Almost every Carnival cruise ship will sail to its upcoming private resort soon — see what it’ll be like in Celebration Key
September 30, 20240
Royal Caribbean guests have to shell out extra cash for a ticket to its private island Perfect Day at CocoCay’s waterpark.
Brittany Chang/Business Insider
Private islands can be cash cows for popular cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean.
Guests can spend big on these exclusive destinations’ excursions and private lounges, boosting the cruise line’s profits.
And in the case of Half Moon Cay and Celebration Key, these stops are near Florida’s major cruise ports, decreasing visiting ships’ travel times and fuel costs.
For some operators, these exclusive ports are also becoming a necessity.
Starfish Lagoon’s two waterslides would cross the 10-story-tall “Suncastle,” shown in a rendering.
Carnival Cruise Line
When two additional berths are built in 2028, the number of visiting guests would grow to 4 million a year.
The $600 million project is set to be Carnival Corp’s largest. Despite the hefty investment, Carnival Corp’s CFO, David Bernstein, told analysts on Monday that the company is already predicting Celebration Key will be a “smash hit and provide an excellent return on investment. “
