VESSEL REVIEW | Celebrity Xcel – Celebrity Cruises introduces expanded-capacity newbuild to luxury ship segment
US-based Celebrity Cruises recently took delivery of a new luxury cruise ship from French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique.
Celebrity Xcel is the fifth ship in a series ordered by Celebrity Cruises. Along with sisters Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Ascent, the newbuild is slightly longer and can accommodate more passengers compared to the first two ships in the series, Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex, which were built by Germany’s Meyer Werft.
Full range of luxury facilities
The Malta-registered, DNV-classed Celebrity Xcel has a length of 1,071 feet (326.4 metres), a beam of 127 feet (38.7 metres), a draught of 27 feet (8.2 metres), a gross tonnage of approximately 141,262, a crew of 1,467, and a passenger capacity of 3,260 at double occupancy.
The guest cabins are found on 10 decks and include balcony staterooms, some of which have been fitted with panoramic windows to provide unobstructed views of the outside. In some staterooms, the glass panels can be lowered so that the interior space and the outdoor balcony can become a single continuous area.
There are even villa-type section of the ship boasting two-story penthouse suites with exclusive pools and terraces. Work on the interiors in these suites was provided by Kelly Hoppen.
The guest facilities across 14 decks include more than 20 restaurants, a bar, a three-deck lounge with an atrium, a leisure deck with numerous pools, shops, spas, a garden, a children’s play area, a cinema, a card room, and a golf simulator.
Similar to her sisters, Celebrity Xcel is fitted with a cantilevered multi-purpose platform that can reposition itself up and down the ship’s starboard side across 13 decks. This space features a bar, dining facilities with seating for up to 90 guests, and a venue for live musical performances, and the platform itself can even be used as an embarkation and disembarkation area for tenders.
Tri-fuel capability for addressing future emissions standards
The vessel's propulsion system has a total installed power of 32 MW (43,000 hp) and is tri-fuel capable, as future modifications will enable it to operate on methanol in addition to MGO and heavy fuel oil. This will make Celebrity Xcel the first ship in the Celebrity Cruises fleet to be fuelled by methanol.
The propulsion can deliver a top speed of just over 22 knots. Energy-saving measures meanwhile include LED lighting installed throughout and a specialised hull coating that can minimise drag and biofouling.
Celebrity Xcel will sail on seven-night itineraries that will include calls in Mexico, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and Sint Maarten.
