CELEBRATION KEY, Bahamas - When you're in the Bahamas in July, you need to be somewhere you can stay cool.
Luckily, when you're at Carnival Cruise Line's new exclusive destination, Celebration Key, you'll never have to walk more than a few minutes to dunk yourself in water.
It's a space clearly designed to provide maximum water access, and shaded places to relax are located right along the extensive perimeter of those swimmable areas, be they cabanas or beach-chair-with-umbrella combos.
So, pick the H2O of your choice. Will it be the 275,000-square-foot pool -- as Carnival calls it, the largest freshwater lagoon in the Caribbean? Maybe it will be the ocean, with shaded lounge chairs nearby? A waterslide? The infinity pool in the exclusive Pearl Cove section of the island?
On opening day of Carnival's new, purpose-built destination on Grand Bahama Island, I tried them all.
Carnival Cruise Line's Celebration Key opened this weekend. Photo Credit: Teri West
Shaded loungers and in-water seating
First, I waded through the pool in Calypso Lagoon, the adult section of the pool. With a padded pool surface, it's comfortable on the feet, and in-water benches and loungers also offer the chance to comfortably sit in it. You can even drink in it, thanks to a shaded swim-up bar with 166 seats.
I came to appreciate those seating features after I took a dip and then returned to my shaded beach lounger only to find myself dry within minutes. In disbelief, I dipped back in and set a timer when I came out. Within five minutes my skin was dry but for a few streaks and drops of water. Two minutes later, even those were nearly gone, and I was beginning to sweat.
I had previously envisioned a good portion of a relaxing day at Celebration Key as one spent on a shaded chair like mine adjacent to the lagoon, but I now had even greater appreciation for the in-water seating.
Picking the pink or blue water slide
My journey continued to the water slides. I was among the tallest participants -- but was by no means the only adult. The waiting area at the top is partially shaded, and on opening day, with a single ship of about 4,000 docked, it didn't require much of a wait. I started with the pink slide and then went right back up for the blue slide.
I'd been warned by fellow sliders that the blue one is pitch black inside, and I found it to have a gradual and steady increase in speed that made for an exciting latter half of the ride. The speedy pink slide still felt like the winner to me, but in conversation throughout the day, I found the population leaning both ways.
Post-slide, I got detoured from my water-chasing tour thanks to my weakness: jewelry vendors. Lokono Cove, the shopping section of Celebration Key, has both air-conditioned stores with T-shirts, sunscreens and other island goodies and shaded, open-air craft vendors.
The kid-friendly Starfish Lagoon
A healthy amount of vendor-browsing and one pair of $10 shell earrings later, I finally headed over to the kid-friendly section of the pool, Starfish Lagoon.
A board of earrings for sale on Carnival's Celebration Key. Photo Credit: Teri West
There, I met Kaileb Skinner and his five-year-old son Twain, who'd learned to swim just a week ago and seemed as though he couldn't get enough of it. The 5-year-old told me he could swim as far as he wanted here because in the lagoon there was no need to worry about fish or sharks.
Skinner pointed at one of the cabanas positioned right on the water and said that's what he wants to rent when the family returns to Celebration Key in the fall, that time as a crew of 12.
After bidding farewell, I caught a tram for a quick ride to Pearl Cove Beach Club, the ritziest part of Celebration Key. Here, adults can pay extra for access to an infinity pool; a large, shaded eatery; and cushioned beach loungers.
By then it was late in the afternoon, and I went for my first dip in the ocean. To my dismay, the water was hot. It turned out that by that time in the day, the pool also felt heated.
Picking your spots in advance
By then, it was my final hour on the island, and most passengers had decided to head back to the ship. However, I hadn't spent much time in one spot, so I decided to lie down, even if briefly. It was manageable, thanks to a large grey cloud that had rolled in.
The lagoon at Celebration Key, which is 275,000 square feet of water. Photo Credit: Teri West
So yes, you technically do have time to walk from end to end of Celebration Key, or around the perimeter of the space with time to spare. Or you can grab a tram to give yourself a tour. But this is an island clearly intended to offer each traveler their own ideal place to plunk down for a while, and in trying to see the whole thing, I only had brief plunks rather than the hours-long nap-infused plunk that a day by the water in the Bahamas is made for.
If I was a travel advisor with clients headed to Celebration Key, I'd talk to them about what each area is like beforehand and help them select where they planned to plunk.
But even without that prep work, they'll be just fine. Every part of Celebration Key is pretty darn nice.