CCL-Carnival Cruise Line marked a milestone on July 22 as Carnival Glory and Carnival Conquest made the first dual call at Celebration Key, its newly opened private destination on Grand Bahama. Some 7,000 guests disembarked to enjoy the expansive beach retreat, arriving just 3 days after the site welcomed its inaugural visitor, Carnival Vista.
Spanning over 65 acres and fronting 1.5 miles of white sandy shoreline, Celebration Key is structured around five distinct zones featuring amenities such as the Caribbean’s largest freshwater lagoons, a prominent private beach club, a world-famous swim-up bar and swings bar, plus thirty eateries and drinking venues. Highlights also include a 10‑story Suncastle with racing waterslides and a diverse array of cabanas and daybeds.
Carnival president Christine Duffy noted that the simultaneous arrival of two ships enhances the guest experience, providing increased capacity and more room for visitors to relax and enjoy the destination’s offerings.
The project, representing a US$600 million investment, is Carnival’s largest exclusive destination effort to date. A US$100 million pier extension is underway and, once complete in summer 2026, will allow up to four ships to dock at once. The facility is projected to serve two million passengers annually, with an anticipated rise to four million by 2028.
Looking ahead, Carnival Pride and the Excel-class Mardi Gras will be the first of those larger vessels to dock at Celebration Key, continuing to expand the resort's guest capacity. Carnival currently operates 20 ships from ten U.S. homeports that feature this destination on their itineraries.
From a maritime perspective, Celebration Key exemplifies a modern cruise-led shore destination—integrating sizeable investment, themed guest zones, and scalable capacity—while reinforcing Carnival’s strategy to offer bespoke beach-port experiences for its fleet's clients.