegian Cruise Line's booking engine these cruises are scheduled to depart Galveston on Friday and will have a sea day on Saturday. On Sunday the ship will dock at Costa Maya, Mexico and then on Monday the ship will tender at Harvest Caye, Belize. On Tuesday the ship will tender again at Roatan Bay in Honduras and on Wednesday the ship will dock at Cozumel, Mexico. The cruise will end with a sea day on Thursday and then will dock again in Galveston on Friday. The exact itinerary of the Norwegian Prima's cruises could change due to a variety of factors so please keep in mind that scheduled itineraries can change! 

One Time Galveston Sailing In 2022: 11 Night Cruise
                 The Norwegian Prima is scheduled to sail an 11 night cruise in October 2022 from Galveston that will end in Miami, Florida. This is not a round-trip cruise! The 11 night cruise includes scheduled port of call stops at Cozumel, Mexico; Oranjestad, Aruba; Willemstad, Curacoa; Kralendijk, Bonair; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas. The itinerary is subject to change. 

For Additional Norwegian Prima Information
              I highly recommend taking a look at the Norwegian Prima's page on Norwegian Cruise Line's website. Here you can find information about the ship's amenities, dining, entertainment, and more. 
Click Here To View (link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide to Norwegian Cruise Line's website). 

      This morning I traveled to Galveston to see the Carnival Dream and Carnival Vista docked. The Carnival Vista was docked at Cruise Terminal 1 and the Carnival Dream was docked at Cruise Terminal 2.

Carnival Dream New Livery
       Today marked the end of the Carnival Dream's first cruise back in service after the long Coronavirus shutdown that began in March 2020. During the shutdown, the Carnival Dream received a dry-dock in France and the ship was given a new hull livery design. The new paint livery design is consistent with the Mardi Gras and changed the ship's front hull to a navy blue color. In my opinion, the new navy blue livery design looked great on the ship! Now that the Carnival Dream is back in-service it is scheduled to be sailing 6 & 8 night cruises from Galveston that depart on alternating Saturdays and Sundays. 

Crew Members Ashore
                 When cruises initially re-started the crew members were not allowed to debark the ship in Galveston, but today it looked like this rule might have changed. The Starbucks across from Cruise Terminal 1 was very busy and I saw crew members wearing Carnival badges walk across the street to the Starbucks. There appeared to be less crew members walking around today compared to my other times of visiting Galveston (pre-COVID) with cruise ships in, but it was great to see the crew being able to enjoy some time away from the ship. 

Check out some of my pictures from today of the Carnival Dream & Carnival Vista: 

          Carnival Cruise Line has published a schedule of cruise directors that includes a listing of who the cruise director is at a particular time. This schedule is available to everyone online and according to Carnival's social media is updated as changes are made.

UPDATE (September 25, 2021)  Carnival Cruise Line has announced the cruise directors for additional cruise ships. 
Here is who is currently scheduled to each ship:
​- Carnival Vista: Kyndall Magyar 
- Carnival Horizon: Chris Salazar 
- Carnival Breeze: Jonathon "Cookie" Adams
- Carnival Miracle: Jen Baxter 
- Carnival Magic: Gary Blair 
- Carnival Sunrise: Felipe Couto   
- Carnival Panorama:  Lee Mason
-  Mardi Gras: Mike Pack (Chris Williams started as cruise director as Mike Pack was away, but Mike is now back). 
- Carnival Glory: Leon Smith 
- Carnival Valor: Marty Pitts
- Carnival Pride: Frankie Portera 
- Carnival Legend: Leigh Xuereb 
- Carnival Dream: Deon Williams
- Carnival Freedom: TJ Partida 
- Carnival Elation: Paully Munhollon 

At this time the actual schedule is not posted, but I will update this post as soon as things are ready. Keep in mind the cruise director schedule is always subject to change!

How To View Carnival's Cruise Director Schedule:
               The easiest way to find Carnival's cruise director schedule is by having the direct link. Here is a direct link to the cruise director schedule:
Click Here To View The Schedule  - [Please See Note Above About Coronavirus Situation]
​                    By clicking this link you will be taken away from RyG's Cruise Guide and to a website called AirTable which is what Carnival uses to manage its cruise director schedule. NOTE: I am not affiliated with Carnival and have no control over the cruise director schedule. I am just sharing how you find out what Carnival's schedule says. This schedule can change at any time! 

Does the schedule change?
            The schedule can change at any point in time. For this reason, I do not recommend booking a cruise solely to have a certain cruise director because I do not want you to be disappointed if the schedule changes. I do understand that having a well liked cruise director is a great reason to want a certain cruise, but just realize things could change with the schedule.

What if my ship has a TBA cruise director?
                This most likely means that Carnival has not finalized who will be on your cruise at a particular date. Generally, the TBAs are filled in advance of a cruise leaving. Even if for some reason your cruise didn't have a true cruise director someone onboard would probably act as the cruise director which would mean no visible impact would be seen by guests. 

How far out does the schedule go? 
                  Since Carnival's schedule is updated frequently this could change. Generally for most ships, the planned cruise director up until mid-2020 is available (at the time of writing). This means for several of Carnival's ships you are able to see who the cruise director will be through summer 2020. Some ships have not yet been updated. Just keep checking back is my recommendation! 

Other Carnival Cruise Resources You May Enjoy:
My Unofficial Guide to Carnival Cruise Food & Dining -  Click Here To View
My Carnival Cruise Reviews With Pictures & Fun-Times -  Click Here To View

Please consider liking RyG's Cruise Guide on Facebook!
I occasionally share Carnival cruise related tips, articles, and pictures. 
Click Here To View Our Facebook Page

      The fall is just around the corner and that means Halloween is coming up! The past couple of months of 2021 have seen several Carnival ships coming back into service after the long coronavirus shutdown and additional ships are scheduled to return to service as the year continues. Carnival recently released some of the 2021 Halloween activities and the sail-dates for ships that are hosting Halloween events & activities for 2021. This post contains some information about Carnival's planned Halloween events & activities as well as a list of Carnival ships and departure dates that are scheduled to have Halloween festivities onboard. 

2021 Planned Halloween Activities
Carnival has a variety of different Halloween events and activities planned for this year. These events & activities will take place in addition to the regular activities normally held during a cruise. Below is a list of activities that Carnival shows as being planned for the 2021 Halloween cruises: 

• Patch's Halloween Deck Party
• Costume Contest 
• Dive In Movies*
• Patch's Halloween Pumpkin Hunt
• Themed Trivia
• "Patch's Spook-tacular" Bingo
• "Frightfully Fun" Dance Class
• "Guess That Frightful Song Line-Up" 
• Pumpkin Carving Competition
• Halloween Photo Opportunities 

Note: Dive-In Movies is not on every ship. 

UPDATE (9/26/2021) -  The October 2021 Dive In Movies list has been announced which includes some Halloween themed movies/shows. Click Here for the list of Dive In Movies that Carnival ships with a Dive In Movie theater are scheduled to show throughout the month of October. 

Additionally, Carnival's website shows youth activities such as a family trick or treat, kids costume contest, and a teen Halloween party are scheduled to take place. 

How can I know when Halloween events are taking place during my cruise?
              You can check your Carnival Hub App which includes events and activities taking place onboard for each day of the cruise. The app typically shows the time and location of each event. Additionally, at your Carnival ship's Guest Services desk a one-pager Fun-Times activity is available that has all of the daily activities. 

Does Carnival have any rules for costumes?
            Carnival's website lists out costume types/items that are prohibited. Please refer to Carnival's website by clicking here for the full list of things that are prohibited. 

Ships and Dates Halloween Events Will Be Held Onboard
                  This year not all Carnival ships will be back in service to hold Halloween activities. Below is a table that shows ships and a range of departure dates that are scheduled to have Halloween festivities onboard: 

My source for this information is Carnival's website. Click here to go to Carnival's website (link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide). I highly recommend this page if you want further information. Also, please keep in mind things are subject to change. 

      A common question, especially for first time cruisers, relates to the dress codes Carnival has set for the main dining rooms at dinner. Guests who do not follow the dress code risk being turned away and asked to change at the door (I have personally seen it happen a few times). Knowing what the dining room dress codes will be for a cruise can help you better plan your packing. This post will discuss Carnival's main dining room dress code policies for the evening dinner experience. 

I. Cruise Casual Dress Code vs. Cruise Elegant Dress Code 
           Carnival uses two different terms to indicate what the night's dress code will be. Cruise Casual is a more relaxed dress code and is the most common dress code for the main dining room on a cruise. Cruise Elegant dress codes happen less and generally only happen 1 time on a cruise that is 2-5 nights in length or 2 times on a cruise that is 6 nights or longer. Carnival's website notes the exact timing of the Cruise Elegant dress codes can vary based on a specific cruise's itinerary, but typically the first Cruise Elegant takes place on the second or third evening of the cruise and for longer cruises with a second elegant evening the next one is the second or third evening prior to the end of the cruise. 

II.  How will I know what the dress code is when I am on the cruise?
               Check your Carnival Hub App for the dress code. If you cannot find the information in the app or do not have the app, you can ask at Guest Services and they will be able to tell you. 

III. Cruise Casual: Carnival's Clothing Recommendations 
               Carnival's Frequently Asked Questions recommends the following for guests when the dress code is considered Cruise Casual: 
Men: ports slacks, khakis, jeans, long dress shorts and collared polo shirts 
​Women: summer dresses, casual skirts, pants, capris, dress shorts, jeans blouses and tops 
Not permitted:  cut-off jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, tee-shirts, gym or basketball shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire 

IV. Cruise Elegant: Carnival's Clothing Recommendations 
               Carnival's Frequently Asked Questions recommends the following for guests when the dress code is considered Cruise Elegant: 
Men: dress slacks, dress shirts, and we also suggest a sport coat; men may also wish to wear a suit and tie or tuxed
​Women: cocktail dresses, pantsuits, elegant skirts and blouses; ladies may also wish to wear an evening gown
Not permitted: jeans, men’s sleeveless shirts, shorts, tee-shirts, sportswear, shorts, baseball hats, flip-flops and bathing suit attire

For additional information on Carnival's dining room dress code I recommend you check out this link on Carnival's website:  www.carnival.com/help?topicid=1093  (link will take you away from RyG's Cruise Guide)