Celebrity Xcel Sky Suite Review: Stateroom 9112, Honest Take

Why this stateroom?

Back in April, 2025 we traveled to Europe for the first time. Hesitant as we were to travel by land, figuring out transportation and hotels, we instead booked a cruise aboard the Celebrity Apex taking us from Barcelona, Spain, through the Strait of Gibraltar stopping in Lisbon and then Porto, Portugal, with one more stop in La Coruña, Spain before ending in Southampton England. In addition to those ports, we spent two amazing days touring Barcelona before boarding, and two more whirlwind days in London after disembarking.  Everything we experienced is in our collection of Celebrity Apex Barcelona to Southampton (2025) trip reports.

Not long after we came home, a familiar itch to cruise Europe returned, and we began researching Celebrity’s 2026 itineraries. One particular sailing stood out: it departed Barcelona once again, this time sailing east with ports in Valletta (Malta), Kusadasi (Turkey), and the Greek islands of Mykonos and Santorini before ending in Piraeus (Athens). While we are all about the destinations, it was also incredibly cool that this cruise would be aboard Celebrity’s shiny new Edge-class ship, the Xcel, which had not yet launched when we booked. Who knew back then that the Xcel would be ready early and we’d have the opportunity to sail on her preview cruise –  certainly not us.

Well we’ve just come back from that 2026 sailing from Barcelona to Athens, and this post is all about the Celebrity Xcel Sky Suite – Stateroom 9112. Check out Celebrity Xcel Mediterranean Embarkation Day to see our first impressions of the ship on this sailing.

Background

On the Celebrity Xcel June 12th 7-night sailing from Barcelona to Athens we stayed in a Sky Suite, which is part of the Retreat. It was our second cruise on the Xcel, the first time being on the preview sailing in November 2025, during which time we stayed in an Infinite Veranda cabin, booked as a GTY (guaranteed) stateroom.

This was also our second time in a Sky Suite on a Celebrity Edge-class ship. In April 2025, we boarded the Celebrity Apex from Barcelona to Southampton. Sky suites aboard all the Edge class ships are basically the same, but whereas on the Apex we won a bid to the Sky Suite via the Move Up program, this time we booked the Retreat outright, which didn’t really affect the cabin, but did simplify some of the “extras” and what we needed to do before the sailing.

For details about those “extras” check out our move up program post below, and of course check out our 2025 trip reports for the Xcel Preview and Apex sailings.

• Celebrity Move Up Program: 7 Things We Wish We Knew
• Celebrity Xcel Preview Cruise (2025) – Trip Reports
• Celebrity Apex Barcelona to Southampton (2025) – Trip Reports

In this post, we’ll cover the specifics of the cabin, the really good bits and the less really good bits, and then compare it with the Infinite Veranda stateroom we stayed in last year.

Stateroom 9112 Details

Stateroom Location and Specs

Stateroom 9112 is category S1, which just means it’s a Sky Suite, and has 398 total square feet, with about 319 of that the interior space with the rest outside on the veranda. It’s located on deck 9, forward on the starboard side. The stateroom is pretty far forward – it’s the second-to-last cabin on the straight starboard corridor before the ship’s larger forward suites. Feel free to check out the full Celebrity Xcel deck plan.

It’s far enough from the forward elevator bank that there’s no noise from it, but only about 8 or 9 cabins away, making it a short walk. Now being as far forward as this stateroom is means there’s likely going to be more pitch (up and down movement) on rough seas. We didn’t experience any movement at all on this sailing, though the seas were relatively calm, except for close to Mykonos.  We actually experienced more movement in the Caribbean just walking around the ship during the preview sailing. The Xcel is a large, modern ship and both its length and width plus the stabilizers help minimize movement.

Stateroom Layout

Upon entering the stateroom, you are greeted by a large closet on the left with a full length mirror, then the bathroom door and another storage cabinet. In the main area of the cabin is a king-sized bed that faces out toward the veranda, so you can lounge in bed and look out at the sea. The bed has two small night tables on either side, though only the one on the right has power outlets and USB ports.

On the far left wall is a sofa with a coffee table in front. The sofa faces a big, flat screen television on the far right wall above the dresser/desk unit. The television pivots out so you can watch it in bed. The dresser is considerably wider than in a typical stateroom and has a power/usb box on top, and the refrigerator on the bottom right. The desk sits immediately to the right of the dresser (closer to the bed) below a small lit mirror and comes with a sturdy chair. The outside veranda is the width of the room, and offers two comfortable chairs and a table.

Bathrooms Deserve Their Own Section

The word spacious comes to mind when describing the bathroom. A big bath tub / shower combo with a door sits on the left. There is no retractable laundry line on the edge class ships, though there are some hooks in the bathroom itself. The multiple knobs in the shower take some getting used to but work well to control the temperature, overhead rain shower head and handheld shower head. It comes with nice smelling retreat shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. 

The bath and hand towels are definitely plush, and you can hang your bath towels on two hooks on the inside of the bathroom door right outside the shower door. This is convenient for snagging a towel to dry off, even while you’re still in the shower itself. 

The toilet is separated from the rest of the bathroom by a frosted glass door, so you can privately do your business while someone is doing something hygienic.  There’s an extra wide sink with faucets on either side, and above the sink is an extra-wide mirror that you can slide aside to reveal a large window that overlooks the bed, giving you a view out the veranda. It’s pretty slick, though not the most useful thing in the world. 

To the left of the sink is a vanity with its own mirrors and shelves plus a seat beneath it. To the right of the sink are more shelves with hand lotion and containers of cotton balls and cotton swabs.  The two of us had all our unpackable toiletries out on the shelves with room to spare. 

Storage, Bed and Everything Else

This stateroom is meant for two people, and we two people are not particularly light packers, especially for 7 nights when we planned to change for dinner every night. We unpacked everything and slid our two large pieces of luggage and two rolling carry-ons beneath the bed. The closet, dresser and extra storage devoured all our belongings, yet had room for more. The closet came with a surplus of hangers, and between all our clothes hanging above and shoes and laundry bag(s) below, the closet was well used, but not packed. Put simply, storage was not a problem.

Let’s talk about the bed. On the Xcel’s Preview sailing, when we were the first passengers to sleep on our bed, the mattress was not just firm. It was hard. Our backs ached by morning. Seven months and whatever number of sailings later, all the humans have tenderized these mattresses. This time the bed was firm, but comfortably so.

The power box on top of the dresser contains one European and two North American outlets, plus two USB-A and two USB-C jacks. The right side of the bed has one North American power outlet and two USB jacks as well.

The veranda was about 80 square feet, with plenty of room to move around or sit in the comfortable chairs with the table between eager to hold snacks, books, or our feet. The views straight out or to the right were 100% clear. However, up and to the left sticking out of the ship is the bridge wing. The anchor/mooring gear on the forecastle all sat in the sightline up and to the left. There’s some other smaller parts of the ship closer to eye level, so we didn’t have an entirely panoramic view forward.

Speaking of the anchor, the windlass and anchor and anchor chain make quite the racket when the ship weighs anchor. We discovered this when the ship settled in one early morning at Mykonos. That, and the family with young kids next door were the only real noise that disturbed us on the sailing.

Check out the full cabin tour right here.

Sky Suite and Infinite Veranda Compared

Since we’ve stayed in both an Infinite Veranda and a Sky Suite on the Celebrity Xcel, it made sense to present a comparison of the specific staterooms across several dimensions. Some of the comparison is specific to the cabin itself, including its location, but some of it will be simply based on the stateroom class.

Below is a table comparing those dimensions with a declared winner, and the details following. The Sky Suite did not win every category.

Location

6272 (Infinite Veranda)

• 18 – 19 cabins away from aft elevators, farther than 9112 from the forward elevators
• Very convenient for the Bazaar, Grand Plaza, and main dining rooms
• Stairs are super convenient for all of those public spaces noted above

9112 (Sky Suite)

• 8 – 9 cabins away from forward elevators
• Convenient location for reaching both upper pool decks and lower public spaces.

Winner: 9112, but only by a little.

Stateroom & Veranda Dimensions, Bathroom

6272

• Cabin: 201 sq ft
• Infinite Veranda: 42 sq ft (integrated into the room)  

Bathroom:

• Single vanity
• Walk-in shower
• Compact but well designed

9112

• Cabin: 319 sq ft
• Balcony: 79 sq ft (actual outdoor balcony)  

Bathroom:

• considerably wider vanity
• much more counter space
• separate toilet compartment
• full tub/shower combination
• significantly more room to move around  

The extra 118 square feet is very noticeable. 9112 is the winner and it’s not close.

Noise

6272

Advantages:

• No public venues above or below
• No theater noise
• Little hallway traffic

Disadvantages:

• Loud creaking at night, though this could have been remediated by now

There is seating for the Bazaar on this deck in the very back of the ship, which one would think translates to noise. However, it is walled off and structurally separate. We never noticed any noise.

9112

Advantages:

• Staterooms above and below
• No restaurants, casino or theater nearby.
• Because it’s farther down the hallway from the elevators, hallway traffic is minimal.

Disadvantage:

• Anchor chain/windlass noise: When the ship drops or weighs anchor at tender ports you hear it. 

Apart from the weird creaking on the preview sailing and the anchor noise, I’d rate both excellent for quietness. It’s a tie.

Views

6272

Advantages:

• Great horizon views
• Stable perspective

Disadvantages:

• Infinite Veranda means you’re still inside the room.
• Window frame is always present.
• Minor obstruction only when you look down (lower 20% of downward angle)

9112

Advantages:

• Real balcony, can sit outside
• Glass railing
• Fresh air without shutting off the cabin HVAC

Disadvantages:

• The bow structure, bridge wing overhang, and the anchor/mooring gear on the forecastle all sit in your sightline up and to the very left so not entirely a panoramic view forward

Unless you’d prefer not to be outside, 9112 wins this hands down.

Storage: Head to Head

This is actually one of the biggest differences.

6272

Storage is good but not generous.

You have:

• Closet
• Drawers
• Desk drawers
• Overhead cabinets

For two people on a week-long cruise, it works but takes planning.

9112

Much better.

You gain:

• double-wide closet
• additional shelving
• more hanging space
• larger dresser
• more countertop area

Practically speaking, in 6272, we two people used every drawer and shelf, while in 9112, many shelves remained empty. If you’re unpacking clothing, jackets, random gear, electronics, and cruise accessories, you’ll appreciate the extra room. 9112 wins bigly.

Motion in rough seas

6272

Deck 6 – aft third of the ship, i.e. it’s aft, but close to mid.

Advantages:

• lower deck
• closer to the ship’s center of gravity

Disadvantage:

• Slightly more vertical movement than an exact midship cabin

It is one of the more stable locations on the ship.

9112

Deck 9 – far forward – among the last staterooms until you’re in the bow section of staterooms

Disadvantages:

• More pitch (up & down) in rough seas
• Slightly more side-to-side movement being 3 decks up from 6272

In rough seas, passengers will likely notice the difference, though on a ship the size of the Xcel, the difference will not be huge. 6272 wins.

Bottom line

Stateroom 6272 is one of the better Infinite Veranda cabins on Xcel because it’s quiet, conveniently located, and relatively stable in rough seas.

However, Sky Suite 9112 is a substantial upgrade in the aspects you’ll notice every day:

• about 60% more interior living space,
• a much larger bathroom,
• significantly better storage,
• true private balcony – except when your neighbor’s small child’s eyes appear in the gap between the wall and railing. It’s ideal for relaxing and enjoying the ocean without compromising the room’s climate control.  

Getting real here, for us the stateroom is not where we spend most of our time, but there were two things that made the biggest difference: storage and the veranda.  Having all that storage makes living in that cabin for a week that much easier. We didn’t have to keep anything in our bags or otherwise crush our stuff into less roomy storage. As for the veranda, when we were in the cabin, it was an ideal place to kick back with a drink and enjoy the fresh air while taking in the views, reading a book, or fiddling with our phones. While the Infinite Veranda theoretically allows you to do this, it’s simply not the same.

Keep an eye on the Xcel Mediterranean 2026 page or subscribe down below to be notified when the next trip report goes live. Next up is our Malta port day. In later posts, we’ll share our thoughts on the Retreat and all its amenities. We will also cover our cost for this sailing in another upcoming post on Sky Suite outright vs Move Up.