An 88-year-old woman has died while her ship was docked at Carnival’s private destination Celebration Key. The guest was sailing aboard the Carnival Celebration cruise ship when the incident occurred Saturday, the last full day of the cruise before returning to PortMiami.
Scooter fell off pier at Celebration Key
“A female guest using a mobility scooter drove off the pier at Celebration Key and fell into the water while Carnival Celebration was in port. Carnival teams responded, successfully retrieving her from the water. Despite resuscitation efforts, she did not survive,” the cruise line said.
A witness said the woman may have had a heart attack and banged her head before falling into the water, though that has not been confirmed. Separately, investigators believe she may have hit her head on the ship during the fall. Royal Bahamas Police took custody of the body and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
A diver later recovered the scooter from the water. A second ship, the Carnival Glory, was also docked at Celebration Key when the incident occurred.
“She banged her head pretty bad, and then her husband tried to do what he could, and he ended up hurting himself as well,” said ship guest Edward Egersheim, who witnessed the incident.
Third death at Celebration Key since opening
This is the third guest death at Celebration Key since the $600 million private destination opened in July 2025.
Two American guests in their 70s drowned in separate incidents in August 2025, less than three hours apart. One was sailing on Carnival Mardi Gras and the other on Carnival Elation. One died while snorkeling at the beach and the other in a lagoon pool.
