Carnival Previews Celebration Key at Chicago Event

Carnival Cruise Line wrapped up its “Your Peek at Paradise” roadshow with a final event in Chicago this weekend.

At the event, Carnival gave a sneak peek at its new private destination in Grand Bahama, Celebration Key. The event, aimed at travel advisors, marked the end of a summer-long series that also made stops in Miami, Baltimore, and Atlanta.

Adolfo M. Perez, Carnival’s senior vice president of global sales and trade marketing, mentioned that in addition to the many travel advisors who attended in person, over 8,000 people tuned in online to watch the event.

“We want to make sure you know everything about Celebration Key because it’s going to be a game changer for us,” Perez told the travel agents.

He added, “We’ve spent a lot of time putting this program together, starting in Miami, then going to Baltimore, Atlanta, and now Chicago.”

During the event, Carnival also held a giveaway for four early-access trips to Celebration Key, which will happen before the destination officially opens.

Perez highlighted that the company is investing over $600 million to develop this new port near Freeport. “We’re spending more than half a billion dollars because we believe this destination will offer an incredible experience for our guests,” he said.

Amy Martin Ziegenfuss, Carnival’s chief marketing officer, added that Celebration Key responds to what passengers want—beach travel and water experiences. She said, “People want to know it’s going to be amazing, and they trust Carnival to deliver just like we do on the ships. This is a way to bring the Carnival vibe to an island experience, giving guests the beach moment they’ve been waiting for.”

Celebration Key will open in July 2025 and will be visited by 18 ships sailing from 10 different homeports. With over 500 scheduled stops, more than two million guests are expected to visit during its first year.