Celebrity Xcel – Revealing Preview Cruise Embarkation and a Blissful Day at Sea

The Celebrity Xcel is Celebrity’s brand new Edge class ship, whose maiden voyage was scheduled for November 18, 2025. Perhaps because the ship’s construction was ahead of schedule, or because this was the secret plan all the time, Celebrity added a 4-night preview sailing on November 9th, round trip from Fort Lauderdale with a single stop in Cozumel, Mexico.  

In early May we booked an Infinite Veranda guaranteed rate, meaning the cruise line would assign our state room as it got closer to the sailing. This cost us $2,367, not including gratuities, drink package, or wi-fi, which we would add later.  This is the first of two trip reports, and covers embarkation day and our first day at sea.

Embarkation Day

With the U.S. government shut down, we were fortunate that our flight made it to Fort Lauderdale at all, and we arrived at our hotel at 2 AM the day of the sailing. After an abbreviated sleep and rushed breakfast at the Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Airport & Cruise Port, we took a 15-20 minute Uber to Port Everglades. With tip, this cost $36 for the two of us, which was less costly and more comfortable than taking the hotel shuttle that ran every hour.

Rideshare drop-off at Port Everglades Terminal 25 is right next to the terminal entrance, with luggage porters waiting to take your checked bags. After a quick stop for a photo we didn’t buy in front of an Xcel balloon display, by 11 AM we were riding the escalator up to priority check-in, taking advantage of our purchase of the Premium Access: Wi-Fi & More Perks package. More on that package later. 

Check-in was mostly seamless. For some reason our Xpress Passes briefly vanished from the Celebrity App during check-in, but the agent had our information and Xpress Passes on their iPad, so on we went. By 11:20 AM we were the first paying passengers standing inside Infinite Veranda State Room 6272, dropping our bags and snapping a photo of First Mate Rolo on the bed. Our SeaPass cards had been waiting for us in a slot by the door.

The mandatory safety briefing was all handled on the Celebrity App. We watched all of it while still in the Uber. Later on we’d record a cabin tour for Youtube, which you can watch below.

With a quick stop at the muster station for a crew member to scan our sea card, thus completing the safety briefing, it was time for our favorite coffee shop at sea, Café al Bacio.

Café al Bacio sits in the Grand Plaza on deck 4 of the Celebrity Xcel, offering a variety of hot and iced coffees, teas, and espresso-based drinks, and hot chocolate. It’s open from 6am until midnight every day, including disembarkation day. Best of all, there is a case containing all sorts of delicious little cakes and pastries as well as finger sandwiches, all of which rotates daily.

You can order at the counter and take things to go, or you can set yourself down in one of the more than 90 comfortable seats, browse the menu on the accompanying table and one of the crew will come take your order. There is a mix of tables for larger parties and cozy tables for two, some near the windows, some overlooking deck 3 of the Grand Plaza, including the Martini Bar. It’s a great place to relax, read, chat and people-watch.

Once we finished our initial people-watching and drinks – an Iced Americano for Rona and a hot Café Americano for me, we decided to check out the Bazaar on deck 5 in the aft of the ship. The Bazaar has been widely publicized on the Xcel, the first of its kind on Edge class ships. It’s a multi-deck experience with a market, festivals and entertainment that depend on the ship’s destination. There is a tunnel that acts as a bridge from the rest of the ship into the Bazaar. The tunnel is immersive, featuring LED lighting and projection mapped panels, all of which is themed to match the festival. On our sailing, it changed each day.

Between the tunnel and the Bazaar proper is the Market at the Bazaar, part of Celebrity’s aim to blur the line between ship and shore. It is a rotating sea-day marketplace where local artisans, cultural tastings, and destination-inspired pop-up shops bring the flavor of each port directly onboard.

On the other Edge-class ships, much of the area is called Eden, and on deck 5 it includes a bar, seating and entertainment area that hosts a variety of shows. There are huge panoramic windows along the aft of the ship, with a ring of seating overlooking the entire space on deck 6. Eden’s theme tends to be more about nature, while the Bazaar is themed with the changing festivals as well as that sailing’s destinations. 

Below on deck 4, Xcel’s Mosaic restaurant replaces the Eden specialty restaurant on the other Edge-class ships. We did not try Mosaic, so cannot speak to whether it is as good or better than Eden, which was our favorite dining experience on the Apex earlier this year.

One notable upgrade is the presence of Spice, a casual dining / “grab and go” location that replaces Eden Café on the older ships. Its menu includes rotating dishes inspired by the ship’s itinerary. Spice is open every day for breakfast and lunch, as well as afternoon snack time, whereas Eden Café was only open on sea days.

Spice also offers more seating with natural light and floor to ceiling windows.

Spice has a counter offering a variety of coffees, teas, espressos, and some cakes and themed pastries much like Café al Bacio. Perhaps most importantly for the folks who may be upset that the Xcel does not have the Spa Café found on other Celebrity ships, this counter also offers the healthy juices and smoothies typically found in the Spa Café.

It was at this point we had our first of two interactions with a cruise content creator we follow. We were not sure which Youtubers would be on this sailing, though we knew a few would be on the maiden voyage later in the month.

As we strode back through the tunnel from the Bazaar, a familiar looking guy was moving with purpose in the opposite direction, and I leaned into Rona and said, “I think that’s Zach the Traveling Man.” Rona looked over at him and without any reservation called out, “Hey, Zach!”.  Zach the Traveling Man turned and walked back over to us. He was the nicest guy and we talked for a few minutes about the ship, his impressions – he particularly loved the Celebrity Flagship area, which we’ll come to next. Epic fail that we didn’t take a picture with him. We repeated that mistake the next day.

Between the tunnel to the Bazaar and the Grand Plaza sits Celebrity Flagship, part museum, part retail store, though the store is only open on sea days. In one exhibit area sits memorabilia, photos of old ships, old ship deck plans, marine chronometers, various posters and a large cut-away model of the ship, in which guests are challenged to discover “Where’s Waldo”.

Another area has an interactive touchscreen with a video wall display allowing folks to learn about the history of the fleet, though we did not try it out on this sailing. The Flagship store sells a mix of branded apparel, accessories, drinkware, small souvenirs, customizable gifts, and ship-themed memorabilia. Nothing is particularly inexpensive, but I did buy a pair of Celebrity Xcel hats for $40.

At this point, we decided to check out the rest of the ship, so we took the aft elevators up to deck 15 for the Rooftop Garden, always a serene place to hang, and Bora, which we’d reserved for brunch the next day. Apart from Bora replacing Rooftop Garden Grill, much was the same as it was on the Apex, although up here are two plunge pools right along the edge of the ship.

Down the stairs to deck 14, we felt obliged to tour the Oceanview Cafe, Celebrity’s well stocked and better than average buffet. Everything looked fresh and tasty, and based on prior experience, this wasn’t because it was the first day with paying customers. We had other lunch plans, so popped outside to check out the pool deck with its monkey sculptures. Each Edge class ship has different ones, with the Apex having “Meeting Hearts”, depicting a man and woman’s hands forming a large heart. 

The pool seems big enough for the ship, with plenty of sun loungers everywhere plus some in-pool loungers in shallow water along one side of the pool. Celebrity offers the “poolest day ever” on the last sea day for the sailing, with games and snacks and drinks during the day, and then at night is the “Shine the Night” party, a high-energy, after-dark pool-deck party featuring dazzling lights, live performances, and guests dressed in their shiniest outfits for a big outdoor celebration. We didn’t do either of them because we had a lot of activities already packed into the cruise.

We then had a quick meander toward the front of the ship, where just before the Spa you find the Solarium, the adult-only indoor pool area with a high glass atrium roof and plenty of cushioned loungers. Several years ago when we sailed on the Celebrity Solstice to Alaska, we took a nap in the Solarium until our cabin was ready. It’s warm, quiet and relaxing, though on sea days it can get more active. As noted earlier, the Spa Cafe is not present in the Solarium on Xcel, though the many of the beverages are available in Spice.

Lastly, we walked back mid-ship and took a look around the Magic Carpet, a bright orange, cantilevered platform that hangs off the side of the ship. It serves as a bar, lounge, restaurant and tender platform depending on the deck it’s hanging off of and the time of day. It’s kind of like a floating patio with ocean views on three sides. On the Apex sailing earlier this year, the ship had just come out of dry dock with the Magic Carpet inaccessible and under repair until the last port. So this was really our first opportunity to see it occupied.

While there was more of the ship to see, it was lunch time and we were hungry. Here are the included dining options that are usually open for each meal on each type of day:

BREAKFAST

Breakfast is not available on embarkation day.

Venue	Sea Day	Port day	Disembarkation Day
Oceanview Cafe	YES	YES	YES
Spice Cafe	YES	YES	YES
Luminae (Retreat Guests)	YES	YES	YES
Blu (Aqua Guests)	YES	YES	YES
Cosmopolitan Dining Room	YES	YES	YES

LUNCH

Venue	Embarkation Day	Sea Day	Port day
Oceanview Cafe	YES	YES	YES
Mast Grill	YES	YES	YES
Spice Cafe	YES	YES	YES
Luminae (Retreat Guests)	YES	YES	YES
Blu (Aqua Guests)	NO	NO	NO
Cosmopolitan Dining Room	NO	YES	YES
Tuscan Grille (Concierge & Premium Guests**)	YES	NO	NO

** Premium Access guests receive this perk for sailings before Aug 1, 2026.

DINNER

Venue	Embarkation Day	Sea Day	Port day
Oceanview Cafe	YES	YES	YES
Mast Grill	NO	NO	NO
Spice Cafe	NO	NO	NO
Luminae (Retreat Guests)	YES	YES	YES
Blu (Aqua Guests)	NO	YES	YES
All Dining Rooms	YES	YES	YES

We had reserved the Premium Access: Wi-Fi & More Perks shortly after booking this cruise, and at the time this included the Concierge lunch. Was the package worth it? We’ll soon see. In the meantime, we made our way down to the aft of the ship on deck 4 for lunch at Tuscan Grille, one of four main included-in-your-fare dining rooms aboard the Xcel. 

The four main dining rooms sit in the aft of the ship and share a “classic” dinner menu, but each one also offers dishes that are exclusive to the restaurant as well as a distinct theme and decor. Tuscan is Southern-Italian. Cosmopolitan, also on deck 4, is modern American. One deck below sits Cyprus, which is Mediterranean / Greek, and Normandie, which is Contemporary French. Luminae is also open for retreat guests as is Blu for Aqua class.

We were seated at a large table at Tuscan with six other guests, all of whom were extremely friendly. Rona is far more gregarious than I am, but the conversation was easy, at one point turning to our visit to Portugal from the Apex as one of the other guests’ entire family was from there.

The Concierge lunch menu is small, with a choice of three appetizers: Harira Soup, a lentils and vegetable concoction with Moroccan spices, Pate de Campagne, and a Spinach and Roquefort salad. Rona went with the salad and I had the soup, which was tasty and had a bit of a kick. 

Choice of entrees included Basque Style Branzino, Joue De Boeuf (beef cheeks) and Rigatoni Alla Norma (eggplant, ricotta and red sauce). We both ordered the Branzino, the fish was flaky and mild, and the peppers and chorizo plus broth added a great deal of flavor. Another guest at the table had the braised beef cheeks and said it was also delicious. 

Dessert was either Portokalopita, a Greek cake made from shredded phyllo dough and soaked in orange caramel sauce, or Baba au Rum, a small French yeast-raised cake with whipped cream and passion fruit gel. Rona was full but I had a go at the chewy and sweet Portokalopita.  Overall, this was a nice meal with pleasant company.

WIth full bellies, we checked out The Club, a two-level, multi-purpose venue midship on decks 4 and 5 that transitions from a daytime gathering spot for games and activities to a more vibrant nighttime entertainment hub featuring live music, shows, and a mysterious photo booth near the bar… #IYKYK. The space on deck 5 is called the Attic, and unlike on the prior Edge class ships, it has retro arcade games and lounge games such as pool, darts, and foosball. It’s also got some snack vending machines in case you are craving a little something-something. Additionally, there is some seating up here for the shows that take place downstairs.

The bar was open, but it was getting close to sail-away, so instead we headed up the elevators to deck 15 near Rooftop Garden. Being one deck up from the Pool Club made sail-away from Port Everglades a less boisterous affair, which was right up our alley. The views were serene.

The new Disney Destiny ship docked nearby, ready to set out on its maiden voyage the following day. Passengers on other ships as well as folks on land came out to wave at the Xcel as we smoothly set out toward the Atlantic.

Much of the afternoon before an early dinner involved unpacking and recording the cabin tour for YouTube. Though we prefer not to eat at “old people o’clock”, the plan was to catch both the early show (7:30 PM) in the theater and a new show at The Club (10:30 PM), with some time at the Martini Bar in between.

Dinner was at Cyprus.

For starters, Rona had the Caesar Salad while I had Shrimp Cocktail, both off the classic menu available to all dining rooms. We also shared the Grilled Octopus off the Cyprus Exclusives menu. The octopus was phenomenal. The salad was the typical variety, fine though nothing special. You get four medium-sized shrimp in the shrimp cocktail, so if you’re hungry, order more than one or another appetizer. Ask your server what the record is for most shrimp cocktails ordered by one passenger at one meal. It’s kind of funny.

For entrees, Rona ordered the broiled salmon off the classic menu, while I ordered the Kordelia Pasta with Bottarga from the Cyprus Exclusives menu. Rona asked for the salmon without mashed potatoes, but with extra vegetables and they obliged. She was pretty full from the appetizers so didn’t eat much of it, though I had a few bites of the salmon and it was delicious. This was a good thing because I didn’t love the pasta, which was thick and creamy and not what I turned out to be in the mood for. Who knows what I was thinking when I ordered it.

For dessert, Rona managed a couple of bites of the Galaktoboureko (gah-lahk-toh-BOO-reh-koh) with yogurt ice cream, a Cyprus special, and I ate about half a chocolate lava cake. To be honest, Rona just ate the yogurt ice cream, which tasted like actual yogurt. I had a bite or two of the super sweet layers of custard, buttered phyllo dough, and syrup. It was delicious, but it’s hard to beat a chocolate lava cake for my tastebud dollar.

After dinner we hurried over to the theater in the front of the ship to see the first ever production of the new show, Between Takes. We needn’t have rushed, because our Premium Access pass got us into the small reserved theater seating with no problem. Like on the other Edge class ships, the main theater on the Xcel has a massive wraparound LED screen, a towering, high-definition digital backdrop that transforms the ship’s theater with immersive visuals and cinematic environments during shows. Between Takes is a high-energy, 1920s Hollywood–themed theatre show that puts you in the middle of the chaotic and spectacular action happening between “cut” and “action” on a movie set. It was fabulous.

After the show we stopped by the Martini Bar for drinks and live music from 5 Octaves and a bit of a show put on by the talented bartenders.

Rona loves the Prickly Pear and Orange Blossom Condesa Gin that Celebrity carries, and as a bonus they also have diet tonic everywhere to make a lower sugar Gin & Tonic. I went with the Martinez.

Around 10 PM we headed to The Club, and were able to get seats upstairs in the attic for another new show, Saddle up Saloon. This is a lively, country-themed party where some guests threw on cowboy hats and danced while a live band jammed out to a bunch of country / pop-country music. This was a ton of fun and highly recommended.

When the show was over, we felt a wee bit peckish so headed up to the Oceanview Cafe for some late night protein charcuterie and meatball snacking. Maybe a small slice of pizza accidentally fell into my mouth, but it’s hard to say what really happened versus a fever dream before returning to our cabin for the night.

Day 2 – At Sea

The second day aboard the Celebrity Xcel was the ship sailing Southwest past Cuba into the Caribbean Sea. We slept just okay, maybe because the brand new mattresses were painfully firm. We heard later from our travel agent who was on the very next sailing that other passengers and funnily enough, the Caribbean Group CEO’s wife also thought the beds were too firm. A couple vloggers on their review of this sailing seemed to feel the same. As the cruise went on, my back would get cranky if I stayed in bed too long. Hopefully the mattresses soften up over time or Celebrity fixes it.

Bora for brunch was our sole specialty dining reservation on this sailing and was set for 11:30 AM, though a little card at our door advised us we could show up at 11 AM and enjoy the unlimited Bloody Mary bar in the garden. Since we’d risen early, I brought us back coffee from Café al Bacio and called room service for some protein and fruit to tidy us over until brunch.

Had we decided to do this the night before, we could have made our room service selections on an order form they leave in the stateroom and put it outside the door that night. It would be nice if the Celebrity App supported ordering room service, much like Princess does.  

About 30 minutes later, room service arrived with a plate of bacon and sausage, a plate of fresh fruit and a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice. We dined in our chairs with a view from the Infinite Veranda. Had we not bought the Premium Access package, the bacon and sausage would have been an extra charge, so this worked out. 

The bacon was bacon, which means it was good. The sausage was a bit cold, always a room service risk, but tasty. The orange juice was refreshing, but the fruit was a mixed bag. The one little piece of pineapple, one piece of kiwi, and one piece of orange were each sweet. We ignored the seedy single slice of watermelon. Sadly, the fruit of abundance on this plate – honeydew and cantaloupe – was not ripe.

Fortified with some greasy protein and a couple of bites of fruit, we headed down to deck 5 to see how the Bazaar was decorated for the day. Today’s theme was Aqua, and the digital displays in the tunnel and Bazaar were accordingly configured as if we were walking beneath an aquarium.

For those who’ve been to Epcot in Walt Disney World, it kind of had a very elaborate Living Seas vibe.

The menu at Spice had also changed to reflect the Aqua theme.

After losing at General Knowledge Trivia back in the Club, we headed up to deck 15 for our Bora reservation, arriving at 11 AM as suggested for an 11:30 AM reservation. The host handed us some wooden Bora tokens and redirected us to the little stand-alone Bloody Mary station in the garden, advising us to have a seat in the garden with our drinks until it was time for our reservation.

It turns out that anyone with an appropriate drink package (or the token) could also take advantage of the Bloody Mary bar. You get to choose from a couple of vodka’s, gin’s and tequilas and a wide variety of toppings, including many different olives, tomato and mozzarella skewers, antipasto skewers, bacon, shrimp, and more. The only down side for us is that I don’t drink Bloody Marys.

We took Rona’s drink and the bottle of water I’d brought to one of the cushioned seats in the garden. It was windy up on top of the ship, and despite being in a somewhat sheltered spot, the wind spent its time proving that the giant umbrellas were made of tougher stuff and quite stable. We chatted with a lovely couple from Texas for a while, and when 11:30 AM arrived, I went back to the host stand, and about 5-10 minutes later we were seated at a table for two.

Bora is essentially outside, but with enough shelter overhead to make it comfortable in a light rain, which was fortunate because right after we were seated there was a brief rain shower. It features a breezy and vibrant Mediterranean-inspired decor with panoramic ocean views (though no ocean view where we were seated), accented with elements like Santorini-inspired blue-and-white decor.

The menu looked excellent, and I ordered a Paloma to go with Rona’s second Bloody Mary. The server told us we could order whatever food we wanted, however much we wanted with the only limit being the two-hour seating. There were four seafood items that were an extra charge, including oysters, crab claws, a seafood tower, and jumbo shrimp dish.

So for starters, we ordered all three of the included seafood items: a smoked salmon platter, shrimp with oil, paprika and sherry vinegar, and lobster medallions in a lemon beurre-blanc. Five good-sized and super fresh pieces of rolled smoked salmon came out with capers, chopped onions, tomatoes and eggs. The shrimp tapas dish came out with a couple pieces of bread for dipping and it was absolutely delicious.  The lobster medallions were sizable and delicious as well.

For entrees, Rona ordered the shakshuka with a side of chicken sausage and I ordered the eggs benedict, prepared “the Bora way”, meaning it was supposed to be on a croissant, with gravlax, ricotta along with a poached egg. The shakshuka was tasty, though the egg wasn’t very warm, but Rona would get it again. The chicken sausages weren’t Rona’s favorite, and I wasn’t particularly impressed with them either. The eggs benedict wound up being served on a more traditional English muffin rather than the croissant, but everything else about it was “the Bora way” and it was delightful. They know how to poach an egg up here.

Along the way, they brought around trays of pastries, including plain, pistachio, and white chocolate croissants, which we sadly declined given the amount of food we had in front of us and what was already stretching our stomachs. Others who had those croissants gave them a thumbs-up. 

While we were seated, we had our second encounter with a cruise-vlogging Youtuber. Seated right at the next table was Jared, one half of J.J. Cruise. We struck up a conversation with him and he could not have been nicer. He was recording material for their Celebrity Xcel first impressions video (Easter Egg at the ~50 second mark) on Youtube, while his partner Jordan was on the Star Princess. 

Overall, we really enjoyed brunch at Bora, and for $42 per person including gratuities ($35 price + $7 gratuity), it was well worth it for the service and what we ate. We got lucky with the weather as well. We were in a sheltered spot so did not notice any wind, and for the most part the sun was out during our meal. This is definitely on our list when we’re back on board the Xcel in 2026.

The rest of the afternoon was a mix of typical cruise activities and entertainment, of which the Xcel has a ton. There is always plenty going on from morning til night. As we’d done on the Celebrity Apex in April, we lost at the always fun Musical Bingo in the Grand Plaza.

The Bazaar was hosting the Aqua Show at 4:30 PM, so we made sure to arrive 45 minutes early. We did find a couple of the few remaining seats, which were tucked away by the side of the bar, facing the wrong way, and essentially not a place to sit if you want to see the show.

Based on the hubbub, music and singing, the show had begun. From our vantage point it did look colorful and lively, and we could have seen the show if we stood up and walked over to the bar and blocked other passengers’ views. Considerate people that we are, we just hung out for a while with a cocktail and enjoyed the music, but never really saw the show. There was a lot of social media noise that night with folks complaining that other people were rudely standing directly in front of them. 

We would try to see the other show at the Bazaar later on during the cruise, but when we got there about 45 minutes early it was standing room only, and standing around for 45 minutes in a crowd isn’t on our top 10 list of things to do anymore. Perhaps the crowds were as they were because this was the first sailing and everyone wanted to see and do everything, or maybe it was how the space was organized – lots of seats and tables. 

There are places to sit up on deck 6 overlooking the Bazaar as well as along the back by the windows, but you definitely cannot see anything from there. It was certainly crowded on the Apex back in April, but arriving 45 minutes early generally enabled you to see the show. On the Apex, before the show the crew set up rows of seats, which they did not do on the Xcel.  On the other hand, the Xcel offered the show twice each day, whereas on Apex they did not. If you want to comfortably see the Bazaar shows on the Xcel, I’d show up at least an hour early.

Plans that night included Adam Trent, a talented magician in the main theater at 7:30 PM, and 254 West in the Club at 10:45 PM, leaving us time in between to head to the Club for a drink and #IYKYK. We were pretty excited about that and so headed back to the cabin to change for dinner.

Dinner was at the Cosmopolitan Restaurant shortly before 6 PM, where after we ordered drinks, the servers seemed very concerned we were trying for the early theater show and so while the meal didn’t exactly feel rushed, let’s just say the pace was quite brisk.

For starters Rona ordered escargots and the tomato watermelon salad and I ordered the French onion soup, all off the classic menu.  The escargots were delicious, soaked in garlicky herb-butter, the salad was light and refreshing, and the French onion soup was rich and savory. 

We both ordered entrees we’ve always wanted to try but never have. Rona got Steak Dianne from the classic menu while I had the Oxtail Royale off the Cosmopolitan Exclusives menu. The steak was excellent, cooked exactly to Rona’s liking. The slow braised Oxtail was rich, tender, and unctuous.

For dessert, Rona had two bites of the crème brûlée, always a favorite, and I made my way through the warm apple crumble a la mode. Overall, this was a really good meal.

Adam Trent’s show on Celebrity Xcel is a high-energy mix of modern magic, comedy, music, and audience interaction that delivers a fast, polished, and crowd-pleasing “wow” experience. If you have a chance to see him perform, we would highly recommend it.  His show, The Road Trick, which is on Red Bull TV, features him traveling and performing magic in different cities. 

After Adam Trent, we headed over to the Club.  To the right of the bar is a photo booth, but after 5 PM it transforms into a passageway to a Speakeasy. Yes, a speakeasy. So now #YK. There was a small line at the time, so we got on the list, and were handed a pager that they said could reach all the way to the Grand Plaza, and told us it would be about 20-30 minutes since they were currently full inside. 

We decided to stick around and took a seat at the bar in the Club, ordering a pair of cocktails, a Hibiscus Collins with diet tonic water for Rona, and the super sweet Dutch Mule for me.

We had a fun conversation with one of the delightful bartenders and finished our drinks before our pager went off. Into the photo booth we went, and after scanning one of our Sea Pass cards, it took three photos before the door to our left opened.  

We followed through the secret passageway and came out into the Speakeasy, a 1920’s style establishment filled with theater smoke, music, and entertainment that included dancers, musicians, magicians, and a variety of other characters. There’s a big bar with seats around it as well as booths and seats with tables. The host handed us our strip of photos from the photo booth and seated us. You cannot have your phone out (it is the 1920’s after all), and there is no photography allowed. You have about an hour in there to experience what you can, but you can return as often as you like.

The server brought over a drinks menu and a small plate of crunchy bar snacks. The drinks are themed to the era and are pretty expensive. Probably half of them were more than $20, which is the limit on the Premium Drinks package, after which you pay the difference. We ordered our cocktails, but without pictures, who’s to say what they were beyond tasty as heck. There was initially live jazz music, then a dancer came out and did a whole cabaret-ish routine among the patrons. This was a fun experience, and we did go back later.

When you are done, they escort you out a secret door that leads you out toward the entrance of the Club. The timing was great, because we were able to snag seats in the Attic overlooking the performance space and dance floor, where we ordered a couple more cocktails. 

254 West is a new show for Celebrity and is billed as a high-energy, interactive 1980s–themed club show that is staged as the “closing night” party for the fictional 254 West club. Guests are invited, should they so choose, to jump in, dance, enjoy 80s music, and then keep the vibe going in a live “After Party.”  The set list was amazing, and folks were definitely dancing both downstairs and in the Attic.

So far, the shows in the theater and in the Club were all new and top notch. Would the trend continue? We would find out over our final two nights on this preview sailing, but it was time for maybe another protein snack in the Oceanview Cafe before bed. Tomorrow was our first and only port day – Cozumel, Mexico – and the seas were getting choppy. Follow along when we post our second trip report on the Celebrity Xcel’s first ever sailing with paying customers.