With the arrival of Celebrity Cruises’ new ship, Celebrity Xcel, Port Everglades is loaded up with new hardware for the winter sailing season.
It joined Disney Cruise Line’s new ship, Disney Destiny, and Princess Cruises’ new Star Princess to sail out of the Fort Lauderdale port.
The arrivals mark a major jump for the state’s third busiest cruise port behind PortMiami and Port Canaveral, which saw it already approach 5 million passenger movements in the last fiscal year.
The port in the last few years has revamped parking and added refurbished terminals, including becoming the second Florida home for Disney, and landing its newest ship this year.
The port will also soon open the Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel, adjacent to the Broward County Convention Center, and has already opened a new roadway that takes people directly from U.S. 1 to the convention center parking area, avoiding the traffic of SE 17th St. or the port security checkpoints.
“Cruising is more popular than ever, and the cruise lines are exceeding guest expectations every time a new ship comes into the marketplace,” said Port Everglades CEO and port director Joseph Morris in a news release. “The new ships that are coming to Port Everglades have more entertainment and dining options, and offer some of the latest technology with greener fuels and impressive connectivity.”
For Celebrity, the arrival of Xcel is the fifth time the line has used Port Everglades as the initial homeport of its Edge-class ships. Its naming ceremony was on Sunday.
Just like its sister ships, Celebrity Edge, Apex, Beyond and Ascent, the vessel has the same design, including the Magic Carpet — an exterior elevator platform that acts primarily as an innovative way for passengers to disembark and reboard the ship when it tenders at ports of call, but also doubles as an entertainment and dining venue.
“With each new ship, we raise the bar for the ultimate vacation experience — and Celebrity Xcel stands in a class of her own,” said Jason Liberty, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity Cruises. “With innovative design, elevated style, and signature hospitality, 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 cabins once again feature the popular Infinite Verandah staterooms, in which the balcony is part of the cabin.
One unique thing about this new ship will be its capability to use methanol as a fuel source, the first for any ship in the Royal Caribbean Group family of cruise lines, and an effort to reduce its carbon footprint.
Unlike its sister ships, though, Xcel is dropping the avant-garde Eden section of the ship in favor of an expanded venue called The Bazaar.
The Bazaar looks to offer up authentic food and entertainment based on the destinations where the ship is visiting. Cruisers could expect a venue that can shift from Bahamian to Caribbean to Mexican inspirations for its debut sailing season, with each voyage looking to change up four times during weeklong sailings.
New entertainment includes two interactive shows in The Club and three new stage shows in The Theatre.
Another unique venue debuting is Bora, an al fresco, rooftop Mediterranean restaurant with a Bloody Mary bar and chef-led tableside dining at night.
Other new features are a new pool valet service at the Celebrity Pool Club, a water-focused Hydra Room in the spa, a 24/7 adult-oriented games room, Attic at The Club, and the first-ever Celebrity Flagship retail venue touted as part museum, part interactive experience.
The new features were created in conjunction with a group of cruisers called the Xcel Dream Makers.
“Celebrity Xcel was thoughtfully designed with our guests in mind to be the happy place of vacationers globally,” said Celebrity Cruise president Laura Hodges Bethge. “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.”
The ship is sailing seven-night Caribbean itineraries through the spring and will then shift to Europe for summer 2026.
