Celebrity Xcel Will Feature a First of its Kind Concept

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Most cruise lines boast about offering guests destination-immersive shore excursions, but Celebrity Cruises has figured out a way to bring local experiences aboard its newest Edge-class ship, Celebrity Xcel, when she debuts in late 2025.

A unique space aboard the 3,260-guest ship, now under construction at the Chantiers de lโ€™Atlantique shipyard in France, will showcase the art, culture, and cuisine of the regions where the ship is sailing at any given time.

The space, dubbed The Bazaar, also will introduce the lineโ€™s first destination-focused cooking lessons, called Chefโ€™s Studio, and the new Spice cafe.

The Bazaar, a three-story space, will offer several distinct experiences: a series of festivals, a market featuring local artists, an open-kitchen restaurant called Mosaic, a Chefโ€™s Table dining option, and a new cafe.

Celebrity Cruises is reaching out to the cruise community to help choose the specific experiences The Bazaar will offer through its recently announced โ€œXcel Dream Makersโ€ program, which rolled out in January 2025.

Under the program, cruisers are invited to offer ideas about the activities, foods, and entertainment the ship will provide in The Bazaar.

When Celebrity Xcel debuts in November 2025, she will be based in Fort Lauderdale for the winter 2025-26 season and operating Bahamas and Caribbean cruises. The theme in The Bazaar will reflect Caribbean elements.

When she repositions to the Mediterranean in April 2026 for the summer season, the theme will shift to European experiences, festivals, and foods.

“The Bazaar is a truly one-of-a-kind space designed to seamlessly blend ship and shore and transform the way guests experience destinations,” said Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises. 

Celebrity Xcelย intentionally extends the destination experience onboard through a continued authentic offering between ports of call, allowing guests to take the destination with them,โ€ added Hodges Bethge.

Celebrity Xcelโ€™s maiden voyage in North America is set for November 18, 2025. The 5-night cruise from Fort Lauderdale will call at Bimini, Bahamas; and Cozumel, Mexico. The ship will sail 6- to 8-night Caribbean voyages through mid-April 2026 before departing on a 15-night repositioning cruise to Barcelona on April 26, 2026.

Celebrity Xcel will sail 7- to 11-night voyages roundtrip from Barcelona and between Barcelona and Athens. When the ship returns to North America in fall 2026, she will be based at PortMiami for the winter 2026-27 season.

Hereโ€™s What to Expect From The Bazaar

The new multi-functional area called The Bazaar will introduce destination immersive elements inspired by the ports Celebrity Xcel will visit.

Read Also: Celebrity Cruises Dining: 14 Must-Try Venues

Four festivals, each one tied to a specific destination, will offer local foods and pop-up entertainment, including performances by local musicians, plus other activities such as dance lessons.

When Celebrity Xcelโ€™s guests are enjoying sea days, The Bazaar will feature local artisans offering their goods for sale. Special foods will be available along with craft demonstrations such as basket-weaving.

Bazaar on Celebrity Xcel
Bazaar on Celebrity Xcel

A new restaurant, Mosaic, will debut on the ship, serving up cuisine local to the sailing region in an open-kitchen environment. The eatery also will be the venue for Chefโ€™s Table, featuring a multi-course menu created by Celebrity Cruisesโ€™ global culinary team.

Mosaic also will be the venue where guests can experience destination-focused, hands-on cooking lessons, a first for Celebrity Cruises.

A new restaurant will debut at The Bazaar, called Spice. The cafe-style venue will be open during the day and offer foods native to the port destination visited.

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Donna Tunney
Donna Tunney
Donna Tunney is a travel news/feature writer and editor with 20-plus years covering cruise news, luxury travel, and Europe and UK destinations. A former staffer at Travel Weekly and at the USAToday Network, she also was a luxury travel columnist at Travel Market Report, and a cruise columnist at Sherman's Travel.

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