With a record 75 resident entertainers, five new shows, three new restaurants, a 24/7 game room, immersive destination spaces onboard known as The Bazaar and more, Celebrity Xcel is a game-changer. The ship may be fifth and last in the Edge Class fleet, but with seven new spaces and many singular details, it sizzles with an energy all its own. Designed with input from more than 650,000 global vacationers known as Xcel Dream Makers, it’s a sure bet that the onboard experience will be a crowd pleaser for clients. (Fun fact: There are Dream Maker references scattered on board, such as menu notations on their recommended items.)
What’s New Aboard Celebrity Xcel
During last weekend’s 2-day inaugural cruise, I barely had time to scratch the surface of what the 3,276-passenger vessel has to offer. Among my “what’s new” highlights:
The Bazaar is an innovative sequence of spaces that brings immersive destination experiences to life onboard, with four festival themes specific to each Caribbean or Mediterranean itinerary. The journey begins with walking through a glowing, arched tunnel with changing LED designs depending on the theme. From here, there’s a large marketplace of local artisan products and experiences (think: make your own salt scrub) and two destination-inspired dining venues, Mosaic and Spice Cafe. Clients might experience pop-up local entertainment in these spaces or enjoy a sampling of local fare, such as the yummy Dulce De Leche Island Brookies that melted in my mouth.
I loved Celebrity’s new take on retail called Celebrity Flagship. It’s part museum, with exhibits showcasing the Celebrity story since 1988, and part store, with Xcel exclusives and vintage collectibles not found anywhere else (even the Internet).
Of the new restaurants, I dined at Bora, a lovely open-air restaurant at the top of the ship. I highly recommend the delicious Mediterranean food served family-style at dinner, with many seafood selections. Bora is also popular for brunch, featuring specialties from its Bloody Mary bar. Located next to the ship’s Rooftop Garden and with panoramic ocean views, it was one of my favorite locations onboard.
Xcel takes shipboard entertainment to new heights with its world-class family of singers, dancers, acrobats and even two parkour artists, one from Japan and one from Brazil. (Parkour is a discipline founded in the late 1980s that emphasizes fluid movement through the environment with running, jumping, climbing and vaulting over obstacles.) Among the standout new shows is 254 West at The Club. This story of the final night at a 1980s nightclub unfolds with a dazzling array of sensational dancers, singers and jaw-dropping aerialists—and ends with a DJ inviting the audience to the dance floor. The Club is an intimate environment with about 250 seats—advise clients to arrive early.
This is just a fraction of what clients will experience on Xcel. As well, a panel of top execs spoke to advisors on board about exciting new developments in the Celebrity pipeline. These include modernizing the travel advisor platform to allow bookings across the Royal Caribbean brands, dedicated “Royal Beach Clubs” in some destinations and the launch of river cruise ships in 2027. “Our goal,” said Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty, “is to miniaturize the Xcel experience onto the river.”
Celebrity Xcel is sailing her inaugural season from Fort Lauderdale with 7-night Caribbean itineraries. Summer 2026 begins her inaugural European season in the Mediterranean, with seven-to 11-night journeys out of Barcelona and Athens.
For more information, visit celebritycruises.com.
