Thousands of Travel Advisors Across U.S. Attended Events Offering Unique Preview
of Carnival’s Exclusive Destination Set to Open July 2025
MIAMI, Sept. 16, 2024 – Building on the excitement for its upcoming destination Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s ‘Your Peek at Paradise’ events for travel advisors generated an overwhelming response nationwide this summer. A final event Saturday in Chicago brought hundreds of travel advisors together in person and thousands more virtually, concluding Carnival’s most popular travel advisor summer series to date.
Throughout the series, which also made stops in Miami, Baltimore and Atlanta, 10 travel advisors won a VIP early-access trip to Celebration Key, before it opens to the public. All advisors in attendance also learned insights about the vision and inspiration behind Celebration Key from Carnival executives, including Adolfo M. Perez, senior vice president of global sales and trade marketing; Amy Martin Ziegenfuss, chief marketing officer; and Glenn Aprile, senior director of brand experience and product development.
“Seeing the enthusiasm from our travel advisors during the Your Peek at Paradise series reaffirms how special Celebration Key will be,” said Perez. “This destination represents an exciting new chapter for Carnival, and sharing an inside look with our loyal advisors is a significant part of our job. We can’t wait to see them bring the magic of Celebration Key to their clients when it officially opens.”
Presented in collaboration with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments, and Aviation, the series gave attendees a taste of Celebration Key’s offerings. Each event immersed participants in Bahamian culture, featuring authentic performances from a Bahamian Junkanoo band, Bahamian flavors and a peek into Celebration Key.
“It was an amazing event. I was already excited about Celebration Key and now I’m even more excited after winning one of the spots to the early-access trip. My goal is to always make my guests feel special, and Celebration Key is a truly special destination that I can’t wait to show them,” said Sherri Head, and franchise owner of Heads Travel - Dream Vacations who attended the Atlanta event.
“The event allowed attendees to fully immerse themselves in what it will feel like to be on Carnival's Celebration Key,” said Joshua Harrell, chief revenue officer at WorldVia. “It's clear that when it comes to creating magical and memorable experiences, Carnival truly knows how to set sail beyond the ordinary.”
At each stop, Carnival also gifted commemorative Travel Agents Rock t-shirts for donations to support the cruise line’s charitable partner St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Earlier this year, Carnival met its previous $33 million fundraising goal for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and set a new pledge goal of $50 million by 2030.
Celebration Key is the first port destination exclusively designed for Carnival Cruise Line guests on the island of Grand Bahama and will welcome its first guests in July 2025. Embracing the beauty of Grand Bahama, the exclusive destination will offer guests two of the Caribbean’s largest freshwater lagoons*, a breathtaking white-sand beach, a 10-story-high “Suncastle” featuring two waterslides and an array of Bahamian-operated retail, food and beverage options.
Celebration Key will consist of five portals for all types of travelers – Paradise Plaza, the source of destination information welcoming guests upon their arrival; Calypso Lagoon, a vibrant atmosphere for adults; Lokono Cove, a variety of stores and kiosks joining an authentic Bahamian artisan market; Starfish Lagoon, a family-friendly portal for all ages and energy levels; and Pearl Cove Beach Club, an exclusive retreat that will offer a premium experience for guests 18 and older.
More than 500 sailings are open that feature Celebration Key across 10 homeports and 19 ships.
For additional information on Carnival Cruise Line and to book a cruise vacation, call 1-800-CARNIVAL, visit www.carnival.com, or contact your favorite travel advisor or online travel site.
*based on data as of Jan. 22, 2024
ABOUT CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE
Carnival Cruise Line, part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), is the first cruise line to sail over 100 million guests and is proud to be known as America's Cruise Line, for carrying more Americans and serving more U.S. homeports than any other. Since its founding in 1972, Carnival has continually revolutionized the cruise industry and popularized the cruise vacation as an affordable and fun travel option. Carnival operates from 14 U.S. and two Australian homeports, as well as seasonally from Europe and employs more than 48,000 team members representing 120 nationalities.
Carnival’s fleet of 27 ships reflects an exciting period of growth that continues with the addition of seven ships through 2033: two ships joining in February 2025 when P&O Cruises Australia integrates into Carnival; a fourth and fifth Excel class ship scheduled for 2027 and 2028 respectively; followed by three additional new ships from an innovative new class currently under development. Carnival’s next new guest offering will be the all-new exclusive destination, Celebration Key, set to debut on Grand Bahama next summer.
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE MEDIA CONTACT:
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