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Celebrity Xcel vs Celebrity Apex
The Celebrity Xcel is a fairly new ship, being built in 2025. The Celebrity Xcel will feature many of the new additions seen on the Celebrity Beyond and Ascent including more outdoor space, a more open central atrium, and an improved Rooftop Garden. It will also feature a 7 new additions like switching Eden to The Bazaar. It's 5 years newer than the Apex, which was built in 2020 and renovated in 2025. The Celebrity Apex features the "Magic Carpet," a moving platform that makes using water tenders a breeze while in port, or adds outdoor dining space while at sea. This Edge-class of ship is known to feel quite different than the rest of the Celebrity fleet as it's less geared towards traditional cruise passengers.
Comparison Overview
- Ship Size
- Number of Passengers
- Food and Restaurants
- Bars and Drinks
- Pools and Hot Tubs
- Ship Features and Activities
- Cruise Costs
- Onboard Costs
- See Our Detailed Cruise Blog
Ship Size
The Xcel is considered a medium size ship. Coming in at 1,072 feet long and 128 feet wide, it's roughly the length of 3 football fields, as wide as 2.4 tractor-trailers and the same height as a 16-story building. The Xcel and the Apex are in the same class, which means they're sister ships. For the most part, they're similar in terms of size and layout; although they may have different features and attractions on board.
Number of Passengers
Celebrity Xcel holds 12% more passengers than the Apex based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or the total tonnage of a ship compared to the number of passengers, the Xcel has less space per person compared to the Apex.
| Celebrity Xcel | Celebrity Apex | |
|---|---|---|
| Class | Edge | Edge |
| Gross Tonnage | 140,600 | 129,500 |
| Length | 1,072 | 1,004 |
| Beam/Width | 128 | 128 |
| Passenger Decks | 16 | 16 |
| Passengers (double occupancy) | 3,260 | 2,910 |
| Crew | 1,416 | 1,319 |
| Passenger to Crew Ratio | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger) | 43 | 45 |
Food and Restaurants
Food is a big part of any cruise, and the ship you choose can make a huge difference in your food experience.
The Xcel has twenty different dining options like Tuscan Restaurant, Oceanview Cafe, and Normandie Restaurant. Of those options, seven are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other thirteen options have an additional fee.
The Apex has one fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are Le Grand Bistro, Tuscan Restaurant, and Fine Cut Steakhouse. Eight of these restaurants are complementary and the other eleven have an additional fee.
The Celebrity Xcel has about the same number of dining options as the Celebrity Apex.
If you're looking to avoid extra money while on board, the Apex might be a better choice then the Xcel. More of the dining options are included in the base cruise fare, potentially saving you money.
Restaurants on Celebrity Xcel & Apex
| Restaurant | Celebrity Xcel |
Celebrity Apex |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Included | |||
| Cosmopolitan Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Cyprus Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Eden Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Mast Grill | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Normandie Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Oceanview Cafe | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Spa Cafe | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Spice | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Tuscan Restaurant | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| A la carte | |||
| Craft Social | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Raw on 5 | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Flat fee | |||
| Bora | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Chef's Table at Mosaic | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Dinner on the Edge | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Eden Restaurant | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Fine Cut Steakhouse | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Grand Bistro | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Petit Chef and Family | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Le Voyage | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Magic Carpet | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Mosaic Restaurant | ✓ | ✗ | Learn More |
| Rooftop Garden Grill | ✗ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Exclusive (open to select guests only) | |||
| Blu | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
| Luminae | ✓ | ✓ | Learn More |
Bars and Drinks
The Celebrity Xcel has 4 more bars than the Celebrity Apex.
| Celebrity Xcel | Celebrity Apex | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafe al Bacio | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Craft Social | ✓ | ✓ |
| Eden Bar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Il Secondo Bacio | ✓ | ✓ |
| Magic Carpet Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Martini Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mast Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Oceanview Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| Pool Bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sunset bar | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Bazaar Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Club | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Retreat Pool Bar* | ✓ | ✓ |
| World Class Bar | ✓ | ✗ |
In terms of drinks and cocktails, you have a variety of choices. Both ships serve the Coca-cola family of products. That means Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite and Barqs Root Beer, although the selection can vary by ship.
You can check out recent the bar menus for the Xcel and the Apex below.
Pools and Hot Tubs
Nothing beats relaxing by a pool with a nice drink in hand as you feel the fresh sea breeze pass by you. The Celebrity Xcel has a total of 5 pools and 6 hot tubs. 1 of the pools and 2 of the hot tubs are exclusive access, which means there's either an extra charge to access them or you need to book a certain class of cabin to have access to them.
Celebrity Apex has fewer pools than the Xcel and fewer hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Apex. If you like ships without extra charges or exclusive areas, this might be a better choice since everyone will have access to these areas.
Tired of loud kids and splashing? One of the pools and two of the hot tubs are adults only on Xcel.| Celebrity Xcel | Celebrity Apex | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Pools | 5 | 3 |
| Pools - General Access | 3 | 1 |
| Pools - Adults Only | 1 | 1 |
| Pools - Exclusive | 1 | 1 |
| Total Hot Tubs | 6 | 4 |
| Hot Tubs - General Access | 2 | 2 |
| Hot Tubs - Adults Only | 2 | 1 |
| Hot Tubs - Exclusive | 2 | 1 |
Ship Features and Activities
Both ships have lots of activities to keep you busy throughout your cruise. Below you'll see a list of some of the major features on these ships. You might up paying more while on board the Xcel. Only 67% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Apex, 69% of the activities are included at no additional cost.
| Celebrity Xcel | Celebrity Apex | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult Only Relaxation Area | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beyond the Podium Talk Series | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bingo | ✓ | ✓ |
| Casino | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cooking Class | ✓ | ✗ |
| Eden Entertainment Space | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitness Center | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jogging Track | ✓ | ✓ |
| Outdoor movies | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pickleball | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rooftop Garden | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shows - musical review | ✓ | ✓ |
| Spa | ✓ | ✓ |
| The Attic - Adult Gaming Area | ✓ | ✗ |
| The Bazaar Entertainment Space | ✓ | ✗ |
| Thermal Suites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn more | Learn more |
Cruise Costs
Celebrity is a premium cruise line. Premium cruise lines typically offer upscale food, accommodations, and service. These typically cost about $150 - $400 per person per day.
Cruise pricing is dynamic and varies for each specific sailing based on factors such as departure point, ports of call, and time of year. Typically newer ships cost more, so a cruise on Celebrity Xcel will likely be more expensive than on Celebrity Apex.
Onboard Costs
Another way to gauge the cost of a cruise is to consider how much you'll spend on board. Even though a lot is included in the base cruise fare, you may still spend money on things like spa treatments, specialty dining, drinks, and excursions. In addition, guests can also have to pay for things like gratuities and tips.
Typically guests can expect to spend about 25 - 40% of the cost of the cruise on onboard expenses. In other words, if the cruise fare is $1,000 per person, you might spend between $250 and $400 on extra expenses.
The table below will help you understand what you might spend onboard a Celebrity ship.
| Celebrity | |
|---|---|
| Base Daily Gratuities* (Per Person Per Day) | $18.00 |
| Tip added to drinks & services | 20% |
| Soda Price | $4.75 |
| Domestic Beer Price | $9.99 See drink menus |
| Drink Package Price | $55 - $99 Learn more |
| Internet Plan | $19 to $30 per device per day |
| *Daily gratuities for a standard cabin. Suites or specialty rooms may have higher rates. | |
Celebrity Cruise Lines offers an "All Included" program. Guests who book a cruise using this promotion will have wifi and alcohol included. Some sailings are available without this program so pay attention when booking. Typically prices are lower if they don't include "Always Included." The wifi and alcohol package are the base levels and can be upgraded for an additional cost.
We sailed aboard the Celebrity Xcel and Celebrity Apex
We sailed aboard both of these ships. Follow along on our sailings at the links below. We take you through every aspect of our sailing, from getting to the port to debarking the ship. See the schedule of events, menus, what excursions we did, and what we really thought about the ships.
Star of the Seas - Cruise Blog - Day 3 - Perfect Day at CocoCay
Celebrity Apex – Cruise Blog - Day 1 – Southampton
Celebrity Apex – Cruise Blog - Day 2 – Bruges
Celebrity Apex – Cruise Blog - Day 3 – Sea Day
Celebrity Apex – Cruise Blog - Day 4 – Flam
Celebrity Apex – Cruise Blog - Day 5 – Geiranger
Celebrity Apex – Cruise Blog - Day 6 – Bergen
Celebrity Apex – Cruise Blog - Day 7 – Sea Day
4 Hits and Misses on Celebrity Apex
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