Carnival Cruise Line's Private Island Getaway Making Waves

For years, I've gone on many cruises, from the Bahamas and the Caribbean to Bermuda, to Canada, Alaska, and Hawaii.

Along the way, I've visited several of the cruise companies' "private islands." These are literally private areas designed solely for cruise passengers.

Carnival has no gone one step further, building their own paradise in the Bahamas.

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Celebration Key Tops the List of Fun Destinations

I recently sailed out of Baltimore on the Carnival Pride. The Pride is an older class of ship, but Carnival has kept her updated and relevant.

I loved sailing out of Baltimore: No flying. Drive right to the pier, park the car and get on the ship.

On our cruise, the ship stopped in Nassau, and two resort areas: Half Moon Cay and Carnival"s Celebration Key. We skipped Half Moon Cay - been there, done that, and almost reluctantly decided to visit Celebration Key. We figured it would be more of the same old, same old.

I'm pleased to report we were wrong. Celebration Key was fantastic! It's a private resort built from the ground, or sand, up on Grand Bahama Island.

Think of the biggest pool you've ever been in. Now, multiply that by 1,000! There were TWO of these spectacular pools, or as Carnival calls them, lagoons. One for families, and one for adults only.

I was only on the adults side, but it included a giant swim-up bar. Just wading through the huge pool was refreshing. Even though the air temperature was only about 80, the water - the crystal clear water - provided a welcome relief.

Besides the lagoons, the resort has large white-sandy beaches, and there are modern facilities all around. Restrooms, lockers, shops, places to eat, and more. It was as if Walt Disney himself had a had in the design.

Since it's a Carnival product, there are many upgrades possible throughout the resort, with private cabanas and even some more-private resort areas. Everything, we did at the resort, though, was free.

My only regret is that our time at Carnival Key was short, only a few hours. Our next Carnival cruise will need to include a full day at the location.