Inside the $900 million ‘pleasure zone’ created just for cruise passengers

The lagoon-like pool is the largest I’ve ever laid eyes on, curling like a vast glittering ribbon into the distance. In the searing tropical heat, this vision of vivid turquoise is hard to resist and it’s not long before I’m floating in soporifically warm waters.

But my reverie is shattered by a cacophony of piercing whistles, beating drums and blaring cow horns, which can only mean one thing: the colour and chaos of a Junkanoo carnival parade has burst into life along the streets of the newest resort in the Bahamas.

I’m at Celebration Key, a $US600 million ($A900 million) pleasure zone that has been nearly three years in the making, transforming 26 hectars of scrubland along the coast of Grand Bahama Island, just 30 kilometres from the capital Freeport, into a private resort.

Built by the all-American Carnival Cruise Line exclusively for its ships, this is the latest in a long line of retreats created specifically for cruise passengers, and the third for Carnival, which already has hideaways in the Bahamas and Honduras.

Most cruise line resorts are in the Bahamas, whose 700 islands lend themselves to such private havens, while others are appearing in the Caribbean, Mexico and the South Pacific (Royal Caribbean’s private island project in Vanuatu, originally planned to open in 2022, is now scheduled to be completed in 2027).

Having opened in July, Celebration Key may be the latest addition, but it won’t be the last. Cruise companies are increasingly eyeing such retreats as a lucrative way forward, where they can dock even their largest ships without provoking overtourism complaints.

In addition, it gives them total control over the type of product and experience they offer guests and, most importantly, ensures that whatever visitors spend in the resort goes into their own coffers.

Cruise customers can look forward to a carefully-curated port stop in a protected environment with the benefits that brings. However, it also means they often don’t really gain a true flavour of the country they’re visiting.

There was keen anticipation for a glimpse of Celebration Key on our ship, the appropriately-named Carnival Celebration, which stopped there on the final day of our seven-night Caribbean voyage.

We were the 11th ship to call at the resort, and our passage in gave a perfect perspective of its five zones, with a craggy 10-storey “Suncastle” fortress, complete with dual 100-metre-long waterslides, at its heart.

Initially, not everyone is impressed: “I thought the Suncastle would be bigger; I could put it in my pocket,” remarks one woman dismissively from our vantage point on deck.

Nevertheless, as soon as we dock, guests excitedly walk ashore through the sun-shaped archway, pausing for an obligatory photo before entering the central Paradise Plaza to the welcoming Bahamian beat of a live band.

With 6300 guests from our ship, I wonder how this new resort will cope, yet everything feels remarkably uncrowded – though I suspect it’s a different story when two ships call at once. Celebration Key has already notched up more than 9000 visitors in one day and was expecting at least 11,000 a few days after our visit.

With plans to add another docking pier by next summer that will enable four ships to visit simultaneously, Celebration Key is going to get mighty busy, though expansion plans are already under way, with talk of a water park.

Everyone scatters to their own favourite spot. For families, it’s the Starfish Lagoon with its kid-friendly credentials, while I head for the more tranquil adult-only Calypso Lagoon, stopping for an envious peek at the Pearl Cove Beach Club, where guests willing to pay upwards of $A120 can stretch out on plush sun-loungers or laze in the infinity pool.

I browse souvenirs, from straw bags to jewellery carved from conch shells, in the Lokono Cove shopping area. I’m assured prices are no higher than in the island’s main city of Freeport, though I hear customers doubting this.

But the main draw of this resort is water, whether it is the freshwater lagoon pool spread over nearly three hectares which, according to Carnival, makes it the biggest in this corner of the Tropics, or the mesmerising aquamarine hues of the sea fronted by a necklace of white sand.

I rent a kayak to paddle along the shoreline, just missing the stingray skulking in the shallows moments before. There are paddleboards for hire, too, plus snorkelling gear, but most people seem content to simply kick back on the mass of sunbeds, all in neat serried rows (apparently there are currently around 8000 loungers across the resort) and free on a first-come, first-served basis.

Anyone wishing to guarantee a prime spot, and inject a little luxury, can hunker down on daybeds and plush over-lagoon cabanas. However, you’ll need deep pockets as these cost from $A230 to an eye-watering excess of $A4000 for a beachfront “super villa” at Pearl Cove (benefits include drinks, your own concierge and unlimited rides on the water slides).

At about $A30, I’m happiest floating around the lagoon in an inflatable chair before pulling up at the swim-up bar, easily the most popular spot, where cocktails and DJs keep the party vibe flowing.

Some revellers don’t seem to move all day, but I decide to explore on the complimentary tram shuttle across the resort and hunt down some of the 36 drinking and dining haunts: food halls and full-service restaurants, plus Bahamian food trucks and snack shacks serving everything from burgers to tacos.

As we trundle around, the sports courts remain defiantly empty under the blazing sun, though a water play area is packed with excitable youngsters.

I’m drawn back to the Calypso Lagoon by the Sunshine Swings Bar and its row of novel dangling seats, some refreshingly positioned over the water.

As our all-aboard time nears, I’m reluctant to leave, even though nearly everyone else has gone. The pool is deserted and looks more tempting than ever.

Is there time for one last dip? Not really. Oh, what the hell – I’ll just have to run.

THE DETAILS

Carnival features Celebration Key in itineraries of 20 of its ships from 10 US ports. A one-week Eastern Caribbean round-trip voyage from Miami on Carnival Celebration stops at Grand Turk, Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic, Nassau and Celebration Key. There are several departures, with prices from about $1045 per person for a March 2026 booking; flights not included.

The writer was a guest of Carnival Cruise Line.

The Telegraph, London