Celebrity Xcel: New Spaces Revealed
Over the past 19 months, Celebrity has slowly released information about their fifth Edge Class ship, the upcoming Celebrity Xcel. This ship will not be a carbon copy of sister ships Beyond and Ascent. Instead, it’ll have some customizations to provide a unique experience. Let’s take a look at the four new spaces they just revealed.
Improved Pool Area
On Edge Class ships, the pool area is often called The Resort area. On the Xcel, the space will be re-themed as the Celebrity Pool Club. It will offer all-day and all-night pool experiences.
The first thing you’ll notice is additional shade, with large orange umbrellas scattered throughout the area. It has more rooftop pool vibe than the Caribbean-inspired energy found on Royal Caribbean ships.
A pool valet will provide amenities like chilled towels, card games, and sunscreen. Of course, cabanas will still be available to rent on the starboard side of the ship.
On the final sea day of every Caribbean itinerary, the area will transform into The Poolest Day Ever. It becomes the ultimate pool party, complete with a DJ, live music, pop-up shows, and pool games. Celebrity has also curated a menu of exclusive drinks like fresh coconuts filled with rum cocktails and Paloma Frescas. At night, the space becomes the Shine the Night poolside party with more exclusive bites and beverages.
Attic at The Club
The Club is a two-story activity space aboard Edge Class ships. While the name might imply a nightclub, in reality, it’s also used for events throughout the day, including contests, trivia, performances, and art auctions.
On the Xcel, the second floor of the space will become the Attic at The Club. It’s an adult game lounge open 24/7 featuring retro games like Pac-Man, pool, darts, foosball, and shuffleboard. The second floor will still be open to see the floor below.
Spa Enchancements
The spa on the Celebrity Xcel will also see several enhancements. The spa will now have eight therapeutic experiences in the Thermal Suite (for guests who purchase a pass or have access with their room category.
The Hydra Room is a new hydrotherapy space featuring a bubbling pool with massaging jets and heated lounge chairs. It looks to be replacing the Crystal Room and the room with the hanging chairs on other Edge Class ships.
Celebrity is also making use of the previously unused front deck area in front of the spa, turning it into the Vitamin D Deck, which will offer impressive views and comfortable seating.
The salon will include a new Bubbles Bar for guests to enjoy champagne or sparking wine while being pampered.
Celebrity Flagship Store
Celebrity is introducing a new Celebrity Flagship Store onboard the Xcel. It’s a retail space dedicated to the Celebrity brand that also serves as an interactive exhibit celebrating the line’s legacy. It will stock customizable products and exclusive merchandise only available on this ship.
The Celebrity Flagship Store will be located on Deck 5 between Raw on Five, Fine Cut Steakhouse, and Blu. (This area currently houses a large lobby and two boutiques on the Apex.)
Previously Announced Changes for Celebrity Xcel
These new features are in addition to previously announced changes, including Eden being replaced with The Bazaar, and the Rooftop Garden Grill transforming into a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant called Bora.
My Take: Nice Refinements but Not Really a Revolution
Celebrity’s marketing team has been heavily promoting the launch of the Xcel. They’ve spent months highlighting how different this ship is, but in reality, these are essentially refinements.
It’s not like the jump between the original Edge and Beyond, where they added infinity pools and extra square footage. In this case, they’re refining a design they already had and making better use of the space.
For example, The Attic at The Club is basically just installing a bunch of games on the second level. There’s seemingly no structural or functional redesign of the space. It feels like Celebrity needed to add a better adult-oriented gaming area (perhaps to compete with Virgin Voyages’ arcade and The Social Club) but didn’t have a new venue to place it, so they repurposed this one.
It’ll be interesting to see how that works. On my recent sailing on the Apex, the upper level of The Club was jam-packed with people attending shows and activities. Even the press pictures from Celebrity show people having to stand on stairs and in the door to watch the shows here. It’s hard to picture that space doubling as a 24/7 game lounge without some sort of trade-off.
Overall, it’s great to see the continued evolution of the Edge Class design. Still, I don’t know if minor refinements like these warrant as much hype as Celebrity is trying to generate.
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