When Celebrity Xcel debuts in November 2025 from Port Everglades, she will offer guests brand-new theater productions, club acts, music experiences, dance parties, and endless entertainment activities all day long.
“Celebrity Xcel will further elevate Celebrity’s award-winning offering to create a world-class entertainment destination our guests are going to love,” shares Lisa Lehr, vice president of entertainment for Celebrity Cruises. “With over 75 resident performers, guests will find unforgettable experiences and unexpected surprises at every turn.”
Celebrity Cruises’ fifth Edge-class ship will showcase three theater productions in The Theatre–Mainstage, Between Takes, and Chapters. The shows will feature world-class dancers, singers, artists and aerial performers combined with kinetic lighting, laser video etching, pyrotechnics and a 110-foot curved kinetic LED screen all designed to deliver “fully immersive entertainment.”
Mainstage is a live concert experience that “transports audiences to the world’s most iconic music festivals.” The concert will feature hits from top artists as guests are immersed into all genres of music throughout the decades.
Between Takes is set in a 1920s Hollywood backlot allowing guests to witness the “mayhem that ensues between CUT and ACTION” as the next blockbuster is filmed. Using a color-changing set design, the crew will deliver high-flying stunts, incredible vocals and mind-blowing choreography as it wows the audience.
Chapters is a journey through “nature, transformation, and self-discovery.” Guests will see themselves in the stories as each chapter of growth, change and connection comes to life on stage.
Celebrity Xcel will also feature The Club. The multi-purpose venue will offer two interactive shows–254 West and HOTEL.
254 West will transport guests to the iconic 1980s nightclub “254 West” for closing night. Guests can join in the high-energy celebration and the 254 West After Party. HOTEL is a comedic “whodunit” featuring “cabaret flair and razor-sharp wit.” Guests are invited to help solve the mystery before it’s too late.
The Bazaar will feature four destination festivals–Carnival, Aqua, Viva and Flora. The festivals will celebrate the culture of The Bahamas, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and the Dominican Republic respectively even after the ship sails from the port. The festivals will include live music and activities inspired by the Caribbean destinations.
Celebrity Xcel will feature new games and competitions for everyone. New game shows include High Stakes and Brain Spin. The escape room experience challenges guests to bring a robot to life. Additionally, kids under 18 will enjoy a new digital game wall at Camp at Sea.
Celebrity Cruises expects to receive Celebrity Xcel later this month from the Chantiers de I’Atlantique shipyard in France where she is in her final stages of construction. She will sail her inaugural season from Port Everglades as she offers 7-night itineraries which will alternate between The Bahamas, Mexico, Cayman Islands, and Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. She will deploy to Europe for Summer 2026 for a series of Western Mediterranean voyages before returning to PortMiami in October 2026.