Carnival’s new destination is seeing tragic news less than a month after opening. The cruise line opened Celebration Key — a massive $600 million private spot only for Carnival passengers — to huge fanfare on July 19.
This past Friday, reports say that two passengers visiting the new spot from different ships were found unresponsive in the water. The incidents are said to be unrelated but occurred within hours of each other.
According to NBCNews.com, the two victims were a 74 year-old woman and a 79 year-old man. One person was visiting from Carnival Mardi Gras and the other was sailing aboard Carnival Elation.
A news release from the Royal Bahamas Police says that the first incident occurred just before noon on August 15. It says that police were alerted and responded to “an unresponsive 79-year-old male on board a commercial vessel.” The report says the man became “unresponsive” while snorkeling at the beach. Lifeguards took him from the water and provided CPR, but the American man was pronounced dead.
The second incident happened just after 2:30 that same afternoon, less than three hours later. There, a 74-year-old woman was found unresponsive in a swimming pool. Again, a lifeguard took the person out of the water and administered CPR without success.
According to the police, an autopsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of each incident.
In a statement to the New York Post, the cruise lines said that “Carnival lifeguards and medical teams working at the resort responded to both incidents, one occurring in the lagoon and the other at the beach.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the guests and their families and our Care Team is providing assistance.”
Carnival’s Celebration Key opened in July and has already welcomed tens of thousands of passengers since. The private destination on Grand Bahama island features more than a mile of beach, massive pools, an adults-only area, waterslides, splash pads, sports court and more.
Located just 100 miles from the mainland of Florida, many Carnival cruises from the East Coast now feature a stop at the destination.
