Carnival Corporation announced the completion of its pier extension project at Celebration Key on Grand Bahama Island this summer.
The expansion adds two new berths, enabling the private island destination to accommodate up to four ships at once and welcome over 13,000 guests in a single day.
Finished ahead of schedule, the additional berths allow for roughly 200 more ship calls and 700,000 additional guest arrivals each year, the cruise giant said.
Opened in July 2025, Celebration Key is already making waves, with 20 Carnival Cruise Line ships calling from 10 U.S. homeports.
Starting in September 2026, three- and four-ship days will be routine at the destination, while Princess Cruises and AIDA will join the rotation later this year.
"Celebration Key is one of the centerpieces of our Paradise Collection—a bold destination built to redefine what a Caribbean vacation can feel like," Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein said in a statement.
"From a mile of white sand beach to the Caribbean's largest freshwater lagoons and five distinct experience portals, every part of Celebration Key was designed to deliver something unforgettable," he added. "Finishing the pier extension ahead of schedule gives us a real jump on meeting the extraordinary demand we're seeing and allows us to bring even more guests to this unique Bahamian paradise sooner than expected."
Guests enjoy the day at Celebration Key (Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise Line)
Minister of Tourism Glenys Hanna Martin said, "Celebration Key's expansion reflects continued confidence in Grand Bahama and in The Bahamas as a leading tourism destination."
"Our priority is to ensure that investments of this scale create meaningful opportunities for Bahamian businesses, expand employment, and deliver lasting economic benefits to our people," said Martin. "We congratulate the team at Celebration Key on its first anniversary and look forward to its continued contribution to Grand Bahama's economy and the well-being of its communities."
Celebration Key will have welcomed approximately 2.5 million guests when it celebrates its first anniversary on July 19.
Year two is expected to grow that number to about 3.5 million, with Celebration Key creating more than 2,500 direct Bahamian jobs, generating $3.2 billion in incremental government revenue and contributing $9.7 billion in incremental GDP impact over the next 20 years, according to Tourism Economics.
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