Carnival Cruise Line and the government of the Bahamas have signed an agreement for the construction of a new cruise port facility, to be funded and operated by the cruise line, on Grand Bahama Island.
In an interview in late March with Travel Agent Carnival President and CEO Christine Duffy had said that the line was “getting close to final approval” for the destination.
Now, pending a public discussion process and environmental studies, the line will be able to build the new port, which will have a pier capable of accommodating two of Carnival’s largest cruise ships simultaneously. Carnival said that the port, which has yet to be named, will be the largest purpose-built cruise facility ever constructed in the Bahamas, and that the design of the destination would take inspiration from the Bahamian people and islands. The port is expected to eventually host up to 1 million guests annually.
The move follows a series of new port projects for Carnival. The line just kicked off a major expansion of its Long Beach Cruise Terminal facility in California that will allow the terminal to accommodate larger ships and enhance terminal operations. The renovation will increase the space Carnival currently occupies in the terminal facility from approximately 66,000 square feet to 142,000 square feet.
The line’s parent company, Carnival Corporation, also recently previewed its planned new terminal at the Port of Barcelona. Representing an investment of more than 30 million euros, when paired with its existing terminal at the port the project will represent the largest combined terminal investment in Europe, Carnival said.
Earlier this year, Carnival Cruise Line announced that it would add the private Bahamian destination of Princess Cays to the itineraries of six different Carnival ships, with sail dates to begin this month. Princess Cays is operated by Carnival’s sibling brand, Princess cruises.
Finally, back in 2016, Carnival began calling at new private destination Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. You can check out our firsthand tour of Amber Cove here.
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