The Mardi Gras arrived at Celebration Key today, becoming the largest cruise ship to visit the private destination.

After welcoming its first two-ship call earlier this week, the new port in Grand Bahama welcomed its first Excel-class ship as part of a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean.

Sailing from Port Canaveral, the seven-night itinerary included stops in Amber Cove, Grand Turk and Nassau before visiting Celebration Key.

Before returning to its homeport, the 5,200-guest ship arrived at the new port of call in Grand Bahama at 8 AM, starting a nine-hour visit.

The Mardi Gras is now set to make regular visits to Celebration Key as part of its year-round schedule of cruises to either the Eastern or the Western Caribbean.

An additional 18 calls are set to take place through late December.

The 183,900-ton vessel is also poised to make 51 visits to the Carnival-exclusive destination in 2026.

Following the Mardi Gras, the Carnival Celebration is also scheduled to visit Celebration Key later this weekend.

As the second ship in Carnival’s Excel class, the 2022-built vessel arrives at the private destination in Grand Bahama on July 26, kicking off a series of 22 visits scheduled through the end of the year.

Sailing from Galveston, the third ship in the series, the Carnival Jubilee, is also scheduled to make regular visits to the port starting in September 2026.

According to Carnival, Celebration Key will also be able to welcome its upcoming Ace Class vessels, which will become the largest in the fleet.

Set to be built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the 230,000-ton vessels will debut between 2029 and 2033.

After 25 years in the making, Celebration Key welcomed its first guests earlier this month with a visit from the Carnival Vista.

To celebrate the debut of the new destination, Carnival hosted an opening celebration on July 19, which included a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by President Christine Duffy and Carnival Corporation’s CEO Josh Weinstein.