Celebrity Xcel Mediterranean Embarkation Day — From Barcelona to Fine Cut Steakhouse
How did we get here?
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 Mediterranean embarkation day. Check out our Barcelona day trip itinerary to find out what we did after landing in Barcelona.
Getting to the port
After a fitful night’s sleep, it was Friday and we were feeling ready to get on board the Celebrity Xcel. Because we were in the Retreat, we could board any time from the moment they let passengers on the ship, typically between 10:30 – 11:00 AM. We knew this because the Celebrity App showed DJ Welcome Aboard Beats in the Grand Plaza from 10:30, though all the remaining venues did not open until 11:00.
Last year, we’d sailed on the Apex from Barcelona and had moved up to the retreat, but couldn’t board early because the ship was late coming out of dry dock in France the day before and was running hours’ behind schedule. You can read all about that experience in La Pedrera – Unplanned Day 3 in Barcelona and the Ordeal That Wasn’t.
There’s a lot of options for transportation from a Barcelona hotel to the cruise port, including taxis, ship arranged transport, and rideshare. However, I’d strongly advise against Uber in this case, because the rideshare regulations in Barcelona place some limits on true rideshare drivers. Some passengers on our cruise took an Uber but were dropped off at a rideshare lot near the cruise terminal, not at the cruise terminal.
Uber does partner with the black and yellow Barcelona taxis, so you can reserve a taxi if you like, but we downloaded the Freenow app and used it to reserve a 10:30 AM taxi in advance. Ironically, Freenow is owned by Lyft, an Uber competitor in certain locations. If you do use Freenow, once you register, they load a sizable discount voucher on your first ride into your account. As an aside, Cabify is also a good option, and we’d used it in 2025 for a ride to Park Guell.
So now, we had everything packed, and after a quick breakfast at a cafe next door, we checked out and took our bags outside to the front of the hotel to wait for the taxi.
The Freenow app operates like the Uber and Lyft apps, so we knew the driver’s name, where they were, and the license plate of the taxi. The driver picked us up right at 10:30 AM and had us standing at the entrance of the cruise terminal with all our bags by 10:50. With the Freenow discount voucher and a small gratuity, the ride cost only $13.25.
Embarkation and First Looks
It only took a few minutes to leave our large checked bags with the porters, and we were headed inside and through security in maybe another five minutes. We took advantage of the special line for the Retreat where they offer snacks and refreshments while you comfortably wait for someone to come over with and get you sorted out. Before we could do so much as eyeball said snacks, a retreat concierge materialized, noted that we’d already completed the entire check in process on the app and sent us on our way through the duty free shopping to the gangway.
Now let’s rewind. Embarkation. Walking onto the ship… with purpose… right through the art gallery as always on Celebrity, or at least it feels that way. One of the crew members there was so excited and super friendly and just made us feel welcome. Because we’d been on the Xcel last November, we knew roughly how to get to our stateroom and as we passed The Club and other familiar landmarks the familiarity was nice.
A quick elevator ride brought us up to deck 9, forward, where we found our Sky Suite and dropped our bags, momentarily absorbing the spacious accommodations we’d have for 7 nights. You can expect all the goods on the Sky Suite, a cabin tour, and the Retreat in general in the next post.
Meanwhile, there was business to attend to at the Retreat Lounge on deck 15 before we could settle down for the first coffees at Café al Bacio. We had purchased the specialty restaurant trio package during a Black Friday sale for $115.99 plus 20% gratuities per person. Considering Celebrity’s specialty dining prices, that was a great deal for a package that included two specialty dining dinners and one lunch or brunch at most specialty restaurants on board, excluding the high end, exclusive tasting experiences. The caveat was we had to make the reservations on board, hence the drive by at the Retreat Lounge.
There was one crew member / concierge waiting in the lounge for spa reservations and one for dining reservations. We quickly snagged dinner at Fine Cut Steakhouse for this very night, as well as a brunch tomorrow at Bora — LOVED Bora brunch on the preview sailing, and then dinner back at Bora the next night. Or at least we thought we did. More on that, later.
Reservations theoretically made, we set off to Café al Bacio on deck 4, where vacation mode officially kicked in. Also, setting off to Café al Bacio is a frequent theme on this and virtually any Celebrity cruise. When we arrived, it was nice and quiet so we grabbed a seat, ordered the traditional hot and iced americanos and soaked it all in.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate how well Celebrity handles embarkation. Think about all the stressful things on embarkation day up until that point on the ship when you’re truly on vacation – no bags, no pending muster drill, just enjoying everything the ship has to offer. Once you’re at the cruise terminal, Celebrity makes it as easy as possible, and not just for Retreat guests. We had much the same experience last November when we were in a regular stateroom.
Everything moves smoothly and quickly at the terminal, and you’re heading for the gangway before you know it. Once onboard, you can drop your carry-ons in your staterooms right away, whereas many other lines have you drag them around with you until you get the all clear. This doesn’t cost extra – I’m looking at your Carnival.
Once past security in the terminal, we were on the ship in minutes, dropped our carry-ons in our stateroom, and with the stop in the Retreat lounge, found ourselves sipping coffee at Café al Bacio 35 minutes after depositing our luggage with the porters outside. Muster was a breeze given we’d watched the muster videos in the app while still in the hotel room that morning, so just needed to spend all of one minute checking in at our muster station after coffee. How good is that?
Because it was quiet, we figured it was as good a time as any to check out the Bazaar. Last we’d been here was during the Caribbean sailing, and Celebrity promised it would change based on the destination. The digital displays in the hallway to the Bazaar this time had a nautical/celestial kind of feel, with lemon and olive-branch motifs arching overhead – definitely a Mediterranean feel without bashing you over the head about it.
The markets at the Bazaar also were stocked with Mediterranean inspired goods, though it would not open until after sail-away.
The main bar and entertainment area was quiet and similarly themed. So far, Celebrity was making good on its promise.
Vacation starts with lunch
Lunch time had arrived, and we were ready to check out Luminae, the suites-only restaurant on most Celebrity ships, and one of the best benefits of being in the Retreat. Luminae is all the way in the front of the ship up on deck 16, and our table was at the very front beside the floor to ceiling windows.
We had a nice conversation with a couple at the next table who were taking advantage of the Extend Your Stay program in Barcelona given a late flight. They’d been on the prior sailing but got to remain aboard, eating at Luminae, and could stay as late as 90 minutes before the ship departed.
We also met our assistant waiter, Kendra from Barbados, and our very polished and serious waiter, Mario from India. They were delightful and it was clearly going to be our mission to break Mario.
Our first non-coffee drinks were the traditional Bloody Mary for Rona and the Luminae specialty cocktail, Bourbon and Peaches for me (wouldn’t be the last).
We chose some distinctly Mediterranean items off the lunch menu, starting with Italian-style seabass crudo. While Rona went traditional with a Cobb salad, I chose Campero de Pollo, which after some research, is actually a street-food speciality called Campero malagueño from Málaga, Spain.
The seabass was fresh, light and delicious. Apart from the requisite lettuce and tomatoes, Rona’s Cobb salad was laden with chicken, avocado, blue cheese, hard-boiled egg, and bacon, but dang if that bacon wasn’t big ol’ brick lardons. My sandwich had roasted chicken, ham, provolone, garlic aioli and a fried egg. It was delicious but was a giant mess to eat. We did skip dessert, but somewhere along the way elicited a smile out of Mario. There would be more.
We spent some time after lunch with iced teas, an ever so yummy double chocolate chip cookie, and vegan banana bread from Café al Bacio. Seated at a prime table overlooking the Grand Plaza, we enjoyed listening to solo guitarist Christian, who we’d catch again later in the cruise.
Before sail-away, we opted to get some trivia losses out of the way, with both general and music trivia at the Club. And lose, we did, though the Old Fashioned and Jack and Diet Coke were delightful. For more info on the two-level Club venue, check out our first trip report on the Xcel’s preview sailing.
Sailaway started around 5:15 PM, and we enjoyed it from our veranda. It was a pretty chill experience sailing out of the busy Barcelona cruise port, slowly passing and exchanging joyful waves with the passengers aboard the P&O Arvia, followed by the Aida Cosma, then the Viking Mira and MSC World Europa. It was quite the contrast, with the small, luxurious Viking ship surrounded by three mainstream mega ships.
Before and after sail-away, we unpacked everything we had with cabin storage to spare, got dressed for our 6:30 dinner reservation at Fine Cut Steakhouse. Along the way, we swung by the Celebrity Flagship store that sells all the branded clothing, gear, and keepsakes, which as of right now is unique to the Xcel. Rona snagged a Celebrity sweatshirt off the sale rack plus a small branded nylon backpack that was on a half-price promotion with purchase. That sucker proved indispensable on each of our shore excursions.
Fine Cut Steakhouse
Fine Cut Steakhouse gets mixed reviews. We ate there on the Apex last year, and really liked most of the food, though didn’t love the steak. We had never had a Tomahawk steak before, and decided to give it a whirl. But as we pointed out in La Pedrera – Unplanned Day 3 in Barcelona and the Ordeal That Wasn’t, being able to try new things is the beauty of cruising.
As with all Edge-class ships, Fine Cut sits on deck 5 near Raw on 5, across the Grand Plaza. We were seated next to the floor to ceiling windows – seriously, we were two for two with the window seating today! The sommelier swung by and we ordered drinks from the cocktail menu because of course we did; the Retreat includes the premium drinks package. I got the Paper Plane bourbon-based concoction and Rona chose a Mezcalita. Then there was bread – a pull apart brioche of some kind – and we called it good.
Our waiter, Suraj from India came by and took our orders. Rona went with the lobster cocktail and I had the crab cake, as I’d had and enjoyed last year. For entrees, Rona ordered the filet mignon and I opted for the picanha, and we shared sauteed spinach, gruyère tater tots, and roasted mushrooms sides.
First off, the appetizers were great. The lobster cocktail with the melon and grapefruit was refreshing and bright. The crab cake, as it was last year, was thick with crab meat.
The picanha was tender and juicy, but the filet mignon cut like… well, like buttah. The spinach and mushrooms were great.
But the tater tots were something else. There were three humongous croquette-like beasties, with a crispy exterior and ooey-gooey insides. Perfectly healthy deliciousness.
The tots also came with a horse radish sauce, which Rona repurposed for her filet. But when the ever observant Suraj noticed this, he immediately vanished into the kitchen and returned with a little bowl of grated horse radish – the good stuff.
While we were both full, I took one for the team and ordered a cafe americano and the ultimate chocolate sundae. Rona did in fact have a taste or two. But it was a lost cause – this sundae was a monster. We did manage to eat the pirouette it came with.
Fine Cut was an awesome experience for us all around. The food was excellent, Suraj was incredibly attentive and the restaurant somehow managed to be relatively quiet despite it being near the Grand Plaza.
Snafu Correction and Nighttime Entertainment
After dinner, we relaxed in the cabin in advance of the 9:30 headliner show in the theater. While checking the Celebrity app for options after the show, I noticed that our other specialty dining reservations we’d made in the Retreat Lounge this morning were missing.
This called for the butler!
What?
As part of being in the Retreat, you get a butler, essentially a personalized concierge, Sherpa, and food and beverage server all rolled into one. To be honest, we didn’t know what to do with a butler last year when we were in the Retreat on the Apex. The concept was so alien to us.
At some point during the day today, our butler Vengai from Zimbabwe had come by the stateroom and introduced himself. He was delightful and outgoing and told us all the ways in which he could enhance our experience. We also learned a bunch about Zimbabwe, including that there’s a significant elephant overpopulation, kind of like Canada geese in New Jersey. He left his card in the room with his WhatsApp number, a.k.a. “butler chat”, and told us to message him if we needed anything.
Now was the time, so I messaged him the situation. He responded immediately and then 15 minutes later let us know he’d booked us for Bora brunch tomorrow morning at 11:30 and 8 PM dinner on day 3. Sweet. Mind you, I did wind up pushing the dinner reservation to later in the sailing.
Mark Simmons was the headliner tonight in the main theater at both 7:30 and 9:30 PM. We arrived a little early, taking advantage of the reserved seating on deck 5 for Retreat guests. This was the American comedian Mark Simmons, not the English comedian, and one-liner expert. Being in the main theater, this was his family friendly show, and was very funny.
After the show we went down to The Club on deck 4, hoping to get into IYKYK, the 1920’s themed speakeasy and worst kept secret on the Xcel. The crew still do a nice job feigning ignorance about the place. On the preview sailing, the lines were long and you were handed a pager and waited somewhere 30+ minutes for it to go off.
To the right of the bar in The Club is a Photo Booth, and some time after 5 or 5:30 PM, a door on the other side of the Photo Booth slides open revealing a secret corridor that leads to said speakeasy. Once inside, the hostess hands you your photos and escorts you to a table.
Sadly, you cannot take out your phone or take photos. I mean, it is the 1920’s prohibition era inside, so cell phones aren’t a thing and photographic evidence of these illegal activities would be bad for business. Plus the cops show up to raid the place once every hour, looking for evidence of illicit drinking.
We waited maybe 5 – 10 minutes before being invited into the Photo Booth. Inside, all the performers, hostesses and bartenders are dressed for the period. On one side is a band with a pianist, saxophone player, stand up bassist, and drummer. A singer comes out to sing with the band at least once per hour.
Tonight, they were performing a bunch of modern songs stylized to the era, and it was so unique and fun. One of our favorite’s was Wham’s Careless Whisper as a slow, dramatic torch song. Wandering entertainers also mingle around the place, dancing, singing, juggling and doing some magic. You’ve got one hour to enjoy the experience.
Tonight, we also met the assistant bar manager, Sarah from Indonesia, who was actually not dressed for the 1920’s. That’s how you know you got a manager. Nothing nefarious here. Sarah was actually up front when we went in and brought us to our table. She, too, was engaging and fun, and checked in on us each time we visited during this sailing.
A server came over to our little table with drink menus and water plus bar snacks (yay, bar snacks). There are many prohibition-era drinks on the menu, though some are just named to sound like they would belong. For example, my favorite was the Split Decision, a 21st century concoction with a name that harkens back to boxing’s initial golden age of the 1920’s. I’m pretty sure it was bourbon based, but am unable to share the details because… no photography! However, they’ve got a full menu and you can get most anything you’d like.
The music was great, the drinks sublime, and we chatted with some of the performers, complimenting their talent and awesomeness. After our hour was up, we got up and made our way out a side exit that magically opens to a hidden doorway near the entrance of The Club. They don’t come get you, at least they didn’t come get us, you just know it’s time to go. In any case, we’d be back… a bunch… not nearly as often as Café al Bacio, but we would be back.
What a fantastic way to start off a cruise after running around Barcelona yesterday with little to no sleep. Boarding was a snap and the vacation started almost the moment we stepped off the gangway. We ate and drank a lot of good stuff, we were entertained a lot, the Celebrity crew – every one of them who we met – were wonderful. Compared with our recent Disney Wish embarkation day experience, this was night and day superior.
Keep an eye on the Xcel Mediterranean 2026 page or subscribe down below to be notified when the next trip report goes live. It’ll include a full Sky Suite stateroom review as well as all the good stuff from the Retreat.