Celebration Key Takes an Innovation Prize

The company’s newest exclusive destination, Celebration Key, is already making waves, winning the Leading Edge Award from the World Waterpark Association, shining a spotlight on the destination’s bold approach to design and guest experience.

Opened in July 2025, Celebration Key reimagines what a cruise destination can be: breathtaking beaches, record‑setting freshwater lagoons and immersive experiences crafted especially for Carnival Cruise Line guests.

Puerta Maya Certified as a Great Place to Work

Cozumel’s Puerta Maya cruise terminal is celebrating a meaningful milestone: earning its first Great Place to Work® Certification from Great Place to Work® Mexico.

The recognition is driven entirely by employee feedback and highlights:

• A workplace culture built on trust and belonging
• Team members who feel supported, valued and heard
• Leadership committed to helping people grow and thrive

Congratulations to both our Celebration Key and Puerta Maya teams for these incredible honors!

We proudly took home industry-best recognition in the following categories:

• Best in Cruise Lines
  • Domestic: Carnival Cruise Line
  • Alaska: Princess Cruises
  • Under 1,000 Berths: Seabourn
  • World Cruise Itinerary: Holland America Line
  • Group Program: Carnival Cruise Line
  • Shipboard Tech: Princess Cruises
  • Short Itinerary: Carnival Cruise Line
  • Transatlantic Sailing: Cunard
• Best Travel Advisor Educational Program
  • Princess Academy
• Best Advisor Loyalty Program
  • Carnival Cruise Line

These awards are a testament to the incredible experiences our cruise lines deliver every day – and to the dedication of our teams and partners who make it all possible.

Paradise Plaza pops with oversized gift boxes, while Lokono Cove shines with a 20-foot tree that’s the star of the season.

The celebration doesn’t stop there. The iconic Junkanoo parade gets a holiday remix, adding bold colors and beats to the festivities. Guests can wander through Santa’s Village at Starfish Lagoon, snap selfies with an eight-foot sand tree and soak up the joy of a holiday that feels anything but ordinary.

From sipping tropical cocktails under the twinkling lights to dancing to island rhythms, Celebration Key has redefined the holiday getaway. Warm breezes, festive vibes and memories that last long after the ornaments are packed away make this season one to remember.

The distinction is reserved for one leader each year who elevates cybersecurity from the server room to the strategy room. Chosen through a transparent, criteria-based peer review by a global panel of practicing CISOs in the North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific regions, this honor recognizes the measurable impact and leadership that drives business transformation.

Margarita’s vision, energy and commitment have set a new standard for cybersecurity leadership. 

Lars highlighted partners like Vow and Kongsberg Maritime and explained how solutions like LNG and emerging fuels are helping the industry toward a more sustainable future in places like Norway’s fjords. His message was simple: Norway’s maritime brainpower is helping move the whole sector forward.

Away from the main stage, Carnival Corporation’s team spent the day meeting with political leaders and partners across Oslo. They highlighted the company’s strong national footprint – eight brands, half the cruise market, 43 suppliers, 19 newbuild vendors and roughly 3 billion Norwegian Krone (≈$295 million U.S. dollars) in annual impact driven by 3 million day visitors. Leaders also shared real progress: a 13% reduction in total GHG emissions since 2011, tighter waste standards, LNG and biofuel trials, and major shore power investments supported by partners like Zero and Bellona.

The meetings were about working well together now and figuring out what comes next. That means things like opening access to alternative fuels, partnering more closely with Innovation Norway and staying connected with Visit Norway – all so Norway’s infrastructure can grow in step with cleaner, lower‑impact cruising.

Smart Planning for a Sustainable Future

Our journey to reduce food waste begins long before guests step aboard. Advanced systems analyze dining trends and meal service flows, allowing teams to fine-tune purchasing and preparation for every sailing. Batch cooking – preparing multiple dishes at once with similar ingredients – further minimizes waste, ensuring that every ingredient is used efficiently.

Serving Guests, Saving Resources

“Just right” portion sizes mean guests can enjoy seconds if they wish, while those preferring smaller servings help reduce plate waste. This simple yet impactful approach ensures more food is enjoyed and less is discarded.

Giving Back to Communities

When food is left over, we make sure it still serves a purpose. Prepared, unserved meals are donated to a growing network of food banks in the communities we visit, turning potential waste into meaningful impact for those in need.

Leading the Industry in Innovation

Some leftovers are inevitable, and we’re committed to handling them responsibly. With over 630 biodigesters and more than 90 dehydrators and dryers, we reduce food waste volume by up to 90 percent. This commitment to innovation ensures that even unavoidable waste is managed sustainably.

One Plate at a Time

From dining stewards to kitchen technology, our “Less Left Over” strategy is a companywide effort to operate with future generations in mind. By beating our initial food waste reduction goal a year early – cutting about one pound of food waste per person per day compared to six years ago – we’re setting a new standard for responsible cruising.

Carnival Pride set the tone early, basking in the Bahamian sun for the first half of the day. Mardi Gras sailed in shortly thereafter to enjoy its own time in the sun for a couple hours that day. As Carnival Pride departed the island that afternoon, setting sail for its homeport of Baltimore, Md., Carnival Elation coasted in to port to keep the party going. It was a perfectly choreographed dance of ships!

With multiple ships now able to call on the same day, we’re opening the door for more cruisers to discover the beauty of Celebration Key – making those special moments in paradise possible for even more Carnival Cruise Line guests.

Celebration Key opened on Grand Bahama island in July 2025, after years of excited anticipation. From its mile-long white sand beach to its towering Suncastle with racing waterslides, the destination is redefining what a day in paradise looks like. 

Advisors packed the session “What’s New at Six of the Carnival Corporation Brands” to hear updates from Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard and Seabourn. The workshop spotlighted new ships, itineraries and innovations across the portfolio, reinforcing the breadth of experiences Carnival Corporation offers – from contemporary cruising to luxury voyages.

Senior sales leaders from our cruise lines took the stage during the opening general session to share insights on cruising’s growth potential and strategies for advisors to tap into the new-to-cruise market. Leaders emphasized that the industry is “just scratching the surface” of its golden age and encouraged advisors to leverage brand support teams to grow their business.

Carnival Corporation also hosted a dedicated lounge where advisors could relax, network with brand representatives, snap professional headshots and capture Instagram-worthy photos to share on social media – creating a vibrant hub for engagement throughout the event. 

At the Exhibitor Showcase, six of our cruise lines connected one-on-one with travel advisors, answering questions and building relationships. Advisors also had the chance to win free cruises from those six cruise lines. Congratulations to all our winners!