The biggest trend in the cruise industry right now is to make the ships more appealing than the destinations they sail to. Although itineraries continue to weigh into people’s choice to book one cruise over another, for many, they’re not the main deciding factor. Instead, travelers focus on the quality of the amenities of the ships on offer. That’s why the newest cruise ships have first-rate restaurants and bars, as well as extraordinary designs and features that, a few years ago, you would never have expected to experience at sea. We’re talking miles of slides, rollercoasters, ice-skating rinks, bumper car rides, climbing walls, sports courts, over-the-water swings, top-of-the-line spas, upscale areas reserved for big spenders, Broadway-worthy entertainment, and more. Cruise ships are becoming more and more like floating resorts that you don’t need to leave at all to get what you need.
Inside Celebrity Xcel: The Cruise Ship Designed to Outshine the Destination
Celebrity Xcel is one of these ships. The latest Celebrity Cruises ship was built to keep guests as happy as possible on board. In fact, it was built to feel like you’re on shore rather than at sea. And if the waters are calm, the illusion is nearly perfect.
Why Celebrity Xcel stands out in a sea of cruise ships — literally
Photo: Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Xcel, which launched with great fun and fanfare mid-November, is the fifth ship in the Celebrity Edge series along with Apex, Ascent, Beyond, and Edge. Even though they all tend to look quite similar, Celebrity Cruises improves on its offerings with every new ship. As a welcome consequence, Celebrity Xcel is the best one of the bunch so far. I know this because I was lucky enough to spend seven days on board Celebrity Beyond, followed by a quick stint on board the brand-new Celebrity Xcel. Not only was I able to compare and contrast the two ships, but I also had an opportunity to use my cruising experience to see what Celebrity Xcel does better than any other cruise ship.
It’s redefining onboard spaces with The Bazaar.
Photos: Morgane Croissant
While most cruise lines use the aft of a ship as a panoramic but traditional dining room, Celebrity Xcel is shaking things up. There’s not a white tablecloth or a glittering chandelier in sight. Instead, the back of the ship on deck five is an area known as The Bazaar. This unique and multi-functional space is dedicated to making the cruise’s destinations shine through décor, entertainment, food, beverages, and more.
Guests enter The Bazaar through what can only be described as a portal. And, much like the ones in sci-fi movies, this one takes you to an entirely different world. Consisting of misaligned arches entirely covered in screens displaying destination-specific patterns and images, the 30-or-so-foot-long portal marks a distinct split from the rest of the ship.
Once through this vibey tunnel, you find yourself in a spacious and colorful area consisting of little market stalls, a bar, a restaurant, a café, a dance floor, and plenty of comfortable seating. The space offers nonstop entertainment with live music, dance lessons, and arts and craft all themed to the ship’s itinerary. Case in point: When I was on Celebrity Xcel, we were sailing around the Caribbean, so the first day’s theme was Carnival. Feather-clad dancers put on shows, musicians played steel drums, crew members led samba-dancing classes and maracas-making workshops, and rum-based cocktails flowed freely.
The second day of the cruise was spent at sea, so the theme was ocean-based. The large screens throughout the space displayed crashing waves, there were shell-decorating workshops, and the décor had switched from vibrant, multicolored patterns to various shades of turquoise. And when Celebrity Xcel moves to spend spring and summer in Europe, it goes without saying that the space will adapt to reflect locations in the Mediterranean. In fact, Celebrity Cruises is so committed to making The Bazaar a destination-focused space that even the crew members who work within it are from the region the ship travels through.
All that said, as enjoyable as The Bazaar is, it can feel like an overstimulating place. However, if you’re an introvert in need of peace and quiet, you’ll find spaces to retreat to within it. The mezzanine level of The Bazaar is packed with out-of-the-way seating areas with great views, so you can enjoy this one-of-a-kind concept from a distance.
It’s supporting local artists and economies.
One of the things cruise lines are negatively criticized for is their lack of support for local economies. A ship docks in a town or city, and thousands of travelers get out for a few hours of exploring. They tend to buy run-of-the-mill souvenirs right at the port facilities and book excursions through the cruise line. They rarely patronize locally owned accommodations, restaurants, or shops, so very few of their dollars actually fall in the pockets of the inhabitants of the destinations they visit. This is obviously an immense problem that can’t be fixed overnight, but Celebrity Cruises has decided to chip away at it little by little with Xcel.
The Bazaar’s multiple market stalls are dedicated to showcasing local artisans’ wares. In fact, 80 percent of the items you’ll find there are made by artisans from the destinations you visit on your sailing. But Celebrity Cruises goes even further. In each port, the cruise line invites local makers and artists on board so they can sell their products directly to guests. Although the artisans have been previously vetted by the local tourism authority, Celebrity Cruises isn’t involved in the transactions at all, allowing local makers to benefit entirely from their sales.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that Celebrity is solely committed to selling locally made products. Like many other cruise ships, it’s home to several luxury jewelry outlets and stores selling international upscale brands. But these are closed when in port.
It’s a small step, but it’s revolutionary in the world of cruising. While some luxury cruise lines do bring local performers on board for entertainment purposes, Celebrity Cruises is the only one to attempt to support local makers in this way. And, by bringing more and more of the destination on board, it’s also a way for the brand to further erase the line between ship and shore.
It has a floating garden…
Photo: Morgane Croissant
I believe that artificial plants are an abomination and that they should be wiped from the face of the earth. Their grotesque looks and their environmental impacts clearly trump any of the minor physiological and psychological benefits we get from them. And it seems that Celebrity Cruises is with me on this one. Celebrity Xcel is packed with real plants inside and outside — all the ones I gently poked were real (and I poked a lot of them to make sure).
This is especially true of decks 14 and 15 where hundreds of raised beds filled with snake plants, succulents, fiddleleaf figs, and elaborate topiaries elevate the décor. From the pool to the Magic Carpet (a “cantilevered, floating platform”), the jogging track, the Sunset Bar, the Garden Rooftop, and the Bora restaurant, the abundance of lush plants adds warmth and comfort to the guest experience. It also brings the shore on board, which is one of Celebrity’s main ambitions for its new ships.
But having so many live plants on board raises a few questions. Who waters them and who weeds the beds? Also, having lots of outdoor greenery is all well and good on a ship traveling around the Caribbean, but what happens to these tropical beauties when Celebrity Xcel makes its way up to Alaska or Northern Europe? I chatted with Keith Lane, Senior Vice President, Hotel Operations at Celebrity Cruises, about my concerns and got the reassurance I needed to hear. There are indeed crew members who are dedicated to keeping all the plants in top shape, watering them and looking out for their general well-being and appearance. And when the ship heads to colder climates, Celebrity will either switch to plants that are more suitable to the climate or donate them to local businesses at the last port of call before heading to colder destinations.
…and a spa aligned with the trends.
Photo: Celebrity Cruises
The global wellness economy has doubled since 2013, generating more than $6.8 trillion in 2024. Wellness tourism counts for $894 billion of this total. In other words, no cruise line would be foolish enough to eschew including a well-equipped spa on its brand-new ship. Guests must be able to enjoy the same (or better) amenities and treatments at sea as they’d find at home to be fully satisfied. And Celebrity certainly delivers in that department.
The spa on board Celebrity Xcel is not only the biggest one the cruise line has ever built but also the most scenic. Because it’s located at the very front of the ship, you get to enjoy some of the best views available while getting pampered. The 900-plus-square-foot space staffed with 35 technicians has all the usual suspects, including a huge thermal suite, a salt room, mist rooms, saunas, sea-facing heated loungers, dozens of treatment rooms, and a hair and nail salon. What’s less usual, however, is the Prosecco bar made available to anyone getting anything done at the salon, the high-tech skin lab, the peaceful outdoor Vitamin D deck, the soothing hydrotherapy room, the IV lounge (for those opting for IV therapy), and the teeth-whitening treatments. In total, there are over 120 treatments and therapies to choose from, and that should keep you relaxed and glowing for the duration of the voyage, at least.
It’s leveling up outdoor dining.
Photo: Morgane Croissant
On most large cruise ships, outdoor dining is limited to either burger and pizza stations located on pool decks or the overflow from the buffet. While that’s very much the case on Celebrity Xcel, where the Mast Grill (a burger joint) and the Oceanview Cafe (the buffet) both have outdoor seating, it’s not limited to these two venues. First, there’s the Magic Carpet, found on all the ships of the Edge series, as well as Bora, Celebrity Cruises’ newest dining experience.
Bora is an al fresco Mediterranean restaurant located on the aft of the ship on the 15th deck. It’s set on the highest deck regular passengers can access and therefore offers great views; it’s also well away from the busiest areas of the ship, so you can have a tranquil meal. The décor and the menu are very much Greek-inspired, and because it’s in the same area as the Rooftop Garden, you get to enjoy the aforementioned luxuriant greenery while you eat. Even under the Caribbean heat, you feel transported to Santorini — so imagine what it’ll be like when Xcel actually sails the Mediterranean in a few months. Even the ship’s captain, Kyriakos ‘Kirk’ Matragkas (AKA Captain Kirk), rates Bora as one of “the best Mediterranean restaurants” he’s ever been to. And if that’s not a review you can trust, I don’t know what is.
It’s family-friendly and adult-oriented.
Photos: Celebrity Cruises
While Celebrity Cruises doesn’t specifically target families with young children in the same way that Disney Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean do, it’s nevertheless a family-friendly cruise line. Camp at Sea, the kids’ club, caters to children aged three to 17 every day, all day long, and kids are welcome in every restaurant on board. That said, it’s important for adults who want a child-free cruise to have places to retreat, and Celebrity Xcel delivers.
The Solarium, found on deck 14 on all the ships of the Edge series, is the adult answer to the buzzy pool deck. In fact, it’s next door to it. The space is enclosed under a UV-protected dome and consists of a pool, two hot tubs, and dozens of loungers. Because it’s an area intended for relaxation, everyone keeps the noise level to a minimum.
No matter the ship, the spa is always intended as an adult space, but on Celebrity Xcel, the cruise line made extra sure that some of the areas are off limits to kids. The Xcellent thermal suite and the brand-new Vitamin D deck are for adults only, making for a wonderful sanctuary.
But there’s more to an adult vacation than relaxation, so Celebrity Cruises created The Attic at The Club, an area dedicated to fun and games for grown-ups. You can play real darts, pool, foosball, virtual golf, and a multitude of arcade games without being surrounded by little ones — especially in the evening. You can even enjoy a karaoke night or a movie session if that’s more your speed. The Attic at The Club is the mezzanine part of The Club, which is also an adult space open continuously for shows, live music, and dancing. And there may or may not be a little adult secret hidden at The Club for those who are willing to take the time to look carefully. 