Celebrity Cruises’ newest ship, Celebrity Xcel, is set to make a dazzling entrance when she debuts in November 2025 – complete with brand-new theatre productions, immersive festivals, and lively late-night entertainment.
The fifth ship in the line’s innovative Edge class, the 3,276-guest vessel is nearing completion at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
Following a successful series of sea trials in September 2025, Celebrity Xcel is now preparing to be handed over to the cruise line ahead of her preview sailing from Port Everglades on 9th November 2025.
New Productions and Onboard Experiences
Entertainment will take centre stage aboard the 140,600-gross-ton ship, with more than 75 resident performers delivering an extensive line-up of original shows and interactive experiences.
“Celebrity Xcel will further elevate Celebrity’s award-winning offering to create a world-class entertainment destination our guests are going to love,” said Lisa Lehr, vice president of entertainment for Celebrity Cruises.
The main theatre will host three exclusive new productions:
- Mainstage – a concert-style spectacle inspired by the world’s biggest music festivals, complete with live bands, pyrotechnics, and immersive lighting.
- Between Takes – a glamorous peek behind the scenes of a 1920s Hollywood film set, where vintage cinema meets Broadway flair.
- Chapters – a reflective and visually rich journey of self-discovery through the elements of nature.
Late-Night Venues and Immersive Shows
Like her sister ships, Celebrity Xcel features The Club, a versatile entertainment space transforming from day to night.
Two new experiences will debut here:
- 254 West, a throwback to the legendary New York nightclub Studio 54, blending dance, disco, and dazzling visuals.
- HOTEL, a cabaret-style comedy where guests join the fun in an interactive mystery performance.
Elsewhere, the ship will host four themed destination festivals inspired by her Caribbean itineraries – Carnival (Bahamas), Aqua (Mexico), Viva (Cayman Islands), and Flora (Dominican Republic).
Each festival will include live music, dance parties, and food and drink inspired by the local culture, held as the ship departs each port.
Games, Youth Programmes, and Community Input
Guests can expect a wealth of interactive experiences too, including a robot-building escape room, the new game show Brain Spin, and the enhanced Camp at Sea youth programme offering more than 50 games and activities for children and teenagers.
Several of these features were selected with the help of the cruise community through Celebrity’s “Xcel Dream Makers” initiative. The campaign, which combined in-person workshops and online voting, invited cruise fans to help shape the ship’s entertainment line-up.
Maiden Season and Beyond
Following her preview sailing, Celebrity Xcel’s official maiden voyage departs on 18 November 2025, a five-night round-trip from Port Everglades to Bimini, Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico.
She will then offer a series of seven-night Caribbean and Bahamas cruises through to May 2026 before repositioning to Europe for Western Mediterranean voyages between Barcelona and Athens for the summer.
In October 2026, Celebrity Xcel will return to North America to homeport in Miami, continuing with a winter season of Caribbean cruises.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
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