Carnival Leaders Begin Countdown to New
Exclusive Destination's Opening with
Behind-the-Scenes Visit
GRAND
BAHAMA, Feb. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/
-- Carnival Cruise Line guests are just five months away from
experiencing Celebration Key's five portals to paradise. To kick
off the countdown to the official opening on July 19, Carnival Corporation & plc's
Chief Executive Officer Josh
Weinstein and Chief Maritime Officer Lars Ljoen joined Carnival Cruise Line President
Christine Duffy for a behind the
scenes look at this new exclusive destination on Grand Bahama as construction enters its final
phases. To watch a video of their visit, click here.
They marked milestones in construction progress across the
expansive beachfront destination and highlighted Celebration Key's
sustainability commitment. In a nod to the maritime tradition of a
keel laying for a new ship, they placed commemorative keys into
Celebration Key's signature Suncastle, the centerpiece of the
destination's five portals.
The Suncastle stands 10-stories tall near Paradise Plaza, the
first portal guests will encounter that serves as a gateway to the
destination's other areas. The Suncastle is also home to racing
waterslides that are part of the portal geared toward families,
Starfish Lagoon, along with endless other options for recreation
and relaxation. The destination's adult-focused portal, Calypso
Lagoon, features an adult-only area with a DJ island and a large
swim-up bar. Pearl Cove Beach Club is a private portal offering a
premium adult-only experience with an infinity pool and beachfront
cabanas. The fifth portal, Lokono Cove, is an artisan retail
village celebrating Bahamian culture through local art and handmade
goods.
During their tour, the Carnival leaders also joined team members
planting palm trees from the "Plant a Tree" community engagement
program launched last year as part of a broad preservation
initiative that has involved replanting thousands of native trees
across the property. About 1,000 sabal palms were saved and
replanted across the property. Duffy also participated in the
ceremonial filling of one of two expansive freshwater lagoons, the
largest in the Caribbean*, that
will be sustained by Celebration Key's desalination system that
converts seawater into freshwater. The lagoons span over seven
acres and hold about seven million gallons of water.
"Celebration Key represents a new chapter for Carnival and its
construction builds on our close partnership with The Bahamas, so seeing it transform from vision to
reality is incredible," said Duffy. "We broke ground on this site
less than three years ago, and now in five short months we'll see
our first guests enjoy the many experiences we created just for
them to celebrate and enjoy this gorgeous place on Grand Bahama."
About 500 workers are on site daily as construction continues
round-the-clock to prepare the destination for its summer opening,
when Carnival Vista will make the inaugural call on July 19. Celebration Key will deliver Carnival's
signature brand of fun while honoring local heritage and supporting
Grand Bahama through job creation
and economic development. To date, 28 Bahamian companies have
contributed to the project.
"This destination will serve as a tribute to the rich Bahamian
culture and Grand Bahama's natural
environment," said Weinstein. "It's clear Celebration Key will be a
game-changer for our flagship brand and its loyal guests, with
endless options for relaxation and recreation, but it's also truly
great to see firsthand how we're implementing our company's robust
sustainability initiatives on land."
Carnival continues to make new options and features available
for guests as they plan their Celebration Key experience. New at
Pearl Cove Beach Club are beachfront daybeds, private cabanas and
exclusive Super Villas, available for booking soon. Each option
includes access to the club's open bar service, infinity pool,
full-service restaurant and premium beachfront access.
With sailings open into 2027, Celebration Key is a featured
destination on hundreds of Carnival itineraries across 20 ships
sailing from 10 U.S. homeports. To learn more about Celebration Key
and to see available sailings, click here.
For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and
to book a cruise vacation on Carnival, call 1-800-CARNIVAL,
visit http://carnival.com.
*Based on publicly available data of surface area
measurements as of 01/22/24.
ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc
(NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is the first cruise line to sail over
100 million guests and is proud to be known as America's Cruise
Line, for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports
than any other. Since its founding in 1972, Carnival has
continually revolutionized the cruise industry and popularized the
cruise vacation as an affordable and fun travel option. Carnival
operates from 14 U.S. and two Australian homeports, as well as
seasonally from Europe and employs
more than 48,000 team members representing 120 nationalities.
Carnival's fleet of 27 ships reflects an exciting period of
growth that continues with the addition of seven ships through
2033: two ships join the fleet when P&O Cruises Australia
integrates into Carnival; a fourth and fifth Excel class ship
scheduled for 2027 and 2028 respectively; followed by three
additional new ships from an innovative new class currently under
development. Carnival's next new guest offering will be the all-new
exclusive destination, Celebration Key, set to debut on
Grand Bahama next summer.
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SOURCE Carnival Cruise Line
