Celebrity Cruises’ newest ship, Celebrity Xcel, made her inaugural call at Grand Cayman on Friday, 28 Nov., and was described by Acting Premier Gary Rutty as representing “the future of premium cruising”.
Celebrity Xcel, the fifth in Celebrity Cruises’ “Edge Series” ships, launched in Nov. 2025 and will make 11 bi-weekly calls to the Cayman Islands until April 2026, bringing up to 3,260 guests to the Cayman Islands with each visit.
Official welcome
To commemorate the inaugural visit to Grand Cayman, a special plaque and key ceremony was held aboard the ship attended by Rutty and other government and commercial personnel.
“We are pleased to welcome Celebrity Xcel on its maiden call to Grand Cayman,” said Rutty in a speech to assembled guests. “This magnificent new ship represents the future of premium cruising and her arrival demonstrates the strength of our partnership with Celebrity Cruises and their confidence in our destination.”
He added, “As we continue to enhance our cruise tourism and visitor experience, partnerships like this with Celebrity Cruises are essential to ensuring the Cayman Islands remains a premier Caribbean destination.”
Plaques were exchanged with Captain Kyriakos “Kirk” Matragkas of Celebrity Xcel and representatives of the Ministries of Tourism and Environmental Health, the Port Authority, Customs & Border Control, Captain Marvin’s and Bodden Shipping. Dignitaries and guests then toured the new ship, including its entertainment, culinary and retail areas.
As well as onboard experiences such as restaurants, a spa, casino, pools and a theatre, Celebrity Xcel has an event space called The Bazaar that features local experiences from every destination, so visitors can experience a slice of local life without leaving the ship. During each port call, The Bazaar transforms into a marketplace where cruise guests can engage directly with local artisans and cultural ambassadors through live demonstrations, storytelling and immersive cultural exchanges.
Following an open call for interest from the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT), five vendors were selected to represent the Cayman Islands on board ship for the season: Body Treats Etc, 3 Girls and a Kiln, Island Girl Beauty, Mixcolourgy and Outlandish.
Said Rutty, “This partnership also represents a significant milestone in how we share Caymanian culture with the world. We are particularly thrilled about The Bazaar aboard Celebrity Xcel, which provides our local artisans with an extraordinary platform to showcase their talents directly to international audiences while remaining in their home port. Through this partnership, we are creating authentic cultural exchanges that benefit both our visitors and our local creative community.”
Rutty continued. “We look forward to welcoming Celebrity Xcel’s guests to experience our vibrant culture and warm Caymanian hospitality and to building an even stronger relationship with Celebrity Cruises as this exceptional ship makes George Town a regular port of call.”
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Perfect! More people to use the eroding 5 mile beach. Probably 4.5 mile these days and 4 mile in 2026 but hey, let’s call it 7 mile beach.
Petition to rename 7 mile beach to the, The Big Beautiful Caymanian Beach.
A beach renaming by the government could show they are doing something while doing nothing. At some point they need to rename Seven Mile beach because it’s a lie.
I am not a cruiseship fan, but this is good news for all.
I have no kind words for these cruise ships – or for the Acting Premier championing their presence. They are enivormentally and culturally destructive to our Islands.
As far as “The Bazaar that features local experiences from every destination, so visitors can experience a slice of local life without leaving the ship.”
If the passengers have so little motivation to learn about our Island, then don’t sail that beastly vessel here at all.
For pity sakes, parliament, invest in Caymans future – stay over tourists, educational on island experiences, beach restoration, a pedestrian friendly/auto-free central commercial George Town, litter removal ….
Anne Evans