More than three years after the initial ground-breaking, Carnival Cruise Line has marked a milestone with the opening of its newest private destination — and the newest cruise port on the planet — Celebration Key.
On Saturday, more than 5,000 passengers sailing aboard Carnival Vista officially marked the first guests to get to see and enjoy the new spot. On hand as well was Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy, Carnival CEO Josh Weinstein, and Carnival’s “Chief Fun Officer,” Shaquille O’Neal.
With an opening celebration that included unlocking the new 10-story Suncastle (the centerpiece waterslide tower at the resort), a ribbon-cutting, and Shaq making the first shot at the on-site basketball court, Carnival ushered in a new era in its cruising.
For years Carnival has offered its guests private spots like Mahogany Bay, Princess Cays, and more. But those pale in comparison to what’s offered at the all new Celebration Key.
When ground was broken in 2022, the initial budget estimate was $200 million. Now the cruise line says the destination cost a staggering $600 million. So what did Carnival bring passengers for that sort of money?
We mentioned the 10-story Suncastle as a centerpiece, complete with two waterslides, but the biggest feature are twin “lagoons” measuring 275,000 square feet each. Combined, that is more than 12.5 acres or about 10 football fields!
There are splash pads, sports courts, shopping, more than a mile of beach, games, and more than 30 food/drink spots around Celebration Key. If you’re feeling flush, there are cabanas, daybeds, and villas for rent.
Want to get away from kids? There’s an entire lagoon that’s catered toward grown-ups and then there is the Pearl Cove Beach Club. This spot (admission fee applies) is completely adults-only with its own infinity pool and private beach, restaurant and bar.
But this is just the start of what Carnival is planning for Celebration Key. First, while it plans to bring 2 million passengers a year to the spot, it’s already constructing a pier extension with the goal of 4 million passengers each year by 2028.
The cruise line has also emphasized this is just phase one for Celebration Key.
“Today marks an extraordinary milestone for Carnival as we open the first phase of our initial $600M investment, with more to come,” said Christine Duffy.
Given what Carnival has shown so far with Celebration Key, we can’t wait to see what’s next.
More on Celebration Key:
- Celebration Key Price List (Cabanas, Daybeds, and More)
- No, Your Carnival Drink Package Won’t Work on Celebration Key
- What We Know About Carnival’s Celebration Key
