These Signs Point to a New Jubilee

Sometimes signs can say more about a place than was intended. Take some of the notices posted aboard Carnival’s Los Angeles-based, 1,500-passenger Jubilee, which sails round trip every Sunday year-round from San Pedro to the Mexican Riviera.

We were among a large group of travel agents (more than 1,450 of them) and a small contingent of press (only seven) that sailed on an overnight “cruise to nowhere” in mid-October after the ship was fresh from drydock renovations.

The first out-of-the-ordinary sign we noted was at the end of the gangway at the entrance of the ship. It read: “Please Be Reminded That Food and Drinks May Not Be Brought on Board.”

Later, at the entrance to the forward sunbathing area on the topmost deck of the vessel, we came across an interesting notice that read: “Adults Only, No Jogging, Top-Optional Sunbathing.” (Yes, we looked in, and the only two women there were fully dressed.)

On every deck, covered containers were labeled so that trash disposed of was properly separated, with gray containers for plastics only, red ones for bottles, cans and paper. (We couldn’t help noticing that the gray one was full of papers and soft drink tins as well as plastic glasses.)

In the beauty salon, a small hand-lettered sign at the entrance encouraged patrons to tip the operators for beauty services.

Posted in the children’s playroom was another sign that informed passengers about after-hours babysitting, from the end of scheduled activities until 1:30 a.m. Cost was $4 for the first child from a family, $2 an hour for each additional child from the same family.

And in the dining room by the exit doors, another sign pleaded: “Please Do Not Take Food Out of the Dining Room.”

The signs say a lot about both Carnival and its passengers, many of whom are young, first-time cruisers looking for fun but uncertain about the new experience.

It reminded us of two young men from Texas next to us on a flight from Dallas to Miami not long ago, both making their first cruise, nervous and eager and full of questions.

They weren’t sure about how, when and whom to tip (not until the end of the cruise, we told them, when full information would be given), whether smoking would be permitted in the cabin they were sharing (it is), and, most important of all, whether they’d meet other people in their early 20s aboard that particular Carnival ship. (We promised, they would indeed.)

A couple seated nearby volunteered that they were going on their honeymoon on the same Carnival cruise, a first-time cruise for each. Both were in their late 60s.

The signs also indicate that there are families with young children aboard (the children’s programs are open to the 4-to-12 age group), and that Carnival is making an environmentally correct effort to separate its garbage, even if its passengers don’t always cooperate.

We had not been aboard the Jubilee since sailing on its 1986 debut in the Caribbean. It was relocated to Los Angeles to replace the smaller Tropicale last year.

At the time the Jubilee started service, we thought that it and its two sister vessels, Holiday and Celebration, were the brightest, gaudiest ships we had ever seen, with huge amidships pool areas and long, curved slides into the water.

Now, in retrospect, after the arrival of Carnival’s neon-bright megaships Fantasy and Ecstasy, the Jubilee seems mid-sized rather than huge and looks relatively subtle in decor.

There is, of course, a fire-engine-red piano bar in the Speakeasy Lounge, flashing emerald-green walls and ceilings in the Oz disco, and cargo-net ceilings, corrugated tin walls and burlap bales lying around in the Smuggler’s Lounge, but one can expect that from any theme restaurant these days.

While the bright, lively fun-ship image still lives, Carnival has changed somewhat over the years, emphasizing more family programs and raising the quality of its food and service beyond the old “swinging singles” image it used to carry.

The Jubilee calls at Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and, when tidal conditions are right, Cabo San Lucas.

Besides the ports of call, passengers will find lots to do on board, with a spa and exercise room, a sports deck with volleyball and shuffleboard, trapshooting and table tennis, three outdoor pools (one just for kids), a video games room, a big casino, a double-deck show lounge with musical and variety shows nightly, recent feature films broadcast around the clock on in-cabin TV sets, a beauty salon and barber shop and a full day of meals and snacks, from early morning coffee to midnight buffet and 2 a.m. casino and disco mini-buffets.

Like all cruises, it offers a full vacation with everything included, except for shopping, gambling, laundry and bar bills.

The Jubilee is a comfortable ship and easy to get around. With the exception of the Verandah Suites, each with its own private balcony, all cabins on the Jubilee are virtually the same size and contain the same furnishings.

Only the deck location and whether the cabin is an inside (without windows) or an outside (with windows or portholes) determines the price, with higher deck cabins more expensive than lower deck cabins.

The least expensive is an inside cabin with upper and lower berths. For the seven-day Mexican Riviera cruise, this cabin costs $999 to $1,199 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare to Los Angeles.

Passengers not requiring air fare can deduct $250 each from all prices. Other inside cabins are from $1,309 to $1,599 per person, double occupancy, with air fare included.

Outside cabins start at $1,149 for cabins with upper and lower berths to $1,759 for an upper-deck cabin with two lower beds that can convert to a king-sized bed on request.

All cabins have color TV sets with remote control, a telephone, a bathroom with shower and individual temperature controls. Some also offer third and fourth overhead berths for additional passengers who can share the cabin with two full-fare passengers for only $399 each, excluding air fare.

The 10 suites have sliding glass doors and private balconies, a separate sitting room with sofas and coffee table, a large bathroom with tub and shower and a walk-in closet. They’re $2,179 to $2,439 per person, double occupancy, for the seven-day cruise, including air fare.

Prices vary by season. The lowest prices will be Dec. 1, 8 and 15. Other low-season periods are early May, September and early October.

For more details, contact a travel agent or Carnival Cruise Lines, 3655 N.W. 87th Ave., Miami, Fla. 33178, (800) 327-7373 or (800) 327-9501.