Celebration Key cruise port

Giant lagoons, a 10-story Suncastle and a walk-off pier on Grand Bahama.

Celebration Key is Carnival’s purpose-built beach destination on the south shore of Grand Bahama Island, opened in July 2025 and expanded to four berths in June 2026, so your ship docks and you are at Paradise Plaza in a five-minute walk or a free tram ride. Most cruisers spend the day in the two huge freshwater lagoons and on the beach, with a free Island Eats lunch, while adults can buy into the Pearl Cove Beach Club. SmartCruiser lists every cruise that calls at Celebration Key, priced with taxes and fees included, with the sailings that carry SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit or instant savings at the top.

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Dockedwalk-off pier, up to 4 ships, free tram

USD, cashlessSail & Sign card; cash or credit at the shops

Nov to Aprdry season, highs near 80

All inevery price includes taxes and fees

Start here

Three ways to do Celebration Key

Choose a family lagoon day, an adults-only day at Pearl Cove or a day out on Grand Bahama, and the buttons filter the list of sailings below.

Family day

Starfish Lagoon, the Suncastle and a free lunch

Starfish Lagoon is the family portal: shallow swim areas, the Guppy Grotto splash playground, sports courts and a gaming pavilion
The 10-story Suncastle has twin racing waterslides that drop into the lagoon (slide passes cost extra)
Use your free Island Eats meal at the food trucks and snack shacks; water and lemonade are included

Best for: families, first-timers, short Bahamas getaways

Adults only

Pearl Cove Beach Club

An 11,000 square foot infinity pool, private beach, swim-up bar and an upscale restaurant for guests 18 and over
Passes run about $100 with a welcome cocktail, about $140 with open bar or about $180 all-inclusive with lunch (as of 2026)
Calypso Lagoon next door is the party side: DJs, Long Necks Bar with 100 in-water seats and the Sunshine Swings bar

Best for: couples, groups of friends, anyone who wants a pool with service

Explore

See the real Grand Bahama

Carnival sells island Jeep tours, glass-bottom boat rides, kayaking and snorkel trips from the excursions desk in Paradise Plaza
Lokono Cove is the shopping portal with a Bahamian artisan market, duty-free and a coffee shop
Beach wheelchairs and open-air trams are free, so the whole site is doable for mixed-mobility groups

Best for: repeat visitors, shoppers, anyone who has done the lagoon already

Live from the cruise lines

Celebration Key cruises: SmartCruiser picks first

Every cruise that calls at Celebration Key, priced live with taxes, fees and port expenses included. The picks at the top are sailings where booking with SmartCruiser gets you something extra: instant savings or bonus onboard credit. Below them, every other sailing that stops here, with full sorting by home port, month, length and price.

SmartCruiser picks

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Every cruise that calls at Celebration Key

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Prices are per person, double occupancy, in US dollars, and include cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses as published by the cruise line at the moment you load this page. Fares are capacity controlled and change daily; the fare is confirmed when you book. Flights, hotels and transfers are extra unless the line’s offer says otherwise. SmartCruiser instant savings and bonus onboard credit are provided by SmartCruiser on top of the cruise line’s price and are not available when booking direct; amounts are per stateroom, vary by stateroom category and are shown for the lowest category offered. Special SmartCruiser rates are pricing SmartCruiser holds on that sailing for its clients, with extra onboard credit; you book your own stateroom and travel on your own. Senior fares apply to guests 55 and over; resident fares need proof of residency in a listed state or province at check-in; police and fire fares apply to active or retired police, fire and EMT personnel with ID. Qualifier-fare savings are measured against the best fare the cruise line offers the general public for the same stateroom category on the day the list was pulled, updated weekly.

Where you start

Home ports that sail to Celebration Key

Twenty Carnival ships call here from ten US home ports, and picking one below filters the list above to cruises leaving that port.

Port CanaveralCarnival’s busiest Celebration Key gateway: Mardi Gras, Vista, Glory and Freedom on 3 to 8 night Bahamas and Caribbean loops MiamiCarnival Celebration, Horizon and Conquest pair Celebration Key with Nassau, Bimini or the Caribbean on 3 to 8 night sailings JacksonvilleCarnival Elation runs short 4 and 5 night Bahamas cruises that make Celebration Key the headline stop GalvestonCarnival Dream and Legend reach Celebration Key on longer 7 to 10 night Eastern Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries BaltimoreCarnival Pride sails 7 night Bahamas cruises that spend a full day here on the way to Nassau or Freeport New YorkCarnival Venezia and Vista-class ships on 7 and 8 night Bahamas cruises from Manhattan with a Celebration Key day NorfolkCarnival’s Virginia departures run 6 to 8 night Bahamas loops with Celebration Key and Nassau TampaTampa’s Carnival ships add Celebration Key to select Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean sailings

In port

Things to do at Celebration Key

Five portals, two lagoons and a mile of beach; here is what is included and what to budget for.

Starfish LagoonThe free family lagoon: shallow entry, the Guppy Grotto splash playground, volleyball, basketball and pickleball courts, Gill’s Grill and the Captain’s Galley food hall, plus the Parrotfish swim-up bar for the grown-ups.

Calypso LagoonThe adult-leaning lagoon with DJs, the 100-seat Long Necks swim-up bar, the Sunshine Swings over-water bar, Mingo’s and the Surf N’ Sauce barbecue; free to use, drinks charged a la carte.

Suncastle waterslidesTwin racing slides drop ten stories into the lagoon; passes are sold on board and on the island and sell out on four-ship days, so book early.

Pearl Cove Beach ClubAdults-only infinity pool, private beach, restaurant and swim-up bar; about $100 to $180 per person depending on whether you add open bar and lunch (as of 2026). Loose-sand paths, so guests need to be fully mobile.

Island Eats lunchYour cruise fare includes one meal at the participating food trucks and snack shacks; full-service restaurants charge extra with a 25 percent entree discount, and water and lemonade are free everywhere.

Cabanas and AquaBanasBeachfront cabanas, overwater lagoon cabanas with a private slide and attendant, and floating AquaBanas near the Shoalmates island bar; all extra cost and best booked well before sailing.

Lokono CoveThe shopping portal: Bahamian artisan market, fine jewelry, duty-free, Carnival merchandise and Suncastle Grounds coffee. Shops take credit cards and cash, not your Sail & Sign card.

Excursions off the beachIsland Jeep tours, glass-bottom boat rides, kayaking and snorkel trips book at the excursions desk in Paradise Plaza; the Grand Bahama interior and Lucayan area are a short drive away.

Pick your style

Which lines call at Celebration Key?

Celebration Key is a Carnival Cruise Line destination; use the Bahamas and Caribbean pages to compare it against the other lines’ islands.

      Carnival Cruise LineTwenty Carnival ships from Port Canaveral, Miami, Jacksonville, Galveston, Baltimore, New York, Norfolk, Tampa, Mobile and New Orleans on 3 to 10 night sailings; Princess Cruises begins calling in November 2026SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit
      Bahamas cruisesEvery line’s Bahamas sailings side by side: Nassau, Freeport and all five private islands, priced with taxes and fees includedCompare every line
      Caribbean cruisesCelebration Key sits on many 7 and 8 night Eastern Caribbean loops; see how Carnival’s compare with Royal Caribbean, NCL and MSCCompare every line
    

Timing

When to go

Grand Bahama is warm all year; winter and spring are dry and breezy and the busiest, summer is hot with afternoon showers, and hurricane season runs June through November.

November to AprilHighs in the mid 70s to low 80s, lows in the 60s, little rain and water around 74 to 78; the lagoons are heated-feeling in the sun but the ocean can be cool in January. Peak demand, especially school holidays.

May to JuneHighs in the mid 80s, water into the 80s and fewer families until school lets out; often the best value of the year for Bahamas sailings.

July to AugustHot and humid, highs near 90, quick afternoon storms and the busiest family weeks of summer; shade and cabanas go first.

September to OctoberPeak hurricane season with the lowest fares; Carnival reroutes or swaps ports if a storm threatens, and the island rebuilt quickly after 2025 season weather, so sail with flexibility.

Good to know

Celebration Key questions we answer every day

Does the ship dock at Celebration Key or tender?

It docks. A long covered pier with four berths (expanded in June 2026) takes ships of every Carnival class, and from the gangway it is about a five-minute walk to the Paradise Plaza entrance; open-air trams run along the pier all day if you would rather ride. No tenders.

What is free and what costs extra?

Free: the beach, both lagoons, loungers, trams, beach wheelchairs, water and lemonade, and one Island Eats meal at the food trucks and snack shacks. Extra: Suncastle slide passes, Pearl Cove passes, cabanas and AquaBanas, kayaks, snorkel gear, motorized water sports, full-service restaurants and all alcohol and specialty drinks. Carnival’s Cheers! and Bottomless Bubbles packages do not work on the island.

Do I need cash, and what about phone service?

Food, drinks and reboarding run on your Sail & Sign card, but the Lokono Cove shops want a credit card or cash, and tips for local performers and artisans are cash. US dollars are accepted everywhere in the Bahamas. Phones roam on Bahamian networks at international rates, and Carnival’s onboard Wi-Fi does not reach the beach. Grand Bahama is on Eastern time, same as Florida.

Is Celebration Key safe?

Yes. It is a gated, staffed Carnival site with lifeguards at the lagoons and beach and medical staff on call, separate from the public parts of Grand Bahama. Off-site tours are run by Carnival-vetted operators; if you book one, go through the ship so your return is guaranteed.

Is Pearl Cove worth it?

If you want a quiet pool with a server bringing drinks, yes; the open-bar pass covers up to ten drinks and the all-inclusive adds a sit-down lunch, which together cost more than the pass if bought a la carte. If you mostly want sand and sea, the free beach and Calypso Lagoon give adults plenty of space, and the swim-up bars take your Sail & Sign card. Passes sell out on multi-ship days, so buy before you sail.

Do I need a passport for a Celebration Key cruise?

US citizens on a round trip from a US port can sail with a government photo ID plus an original or certified birth certificate under the closed-loop rule, but we recommend a passport for everyone; if you had to fly home from the Bahamas you would need one. Non-US citizens should carry a passport and any visas required for the Bahamas and the United States.

Are taxes and fees included in the prices here?

Yes. Every price on this page includes the cruise fare, taxes, fees and port expenses. Flights, hotels, shore excursions, Pearl Cove and slide passes, drinks and gratuities are extra.

Talk to a Celebration Key cruise specialist

Tell us your home port and dates and we will check availability on every Carnival sailing that calls at Celebration Key, including the ones with SmartCruiser bonus onboard credit. Monday to Thursday 9 to 6, Friday 9 to 5, Saturday 10 to 6 ET.

1-800-444-1560