Carnival’s Celebration Key: Details about Calypso Lagoon

March 22, 2024 Randy Young

Carnival’s been making a lot of buzz about its new private destination, Celebration Key. This $500 million private destination is located on Grand Bahama Island and is slated to open in July 2025.

As previously released, Carnival will divide the area into five “portals,” the odd term Carnival chose to use for the zones at Celebration Key. Today, we learned a little more about two of them.

celebration key map — Celebration Key is broken into 5 different areas or “portals.” (Image courtesy of Carnival)

Paradise Plaza Portal

Paradise Plaza will welcome everyone to this vacation destination. Guests will take a short walk up a vibrantly colored walkway through a large sun sculpture archway to enter the space. Live music will fill the air and create the atmosphere.

paradise portal at celebration key — Carnival’s massive 10-story “Suncastle” welcomes guests to Celebration Key. (image courtesy of Carnival)

At the end of the Paradise Portal is a 10-story “Suncastle.” This massive structure not only makes for a great photo background, but guests can also go up inside. The Suncastle has an observation deck as well as two racing water slides.

Calypso Lagoon Portal

Carnival previously referred to the Calypso Lagoon Portal as the “Adult-friendly portal.” This area is home to what Carnival claims is the largest freshwater lagoon in the Caribbean. Looking at the renders, this pool seems truly massive.

bar with swings in celebration key — Grab a cocktail dip your toes in the water while swinging. (image courtesy of Carnival)

Near the front is an in-pool bar with suspended swings. Other bars will also be spread throughout the area. This area will also have two full-service restaurants as well as snack shacks throughout the space.

Not all of Calypso Lagoon is adult-only

dj at calypso lagoon — The adult-only area will have a swim-up bar with a live DJ. (image courtesy of Carnival)

While all of Calypso Lagoon is “adult-friendly,” only a portion is “adult only.” That means guests must be 18 and older to enter and 21 and older to consume alcohol (even though the drinking age is 18 in the Bahamas). This designated adult-only area will have a special section in the freshwater lagoon, a swim-up bar with a DJ, plenty of loungers, and an exclusive kid-free beach area.

beach at celebration key — For those who want a more peaceful atmosphere, there’s an adult-only section on the beach. (image courtesy of Carnival)

Phase 1 of Celebration Key is just the beginning

Carnival has already announced that this will only be the start of Celebration Cay. When it opens, the port will be able to hold two of Carnival’s largest ships, but later, it will be expanded to accommodate two more Excel-class ships. The space will also expand and will later have a full water park and zip lines.

Much is still unknown about Celebration Key

Carnival is betting big on Celebration Cay and promoting cruises that specifically visit this port. But Carnival has still not told us a lot about Celebration Key.

Will the food be included?
Will Carnival’s CHEERS drink package work on the island? (it doesn’t work on Carnival’s other islands)
Is the adult-only area going to have an extra fee?

Hopefully, Carnival will answer these questions in the near future.