Celebrity Xcels towards an Xciting future as major steps revealed

• Celebrity Cruises has now taken delivery of the new Celebrity Xcel, a month before it starts cruising around the Caribbean.
• The company has used the occasion to announce the next ship in the Edge Series, Celebrity Xcite.
• Xcel and Xcite will feature brand new innovations from the company, better blending sea and shore.

It’s been a big week for Celebrity Cruises, which has marked two major milestones at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France.

First, the company took delivery of its newest ship, Celebrity Xcel, which introduces seven brand-new onboard spaces designed to reimagine the boundaries between ship and shore. The fifth in the Edge-class ship series doubles down on dynamic design with innovations like The Bazaar, which will constantly change form and function in relation to each port visited.

And Xcel already has a sister on the way. After taking delivery of the new ship, Celebrity Cruises took a moment to announce its sister, Celebrity Xcite, due to set sail in 2028 as the sixth ship in the boundary-pushing Edge Series.

How Celebrity Cruises plans to Xcel with its newest ship

This week’s delivery was a poetic moment for Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity Xcel’s first piece of steel was cut before construction commenced at Chantier de l’Atlantique. It was only natural that Xcite would make its debut at the Saint-Nazaire shipyard, unveiling the future of Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Series and furthering the company’s ongoing efforts to seamlessly blend sea and shore for its guests through innovative, dynamic design.

Celebrity Xcel represents the next bold step in our journey to transform the way the world experiences premium travel,” offered Royal Caribbean Group president and CEO Jason Liberty.

“Each ship in the Edge Series has reimagined what’s possible at sea through elevated design and experiences that deepen the connection to the destination being visited.”

The ship will start welcoming guests as early as next month when it sets sail on its maiden voyage, a 5-night cruise from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean, with a call on Cozumel, Mexico. The short journey departs on November 18, 2025, kickstarting a season of seven-night cruises to the Caribbean before the ship moves to the Mediterranean in April 2026.

Passengers will be amongst the first to witness the reimagined Edge design, which includes a new party-minded poolside area with enhanced private cabanas, complete with dedicated service, as well as an all-day, all-night games room glittered with neon lights, an expansive spa with a new Hydra Room, and the first-ever Celebrity Flagship store.

Key to this will be a first-to-sea innovation called The Bazaar. As mentioned above, it’s a dynamic space that will change according to each port. Earlier this year, Cruise Passenger reported on the exciting feature, which will transform itself each day with activities, entertainment and food to reflect each sailing.

One day, you could visit The Bazaar and find a vibrant market space with hand-crafted products and local artisan goods. The next day, you could come back and witness something completely different, like a pop-up food experience related to the next port town, or curated entertainment to get you excited about more land adventures.

With a gross tonnage of 140,600, Celebrity Xcel has a maximum capacity of 3,276 passengers and around 726 crew cabins. That’s across a total of 1,646 staterooms.

Xciting things on the horizon

Celebrity Xcite will be a sister ship to Celebrity Xcel, pitched as the sixth ship in the Edge Series, with its name revealed during a steel-cutting ceremony at the French shipyard.

The exclusive event was attended by executives from the cruise line and shipyard, as well as invited travel advisors and a small group of journalists. Not much has been revealed about the new ship, except that Celebrity expects it will continue to elevate the guest experience and further the innovative experiences revealed on her sister ships.

For more information, head to celebritycruises.com.