On paper it looks familiar: same striking profile as Edge, Apex, Beyond and Ascent, same Magic Carpet clinging to the side, same focus on high design rather than neon and water slides. Under the surface, though, Xcel is the test case for something cruise lines talk about a lot and rarely do well: letting guests help design the product. 

The ship has been shaped, at least in part, by a global community of passengers known as "Xcel Dream Makers". Celebrity has spent the past year asking them to vote on everything from dishes to décor, using weekly polls to fine tune what will appear on board. It is a very 2025 way to build a ship: crowd-sourced, gamified and with the carrot of potential cruises and naming ceremony invitations for those who take part. 

So what has all that dreaming and voting actually produced once you step on board?

The Bazaar: Celebrity tries a destination hub

The big idea is The Bazaar, a three deck space that is meant to blur the line between ship and shore. During a Caribbean season it might lean into street food, music and markets from the islands. During a Mediterranean summer it is supposed to morph into something breezier and more European. In theory, each itinerary gets its own set of festivals, menus and entertainment, giving you a rotating taste of where you are sailing rather than a generic “International Night”. 

Two venues anchor it. Mosaic is pitched as the more restaurant-like of the pair, with destination inspired menus and chef led experiences, while Spice Café handles the casual end of things with local dishes and grab and go options. Around them sits a market of artisan products and pop up style events. If you enjoy the idea of browsing local flavours without having to find your way back to the port gate before sailaway, it will make immediate sense. If you prefer your ship to feel like a bubble that politely ignores the outside world, The Bazaar may be the moment you realise Celebrity is edging away from that.

It is also the clearest example of where the Dream Makers input appears to have mattered. Early polls asked guests to choose between cooking classes and cigar rolling, or to vote on specific dishes for Mosaic. The final space is not pure democracy in action, but you can absolutely feel the influence. 

Bora: brunch, ballads and the soft power of the Bloody Mary

Up on deck, Bora joins as a new rooftop restaurant with a split personality. By day it is a brunch spot with a lot of emphasis on “boozy”, complete with a build your own Bloody Mary bar. By night it drops the spritzes and leans into a kind of Mediterranean date night, all shared plates, tableside preparation and a soundtrack of Greek ballads and/or Italian love songs.

None of that is conceptually radical, but the details are where Celebrity tends to earn its keep. One of the clever things the Edge Series has done from the start is create smaller, strongly themed venues that feel more like restaurants than ship dining rooms, then polish the lighting and sound design to match. Xcel seems to double down on that approach, particularly for couples who want “evening out in a city” vibes without leaving the ship.

Pool Club and Attic: extrovert territory

The Pool Club on Xcel is not new as a space, but the way Celebrity wants you to use it has shifted. Marketing insists it is “the poolest day ever”, which is the sort of line that makes copy editors reach for a strong tea, but behind that there are some useful changes. There is more shade, which will matter in the Caribbean, and an emphasis on day to night programming rather than just lying horizontally and turning gradually pink. Expect pool valets armed with cold towels and sunscreen, live music and a party that keeps going once the sun drops. 

Inside, Attic at The Club turns one corner of the ship into a 24 hour neon games den. The line up sounds like a nostalgic living room that has been given too much budget: retro arcade machines such as Pac Man and Golden Tee, alongside pool, shuffleboard, darts and the sort of group games that work better when everyone has agreed not to take themselves too seriously. If you enjoy the social side of cruising but would rather avoid formal trivia in the theatre, this looks designed with you in mind. 

Flagship and spa: a museum of Celebrity, plus more ways to glow

Celebrity has also found space for something it is calling the Flagship, a hybrid museum and retail store dedicated to the brand. Interactive screens quiz you on Celebrity trivia, display historical artefacts and, inevitably, sell you things. You can have items engraved or embroidered, browse one off collectibles and generally lean into the “I did the ship, then I bought the ship” school of holiday mementos. 

More interesting from a guest point of view is the spa. Xcel has the most expansive spa in the fleet, with a new Hydra Room in the Thermal Suite and a Vitamin D Deck that gives all the people who promise themselves they will “use the spa this time” a few more options to make that true. The Hydra Room is water focused, with different hydrotherapy experiences in one space, while the outdoor deck sits at the front of the ship for views and fresh air with your wellness rituals. 

Entertainment: if in doubt, add more performers

Edge series ships have always treated entertainment as a design project as much as a scheduling one. Spaces such as The Theatre, Eden and The Club were built to morph through the day, with a mix of shows, live music and slightly experimental performance. Xcel mostly builds on that template rather than ripping it up, but with more bodies on the payroll. Celebrity is promising its most expansive entertainment offering yet, with three new theatre productions, two new interactive shows in The Club and a line up of parties and live music that is meant to ensure something is always happening somewhere. 

None of it will change the mind of someone who prefers their evenings very quiet and their lighting at “cosy pub”, but for guests who like some theatre tech and choreography with their cocktails, it looks promising.

Where Xcel is actually going

For now, Celebrity Xcel is based in Fort Lauderdale, operating seven night itineraries that alternate between two Caribbean patterns. One loops through the Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman. The other heads for Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, plus St Thomas and St Maarten. They are classic modern Caribbean itineraries, light on sea days, heavy on warm water and familiar ports. 

In summer 2026 the ship will shift to Europe for a season of Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona and Athens, ranging from a week to eleven nights. Those schedules include overnight stays in Madeira, which should give The Bazaar team plenty to work with if they are serious about reflecting the destinations on board. 

What it says about where Celebrity is heading

If Edge felt like a design statement for Celebrity, Xcel feels like the “how do we tune this further” chapter. The fundamentals remain: mid sized ships rather than mega tonnage, a focus on food and interiors, and a belief that you can deliver a premium experience without tipping into the ultra luxury price bracket. 

What is new is the level of guest co creation and the amount of space given over to concepts that are deliberately flexible. The Bazaar can theoretically become a different place every year, or even every sailing. Bora can tilt towards brunch, date night or whatever else the next wave of Dream Makers votes into existence. That makes sense in an era where a single “new ship” announcement is no longer enough to hold attention for long.

Whether it all works in practice will only become clear once paying guests have lived with it for a while. For now, Celebrity Xcel looks like a thoughtful evolution of a successful concept, with a few big swings in the mix. If you liked the Edge ships already and enjoy the idea of your happy place at sea coming with a side of guest sourced ideas, Xcel will probably be high on your list. If you preferred cruises when nobody asked your opinion on the silent disco playlist, there are still plenty of quieter corners on board where you can sit, watch the wake and pretend the polls never happened.