by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 8:40 AM ET, Thu November 5, 2026
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — The annual CruiseWorld conference, sponsored by Northstar Travel Group, is underway in Florida this week, and many of the global cruise industry’s top executives are on hand to share the latest news and updates from their brands.
To kick off the three-day gathering, Carnival Corporation executives joined the event’s first general session for a Q&A.
Carnival’s Marie McKenzie, senior vice president of government and destination affairs and Ally Nichols, vice president of product development, discussed the latest developments surrounding the cruise company’s Paradise Collection, its portfolio of six private destinations across the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Mexico. The duo also shared details on Carnival’s efforts to support the destinations its ships visit and discussed how destinations can better partner with the company.
The session offered travel advisors selling Carnival Cruise Line vacations a wealth of valuable information. Here’s a closer look at some of the top takeaways from the questions McKenzie and Nichols fielded.
Isla Tropicale (Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise Line)
What to know about Carnival Cruise Line’s Paradise Collection
Private destinations owned and operated by cruise lines are becoming increasingly prominent on Caribbean cruise itineraries. Some of these destinations have even become major draws in their own right alongside traditional destinations.
Carnival operates six private destinations across the Caribbean, the Bahamas and Mexico. That list encompasses two marquee ‘Paradise Destinations’ and four ‘Gateway Destinations.’ Carnival’s Paradise Destinations are Relax Away at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas on Little San Salvador Island and Celebration Key Grand Bahamas on the southern coast of Grand Bahama Island.
The company’s roster of Gateway Destinations, meanwhile, includes Isla Tropicale Roatan, Amber Cove Dominican Republic, Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos and Puerta Maya in Cozumel.
That’s a lot of options for travelers to choose from, and each private destination offers a different experience, Nichols told CruiseWorld.
“They’re not all the same and that is very intentional to ensure there are differentiated experiences across the destinations,” Nichols explained. “Often times there’s multiple of these destinations that could be on the same [cruise] itinerary sequence. So we want to make sure there’s a good variety in different experiences across all of our ports.”
Carnival’s two Paradise Destinations (Relax Away and Celebration Key) are designed to offer cruisers immersive day-long resort experiences featuring beaches and lagoons, Nichols explained.
“They create a much more seamless experience from our shipboard offerings to our shoreside offerings,” Nichols said of the company’s Paradise Destinations. “But those two destinations, in and of themselves, are also very different. They were built to offer different things to guests.
Celebration Key is much more built-out and activated. It’s more resort-like. It has the largest freshwater lagoons in the Caribbean. It’s got swim-up bars; it’s got waterslides.”
In contrast, Relax Away offers a tranquil, remote island experience. “It’s got some of the most beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise waters,” Nichols continued. “We like to refer to the two Paradise Destinations as our Yin and Yang, because they really are very opposite ways to enjoy paradise.”
Carnival’s Gateway Destinations, meanwhile, focus on opening the door for visitors to the broader region’s offerings.
Each gateway location includes exclusive amenities for cruise guests, such as food, retail, pools, beaches, and more. But gateway destinations are also designed to encourage cruise guests to get out and experience a region more deeply, exploring its history, culture and more.
Guests enjoy the day at Celebration Key (Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise Line)
Private island expansions and updates
Carnival has been busy in recent years, making several updates across its private destination portfolio.
About a year ago (in July 2025), for instance, Carnival opened Celebration Key on the south side of Grand Bahama Island. Since then, the brand new destination has already welcomed about 2.5 million guests, Nichols said.
“Earlier this year we also expanded in Relax Away and Half Moon Cay, where we added a pier. And now our largest vessels are able to visit that destination, which they weren’t able to do before,” said Nichols.
“We also recently added at Isla Tropicale, our destination in Roatan,” continued Nichols, explaining that the gateway location has a new pool, swim-up bar and splash pad for kids. We’re always looking for ways to add new activities for our guests to enjoy.”
Do private destinations benefit local communities or keep all money for the cruise company?
A frequent criticism of private destinations owned and operated by cruise lines is that cruise lines retain all the tourism dollars they generate, and local communities do not realize a substantial benefit. It’s a concern that’s often raised by travel advisor clients when booking cruises.
Carnival executives told CruiseWorld however, that the company has developed an operating model across its private destinations that's meant to ensure local communities experience an economic benefit.
“The operating model that Carnival Corp has in our destinations is unique and it’s something that we’re really proud of because it was designed to truly partner with the local economy and provide jobs and support the economy,” said Nichols. “In all of our destinations for the most part, most of the labor and the staff that we use to interact with the guests and support them day to day and the team members working behind the scenes to keep things going, they are locals.”
Carnival also partners with many local small businesses in its private destinations. That includes local restaurateurs and retailers who are part of Carnival’s port areas, running small businesses there.
About 200 local businesses operate across Carnival’s six private destinations. In addition, the company provides about 5,000 jobs for locals at the portfolio of private destinations. “We’re really proud of this model,” Nichols said. “In the Bahamas alone we are one of the top private sector employers. And in Grand Bahamas Island where Celebration Key is located, we are the largest private sector employer.”
What additional efforts does Carnival engage in to help and support communities where it operates?
Beyond providing jobs and partnering with local businesses, McKenzie told CruiseWorld attendees that the cruise company engages in additional efforts to support the communities where it operates.
That includes the company’s “Less Left Over” initiative, which aims to reduce food waste while also supporting local communities.
As part of the program, which aims to cut systemwide food waste by 50% by 2030 and has already achieved a 44% reduction per person, Carnival packages unserved food and transfers it ashore to port destinations for locals.
“We have partnered with governments to get health clearance to take foods off of our ships to take it to homes and local communities,” McKenzie explained.
Yet another way Carnival works to support local communities is through a free swimming education program for adults in the Bahamas. The program was designed to combat low swimming proficiency in the region, build water confidence, and promote drowning prevention in the island nation. “We use our lifeguards as volunteers to help teach local people to swim,” McKenzie explained.
“Our leadership is constantly thinking of ways to support the community and a big part of my role, beyond working with governments to understand who we are, is to…think of ways we can support the community,” concluded McKenzie.
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