On July 12, 2025, guests embarked on the 133,500-gross-ton Carnival Vista for the first-ever voyage to visit Celebration Key.
While more than 20 Carnival vessels will visit the private destination this year, those sailing on Carnival Vista this week will be the first passengers ever to set foot on the private 64 acres of land in Grand Bahama next Saturday.
To help ring in the important occasion, Christine Duffy, the President of Carnival Cruise Line, was in attendance for embarkation to help welcome guests.
The itinerary, which is eight nights and round-trip out of Port Canaveral, includes stops in Bonaire and Aruba, as well as Celebration Key.
Set to arrive at the cruise line’s newest private destination as its final stop, passengers on this Carnival Vista voyage will be the only ones present during the opening day celebration.
However, Carnival Cruise Line did invite community leaders, government officials, and residents of Grand Bahama to a special preview event of Celebration Key on July 12 in tandem with the embarkation of Carnival Vista.
Celebration Key, which took more than three years and $500 million to finish phase one, is the first major project to be completed on Grand Bahama in nearly twenty years, making the grand opening that much more exciting.
Carnival Vista will arrive in Grand Bahama in the morning of July 19, calling on the port from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.
There will also be a special grand opening ceremony that will begin at 10 a.m.. Present at this event will be Carnival President Christine Duffy and other special guests, who have yet to be announced to the public.
Guests Warned of Kinks
Carnival provided a letter to guests onboard, sharing that since it is the first-ever visit to Celebration Key, they should expect some kinks to be ironed out and to be patient with the staff and crew.
Also, all guests were invited to a special Shop Eat Explore show with cruise director MarQ on July 13 at 10:30 a.m. to learn more about Celebration Key and the other ports of call throughout the sailing.
Currently, Carnival brand ambassador John Heald is on this sailing, and plans to share his full experience with the ship and the island with the cruising community.
While Carnival Vista may be the first vessel to visit, Carnival Conquest will not be far behind, set to arrive on July 20, 2025.
Another 10 Carnival ships will make their initial visits to Celebration Key by the end of July alone, and it is estimated that two million Carnival Cruise Line passengers will visit the new destination by the end of 2025.
Thankfully, after years of waiting, passengers will get to experience the waterslides, specialty dining options, beautiful beaches, and so much more starting at the end of next week.
Not Quite Done Yet
But wait, there is more! Yes — that is right, Celebration Key is technically not fully done being under construction as the cruise line is already working on a pier extension.
Phase two of Celebration Key is set to double the pier’s berthing capacity, which currently sits at two available spots. Announced back in 2024, this $100 million project will be completed sometime in 2026.
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With four spots available beginning in 2026, and with all being able to accommodate the Excel-class vessels, this new destination will likely become even busier.
If you are looking to visit on a calmer day, either plan to visit before the pier extension, or plan your cruise on days when fewer or smaller ships will be docked.
The good news is that the arrival of Carnival Vista at Celebration Key marks the first of over a hundred itineraries already available with this port of call, so there is no lack of options to choose from.
