Key Aspects:
- Carnival has announced that the fifth Excel-class ship will be homeported from Texas when she sets sail in 2028.
- Carnival Tropicale will join Carnival Jubilee, bringing two of the line’s newest and largest ships to Galveston year-round.
- Itinerary details have not yet been released, but should be announced later this year.
Everything is bigger in Texas, including Carnival cruise ships! And that includes the upcoming Carnival Tropicale, the fifth of the cruise line’s Excel-class vessels, which will be homeported from Galveston when she debuts in 2028.
What is even more exciting for Carnival fans in the Lone Star State is that this will bring a second Excel-class ship to Texas, as Carnival Jubilee is already homeported from Galveston and there are no current plans to change her deployment.
“Carnival Tropicale joining our Galveston lineup is a celebration of both our history and our future in Texas,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“For more than 25 years, Texas has been at the heart of Carnival’s growth, and this new Excel-class ship ensures we continue to deliver unforgettable experiences for our guests in and around the state.”
Exact itineraries for the new vessel have not yet been announced, but she is likely to offer Western Caribbean and Bahamas voyages, similar to Carnival Jubilee‘s schedule. Bookings will open later in 2026, but no date for reservations has been confirmed.
The cruise line did note that both ships will sail from Galveston year-round.
It is also possible that one of the ships may begin offering shorter getaways, giving cruisers from Texas even more options aboard the largest vessels in the Carnival fleet.
As part of her connection to her homeport, Carnival Tropicale will also sport the Star of Texas on her bow. Carnival Jubilee was the first to debut that emblem in honor of Carnival Cruise Line’s commitment to Texas.
The new ship will also be the first to have the “Sunsation Point” zone onboard, the home of the multi-level Carnival WaterWorks Ultra. Additional features and amenities onboard are sure to be revealed in the coming months.
Carnival Tropicale is currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
Carnival Cruise Line in Texas
Named after the MS Tropicale that was the first-ever new-build ship for the cruise line and served from 1982-2001, Carnival Tropicale is destined to be part of Carnival’s ongoing commitment to Texas.
At the moment, Carnival Cruise Line homeports four ships from Galveston: Carnival Jubilee, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream, and Carnival Legend.
When Carnival Tropicale debuts, it is possible that Breeze, Dream, or Legend may relocate to a different homeport, or else the new ship will be the fifth Fun Ship to be sailing from the Lone Star state at once.
“Carnival’s continued investment in the Port of Galveston is a big reason why we’re the cruise port of choice for a growing number of Americans and why we’re setting new growth records year over year,” said Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO.
“Carnival has been a valued partner for this port and this community for 26 years. We look forward to many more years of growth together.”
In May 2024, Cruise Hive reported on Carnival’s 10-millionth guest sailing from Texas, when Marsha Taulton of Houston boarded Carnival Breeze for a 4-night itinerary.
The cruise line first began sailing from Galveston in 2000 with the original Celebration. With the addition of the 6,600-guest-capacity Carnival Tropicale to the Texas lineup, the cruise line will undoubtedly reach even higher milestones in the years to come.
