You'll be able to sail on the next new Celebrity Cruise ship a little bit earlier than expected.
Travel agents were informed today the cruise line has made some unexpected changes to the new ship’s inaugural sailings.
Celebrity Xcel is the next new ship and will be the fifth and final ship in Celebrity Cruises' Edge Class series.
The ship debuts first in Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades for a brief winter season before transitioning to Europe, where it will offer Celebrity's first-ever overnight calls on Madeira, Portugal. Itineraries will last from seven to 11 nights, cruising from Barcelona and Athens.
Celebrity Xcel was originally scheduled to sail its inaugural cruise on November 18, 2025.
However, the new ship is closer to completion than originally anticipated, and there's a new "preview cruise" before it.
Earlier arrival
In an email to travel agents, Celebrity indicated they're adding a new sailing before the official inaugural.
"Our teams have been working diligently on building our new ship, and the completion is now earlier than we had originally anticipated."
"With the earlier delivery, we've now added a 4-Night Celebrity Xcel Preview Cruise, setting sail on November 9, 2025."
The catch is the November 18th sailing remains the official Inaugural Sailing, according to the cruise line.
"Please note that our November 18th sailing, that your clients are booked on, continues to be our Inaugural Sailing, where the main festivities will take place, as planned. We understand that for some guests, it's important to be the first onboard, and for others, being part of the inaugural celebration is what matters most."
With the new sailing, it's an opportunity to get on sooner and check out the ship before the maiden voyage.
Booked guests have the choice of moving their original reservation up to the November 9 one in the exact same suite or like-for-like stateroom currently booked - at the current prevailing rate. If there's an overpayment on the booking, they'll be refunded for the difference.
- Suite guests will have their same suites held for them as a courtesy.
- Guests in Aqua Class staterooms and below will have like-for-like staterooms available to choose from.
But if someone booked on the inaugural wants to remain there, there's nothing extra to do.
Booked passengers have until May 8, 2025 to decide.
The same thing happened to Royal Caribbean
It's deja vu for Royal Caribbean fans, as this is exactly what has happened to Star of the Seas.
The sequel to Royal Caribbean’s in-demand mega-ship Icon of the Seas was originally scheduled to sail its inaugural cruise on August 31, 2025.
But because the ship was ready sooner than expected, Royal Caribbean decided to add three “showcase sailings” ahead of the ship’s inaugural voyage.
"We have an updated timeline for the arrival of Star of the Seas at Port Canaveral," Royal Caribbean said in an email to passenger booked on the ship’s first sailings.
"Building such a large and incredible ship is no easy feat, but lucky for us, there are times when we get to embark on our new ship ahead of schedule, and that time is now!"
Royal Caribbean has done this twice, and now has three preview sailings:
- 3-Night Perfect Day Cruise departing on Aug. 20, 2025
- 4-night Perfect Day Cruise departing on Aug. 23, 2025
- 4-night Perfect Day Cruise departing on Aug. 27, 2025
It opened up more sailings on a hot new ship, while of course adding more revenue for the line.
Xcel is not a copy and paste job
One big change is instead of The Eden, there will be The Bazaar. Located on the back of the ship, it's where you'll find shopping, dining, activity and entertainment options that take on the vibe of the ports the ship visits, changing each day to match the destination.
For its inaugural Caribbean season, Celebrity Xcel will rotate through four themed festivals celebrating the cultures of the Bahamas, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and the broader Caribbean.
When the ship moves to the Mediterranean in summer 2026, new festivals will highlight the European destinations on its itinerary.
As part of the experience, two restaurants inside a new space called The Bazaar will feature menus tailored to each festival’s theme. Guests can also take part in Celebrity’s first-ever destination-inspired cooking school, Chef’s Studio at Mosaic, where hands-on classes will teach regional recipes that match the day’s cultural spotlight.
The Bazaar is the first of seven redesigned venues debuting on Celebrity Xcel when it launches in November 2025.
