Celebrity Xcel: Where Innovation Isn’t a Buzzword — It’s a Culture
Allan Brooks with Celebrity President Laura Hodges Bethge and Katina Athanasiou SVP Sales & Services accept their Canadian Travel Awards.
If there’s one thing I’ll say about the Celebrity Cruises executive team after spending the weekend with them aboard the shiny new Celebrity Xcel, it’s this: they don’t know how to sit still.
President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group Jason Liberty opened a news conference with the casual confidence of someone announcing the weather: “This is our 69th ship.” Sixty-nine!
Then he dropped the real news: on the heels of the brand-new private destination in Nassau coming online in a matter of weeks, Royal Caribbean Group has firmed up a massive destination-expansion plan, going from two privately-owned destinations to eight by 2028.
As someone who has watched cruise lines overpromise and under deliver over the decades, I appreciate ambition paired with actual, tangible build-outs. These guys mean it.
In an industry first, Celebrity tapped internationally celebrated chef Janaína Torres to serve as Xcel’s Godmother. Her appointment signals a clear message about the direction of the brand: culinary excellence is no longer an amenity on Celebrity Cruises; it’s essential to the brand’s identity.
The invite-only naming event pulled in the who’s who in media, travel advisors, partners, and high-profile culinary figures, who witnessed firsthand Xcel’s commitment to next-level dining. With Bora, a Mediterranean alfresco concept, and the immersive Bazaar festival-market experience on board, the choice of Torres as Godmother feels perfectly aligned.
But the heartbeat of this ship, and really the focus of the entire morning, was Bazaar. Celebrity President Laura Hodges Bethge lit up while talking about it. And while I’ve seen cruise lines try to “bring destinations onboard” before, that usually means a steel-drum track and a rum punch. Bazaar is something else entirely: part festival, part market, part immersive street scene straight out of the destinations Xcel actually visits.
Here’s the part that hits differently — 80% of the marketplace goods are genuinely locally sourced. Not “inspired by,” not “designed in Miami with vaguely tropical colours.” Real artists. Real communities. Real money going directly back to the creators, bypassing the ship’s till altogether. As someone who’s been pushing for more responsible tourism, especially in the Caribbean, this is a meaningful pivot.
And then there’s Bora, the new Mediterranean alfresco restaurant, which the team is very humble about. (“Best Mediterranean restaurant at sea,” bragged one exec… zero hesitation, zero apology.) Think starlit dinners, glasses heavy enough not to blow away, and dishes that feel like you’ve stumbled into a seaside Greek courtyard. It’s sexy, elevated, and it’s absolutely built for the date-night crowd Celebrity caters to.
What struck me most wasn’t any single venue but the philosophy behind the changes. The team said it over and over: innovation is baked into the culture. They’re not afraid to test ideas, listen to feedback, tweak, scrap, rebuild, and roll the best concepts back through the fleet. You can feel that onboard. There’s an energy, especially in “Attic at The Club,” where the entertainment is literally programmed “every hour on the hour.” No more dead zones during the day.
From quiet corners like the new Vitamin D Deck to big, social spaces electrified with festivals, Xcel is undeniably alive.
The folks at Celebrity didn’t just build another ship. They built a direction.
