• Carnival Corp is expanding its land-based portfolio with an expanded private island and new resort.
• Carnival expects to spend $600 million on next Celebration Key.
• Popular cruise lines like Royal Caribbean have seen huge success with their private islands.

Carnival Corp. is best known for its sea vacations. It is now investing millions in developing its land-based portfolio.

The cruise giant announced plans Tuesday to expand its 27-year-old business private islandHalf Moon Cay (now rebranded as RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay), by summer 2026. It will be a busy year for the company, which also plans to launch a new exclusive resort, Celebration Key, the year before.

The impending launches are part of a growing trend for land-based destinations to attract more travelers from cruise lines. It may seem ironic at first glance, but real estate investments have been no joke: the $600 million Celebration Key The project is expected to be Carnival Corp.’s largest.

Plans for the mile-long stretch of Grand Bahama Island include more than 30 food and drink venues, an adults-only beach club and a child-friendly lagoon. So far, 20 of Carnival Cruise Line’s 27 ships are scheduled to sail to this exclusive, resort-style port.

Celebration Key is billed as a beacon of exciting entertainment – ​​seemingly antithetical to the peaceful white sand beaches of RelaxAway, Half Moon Cay.

Don’t expect a new water park when the Caribbean island unveils its expansion in 2026. Instead, the mile-long beach would be updated with additional food and drink venues, a new tram , enlarged lounges, cabins and a second pier to accommodate the carnival. the largest Excel-class ships. (It plans to launch three larger ships starting in 2029.)

Travelers are already booking Carnival cruises to Celebration Key, six months after its debut. With success seemingly imminent, Dave Bernstein, Carnival Corp’s chief financial officer, told investors in October that the company expects the project to be “a resounding success and provide an excellent return on investment.”

In 2026, itineraries including both RelaxAway and Celebration Key start at around $350 per person for a four-day cruise from Port Canaveral, Florida.