Carnival Jubilee Panorama Cozumel 2024 · Ed Uthman · CC BY 2.0 · cropped
Carnival Cruise Line opened its 2028/29 Galveston season on September 17, 2026, and put Carnival Jubilee on regular four- and five-day Western Caribbean sailings for the first time, according to the line’s announcement. The Excel-class ship has homeported in Texas since December 2023 on longer trips. Guests can now book the shorter dates from April 2028 through April 2029.
The decision for Texas and Gulf Coast travelers is whether a four- or five-day Excel-class cruise from Galveston fits 2028 plans better than the six- and eight-day trips Jubilee has been selling. Drive-market guests who could not spare a full week can lock those shorter dates now, while cabin choice is still wide. Ship layout, dining, and family spaces remain as described in our Carnival Jubilee sailing guide.
- Opened: 2028/29 Galveston sailings on September 17, 2026.
- Four-day start: Select Thursdays from April 27, 2028, to April 26, 2029, calling at Cozumel, Mexico.
- Five-day start: Select Saturdays and Mondays from April 17, 2028, to April 30, 2029, calling at Cozumel and Progreso, Yucatán.
- Mix: Four-, five-, six-, and eight-day cruises from April 2028 through April 2029.
- Book: Carnival.com, 1-800-CARNIVAL, or a travel advisor.
Four-Day Cozumel Sailings Start April 27, 2028
Carnival’s new four-day Western Caribbean itineraries leave Galveston on select Thursdays beginning April 27, 2028, and run through April 26, 2029. The only named port of call is Cozumel. That is a long-weekend shape: one Mexico day plus two days at sea, which Cruise Hive counts as 20 departure dates now on sale.
Until this release, guests who wanted Jubilee’s Excel-class public rooms, the BOLT coaster, and the larger pool deck had to commit to six days or more from Galveston. A Thursday four-day sailing changes that math for Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio drive markets that can reach the Port of Galveston without a flight. It also changes the comparison for travelers weighing Carnival against Royal Caribbean’s short Gulf product, which our Royal Caribbean vs Carnival guide lays out by inclusions and family fit.
Cozumel is a working port day, not a private-island stop. Guests who want Celebration Key, RelaxAway at Half Moon Cay, or Isla Tropicale will not find those calls on the four-day pattern. They need one of the remaining eight-day sailings listed below, or a different Carnival ship.
Five-Day Cozumel and Progreso Dates
Five-day Western Caribbean sailings depart on select Saturdays and Mondays from April 17, 2028, through April 30, 2029. Carnival names two ports: Cozumel and Progreso, Yucatán. Cruise Hive reports 42 of those five-day dates are already bookable. The Saturday and Monday starts matter for school calendars and for guests who can take one weekday off rather than a full week.
Progreso is the mainland Yucatán call, with a long pier and a typical day that runs to Mérida or nearby beaches rather than the island circuit around Cozumel. Travelers who have already done Cozumel on a four-day trip, or who want a second Mexico day without adding Jamaica or Roatán, get that extra port without stretching to six or eight nights. The five-day product is the volume play in this release: more than twice as many dates as the Thursday four-day set.
Neither the four-day nor the five-day pattern includes Carnival’s Paradise Collection private destinations. Guests booking those shorter trips should treat the sea days as the Excel-class experience and treat Cozumel or Progreso as the shore time, not as a substitute for Celebration Key.
Longer Jubilee Cruises Stay on the 2028 Board
Carnival is not dropping longer Jubilee trips. The ship will still mix four-, five-, six-, and eight-day cruises from April 2028 through April 2029. The remaining longer dates are specific, not a full weeklong grid.
One six-day Western Caribbean cruise leaves Galveston on October 29, 2028, and calls at Cozumel and Isla Tropicale, Carnival’s private destination on Roatán. Two eight-day trips sit at the front of the season: an April 1, 2028, Bahamas sailing to Celebration Key, RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay, and Nassau, and an April 9, 2028, Western Caribbean sailing to Cozumel, Isla Tropicale, and Montego Bay, Jamaica. Cruise Hive notes that the released schedule has no seven-day Jubilee sailings.
That is a thinner long-cruise board than Jubilee’s current Galveston pattern of six- and eight-night trips. Travelers who want Celebration Key on this ship in 2028/29 should treat the April 1, 2028, eight-day sailing as the named Bahamas option, not as an assumption that every season will keep a Bahamas rotation. Travelers who want Jamaica should look at April 9, 2028, rather than waiting for a repeating seven-day grid that this release does not include.
Tropicale Arrives as Galveston’s Second Excel Ship
These itineraries land days after Carnival opened bookings for Carnival Tropicale, the fifth Excel-class ship, which will also homeport in Galveston. Cruise Hive reports Tropicale will sail similar four- to eight-night trips from the Texas port when she debuts in 2028, visiting the Bahamas, Caribbean, and Mexico. Deep Arrival covered the homeport decision in Carnival Tropicale Will Homeport in Galveston in 2028, and Tropicale reservations opened separately on September 10, 2026, for an April 15, 2028, debut.
Jubilee’s short-cruise shift is a different booking choice from Tropicale’s inaugural season. Jubilee is the ship already in Galveston, with a known product, now selling four- and five-day dates. Tropicale is the new-build with inaugural-season inventory. Guests who want the shortest Excel-class trip from Texas can now compare both ships instead of assuming Jubilee only sells weeklong cruises.
Mardi Gras, the first Excel-class ship, already has a short-cruise assignment of its own: four- and five-night sailings from Port Canaveral beginning in May 2027, as Cruise Hive previously reported. Jubilee becomes the largest Carnival ship on short Galveston trips when the 2028 dates begin. That is a fleet pattern, not a one-off experiment, and it is why the September 17, 2026, booking window matters for 2028 spring-break and summer planning.
Booking Channels and Cabin Timing for Texas Sailors
Carnival says guests can book through Carnival.com, by calling 1-800-CARNIVAL, or through a travel advisor or online travel site. The 2028/29 season is already on sale as of September 17, 2026. Connecting cabins, accessible cabins near elevators, and the most popular balcony categories typically sell first on Excel-class ships, so families who need those layouts should not wait for a later wave of inventory.
Galveston remains a drive-market port. Guests coming from Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, and Louisiana can skip airfare, but they still need a parking plan and an embarkation-day arrival window closer to sailing. Carnival has not published 2028 terminal times in this release. Booked guests should watch the line’s pre-cruise messages in early 2028 rather than copying 2026 check-in hours onto a 2028 ticket.
Fares were not listed in the September 17 announcement. Compare current prices on Carnival’s site for the exact Thursday four-day dates versus the Saturday and Monday five-day dates, then weigh taxes, gratuities, and Wi-Fi against the shorter trip length. A four-day Cozumel sailing is not a discounted weeklong cruise. It is a different product with one port day and two sea days.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Want a long-weekend Excel-class trip from Galveston | Book a Thursday four-day Cozumel sailing from April 27, 2028, to April 26, 2029. |
| Want two Mexico ports without a full week | Book a Saturday or Monday five-day sailing to Cozumel and Progreso from April 17, 2028, to April 30, 2029. |
| Want Celebration Key or Half Moon Cay on Jubilee | Look at the April 1, 2028, eight-day Bahamas sailing. Shorter trips do not call at Paradise Collection islands. |
| Want the new-build instead of the current Galveston Excel ship | Compare Carnival Tropicale’s April 15, 2028, inaugural season, which opened separately on September 10, 2026. |
September 17, 2026, is the booking open. 2028/29 Galveston sailings on Carnival Jubilee, including the new four- and five-day set, are on sale now through Carnival.com, 1-800-CARNIVAL, or an advisor.
April 17, 2028, is the first five-day window. Select Saturday and Monday departures to Cozumel and Progreso run from that date through April 30, 2029.
April 27, 2028, is the first four-day Thursday. Cozumel-only four-day sailings run from that date through April 26, 2029. The April 1 and April 9, 2028, eight-day trips are the named longer options at the start of the season.
When did Carnival open Carnival Jubilee 2028 Galveston bookings?
Carnival opened 2028/29 Galveston sailings on September 17, 2026. Guests can book on Carnival.com, by calling 1-800-CARNIVAL, or through a travel advisor.
When do Carnival Jubilee four-day Galveston cruises start?
Four-day Western Caribbean sailings to Cozumel leave on select Thursdays from April 27, 2028, through April 26, 2029. Five-day sailings to Cozumel and Progreso start earlier, on April 17, 2028.
Does Carnival Jubilee still sail six- and eight-day cruises from Galveston?
Yes, but the long-cruise board is thinner. Carnival lists a six-day trip on October 29, 2028, plus eight-day sailings on April 1, 2028, to the Bahamas and April 9, 2028, to Cozumel, Isla Tropicale, and Montego Bay. Cruise Hive found no seven-day dates in the released schedule.
How is this different from Carnival Tropicale in Galveston?
Tropicale is the new Excel-class ship debuting in Galveston on April 15, 2028, with its own inaugural inventory. Jubilee is the ship already based there, now selling regular four- and five-day trips for the first time. Guests can compare both rather than treating Jubilee as weeklong-only.
