Carnival's Celebration Key events drew thousands of advisors

A final event Saturday in Chicago brought hundreds of advisors together in person and thousands more virtually, concluding Carnival’s most popular travel advisor summer series to date.

Sharing the vision

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. Attendees also learned about the vision and inspiration behind Celebration from Carnival executives, including Adolfo Perez, SVP global sales and trade marketing; Amy Martin Ziegenfuss, chief marketing officer; and Glenn Aprile, senior director of brand experience and product development.

New chapter for Carnival

'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,' Perez said.

That will be in July 2025.

Presented in collaboration with The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation, the series gave attendees a taste of Celebration Key’s offerings with Bahamian culture including a Junkanoo band and Bahamian flavors.

'Amazing event'

'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.

Related:Three ways the new Celebration Key helps Carnival Corp.

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 $33m fundraising goal for St. Jude and set a new pledge goal of $50m by 2030.

Celebration Key is the Carnival brand's first exclusive destination development. It will offer two of the Caribbean’s largest freshwater lagoons, a white sand beach, a 10-story-high Suncastle featuring two waterslides and an array of Bahamian-operated retail, food and beverage options.

Five portals

The destination is arranged as five portals — Paradise Plaza, the arrival/information area; Calypso Lagoon for adults; Lokono Cove with stores and kiosks joining a Bahamian artisan market; Starfish Lagoon, a family-friendly space; and Pearl Cove Beach Club, an exclusive retreat offering a premium experience for those 18 and older.

More than 500 cruises calling Celebration Key from 10 homeports on 19 ships are open for sale.