Carnival Cruise Line Shocks Guests With “Ridiculous” Fees For Celebration Key

One of many world’s largest cruise operators, Carnival Cruise Line, has made repeated headlines in latest weeks. Earlier this month, Carnival unveiled its new loyalty rewards program, which backfired as long-term guests were outraged over the lack of lifetime standing and loyalty based mostly on cash spent as a substitute of nights spent. If that wasn’t sufficient tough press for the corporate, Carnival’s infamous “poop cruise” was resurfaced by a new Netflix documentary this week, which lined the unimaginable story of the Carnival Triumph’s energy outage that led to over 4,000 individuals caught on board the ship for a number of days with out working bathrooms.

Though less-than-positive consideration has flooded the model within the final couple of weeks, Carnival tried to win back guest favor when it unveiled its brand-new private island, Celebration Key, formally opening this July. Now, because the preliminary pleasure surrounding Celebration Key’s grand opening simmers, Carnival followers are noticing one thing a little bit questionable: costs.

The corporate has loudly drip-fed sneak peeks of its fabulous new Bahamas vacation spot, which many cruisers have been eagerly awaiting to expertise. However one of many newest of these peeks—a reasonably quiet one—has passengers questioning if it is price their wallets, with some even calling it the “final cash seize,” because of the “ridiculous” Celebration Key costs, be it for specific actions and experiences or gear and amenity leases.

Carnival’s Celebration Key Will Open This July—However Some Friends Say Costs Are “Ridiculous”

The official grand opening of Carnival’s new vacation spot within the Bahamas, Celebration Key, is below a month away on July nineteenth, 2025, and loads of visitors are buzzing to search out out what experiences await as soon as they get the possibility to set foot there for the primary time. Over the numerous weeks, the corporate has relentlessly teased visitors with tons of thrilling particulars (with one press release revealed only a few days in the past), from the Starfish and Calypso Lagoons (which would be the Caribbean’s largest freshwater lagoons) to the centerpiece of enjoyable at Celebration Key’s 5 portals: the ten-story Suncastle.

The costs of all these epic new experiences and options, nonetheless, have not been teased fairly as loudly. After all, it is not unusual to pay further charges for cruise strains’ personal island locations; visitors have anticipated that many elements of Carnival’s new personal island will command a separate price, significantly for its fashionable areas. Nonetheless, many Carnival followers are already taking to social media to name out how costly Celebration Secret’s; one cruiser outright referred to as it “the final word cash seize” on Cruise Critic’s discussion board, they usually’re not alone in that opinion.

“Celebration Key appears just like the Final Cash seize. Fairly nutz on charges$$$. If it’s your jam or have peeps to separate the fee with, it’s doable. If 1 household is footing the invoice, it’s a bit painful. It’s of no curiosity to us as a pair and would solely think about a CK itinerary if the children, Gkids or GGkids need to strive it out sometime,” a cruiser mentioned on Cruise Critic’s forum. One other person on the identical publish criticized the pricing as nicely, saying “Carnival is following royal footsteps with being ridiculous costly on the personal islands.”

The post on Cruise Critic’s forum additionally included a ballot, asking cruisers, “Do you assume Celebration Key appears costly in your upcoming cruise?”. Extremely, the outcomes had been as follows:

• 64.1% of responders answered “Sure”
• 17.95% answered “Appears on par with different islands to me”
• 5.13% answered “No”
• 2.56% voted “I feel it’s decrease”
• 10.26% answered “I don’t plan on getting off the boat right here”

In the meantime, over on Facebook, one other cruiser additionally appeared shocked over how a lot Carnival’s Celebration Key prices and requested others if it is even price it, provided that the value for 4 to 5 hours is “half” of their whole cruise price:

“I assumed it was a free Carnival perk, however the costs I am seeing now are excessive. Is it price the fee? The value for 4-5 hours all-inclusive is half of my cruise price”, the Fb person mentioned.

Naturally, a brand new personal island vacation spot is sure to be expensive. As an illustration, set to be a favourite alternative is the adults-only Pearl Cove Seashore Membership. Costs will begin at $99.99 per particular person to entry this space, the place visitors can take pleasure in loungers, a quiet pool, personal seashore entry, and a full-service restaurant. An upgraded price of $139.99 per particular person can be supplied, which permits visitors entry to an open bar in addition to all of the Pearl Cove Seashore Membership facilities.

This specific expertise at Celebration Key is not too steep nor uncommon. Nevertheless, visitors are a little bit irked that the cruise line’s “Cheers!” drinks package deal does not apply whereas at Celebration Key; it solely applies onboard the docked cruise ship. Some cruisers on Reddit echoed this sentiment on a publish discussing what passengers are (and are not) wanting ahead to at Celebration Key:

“One of many issues that I’m not wanting ahead to is the truth that the drink package deal doesn’t work on the island,” the Redditor mentioned. One other Redditor additionally bluntly declared that they are wanting ahead to “Staying on the ship and having fun with my drink package deal.”

Granted, the above instance of Celebration Key costs is not all that stunning. However what’s actually raised visitors’ eyebrows is the price for a few of its different enjoyable stuff (plus gear rental).

Some Friends Are Shocked Over The Costs To Entry Anticipated Facilities

Among the many extra outlandish charges to entry elements of Celebration Secret’s the fee to benefit from the island’s two racing water slides on the Suncastle: the Mach 3 Marlin and the Flash Flamingo. These side-by-side physique slides, dubbed the Suncastle Racing Slides, have adventurous visitors shaking with anticipation to expertise, that includes 350 toes of drops, twists, and turns across the Suncastle earlier than splashing into the broader Starfish Lagoon. The value? $14.99 per particular person. Not too outrageous, after all, however visitors could be forgiven in the event that they felt like a sufferer of the great outdated bait-and-switch trick, since Carnival had beforehand alluded that the slides could be included in visits to Celebration Key, which @ThisCruiseLife identified in an X post.

“These water slides John Heald beforehand mentioned could be included in your go to to Celebration Key? Nicely, Carnival has discovered a technique to monetize these, too! Simply launched: $14.99 for the Suncastle Racing Slides. Will you be reserving?” — @ThisCruiseLife mentioned on X.

Certain, this price is not too dangerous; it does pay for an final, all-day go, which, when in comparison with lots of the different rental fees on Celebration Key, is fairly low. But it surely’s solely two water slides. Put this side-by-side with what Royal Caribbean’s Good Day at CocoCay contains at its Thrill Waterpark, and it is comprehensible that some visitors might really feel a bit underwhelmed.

Royal Caribbean’s Good Day at CocoCay Thrill Waterpark Prices & Inclusions (For Comparability)

Slides and waterparks apart, the prices for a few of Celebration Key’s different facilities and leases have been introduced, resembling villas, cabanas, and daybeds, though these are nonetheless considerably corresponding to the charges for equal amenities at different personal cruise line islands, like CocoCay (however wait till you see the price to lease a pool noodle!).

Celebration Key Gear And Facility Rental Prices Are Additionally Turning Heads

The now-excluded water slide entry that was initially supposed to be a part of a Celebration Key go to, and the truth that Carnival’s drinks package deal does not apply on the vacation spot, aren’t too uncommon, however when visitors see the wider vary of rental charges on the long-anticipated Bahamas vacation spot, it is comprehensible why some have been branding it a money seize.

Cabanas And Villages Are Fairly Steep For Some

Celebration Key provides completely different cabanas and villas, that are pay-to-access and may accommodate between 4 and 10 visitors. Value-wise, they vary from $599.99 to $2,799.99 per rental, with the exact price relying on the situation; as an illustration, larger costs are charged on the adults-only Pearl Cove Seashore Membership.

On the plus aspect, these expensive leases include unique luxurious options, like coolers, snacks, lockers, an open bar, a personal attendant, and extra, with some additionally together with the above-mentioned Suncastle Racing Slides, so visitors forking out on high-end extras may not must pay the additional $14.99 price for slide entry in spite of everything.

Though they could sound excessive, these cabana and villa rental costs aren’t too completely different from related choices at Half Moon Cay, which Carnival’s sister cruise line, Holland America, visits.

Alternatively, visitors with out as a lot cash to spend can nonetheless benefit from the expertise of an unique house; Celebration Key will provide luxurious daybeds for $149.99 for 2 individuals—though this price does not embrace any further facilities.

Pool Noodle Leases Take The Cake

Final however not least, a major instance of what may be essentially the most ridiculous rental price of all: Celebration Key visitors pays a grand whole of $19.99 to lease a pool noodle. You learn that accurately. To lease a pool noodle—and never even hold it afterward. Contemplating pool noodles price lower than $5 at most shops, no one is kind of certain the place this almost-20-bucks rental price ticket got here from.

So, whereas loads of visitors are extraordinarily joyful concerning the soon-to-be-opened Celebration Key and may’t wait to go there for themselves, others are discovering all of it a bit too out of their value vary for such a brief period of time spent there as a part of their cruise itinerary. Naturally, there aren’t any critiques but, however once they do come rolling in later in July, when Carnival takes its first visitors to the all-new personal island, maybe visitor testimonials will assist cruisers on the fence determine whether or not Celebration Key guarantees sufficient bang for the seemingly large bucks it needs.