Celebrity Cruises plans to bring the culture from its ports of call onboard its newest ship, the Celebrity Xcel, with a space called The Bazaar.
The Bazaar will feature a variety of festivals, music, shopping and entertainment throughout the voyage, morphing daily to reflect the destinations the ship is visiting.
The Bazaar will be in the location of the Eden restaurant on other Edge-class ships. It will feature a market with local artisan products and hands-on craft experiences, festivals inspired by destinations on the itinerary, regionally inspired cuisine and beverages, and entertainment.
Laura Hodges Bethge, president of Celebrity Cruises, said the experiences will enable guests to take the destination with them as the ship moves to a new port of call.
Specific offerings will include destination-inspired cooking and dance classes, pop-up entertainment, and performances from local musicians. Shopping options will change throughout the sailing to reflect one of four festival themes. For example, rum and chocolate pairings may be available one day and local hot sauce tastings on another, as will basket-weaving demonstrations.
When the ship shifts to Europe in 2026, the venue will transform to offer festivals, markets and culinary experiences aligned with destinations in the Mediterranean.
The Bazaar will have an open-kitchen concept called Mosaic to serve dishes inspired by the region. Guests can reserve a Chef's Table experience at Mosaic, with native cuisine plated and presented in an elevated way. And, Mosaic will offer a Chef's Studio cooking school for guests to learn to prepare dishes from the destinations they visit.
The area also will have Spice, a casual-dining establishment offering a rotating selection of locally inspired daytime bites.
Guests will have an opportunity to weigh in on details of The Bazaar as Celebrity Cruises builds the experience via it's Dream Makers initiative.
The Xcel, entering service in November, will sail seven-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale, visiting the Bahamas, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and St. Maarten on a variety of itineraries.
The ship will reposition to the Mediterranean in the summer of 2026 with 11-night cruises out of Barcelona and Athens with overnight stays in Madeira, Portugal.