Two Days at Celebration Key: Is Pearl Cove Worth I

We spent two days at Celebration Key during our two weeks aboard Carnival Venezia this summer, which gave us a chance to experience the destination a little differently each time. Our first visit focused almost entirely on Pearl Cove, while our second gave us more time to wander around Celebration Key and see what the different areas had to offer.

For our first visit, we had access to Pearl Cove courtesy of our Carnival Elite casino invite. Pearl Cove is the adults-only area at Celebration Key, and Carnival offered three different access options through Shore Excursions:

1. Entrance only, which includes access to the facilities, beach, pool, loungers and a welcome rum punch.
2. Package 1 + Unlimited Drinks
3. Package 2 + Food, essentially the all-inclusive option

We aren’t big foodies, but we do drink plenty of water and cocktails on a beach day, so Package 2 (Entrance + Drinks) made the most sense for us.

After applying the shore excursion promotional credit included with our Elite offer, we paid only $11 out of pocket per person. The regular price was around $160 per person, so our casino offer made this an easy decision.

Pearl Cove has some gloriously thick cushioned loungers complete with headrests. There were plenty of umbrellas and side tables available during our visit, and the beach itself felt much less crowded than the shoreline around Calypso Lagoon.

The water and beach were lovely, although some areas were a little rough on my feet.

Pearl Cove provides towels, so there was no reason to haul towels off the ship with us.

There are also two restroom facilities. One is near the towel hut, while the much nicer facility sits behind the pool near the restaurant and bar. This one also has lockers and a baby-changing station, which made me pause considering Pearl Cove is supposed to be adults only. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Our drinks package included up to 10 drinks per person. One important detail: bottled water counts toward your 10.

We didn’t purchase the food package or eat inside Pearl Cove. There are several food trucks around nearby Calypso Lagoon serving things like chicken tenders, sandwiches, wings and burgers. Look for the “Island Eats” section on the menus for selections included with your Sign & Sail card.

Getting to and from Pearl Cove was also easy. The tram stop sits directly in front of the entrance.

Returning to the ship was another story.
Around 2 PM, there tended to be enough people waiting that you might have to wait through one or two trams. Both days, we decided walking sounded better than standing around in the heat waiting.

From Pearl Cove, it took us about seven minutes to reach the big Celebration Key sun sign at the entrance, then another five minutes or so along the pier to reach the ship. If you’re mobile and aren’t carrying much, the walk isn’t bad at all. Pearl Cove provides the towels, so we didn’t have much to haul back anyway, and the breeze made the walk pleasant.

💡 TIP: Before leaving Pearl Cove, grab a bottle of water to take with you. After several hours at the beach and pool, you’ll appreciate having something cold to drink on the walk back and while waiting in line to board the ship.

On our second visit to Celebration Key we spent more time walking around before settling in for another beach day.

I like how Celebration Key is divided into different “neighborhoods.” Rather than trying to make one giant pool and beach area work for everyone, Carnival has separated the destination based somewhat on the atmosphere you’re looking for.

Starfish Lagoon caters more toward families with younger kids. Calypso Lagoon has more music and energy for older kids and adults looking for a livelier atmosphere. The pool and slides looked fun, and those swings at the bar are admittedly pretty cute.

We also wandered through the shopping areas. The straw market had the usual assortment of dresses, shell and beaded jewelry, bags and handmade crafts you’d expect to see at Caribbean straw markets. The prices caught my attention, though. A posted sign indicated everything was $65 and up. I have a hard time believing every little beaded bracelet costs $65, so take that information for what it’s worth.

There were also several familiar cruise-port shops, including Del Sol, perfume and sundry shops, souvenir stores and Cariloha. We stopped in an artisan jewelry store with some lovely pieces, although by this point Justin was officially over my browsing. 😂

Our original plan for the second visit was to try the beach near Starfish Lagoon. During our previous stop, the shoreline to the right of the pier appeared less crowded, so I thought it might make a good place to spend the day.

Justin had another idea. He wanted those ridiculously plump Pearl Cove loungers again and I couldn’t exactly argue with that logic.

Back to Pearl Cove we go! This time we picked loungers closer to the pool for a while before eventually relocating toward the shoreline. Between the sound of the waves, the breeze coming off the water and those giant cushioned loungers, the beach ultimately won.

Having two visits to Celebration Key worked out well because we didn’t feel any pressure to see everything in one day. The first visit gave us a relaxing Pearl Cove beach day. The second gave us time to explore the rest of the destination before deciding that, yes, we’d still rather spend our afternoon back at the laid back Pearl Cove.Read more