Three ways the new Celebration Key helps Carnival Corp.

The Grand Bahama private destination — set to open in the second half of 2025 — is 'really starting to capture the imagination' since Carnival unleashed a marketing campaign in the heart of wave season.

Investors are watching to see if Celebration Key can match the phenomenal success of Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at CocoCay.

'Already delivering an initial halo'

Already Celebration Key is 'delivering an initial halo for bookings in the second half of 2025 across 18 Carnival Cruise Line ships departing from 10 homeports,' Weinstein told analysts during the company's first quarter earnings call.

He sidestepped specifying a pricing premium for itineraries that visit Celebration Key because Carnival hasn't issued 2025 guidance yet.

But the company forecasts an uplift in ticket pricing and in-port spending (which goes to on-board revenue).

'Considerably' cuts fuel consumption

And there's a third critical positive factor: 'the benefit we get from creating something so close to so many homeports in the United States that it cuts our fuel consumption considerably,' Weinstein said.

All of this points to a 'very healthy ROIC' from the Celebration Key investment, the Carnival chief added.

Phase One: Only a quarter of the property develiped

Carnival also has ample room to grow its destination, with just one-quarter of the property it owns being developed in the first phase.

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