Paradise Plaza serves as the vibrant entryway into Celebration Key, designed to immerse guests immediately into the destination’s colorful energy. As soon as visitors step off the pier, they are greeted by lively Bahamian music, pastel‑toned buildings, and a welcoming fountain inspired by island architecture. This portal provides essential guest services—such as information desks, excursion check-ins, hydration stations, shaded seating, and tram connections—that help set the tone and pace for the day. Paradise Plaza also features grab‑and‑go snack windows, small dessert counters, and family-friendly gathering spaces that allow cruisers to orient themselves before exploring the rest of the island. Its open layout, wide walkways, and striking visuals make it a natural meeting point for groups and an inviting introduction to the Celebration Key experience.
Explore Carnival’s Private Destinations: Beaches and Fun Await
Carnival’s Upgraded Take on the Perfect Beach Day
Half Moon Cay: Carnival’s Signature Island Escape
Half Moon Cay—located in the Bahamas—is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful private islands in the cruise industry. With its expansive crescent-shaped beach, powdery white sand, and unbelievably clear blue water, this island consistently ranks as a top guest favorite. Shared with Carnival’s sister line Holland America, Half Moon Cay blends Bahamian beauty with carefully curated amenities designed for a dreamy beach day.
Iconic Crescent Beach & Natural Beauty
The star of Half Moon Cay is its pristine, famously unspoiled beach. This long, sweeping shoreline feels spacious even on busy days, offering ample room for guests to spread out and enjoy a postcard-perfect view. Soft sand slopes gently into warm, shallow water, creating ideal swimming conditions for families and casual waders. Palm trees and natural dunes complete the scene, giving the island an authentic, low-rise feel that adds to its charm.
Unlike more heavily built-up ports, Half Moon Cay maintains a nature-first design philosophy. Walking paths weave through protected areas and bird habitats, making the island feel more like a natural escape than a theme-park environment. This balance of beauty and simplicity has made Half Moon Cay a beloved stop for Carnival cruisers for decades.
Family Comfort & Kid-Friendly Zones
Half Moon Cay is especially appealing for families because of its calm water and easy-to-navigate layout. The main beach area offers shallow, gradual entry—perfect for young children—and plenty of space to play. Carnival provides complimentary loungers throughout the island, with rentable clamshell shades available for families who want extra sun protection.
A dedicated children’s play area often features splash zones or structured activities planned by onboard youth staff, depending on the itinerary. Families appreciate the ease of transitioning between beach time, playtime, and lunch without long walks or complicated logistics. Half Moon Cay’s simplicity is its strength—everything is close, accessible, and designed to make the day as stress-free as possible.
Premium Experiences: Cabana Rentals & Horseback Riding
For travelers seeking a more elevated beach day, Half Moon Cay offers several premium experiences. Private cabanas—colorfully painted and perched along the beach—provide shaded seating, showers, fans, and personal service. These cabanas vary in size, accommodating different group types, and are often considered worthwhile splurges for families or celebrations.
One of the most unique activities on any private cruise island is Half Moon Cay’s horseback riding adventure, which allows guests to ride along the shoreline before leading horses into the shallow surf. Few destinations offer such a picturesque, memorable experience, making this a popular choice for guests seeking something meaningful beyond traditional excursions.
Dining, Drinks & Amenities
Carnival provides a beach barbecue lunch as part of the visit, typically offering burgers, jerk chicken, salads, and fresh fruit. Bars are scattered across the island for guests who want cocktails, frozen drinks, or local beer. While Half Moon Cay is intentionally simple in its layout, the food and drink offerings are reliably convenient, ensuring guests never have to venture far from the water.
From an amenities standpoint, the island includes clean restrooms, freshwater showers, shaded picnic areas, and small shops selling souvenirs. While understated compared to some newer private destinations, Half Moon Cay’s facilities support a full, comfortable beach day rooted in the island’s natural beauty.
Amber Cove: Resort-Style Comfort in the Dominican Republic
Located near Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, Amber Cove is a private port destination developed exclusively for Carnival Corporation guests. Rather than being a standalone island, Amber Cove is a spacious, land-based retreat offering a mix of cultural immersion, resort amenities, and adventure opportunities.
A Vibrant Central Pool Complex
The vibrant heart of Amber Cove is its expansive, multi-tiered resort-style pool area, which serves as the premier hub for relaxation and fun. This impressive complex features everything needed for a perfect day: a gentle lazy river, invigorating water features, comfortable shaded loungers, and popular swim-up bars. Given the pool's generous size and variety of offerings, many guests choose to spend the majority of their time within this central zone, enjoying its relaxed, yet energized atmosphere and seamless access to food, beverages, and activities. Crucially, as access to this magnificent pool area is included in the port visit, Amber Cove offers excellent value, making it a particularly attractive destination for families and groups seeking a resort-quality water park experience without any additional admission cost.
The pool area is also designed to maximize the social and celebratory energy of a Caribbean vacation. Lined with convenient bars and lounges, the central complex cultivates an upbeat environment where tropical drinks are always within easy reach. Whether guests are enjoying a cooling beverage from the famous swim-up bar, relaxing on a partially submerged pool chair, or simply soaking up the sun poolside, the entire area buzzes with a luxurious resort-like vibe that manages to feel simultaneously energizing and deeply relaxing.
Amber Cove Waterfalls
Amber Cove's most defining and beloved amenity is its impressive series of cascading man-made waterfalls, which flow gracefully into several interconnected resort-style pools. This design choice is visually stunning, transforming the port area into a luxurious oasis, but it also serves a functional purpose: the flowing water creates a soothing, natural soundtrack and establishes a wonderfully refreshing micro-climate ideal for all-day lounging. This picturesque environment ensures the waterfall zones are always a central draw, distinguishing Amber Cove as a beautifully designed, elevated island escape rather than a simple cruise port.
Guests frequently gravitate towards the waterfalls for a multitude of relaxing activities and experiences. They offer the unique opportunity to unwind beneath the gentle torrents for a calming, hydro-therapy-like sensation, or to find desirable shaded and cooler spots during the intensity of a warm Caribbean afternoon. Furthermore, the scenic beauty and dramatic backdrop provided by the rushing water make these zones prime locations for capturing vacation photographs, ultimately helping to solidify Amber Cove's reputation as one of Carnival's most uniquely immersive and photogenic destinations.
Cultural Touches & Local Flavor
Although Amber Cove functions as a private cruise port, its design successfully incorporates essential elements of Dominican architecture and cultural flair to give travelers a taste of the region. The port features bright, colorful buildings, authentic Caribbean-style facades, and local craft shops that serve as a gentle introduction to the island's vibrant identity. Guests are encouraged to browse the lively artisan markets, which are stocked with high-quality souvenirs like local chocolate, premium rum, jewelry, and a variety of handmade goods, allowing them to connect with and support Dominican craftsmanship directly before heading back to the ship.
For travelers keen to explore beyond the port's immediate offerings, Amber Cove's strategic location makes it an ideal gateway to rich Dominican culture. Carnival offers a diverse array of excursions into the nearby city of Puerto Plata, where guests can fully immerse themselves. Options include relaxing on stunning local beaches, exploring historic city centers, enjoying panoramic views from the famous cable car attractions, or seeking thrills at regional adventure parks. This seamless connection ensures that while the port offers convenience, it also provides accessible opportunities for a deeper cultural experience.
Adventure, Luxury, and Modern Amenities at Amber Cove
Amber Cove ensures there are Adventure Options for Every Traveler by offering a diverse range of engaging shore excursions to match every interest and energy level. Guests seeking thrills can select from exciting activities such as exhilarating ziplining tours, various water sports, rugged ATV or off-road adventures, and scenic catamaran sailings along the Dominican coast. For those who prefer a more personalized and laid-back experience, the port offers luxurious private cabanas—available in hillside, poolside, and highly coveted over-water varieties—which provide a quiet, exclusive refuge complete with attentive service and premium amenities.
Beyond activities, Amber Cove's Dining & Infrastructure is designed for modern comfort and convenience. The port features a variety of food and drink venues strategically placed throughout the area, allowing guests to easily find everything from classic cruise-favorite cocktails to local Dominican dishes. While lunch is not included with the standard port entry (a detail appreciated by guests who value the range of choices), the modern infrastructure is uniformly clean, well-laid out, and easy to navigate. Featuring comfortable rest areas, dedicated excursion hubs, and organized shopping plazas, this combination of versatile activities and state-of-the-art amenities ensures Amber Cove is a full-day, highly enjoyable destination for every cruise visitor.
Mahogany Bay: A Private Beach Experience in Roatán
Mahogany Bay, situated on the beautiful island of Roatán, Honduras, stands as another exclusive cruise destination specifically developed for Carnival guests. Set amidst lush, rolling hillsides, the port offers striking scenic views that perfectly capture the essence of Central American tropical beauty. The key feature is the convenient access to a pristine, white-sand beach, ensuring guests can easily enjoy a classic, comfortable beach day. Mahogany Bay successfully delivers a laid-back, authentically tropical escape, making it a favorite stop for travelers seeking sun, sand, and easy access to the clear Caribbean waters.
A Scenic Arrival & SkyRide Transport
🚡 Enhanced Description of Mahogany Bay Arrival and Beach Access
Upon arrival at Mahogany Bay, guests step directly into a vibrant and inviting port area, which is thoughtfully laid out with shops, open plazas, and various eateries. One of the destination's most recognizable and signature features is the SkyRide chairlift (available for an additional fee), which provides a unique and highly scenic mode of transport. This smooth, picturesque glide lifts guests gently over the tropical treetops, carrying them directly from the main port area to the pristine Mahogany Beach shoreline below. The SkyRide is incredibly popular with families, couples, and anyone looking for a memorable, picturesque start to their beach day.
For guests who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, a well-maintained nature path offers an alternative route. This path winds pleasantly through beautifully landscaped areas, allowing visitors to enjoy the surrounding tropical flora before leading them directly to the sandy shoreline. Regardless of whether guests choose the unique aerial transit or the enjoyable scenic walk, the journey to the beautiful beach at Mahogany Bay is designed to be easy, convenient, and an integral part of the overall tropical experience.
Mahogany Beach: Calm, Clear & Convenient
Mahogany Beach is the quintessential Caribbean-style haven, featuring a long stretch of soft, brilliant white sand and exceptionally calm, turquoise waters. The sheltered bay provides consistently smooth conditions, making it absolutely perfect for effortless floating, swimming, and sunbathing, and is particularly ideal for children or less confident swimmers. For comfort, complimentary loungers are readily available, making it easy for guests to settle in and relax immediately upon arrival. For those desiring upgraded privacy and comfort, both rentable clamshell shades and luxurious private cabanas are offered right on the sand.
The beach is also a hub for gentle activity, providing numerous water sports rentals that allow guests to enjoy the water without having to leave the immediate area. Options typically include kayaks, paddleboats, and floating mats, all perfect for exploring the protected bay's tranquil surface. This combination of effortless relaxation and easy access to watersports ensures that Mahogany Beach offers a fulfilling and versatile beach day for every type of traveler.
Shopping, Dining, and Local Flavor
The modern port complex at Mahogany Bay is designed as a vibrant, self-contained destination, ensuring guests have everything they need for a full day ashore. The area is filled with enticing shops selling a diverse array of goods, including local crafts, unique souvenirs, and regional specialties, allowing travelers to easily find mementos of their time in Honduras. Dining venues focus on delivering authentic experiences, offering savory Caribbean flavors, fresh local seafood, and various casual favorites. With multiple bars and comfortable shaded seating areas readily available, the port complex rounds out the experience by providing easy access to refreshments and rest, making it entirely feasible and enjoyable to spend an entire day without needing to venture beyond the port's boundaries.
Ultimately, Mahogany Bay strikes a successful balance between resort-style convenience and undeniable natural beauty. Its easy accessibility, coupled with a wide range of activities and amenities—from the scenic SkyRide to the calm, amenity-rich beach—makes it a truly crowd-pleasing and versatile destination. This harmonious blend of convenience and tropical charm ensures Mahogany Bay is especially well-suited for families and large groups looking for a seamless, memorable day in the Western Caribbean.
Celebration Key: Carnival’s Newest Private Destination
Celebration Key is Carnival Cruise Line’s newest private destination on Grand Bahama Island—now fully open and welcoming guests with a vibrant, resort-style atmosphere designed to elevate the classic Carnival beach day. As Carnival’s most expansive and ambitious development to date, Celebration Key blends sun-soaked beaches, lush landscapes, lagoon-style swimming areas, and themed “portals” crafted to meet the needs of different kinds of travelers. Its opening marks a major milestone for Carnival, offering a private destination experience that stands alongside the industry’s most modern island retreats.
Now that Celebration Key is fully operational, Carnival guests can explore a mile-long stretch of pristine white-sand beach paired with clear turquoise water ideal for swimming, floating, and wading. The destination’s multiple themed portals create distinct atmospheres throughout the island. Family-friendly zones feature splash areas, ample seating, and shallow-water access perfect for children. Adult-oriented areas offer elevated cocktails, comfortable loungers, premium seating options, and a more refined oceanfront feel.
One of the destination’s signature highlights is the Celebration Key Lagoon, a wide, calm body of water that serves as the social and scenic heart of the experience. Surrounded by loungers, shaded seating, bars, and dining venues, the lagoon provides effortless enjoyment for guests of all ages. Its design ensures smooth, beach-like entry points and plenty of space for groups to spread out.
Dining and drink options throughout Celebration Key incorporate local Bahamian flavors alongside Carnival classics. Guests will find quick-service options, beach bars, and island-inspired menus that make it easy to enjoy snacks, lunch, and cocktails without interrupting their beach time. Retail villages showcase local artisans, Bahamian crafts, and keepsakes that allow guests to bring home a piece of island culture.
Paradise Plaza (Welcome Portal)
Starfish Lagoon — Family-Friendly Portal
Starfish Lagoon is Celebration Key’s central hub for families, offering one of the largest and most thoughtfully designed family-focused areas in Carnival’s destination portfolio. The shallow‑entry lagoon provides a safe and inviting place for young swimmers to play, float, and cool off, while the expansive sandy beach offers plenty of space for families to spread out comfortably. The playful Guppy Grotto splash zone features fountains, mini slides, and water effects that appeal to toddlers and younger children.
For older kids and teens, the towering Suncastle attraction delivers two thrilling racing waterslides with panoramic island views from the top. The lagoon area also includes family cabanas, shaded seating options, restrooms, and quick-service dining spaces offering easy, crowd-pleasing meals. The atmosphere remains energetic yet manageable, providing a balance between excitement and safety that makes it ideal for multigenerational families.
Calypso Lagoon — Social & Lively Portal
Calypso Lagoon brings together music, movement, and a spirited social scene for guests seeking a more active and upbeat day. This zone includes one of Celebration Key’s most popular swim-up bars, surrounded by expansive lagoon spaces ideal for floating and mingling. The entertainment platform regularly hosts DJs, live performers, and themed daytime events that build an inviting, celebratory atmosphere.
Food trucks and beachside eateries add to the appeal, offering grab‑and‑go bites that fuel a full day of relaxation, dancing, and social enjoyment. Calypso Lagoon also features floating cabanas, daybeds, and shaded overlooks for guests who want the social vibe with added comfort. While not strictly adults-only, this portal naturally attracts adults, friend groups, and couples who want an energized environment with an island party feel.
Pearl Cove Beach Club — Adults-Only Luxury Portal
Pearl Cove Beach Club represents Celebration Key’s most luxurious and relaxing adults-only retreat, accessible by an upgraded pass. This exclusive portal centers around an expansive 11,000-square-foot infinity pool, elegantly positioned to deliver sweeping views of the ocean. Guests enjoy plush loungers, premium shade structures, private bars, and attentive service that elevates the overall experience.
Dining at Pearl Cove is more refined, with elevated menus inspired by Bahamian flavors and resort-style presentations. Private cabanas and premium villas line the beachfront and lagoon edges, offering enhanced privacy, luxurious furnishings, stocked amenities, and dedicated attendants. Whether guests prefer lounging in tranquility or taking a refreshing dip in the infinity pool, Pearl Cove creates a serene escape designed specifically for relaxation, romance, and indulgence.
Lokono Cove — Retail & Cultural Portal
Lokono Cove provides a dynamic retail and cultural experience that showcases the beauty and history of the Bahamas. This open-air shopping district features vibrant murals, artisan stalls, and boutique-style storefronts offering handcrafted goods, island spices, locally made jewelry, and traditional crafts. Guests can browse at their leisure, engaging with Bahamian artisans who share stories, techniques, and cultural influences behind their creations.
Lokono Cove is more than a shopping stop—it is a celebration of Bahamian heritage. Enter the space through the suncastle (sandcastle archway). Experience live music, cultural demonstrations, and regional flavors that enhance the immersive atmosphere, giving guests an authentic taste of the island’s spirit. Whether purchasing a keepsake, sampling local treats, or taking in the artwork, travelers leave this portal with a deeper appreciation for the culture that shapes Celebration Key.
On the Ground Experience
Celebration Key was purpose-built with intuitive navigation in mind. Wide pathways, shaded walkways, and strategically placed signage guide guests between beaches, portals, food venues, restrooms, and entertainment areas. Even on days with multiple Carnival ships docked, the destination remains comfortable due to its large footprint and thoughtful design.
Public seating is plentiful, and amenities such as restrooms and freshwater showers are distributed throughout the destination. The pier feeds directly into Celebration Key, ensuring smooth arrival without tendering. Premium cabanas in multiple zones allow guests to elevate their experience with increased privacy, shade, and amenities. These cabanas are popular among families and groups celebrating special occasions.
Planning Your Visit to a Carnival Private Destination
Planning a visit to Carnival’s private destinations is refreshingly straightforward, as each location is intentionally designed to offer a seamless experience from the moment you step off the ship. Because amenities vary across Half Moon Cay, Amber Cove, Mahogany Bay, and Celebration Key, it is helpful to understand the basic structure of each destination before arriving. Half Moon Cay and Mahogany Bay prioritize beach-focused simplicity with easy access to loungers, shaded spaces, restrooms, and food venues. Amber Cove emphasizes resort-style pool relaxation paired with cultural immersion, while Celebration Key is being built as a multi-zone experience featuring beaches, lagoons, entertainment areas, and distinctly themed portals.
Arriving early is beneficial no matter which destination your itinerary includes. Peak seating areas such as shaded loungers at Half Moon Cay or prime spots near the pool at Amber Cove tend to fill quickly. Guests visiting Mahogany Bay may choose between the scenic walk or the SkyRide chairlift when heading to the beach; selecting one based on your group’s pace can help keep everyone comfortable. For Celebration Key, once operational, the multiple zones will likely encourage guests to pre-select the style of day they want—whether calm, lively, adult-oriented, or family-focused—before exploring.
Planning is also made easier by Carnival’s onboard excursion hub, where guests can reserve cabanas, book snorkel adventures, schedule spa sessions at select destinations, or secure specialty experiences such as horseback riding at Half Moon Cay. Booking early is wise, especially for cabanas, as these premium offerings often sell out ahead of sailing. For Amber Cove and Mahogany Bay, water sports rentals and cultural excursions can add depth to your visit without extensive pre-planning.
Packing light but intentionally enhances the experience across all destinations. Essentials include sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, swimwear, a cover-up for dining, water shoes for rocky shoreline areas, and any personal items your group may need throughout the day. Because these destinations feature easy access back to the ship when docked, guests often appreciate the convenience of returning aboard for a break or additional supplies.
Most importantly, Carnival’s private destinations thrive on flexibility. Whether your group prefers structured activities or a relaxed beach day, each location makes it simple to adjust your plans organically. From quiet family moments to spontaneous adventures, your visit can unfold however you choose.
So now, the question becomes - what destination is on your list and when can we plan your next cruise?
*Photos are courtesy of Carnival unless otherwise stated.
