As Carnival Cruise Line continues to work aggressively toward the 2025 opening date for its new cruise port in East Grand Bahama, executives announced Thursday that Celebration Key has been added to its 2025-2026 destination itinerary.
Carnival said it is now offering 400 cruises that will bring guests to Celebration Key, beginning July 2025.
Guests can begin booking cruises on 12 Carnival ships, sailing from eight homeports: Port Miami, Port Canaveral, Galveston, New Orleans, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Norfolk and Mobile.
"As the first port destination exclusively designed for Carnival Cruise Line guests, Celebration Key will provide the ultimate Carnival fun in the sun, immersed in the natural beauty of Grand Bahama," Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said in a statement.
"Our guests have a wide range of ships, homeports and itineraries that visit our new exclusive destination to choose from."
On August 28, the cruise line released the trademarked name of the port as Celebration Key and said consumer research showed that the word "key" indicated that the port is part of the larger Grand Bahama Island, not a stand-alone small island as the word "cay" would have denoted.
Duffy said interest in Celebration Key is strong and thousands of guests have already signed up to be the first to experience the itineraries and features.
"The July 2025 opening will be here before we know it, and we are working closely with the Bahamian government and the local Grand Bahama community to make this the premier exclusive cruise port destination in the Caribbean," she said.
"We plan to announce further details on what guests can expect to experience while there in the near future."
Carnival Cruise Line broke ground for the new $200 million cruise port at Sharp Rock, East End, in May 2022. The project is being constructed in three phases, with employment opportunities for Grand Bahamians promised at each stage.
Phase one includes work on the reef, then road construction, landside engineering and utilities.
Phase two of the project will entail the actual construction of the port and buildings.
In its final phase, when the port becomes operational, there will be opportunity for employment in three areas through direct hiring by the cruise line or by subcontractors: retail, food and beverage employment, shore excursions and ground transportation.
Phase one of the project is now complete.
Carnival executives have held several town hall meetings, most recently in early August, to update the Grand Bahama community on their progress and to begin engaging vendors and retail operators for the port.
Minister for Grand Bahama Ginger Moxey said, "This is so exciting for the people of Grand Bahama as we watch Celebration Key come to life."
Moxey said there is a bold vision for this island becoming the premier destination for entertainment and events in the region.
"We look forward to Carnival's guests having a warm and memorable vacation when they start visiting our beautiful island in 2025," she said.
Speaking with Grand Bahama News, Leader of the Opposition and member of Parliament for Marco City Michael Pintard said Carnival's increasing presence and investments in Grand Bahama's economy is welcome news.
"The increased [number of] cruise passengers has the potential to empower entrepreneurs who service both stopover and cruise visitors," Pintard said.
He said Grand Bahamians are anxiously awaiting the completion of the new cruise port, which would complement the existing port at Freeport Harbour and believes both entry points are pathways to economic growth for Grand Bahama.
Pintard encouraged the government, the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) and the cruise lines to work with business owners and entrepreneurs to further develop tourism products and attractions.
"The increased [number of] cruise passengers will be more meaningful if an increased number of them on the cruise actually come ashore and spend," Pintard noted.
"It is crucial to improve our onshore products and services to entice potential customers. However, it is equally important that authorities help entrepreneurs access funding and guide the improvement of their business enterprises. Furthermore, help must be provided so that tourists can be guided to those locations and enterprises that are not readily accessible."
He said no one must be disadvantaged or discouraged from seeking to share the resulting economic opportunities.
Taxi driver Alexander Brown said that it is hard to wait.
"I wish that it was happening tomorrow, those cruise ships coming in the new port, but we have to wait until 2025," Brown said.
"I am happy though that Carnival is already getting passengers interested in coming to the island. This news is great and I pray that it starts the turnaround for Grand Bahama."
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