This new ship has a secret space, BUT I can’t tell you anything more

The fifth Edge-class ship in the fleet, Celebrity Xcel, has a host of innovations and spaces. Most impressive, it is the first cruise ship to use Green Methanol, the maritime industry’s secret weapon in the fight against emissions, a technology Quentin Long has sworn an oath not to reveal.

Celebrity Xcel – our verdict

the ship exterior of Celebrity Xcel — Celebrity Cruises’ newest ship introduces seven new spaces.

The Celebrity executives talk a lot about Celebrity Xcel being ‘elevated’. I would probably describe it as an enhanced evolution of what was a seminal class of innovative ships, which started with the launch of Celebrity Edge in December 2018. It is all that travellers love in an ocean cruise: well-designed spaces, extensive food offerings, and, in particular, really good entertainment. Like all great cruise ships, it has a lot of nooks and crannies for those who prefer quiet spaces.

Places I loved onboard Celebrity Xcel

Celebrity Xcel in the Caribbean — *Celebrity Xcel* makes waves in the Caribbean.

I really loved a lot of the spaces. In particular…

The Secret Seventh Space

This is not a joke. There are seven new spaces and the most incredible of the seven is a secret. No photos. No videos. No name. Find it. It is worth it.

The Bazaar, including Mosaic Restaurant, The Market and Spice

feather-adorned performers at the Bazaar, Celebrity Xcel — The colourful feather-adorned performers at the Bazaar are a real spectacle.

The Bazaar is dedicated to bringing the destination experience on board. Huge arches and walls become the canvas for Carnivale one day, complete with feather-adorned performers. In Mosaic, my fillet steak was served with a thick, spice-led mole, a reflection of the Caribbean cuisine.

The Rooftop Garden, including Bora and the Sunset Bar

the Rooftop Garden on the Celebrity Xcel — Deck 15 is the ultimate spot for sunset drinks. (Image: Quentin Long)

The aft section of the ship on Deck 15 features a lounge, edge-perched plunge pools and the ultimate spot for sunset drinks, while Bora is an all-day brunch spot that transforms into a Greek Taverna at night.

Oceanview Cafe

The airy and sunlit spacious buffet cafe meets any meal mood you have, including a midnight pizza slice.

The Thermal Suite

The private wellness lounge is accessible for a fee and features Turkish hammams, a steam room, sauna and thermal pools with heated tile loungers and an outdoor lounge.

Who does Celebrity Xcel suit?

the pool club of Celebrity Xcel — Lounge poolside with a drink.

Celebrity Xcel suits those who want to travel in style, with a variety of good-quality food and drink, from high-end to comfort bar food.

The entertainment is outstanding, think modern dance.

The family market will be split. Xcel does cater to all ages with Camp at Sea for kids aged up to 12 years old and a dedicated teen area.

I would probably not take my teenage boys on board. It doesn’t have the sorts of amenities that we often associate with the floating resort for families – waterslides, rock climbing, wave pools, sky diving – a program of physical activities to exhaust them.

I do want to be mindful that some people who react badly to bright and flashing lights may actually find it overwhelming. There is a lot of LED, particularly in the theatre, the Club and the Bazaar.

Restaurants and bars

With 17 different restaurants (plus two for suite guests), there is an outlet to reflect any mood: casual, formal, upmarket, simple, healthy. There are 10 specialty (dine for a fee) and seven complimentary. The Celebrity literature says nine, but Craft Social Bar serves great American bar food menu.

Restaurants that caught my eye include:

Bora Deck, Specialty
Deck 15

Shakshuka with a Bloody Mary cocktail at Bora, Deck 15, Celebrity Xcel — Shakshuka served with a Bloody Mary cocktail.

An all-day al fresco space, Bora is a standout for med-inspired food. It starts with brunch and made-to-order Bloody Marys. The signature brunch dish is the French toast. It should probably come with a defibrillator and statins.

In the evening, it transforms into a blue, turquoise and white Greek Taverna. The salt-encrusted branzino, deboned and prepared at your table, is a light and simple produce-forward dish reflecting the evolving nature of dining on Celebrity cruises.

“Less is more. In the past, cruises were about buffets and lots and lots of food. Now the trend is definitely towards more honesty, more authenticity," Jan Sorensen, VP of Food and Beverages Operations with Celebrity, tells me when asked about what has changed in ship dining since the launch of Celebrity Edge.

Mosaic, Specialty
Deck 5

the Mosaic restaurant on Deck 5, Celebrity Xcel — Mosaic restaurant on Deck 5 offers a Chef’s Table experience.

Mosaic’s menu works hard to reflect the destination. On this Caribbean launch cruise, my steak was served with a thick, intense spice-led mole. Desserts even served up corn ice cream. That’s a lot different and local. A bit too local for my tastes, interesting nonetheless.

Raw on 5, Specialty
Deck 4

a seafood tower at Raw on 5 — Indulge in a seafood tower. (Image: Quentin Long)

A fresh Asian and sushi-led menu with seafood towers. The lobster and shrimp wontons, chicken ginger gyoza and the signature Xcel roll (shrimp, avocado, cucumber and tuna) are the must-order dishes.

For something different, try the sparkling sake; light and zingy and probably too sweet for some people.

Spice, Complimentary
Deck 5

the Spice Café on Deck 5, Celebrity Xcel — Spice is perfect for a more casual dining option.

My breakfast bolt hole. Order a breakfast toasty, empanada, or help yourself to a jar of mango chia. The cafe serves espresso coffees and sweet treats.

Oceanview Café, Complimentary
Deck 14

It’s a buffet; a spectacularly lovely, airy, high-ceiling space. Not overwhelming but a good mix of offerings to match whatever you may be fancying. I really enjoyed eating breakfast here as well as a cheeky pizza at midnight as I was heading off to bed. That’s what buffets are designed for, right?

Craft Social Bar, Specialty
Deck 4

Think American bar food. Grab a cocktail or a beer and a burger. I enjoyed the fried chicken sandwich.

sweet treats on display at Café il Bacio — Sweet treats on offer at Café il Bacio. (Image: Quentin Long)

Other restaurants include:

Fine cut, the steakhouse
Le Petit Chef, French with storytelling projected onto your plate
Blu, the health and wellness lead diner for Aqua class guests
Luminae, high-end dining, complimentary for suite guests
Café il Bacio, espresso coffee and sweet treats
Le Voyage by Daniel Boulud, find dining from a Michelin-starred chef

The Martini Bar
Deck 3

the Martini bar on Deck 3, Celebrity Xcel — The Martini bar has a stunning chandelier that changes colours from day to night. (Image: Quentin Long)

There are 12 different bars and we’ve got to start with the martini bar, the social heartbeat of Celebrity Xcel. This is where the masters of mixology put on a ‘flair’ show – Tom Cruise in Cocktail. Great fun for both a pre-show / pre-dinner drink or a post-show late-night tete-a-tete.

The Sunset Bar
Deck 15

Always a winner and thank God they’ve been able to expand it.

Craft Social
Deck 4

Already mentioned it for food but a bar in its own right.

The mysterious 7^th space

When Celebrity was promoting the Xcel, they referred to seven new spaces, but only listed six. As stated previously, there is an amazing 7th space and I cannot tell you more. When you get there, you will thank me. Sorry to be so opaque but a secret is a secret and I am a writer of my word.

Other bars you’d expect from a Celebrity experience are on board, including The Pool Bar, deck 14 and The World Class Bar, deck 5.

Entertainment

A performer inside a large disco ball on Celebrity Xcel — Theatrical shows dazzle.

The entertainment far exceeded expectations. There wasn’t much that I didn’t find myself singing along with or being enthralled by. Productions are performed in the theatre and more rambunctious performances in the Club.

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Between Takes

A narrative-driven show staged between two takes of a movie scene, the show features toe-tapping hits from Roy Orbison, George Michael, The Police, Adele and Kenny Loggins as it tells several love stories. It is an all-singing, dancing 45-minute spectacular that traverses the Charleston to acrobatics, hip hop and anything in between.

Chapters

Visually stunning, featuring bangers for people of my vintage, think The Temper Trap, Stevie Wonder, Rhinanna, Phil Collins, the show is less narrative-driven but makes the ultimate use of the technically forward theatre. Laser etching on the 34-metre curved screen is just the beginning. The most awe-inspiring moment is when fake snow falls on the crowd at the crescendo of the show.

254 West

254 West is presented as a disco experience, but in reality, it’s disco with more bangers for people of my vintage. Staged in The Club, performers bring disco classics from The Bee Gees and Chic to life with a dance crew before venturing into the definitely not disco Bon Jovi, Madonna, Chapelle Roan and The Eurythmics, complemented by aerial performers and dancers.

Saddle Up Club

The most interactive of all the entertainment onboard, dance and sing-along to country and western greatest hits that we all love.

Accommodation

In total, there are 1640 state rooms, of which 228 are suites. A quick note on how Celebrity distinguishes its state room types. Room types are not only designated by space and room design but also by amenities. The exact same room could be an Infinite Veranda, a Concierge Class or an Aqua Class. The difference is the amenities and services. Aqua is a wellness-led class with additional access to a specialty restaurant, while Concierge comes with elevated amenities including toiletries and services (the Aqua class includes the amenities of Concierge Class).

Infinite Veranda

The largest category of room onboard Xcel is made more spacious thanks to the floor-to-ceiling window that lowers on the press of a button to turn what was once a window into a balustrade. This means the traditional balcony space becomes part of the interior and ‘infinitely’ expands the spaciousness of the room. My Concierge Class Infinite Veranda’s enhanced amenities were CO Bigelow, a bottle of complimentary wine, daily snacks and a concierge to prioritise specialty dining bookings and other services.

Accessibility & Solo cabins

Celebrity Xcel has 29 wheelchair staterooms (including 2 suites) plus 32 solo cabins.

Suites and Villas

The suites and villas come in all shapes and sizes. The ultimate is the Iconic Suite with two bedrooms, living room, walk in wardrobe, private terrace with daybed, hot tub. The two-storey Edge Villa has a private balcony with hot tub.

Celebrity Xcel and sustainability

the Vitamin D Deck on Celebrity Xcel — The Vitamin D Deck on *Celebrity Xcel.*

Celebrity Xcel is the first cruise ship in the world to have a tri-fuel engine capable of burning methanol. Green methanol is a carbon-neutral fuel that emits far less CO2, Nitrogen and Sulphur oxides and is considered the key energy source enabling the maritime industry to decarbonise.

Fast Facts

Total number of guests is 3276

1640 state rooms

228 suites
29 Wheelchair accessible, including two suites
32 solo cabins

32 Different culinary offerings

14 Cafés, Bars and Lounges
Eight Specialty Restaurants
Four Main Dining Restaurants
Four Complimentary Casual Dining Venues
Two Exclusive Restaurants

Seven new spaces

The Bazaar
Bora
Attic at the club
The flagship
Celebrity pool club
Spa hydro room
The 7^th secret space

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.