Keel laid for Celebrity Cruises’ fifth Edge-class ship

French shipbuilder Chantiers de l'Atlantique laid the keel for Celebrity Xcel, the fifth Edge-class ship ordered by Celebrity Cruises, in a ceremony in St Nazaire on Thursday, June 13. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in November 2025.

Upon completion, the ship will have a length of 326 metres, a beam of 39 metres, a draught of 8.4 metres, a passenger capacity of 2,908, and a gross tonnage of approximately 140,600. The 3,260 guest accommodations will include balcony staterooms, some of which will have panoramic windows.

The vessel's propulsion system will be tri-fuel capable, while future modifications will enable it to operate on methanol. This will make it the first ship in the Celebrity Cruises fleet to be fuelled by methanol.

Celebrity Xcel's inaugural cruise season will be in the Caribbean with departures from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ship will sail on seven-night itineraries that will include calls in Mexico, the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, and Sint Maarten.