Celebrity Xcel, touted as the first ship designed hand-in-hand with holidaymakers, has arrived in Florida ahead of its inaugural season
The Xcel Dream Makers initiative collected guest feedback and actively engaged guests to enhance Celebrity Xcel's public spaces, dining, entertainment, and other onboard features.
Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group's president and CEO, welcomed the new ship to Fort Lauderdale. "With each new ship, we raise the bar for the ultimate vacation experience – and Celebrity Xcel stands in a class of her own... Celebrity Xcel’s arrival sets a new standard for the industry and adds to our collection of experiences that turn the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations.
The ship will sail a range of seven-night voyages across the Bahamas, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten for its inaugural season. Summer 2026 will mark Xcel's maiden European season, when it repositions to the Mediterranean.
Laura Hodges Bethge, Celebrity Cruises' president, reflected, "Celebrity Xcel was thoughtfully designed with our guests in mind to be the happy place of vacationers globally. From the seven new spaces guests will experience, to the innovative Xcel Dream Makers program, where our guests played a direct role in shaping the ship’s features, Celebrity Xcel lives up to her name in every way."
