Carnival Cruise Line’s brand-new private port, Celebration Key on Grand Bahama, just got a landmark visit. On July 25, 2025, the Mardi Gras, Carnival’s first Excel‑class ship, rolled into port, making it the largest cruise ship ever to visit this destination.

Early that morning at 8 AM, the Mardi Gras docked and kicked off a nine‑hour stop. It came in on a seven‑night Eastern Caribbean sailing that began on July 19 from Port Canaveral, with stops at Amber Cove, Grand Turk, and Nassau before arriving at Celebration Key.

That same day, the Carnival Pride was also there, part of a Bahamas cruise from Baltimore. Together, the two ships brought in about 9,000 guests to enjoy the new port.

Mardi Gras is now scheduled to visit Celebration Key regularly, as part of Carnival’s year‑round cruise itineraries to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean. Carnival has already lined up 18 more calls on Mardi Gras between now and late December, and in 2026, the ship is set to make 51 visits to Celebration Key.

Carnival Celebration, Mardi Gras’s sister Excel‑class ship, is also docked for her turn later in the weekend. Built in 2022, she arrived July 26 and will make 22 total visits to the new port through year‑end.

Looking even further ahead, Carnival Jubilee, the third Excel‑class ship, sailing from Galveston, will begin regular visits starting in September 2026. Carnival says that Celebration Key is also built to welcome their future Ace‑class ships, the upcoming 230,000‑ton giants under construction in Italy and due between 2029 and 2033.

Celebration Key itself officially opened earlier in July, with a grand ribbon‑cutting and opening ceremony on July 19, hosted by Carnival president Christine Duffy and Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein.

The port covers about 65 acres, with a 1.5‑mile beach, five distinct guest zones (or portals), the largest freshwater lagoons in the Caribbean, the world’s biggest swim‑up bar and swings bar, over 30 dining and beverage spots, and the largest private beach club of any cruise port.

Right after the grand opening, the destination saw its first two‑ship call, showing how it can handle multiple vessels at once. Carnival has big plans to expand further. They’ve currently developed only 68 of the 379 acres available.

Phase 2 is already cleared and will include more facilities, Carnival executives hinted at adding a waterpark, an expanded pier (soon able to host four ships a day), and possibly enlarging the Pearl Cove Beach Club, their adults‑only zone.

Construction on a pier extension is underway, targeting completion around September 2025, when three ships are already scheduled to dock together at Celebration Key. Carnival expects 2 million guests to visit Celebration Key in its first year, rising to 4 million by 2028, as it unlocks future expansion phases.