From nothing to one of the most visited cruise destinations in the world in just a year… that’s the story of Carnival’s Celebration Key.
The beachy spot with massive pools just celebrated its one-year anniversary on July 19, having opened on that date last summer.
But Carnival has wasted no time in getting passengers to the destination. In fact, the cruise line revealed that in its first year of operation a staggering 2.4 million guests visited Celebration Key.
That comes out to 6,575 people visiting on average each and every day.
“We’ve built something special here at Celebration Key,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Our goal is to create unforgettable memories for our guests, and in its first year, the destination has done exactly that for more than 2 million people.”
There’s reason to believe, however, that number is just going to swell in the future.
2.4 Million Visitors Is Just a Start…
In May, the cruise line completed a pier extension to the dock at Celebration Key. Whereas before the spot could handle two ships at once, it’s now been upgraded to be able to handle four ships at once. In a recent earnings call, the company said it can now handle over 13,000 guests in a day.
In fact, Carnival says the destination is expected to have 3.5 million visitors next year, or nearly 10,000 people per day.
The good news is that in the years to come all those passengers should have more space to spread out. Already, the developed “Phase One” area is 68 acres. But Carnival has access to 379 acres in total. Of that, 154 acres is slated for future expansion and 110 acres for a nature preserve. In other words, you can expect that Celebration Key is going to get much larger.
And while we’ve seen no official word from Carnival on what’s coming, the cruise company did hint at “future landside expansion” in its most recent earnings call. Even Google Maps shows a roughly 40-acre space being cleared right next to Celebration Key.
For now, however, passengers will have to “make do” with a half-mile of beach front, the two massive pools that measure nearly five football fields in size, waterslides, thousands of loungers, and adults-only retreat, splashpad, and 30 spots to eat and drink.
More on Celebration Key:
- 14 Memorable Things to Do on Carnival’s Celebration Key
- What I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Celebration Key
