Celebrity Cruises has laid on an additional short cruise for its newest ship, Xcel, ahead of its original planned maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale on 18 November.
In an email to travel agents, Celebrity said it was able to offer a four-night cruise on 9 November as the ship would be finished earlier than planned.
The email said: “Our teams have been working diligently on building our new ship, and the completion is now earlier than we had originally anticipated.
“With the earlier delivery, we’ve now added a four-night Celebrity Xcel Preview Cruise, setting sail on November 9.”
The cruise line said it had emailed agents with existing bookings on the inaugural voyage so they could ask customers if they’d like to switch to the earlier sailing.
Customers booked on the inaugural voyage on 18 November have the option to move to the 9 November cruise in the same suite or like-for-like stateroom at the current prevailing rates.
They have until 8 May to decide, after which Travel Gossip understands remaining cabins on the 9 November will go on sale to the general public.
Xcel is Celebrity’s latest Edge Class ship, which will sail in the Caribbean in winter 2025/26 before moving to the Mediterranean in summer 2026.
