Carnival Corp has already outlined a major expansion a year before the new resort destination Celebration Key opens. Carnival Cruise Line’s new Bahamas destination will double its arrival capacity to four berths, each capable of handling an Excel-class ship.
Two Extra Cruise Berths Planned
Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island is slated to open in the summer of 2025 with two berths. The cruise company says that work on an additional two, costing around $100 million, will be completed in 2026.
With an expanded cruise pier able to handle four of its largest ships simultaneously, Celebration Key will welcome nearly four million guests annually by 2028.
Pier extension plans were unveiled at the 25th Annual Grand Bahama Business Outlook by I. Chester Cooper, Bahamas Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism. “Celebration Key will play a vital role in supporting the future prosperity of Grand Bahama and the country at large,” Cooper said.
The newly announced pier extension will take overall investment in the project to around $600 million. It marks Carnival Corp’s biggest ever development of its kind. Designed for Carnival Cruise Line guests, Celebration is split into five distinct areas, known as ‘portals.’ It comprises a mile-long beach, freshwater lagoons, and various dining, shopping, and entertainment.
Carnival’s website says that it’ll develop 65 acres of the over 300 they purchased.
Here is how the other lines stack up with their private destinations:
Cruise Destination | Total Acres | Developed Land |
---|---|---|
Castaway Cay | 1,000 Acres | 55 Acres |
Celebration Key | 329 Acres | 65 Acres |
Great Stirrup Cay | 268 Acres | 40 Acres |
Half Moon Cay | 2,400 Acres | 50 Acres |
MSC Marine Reserve | 95 Acres | 42 Acres |
Perfect Day at CocoCay | 140 Acres | 125 Acres |
Destination Already Added to Hundreds of Sailings
Celebration Key will be a stop on hundreds of 2025-26 sailings. So far, Carnival has included calls to the private destination on 18 different Carnival ships from nine US homeports.
“Building the second pier now allows us to implement growth plans and build itineraries with certainty, “said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.
“It signals to the local community just how important this development is to Carnival Cruise Line and the future of the island.” The initial two-berth phase is expected to create around 700 permanent jobs, including nearly half of these directly hired by Carnival Corp.