Celebrity Xcel vs Celebrity Equinox

The Celebrity Xcel is still being built and will debut 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. The Xcel is still under construction and Celebrity hasn't released all the details yet. It's 16 years newer than the Equinox, which was built in 2009 and renovated in 2019.

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

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. Compared to the Celebrity Equinox, the Xcel is 15% larger in terms of overall tons.

Number of Passengers

Celebrity Xcel holds 14% more passengers than the Equinox based on double occupancy (two people per room). When you look at the "Space Ratio," or tons of ship compared to number of passengers, the Xcel has the same amount of space per person as the Equinox.

	Celebrity Xcel	Celebrity Equinox
Class	Edge	Solstice
Gross Tonnage	140,600	122,000
Length	1,072	1,033
Beam/Width	128	121
Passenger Decks	16	13
Passengers (double occupancy)	3,260	2,852
Crew	1,416	1,290
Passenger to Crew Ratio	2.3	2.2
Space Ratio (tons of ship per passenger)	43	43

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-one different dining options like Normandie Restaurant, Fine Cut Steakhouse, and Raw on 5. Of those options, eight are complementary, or included with your cruise fare. The other thirteen options have an additional fee.

The Equinox has eleven fewer dining venues. Some of its popular venues are AquaSpa Cafe, Sushi on Five, and Main Dining Room. nine of these restaurants are complementary and the other six have an additional fee.

If you like having a variety of places to eat, the Xcel might be a better choice. It has more than double the amount of dining options than the Equinox.

Both ships have a similar number of paid versus included dining options.

Restaurants on Celebrity Xcel & Equinox

Restaurant	Celebrity Xcel	Celebrity Equinox
Included
AquaSpa Cafe	✗	✓	Learn More
Cosmopolitan Restaurant	✓	✗	Learn More
Cyprus Restaurant	✓	✗	Learn More
Main Dining Room	✗	✓	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
Sushi on Five	✗	✓	Learn More
Flat fee
Bora	✓	✗	Learn More
Chef's Table at Mosaic	✓	✗	Learn More
Dinner on the Edge	✓	✗	Learn More
Fine Cut Steakhouse	✓	✗	Learn More
Le Grand Bistro	✓	✗	Learn More
Le Petit Chef and Family	✓	✗	Learn More
Le Petit Chef at Qsine	✗	✓	Learn More
Le Voyage	✓	✗	Learn More
Magic Carpet	✓	✗	Learn More
Mosaic Restaurant	✓	✗	Learn More
Murano	✗	✓	Learn More
Tuscan Grille	✗	✓	Learn More
Exclusive (open to select guests only)
Blu	✓	✓	Learn More
Luminae	✓	✓	Learn More

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.

There are also plenty of bars available on these ships. You can check out recent the bar menus for the Xcel and the Equinox 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 Equinox has fewer pools than the Xcel and the same number of hot tubs. There are fewer exclusive pools and hot tubs on the Equinox. 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 Equinox
Total Pools	5	3
Pools - General Access	3	2
Pools - Adults Only	1	1
Pools - Exclusive	1
Total Hot Tubs	6	6
Hot Tubs - General Access	2	4
Hot Tubs - Adults Only	2	2
Hot Tubs - Exclusive	2

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 62% of the activities below are included in your cruise fare. On the Equinox, 67% of the activities are included at no additional cost.

	Celebrity Xcel	Celebrity Equinox
Basketball	✓	✓
Beyond the Podium Talk Series	✓	✓
Bingo	✓	✓
Casino	✓	✓
Cooking Class	✓	✗
Eden Entertainment Space	✓	✗
Fitness Center	✓	✓
Hot Glass Show	✗	✓
Jogging Track	✓	✓
Lawn Club	✗	✓
Outdoor movies	✓	✓
Rooftop Garden	✓	✗
Shows - musical review	✓	✓
Spa	✓	✓
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 Equinox.

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	$4.00
Domestic Beer Price	$8.00 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.

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