Janaína Torres pushed a button that launched a bottle of champagne against the new Celebrity Xcel’s hull and shared the traditional ship launching prayer.

“May God bless her and all who sail on her,” said Torres, chosen as godmother for Celebrity Xcel whose slogan is “We didn’t find your happy place. We built it.”

Named Best Female Chef in the World in 2024, Torres was asked to be ship godmother because “she shares our passion for celebrating culture through cuisine and our commitment to culinary excellence,” said Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises.

In fact, Celebrity Xcel has seven distinct new spaces and experiences, said Jason Liberty, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. A premium cruise line, Celebrity Cruises is a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group.

“With each new ship, we raise the bar for the ultimate vacation experience,” Liberty said. “And Celebrity Xcel stands in a class of her own.”

                                                  Two-Day Cruise

Departing from Fort Lauderdale, our two-day cruise headed out to sea with no destination or shore excursions. We were just cruising the beautiful blue ocean to discover what the surprising Xcel offers.

And, believe me, there were many surprises and such a huge ship that I’m sure there were places I didn’t see. The 16-deck Celebrity Xcel can accommodate 3,276 guests across a wide array of stateroom categories. The ship also has 1,400 crew members.

And the ship’s captain has a familiar nickname – Captain Kirk. “My Greek name is too difficult for people to pronounce,” Captain Kyriakos Matragkas said.

Born in Piraeus, Greece, Matragkas has been with Celebrity Cruises for 25 years and came from a seafaring family. His father was a ship captain who often took his young son on sailing journeys.

                                                My Stateroom

Located on Deck 12, my Concierge Class stateroom 12169 was wonderful, especially that beautiful Infinite Balcony. Touch a button on the wall and the floor-to-ceiling window for the balcony drops down. Another button moves down some heavy blinds that block out all light.

The balcony was very private. In fact, when that large window was open, it almost felt like my whole stateroom was a balcony.

 

Bathroom was quite large with a glass-enclosed shower and Bigelow toiletries. Fluffy robe in the closet. Plenty of storage spaces and charging options. Six-page Celebrity Today newsletter left on my turn-downed bed each night was also available on the ship app. Good to have because so many activities were going on around the ship and it was handy to know what, when and where.

                                                  Dining Choices

The places I dined were excellent. But how many dining spots can you visit in two days? I had breakfast and lunch in the Oceanview Café which is far superior to the buffets on most other ships. Less time-consuming and definitely delicious. So many choices that I probably could have eaten every meal there.

First night, I dined at Raw on 5 with it fresh seafood. Scrumptious. Second night, I dined at Luminae which was my favorite – not only for the food but also for where I was seated by the hostess. A delightful window seat at a solo table. New York strip steak was grilled just right as were the vegetables which were not cooked to mush. Crème brulee dessert was a fitting finale.

 

 

                                             Theater Productions

Celebrity Xcel seems to have music going on most of the day and night, including three new theatre productions, two interactive shows at The Club and other pop-up musical experiences around the ship.

The first night, I saw a bit of the 254 West show at The Club. Second night saw Chapters in the ship theatre. Performers were all excellent but I was particularly dazzled by the acrobats and trapeze artists. Unbelievable some of the moves they made.

By the way, 254 West pays homage to the wild 1970s disco Studio 54 in New York. The celebrity-infused Studio 54 was a favorite playground for people like pop artist Andy Warhol and writer Truman Capote.

 

                                                   Seven New Spaces

As Jason Liberty said, Celebrity Xcel has seven new spaces that make any Xcel cruise one to remember.

The Bazaar was one of the most popular. The concept, Hodges Bethge says, was “to blur the line between ship and shore, to bring the destination on board.”

Walking through the lighted archway entrance to the Bazaar gave me a hint of the destination being celebrated with one of four festivals – Carnival, Aqua, Viva and Flora. Each day, that changed depending on where the ship was cruising.

The Market at the Bazaar offered products from local artisans, some of whom come on board to showcase their creations. On my cruise, the second-day Aqua festival in the Bazaar had a do-it-yourself activity craft making a scallop shell trinket dish.

Ejona explains various salts at the Market at the Bazaar

The complimentary “sip” was an Aqua Blossom Cocktail. While I was sipping, a pop-up show started with singers and dancers. At first glance, I wondered why a woman was wearing a fancy evening gown in the middle of the day when she came in and sat down at a table nearby.

Then she started singing and was soon joined by the other performers. An immersive musical experience. The Bazaar also has two restaurants – the casual Spice Cafe and the fine dining Mosaic.

Bora is the new alfresco restaurant at the top of the ship with glorious sea views and dishes prepared tableside.

Attic at the Club is an adults-oriented lounge open round the clock. Games include shuffleboard, darts, pool and foosball as well as retro video games like Pac-Man.

Celebrity Pool Club is part of the ship’s new expanded adults-only pool. A huge playful monkey sculpture designed by artist Todd Lyndon Stuart is a favorite photo spot by the pool.

Celebrity Flagship Store is a unique combo museum and store where passengers can learn about Celebrity history while buying Celebrity products only available on Celebrity Excel.

The Spa features Celebrity’s first-ever Hydra Room where guests can enjoy a rejuvenating experience in a warm bubbling pool with massaging jets and heated lounge chairs. A new outdoor Vitamin D Deck offers sweeping views from the front of the ship for guests to enjoy restorative ocean breezes.

IYKYK stands for the words “If you know you know.” I know since I was on Celebrity Xcel. Not to indulge too much about the secret, I’ll say that I found it and discovered a treasure which certainly adds to Celebrity Xcel’s many charms.

When I told a fellow passenger about the hidden site and how to get there, he disappeared and I never saw him the rest of the evening. Next day, he told me it was unbelievable. I agree.

                                                 Inaugural cruises

Celebrity Xcel is now sailing her inaugural season with seven-night Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale alternating between The Bahamas, Mexico, Cayman Islands and Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and St. Maarten.

In summer 2026, Celebrity Xcel will launch her European cruise season with seven to 11-night Mediterranean journeys out of Barcelona and Athens, including all-new overnight stays in Madeira, Portugal.

                                           Xcel Dream Makers

To help create such a fantastic new ship, Celebrity called on thousands of travelers worldwide who contributed ideas on everything from dining and design to entertainment and fun touches like the monkey statue.

“Celebrity Xcel has been designed with our guests as our north star. We even involved them in the design process through the Xcel Dream Makers program, so we know she will be the happy place of vacationers globally,” Hodges Bethge said.

Called the Xcel Dream Makers, the innovative program used the feedback from more than 140,000 volunteers to help shape a dream vessel.

The Dream Makers idea came from a company meeting where the Celebrity team was kicking around concepts for a top-notch ship. A team member said Celebrity should just ask cruise guests. So that is what Celebrity did.

In fact, the daily schedule of activities features a Dream Makers Choice symbol to let passengers know about some Dream Makers favorites like Country Night at the Saddle Up Saloon at The Club and the 11 p.m. Shine the Night celebration at the Pool Club where passengers are invited to wear their shiniest metallic outfit for a shimmering evening of fun and surprise performances.

                                                 Disembarking

Seemed like I had just walked onboard when it was time to depart the ship. Easy process. I carried my own suitcase – how much do you need for a two-night cruise – and showed my passport and room key. No line. No hassle.

Scheduled an Uber and headed to the airport. When my Uber driver asked if I would recommend the ship, I didn’t hesitate. For sure, I told him.

Terrific ship and very caring professional crew. I’m sure my two days offered only a glimpse into what memories can be made on the excellent Celebrity Xcel, a very welcome addition for cruise lovers.

 

Photos by Jackie Sheckler Finch

Cover photo courtesy of Celebrity Cruises

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Editor’s notes:

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