\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div><\/div> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEvan Zimmerman<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tThe standout? The Bazaar. It\u2019s less \u201cwatch from your seat,\u201d and more \u201cdrop yourself into the middle of it.\u201d Inspired by the destinations on your itinerary, this multi-level venue turns performances into something closer to a cabaret-meets-street-show hybrid. The performers move around you, the costumes are bold, the drinks are delicious, and the line between audience and action is intentionally blurred. You\u2019re not watching the show, you\u2019re in it.<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tOr you can catch more theatrical shows like Between Takes<\/em>, which takes you behind the scenes of 1920s Hollywood complete with stunts and choreography; Chapters<\/em>, which takes audiences on a journey as different scenes and stories unfold on stage; and Mainstage<\/em>, a live concert experience inspired by the world\u2019s biggest music festivals. These are productions that deliver genuinely Broadway-caliber entertainment in state-of-the-art theater \u2013 in the middle of the big blue sea.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI don\u2019t want to say it\u2019s a Hollywood show because that\u2019s automatically what your mind is going to gravitate towards,\u201d teases Oskar Rodriguez, Celebrity Cruises\u2019 director of creative and theatrical production, about Between Takes<\/em>. \u201cThe great thing about this show is, yes, we touch on Hollywood, but it\u2019s done through the lens of what happens when you yell \u2018Cut.\u2019 So we\u2019re literally taking the audience behind the scenes. It\u2019s Between Takes<\/em>, because we start with a huge opening number, and from there we go \u2018Cut\u2019 and then all of our dancers go from being in front of the camera to stopping, where they go to put their makeup back on, or to a corner to have a smoke. The production also journeys through a time lapse from old Hollywood to modern days.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHow is a cruise ship pulling off such ambitious productions? Simple answer: they hired the real deal.<\/p>\n \n\tThe creative team reads like a Hollywood call sheet. Adam Murray, who directs and choreographs Mainstage<\/em>, won a World Choreography Award for his work on Rocketman<\/em> and shaped the movement in Ready Player One<\/em> and Cruella<\/em>. Lukas McFarlane, the Director and Choreographer behind Between Takes<\/em>, consistently works in TV and film on projects like The X Factor<\/em>, ITV\u2019s The Voice<\/em> and Netflix\u2019s new show, Dance Monsters<\/em>. Jerry Reeve, the creative producer behind Between Takes<\/em>, has staged performances for Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, and even the King\u2019s Coronation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\tRelated Content<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n \n\tThe ship\u2019s productions were developed by the aforementioned names and creative teams whose r\u00e9sum\u00e9s span Broadway, film, television, and global arena tours. And it shows. There\u2019s nothing slapped together here; no half-baked revues or bargain-bin choreography. These are shows rehearsed for months, designed with intention, and executed to perfection.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen you go to school for years to study performing arts, these are the shows you want to do,\u201d offers Bettina Lobo, a Celebrity Xcel<\/em> cast member who was trained at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City and now performs on the ship. \u201cI got here and I was like, \u2018Wow, these are Vegas-style shows, with full productions,\u2019\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tTo wit: \u201cWe\u2019re dancing, we\u2019re moving sets, we have huge beams that are flying up in the air, we\u2019re changing costumes \u2013 sometimes eight times in an hour \u2013 and we\u2019re running around and singing,\u201d Lobo says. \u201cI really didn\u2019t understand the scale of what I was signing myself up for but it\u2019s been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEvan Zimmerman<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tBehind the scenes, the level of care is just as intense. From closed-door creative meetings to auditions to the daily lives of onboard performers, the process reflects a standard of excellence rarely seen on ships of this size.<\/p>\n \n\tLobo says she\u2019s appreciated the way the team has incorporated her Latin heritage into the productions, something that no doubt resonates with the international guests and audiences on the ship. In fact, Lobo\u2019s heritage became the foundation for a pivotal design decision in one of her previous Celebrity Cruises shows: \u201cOn my last ship, we had a whole section added in Spanish just because I\u2019m Venezuelan,\u201d she shares proudly. \u201cThe director was like, \u2018You speak Spanish, let\u2019s do something with that.\u2019 And now there\u2019s an entire section where British girls are having to learn how to speak Spanish,\u201d she laughs, adding that she\u2019s grateful the team \u201cencouraged me to take this as an opportunity to put your stamp on a project.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tCelebrity Xcel <\/em>performer Ryuya Kuwasaki, meanwhile, started as an acrobat before training in gymnastics and parkour in Denmark. Though he considers himself an athlete first, he was intrigued by the opportunity to bring his skills to a whole new audience next to the actors, dancers and singers on stage. \u201cI have no background in acting but I\u2019m interested in how I can bring parkour to the storytelling aspect of the show,\u201d he says. \u201cThe cool thing here is that every person has different talents and we get to share them and we get to bring them to the show,\u201d he continues, \u201cand that makes the show even more special and fun.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOn a ship, every detail matters: the wardrobe, the set design, the lighting cues, the technology humming behind the scenes. And the team here has worked hard to make sure everything works seamlessly together to deliver a high-calibre show for the crowd each night.<\/p>\n \n\tWhen costumer Vicky Gill was tasked with creating outfits for the new Celebrity Xcel <\/em>productions, the BAFTA-winning designer says she had to approach it much differently than the theater productions and television shows she has worked on before (including the popular Strictly Come Dancing<\/em>).<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen you\u2019re performing so much, the costume has to take a beating\u2014it\u2019s daily wear and tear. We have huge elements like beams and climbing in some numbers too, so materials have to hold up,\u201d she explains, \u201cand they do!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd, she adds, \u201cThere are things you don\u2019t even think about. All materials have to be non-flammable because we\u2019re on a ship. And it\u2019s not just about making a costume look good\u2014it\u2019s about making it functional, safe, and able to fit performers as the casts change over the years. It\u2019s really impressive how the wardrobe team handles all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tEchoes production designer Dominic Tolfts: \u201cThe things that you won\u2019t see or appreciate as an audience member is how these things get broken down, how they\u2019re built backstage, how they store them, all of those things we have to consider. And that\u2019s sort of a challenge,\u201d he says. Still, when the sequences come together, Tolfts says \u201cit\u2019s all quite dramatic, and really exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEvan Zimmerman<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\tAside from the artists on stage and the sets that whiz and whirl around them, the ship features a massive \u201c110-foot curved kinetic LED screen, supported by kinetic lighting, laser video etching, projection mapping, and pyrotechnics,\u201d per Celebrity Cruises. The effect is immersive in a way that feels closer to Las Vegas\u2019 Sphere \u2014 minus the vertigo and the $400 ticket. Once you sit down, you forget you\u2019re on a ship. You\u2019re dropped into another world, and when the final bow hits, the only problem is realizing you have to wait until tomorrow night to do it again.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThere\u2019s this level of cleverness and artistry and surprise within the productions that\u2019s very unique to Celebrity Xcel<\/em>,\u201d says Lisa Lehr, vice president of entertainment for Celebrity Cruises. \u201cOur guests are just drawn at every turn and will have a gasp and a connection to the content.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOf course, Celebrity also understands that not everyone wants to commit to a full-length production, or that sometimes the casino does sound more appealing than interpretive dance. That\u2019s where the Xcel <\/em>Dream Makers program came in, an industry-first initiative that invites vacationers worldwide to craft their dream vacation experience aboard the new cruise.<\/p>\n \n\tAhead of its inaugural season, vacationers across the globe directly influenced entertainment choices onboard: voting on costumes for Chapters<\/em>, shaping the energy of the Saddle Up Saloon party, and helping guide the themes of The Bazaar\u2019s Viva festival. Another way Celebrity wanted to ensure you\u2019re not just watching, you\u2019re participating.<\/p>\n \n\tWant more chaos (the good kind)? Wander into a late-night dance party where you can practice your line dancing to country music hits, or don your most shimmering attire as the clock edges towards midnight at the electric \u201cshine the night\u201d party. Compete in games against fellow passengers for bragging rights that somehow feel very serious at sea.<\/p>\n \n\tBack to The Bazaar, because it deserves the encore.<\/p>\n \n\tThis venue transforms throughout each sailing with four destination-inspired festivals: Carnival, Aqua, Viva, and Flora, \u201ccelebrating the cultures of the Bahamas, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, and the Dominican Republic,\u201d per the brand. The space constantly shifts, so no two visits feel the same, which helps keep guests immersed in \u201con shore\u201d experiences even at sea.<\/p>\n \n\tAnd yes, you should absolutely have a drink in hand while you\u2019re there. The Bazaar\u2019s bar looks like it wandered right out of a Baz Luhrmann film, because culture should be experienced with cocktails, it\u2019s only right.<\/p>\n \n\tFor the talented creatives, as well as the cast and crew who entertain passengers each night, getting to be a part of a new cruise ship launch is almost as exciting as the destinations the ship visits themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEvan Zimmerman<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201cMy very first job out of college when I was 19 was as a dancer on a cruise,\u201d says director and choreographer Murray, who got his start in London\u2019s West End and worked as an assistant choreographer for the UK production of Wicked<\/em>, before producing shows for Celebrity Cruises. \u201cThe friends that I made on that job are still some of my lifelong friends now, and it holds a special place in my heart, because I just never really performed at the level that I did on the ship ever again in my career. Like those guys are required to do way more on those ships than anywhere else in the entire industry,\u201d he says, \u201cfrom the styles that are required of you and being asked to sing or do solos as a dancer or sometimes you\u2019re doing aerial. I just remember having such huge respect \u2013 and I still do \u2013 for those dancers and performers that are on ships around the world, knowing how hard they work.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJeffries adds that he appreciates the \u201cquality of the shows we get to dance. And I\u2019d say that\u2019s something very different from what I\u2019ve experienced on land,\u201d he says, explaining that \u201cthe difficulty of the shows is something that\u2019s always pushing me and always challenging me. That\u2019s why I love performing with Celebrity,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause it\u2019s always a challenge, it\u2019s always a push. This is probably some of the hardest stuff I\u2019ve done in my life but it means that while I get to do what I love, I\u2019m also always improving and I\u2019m always learning while I\u2019m here. And then,\u201d he concludes, \u201cwhen you finish the show and everyone applauds you afterwards, you feel like, \u2018Yeah, I deserve that,\u2019 because you work your bum off to be able to do these shows.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIf you\u2019re looking for one of the most entertaining cruise experiences you can book right now, Celebrity Xcel <\/em>should already be on your radar for 2026, and this is just the beginning of the cruise line\u2019s innovative entertainment planning. In the inaugural season, Celebrity Xcel<\/em> sails from Fort Lauderdale, offering seven-night itineraries between The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and St. Maarten, with prices starting around $800 per person and scaling up depending on when and where you want to journey. And come Summer 2026, Celebrity Xcel<\/em> heads to Europe with seven- to 11-night sailings out of Athens and Barcelona \u2013 meaning you can catch Between Takes one night and walk the Acropolis the next. It\u2019s the rare vacation where the journey genuinely rivals the destination.<\/p>\n\n
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<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\t\tHow to Book the Celebrity Xcel in 2026<\/strong>\t<\/h3>\n