By Steve Griswold, Sandals & Beaches Chairman’s Royal Club Platinum Elite advisor at Pixie Vacations. Published November 4, 2026.
Celebrity Cruises opened bookings on November 3, 2026 for Celebrity Xcite, its sixth Edge Series ship, which debuts in the Caribbean in 2028 with 7-night cruises from Miami. The Celebrity Xcite Caribbean season is the headline of a 2028–29 program that puts 10 Celebrity ships on the region from four Florida homeports plus San Juan, and the earliest Xcite sailings you can book right now depart in November 2028.
- Celebrity Xcite (about 3,200 guests) sails rotating 7-night itineraries from Miami to St. Thomas, Antigua, the British Virgin Islands, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic.
- Winter 2028–29 Caribbean sailings went on sale November 3, 2026. Summer 2028 opens December 9, 2026.
- Four Florida homeports: Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral and Tampa, plus Celebrity Silhouette’s 7-night San Juan loops with 5 port days each from October 2028.
- First-ever 3-night Edge Series weekends: 9 Celebrity Beyond Bahamas sailings from Fort Lauderdale, November 2028 through March 2029.
What did Celebrity announce on November 3?
Three things, and the dates matter more than the adjectives. First, Celebrity Xcite sails its inaugural season from Miami on 7-night loops; steel was cut in October 2025, the maiden voyage date is not yet confirmed, and the first sailings open for sale leave in November 2028. Second, the whole winter 2028–29 Caribbean program went on sale the same day. Third, summer 2028 goes on sale December 9, 2026, the date to circle if you want a school-break week on an Edge Series ship.
Xcite follows Edge, Apex, Beyond, Ascent and Celebrity Xcel, which entered service in November 2025. “The Caribbean is our guests’ favorite place to vacation,” Celebrity Cruises president Laura Hodges Bethge said in the announcement. “Whether it’s a long-awaited island getaway or a spontaneous weekend escape, we are creating new and fresh ways for guests to experience the region.”
The spontaneous-weekend part is real news on its own. Celebrity Beyond will run 9 three-night Bahamas getaways from Fort Lauderdale between November 2028 and March 2029, the first time an Edge Series ship has sold a 3-night cruise. Beyond also gets three new venues this month, in November 2026: Orange Peel Bar & Grille, Tacos del Sol and Bora.
Celebrity Xcite Caribbean 2028–29: which ship sails from which port?
This is the table I wanted and could not find in one place. Lengths and ports are as Celebrity described them on November 3, 2026; exact dates and fares are on the booking engine, not in the announcement.
| Ship | Homeport | Nights | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrity Xcite (new, 2028) | Miami | 7 | St. Thomas, Antigua, BVI, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Maarten, Dominican Republic (rotating) |
| Celebrity Summit | Miami | 4–5 | Short loops; select sailings call at Royal Beach Club Paradise Island, Nassau |
| Celebrity Beyond | Fort Lauderdale | 3 and 8–11 | 9 weekend Bahamas trips Nov 2028–Mar 2029; longer sailings to St. Kitts and Nevis, Martinique, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, plus 6 Panama Canal journeys |
| Celebrity Eclipse | Fort Lauderdale | Weekend and 11 | Weekend getaways and 11-night Caribbean itineraries |
| Celebrity Xcel | Fort Lauderdale | 6 and 8 | Southern: Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao · Western: Mexico, Honduras, Grand Cayman |
| Celebrity Reflection (refit March 2027) | Fort Lauderdale | 6–8 | Year-round Caribbean; the refit adds 13 new spaces including the Grand Plaza |
| Celebrity Ascent | Florida (port not stated) | 9–12 | Grand Cayman, Aruba, Curaçao, St. Lucia, Martinique, St. Maarten, Barbados, Antigua, Turks and Caicos |
| Celebrity Apex | Port Canaveral | Not stated | Eastern: BVI, Dominican Republic, St. Maarten · Western: Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Key West |
| Celebrity Constellation | Tampa | 7 | Key West, the Bahamas and the Western Caribbean |
| Celebrity Silhouette | San Juan (from Oct 2028) | 7; summer 8–12 | 5 port days per 7 nights: St. Thomas, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados; summer Southern Caribbean sailings to Barbados, Martinique, St. Lucia, Grenada |
Why do the San Juan sailings matter if you hate sea days?
Here is the number almost nobody checks before booking. When we counted port days on every 7-night Caribbean cruise departing February 20–26, 2027, San Juan loops averaged 5.6 and Miami departures 3.6. Celebrity is advertising 5 port days on every Silhouette sailing from San Juan from October 2028. A 7-night Xcite cruise from Miami to the same eastern islands spends roughly two of those days at sea, because Miami to St. Thomas is 958 nautical miles each way.
I hate wasting money, but time is money too; you only get so many vacation days. If St. Lucia and Barbados are the point of the trip and you can only take one week off, flying to Puerto Rico buys you two extra islands. If the ship is the point, and on an inaugural season it often is, Miami is the easier day of travel and Xcite is the one everyone will want to try first.
The Royal Caribbean Group connection
Celebrity’s parent, Royal Caribbean Group, announced on September 23, 2026 that it is buying 50% of Sandals and Beaches Resorts, with closing expected in early 2027. It also owns Royal Beach Club Paradise Island in Nassau, on select Summit sailings here, and the private destinations in our Labadee cancellation story from November 2. Nothing in the November 3 announcement connects the ships to the resorts, and I would not book around a rumor. But if you are a Sandals regular who has never cruised, the family tree now runs through the same parent.
What this means if you’re booking
- Want Xcite specifically? The first sailings open for sale leave Miami in November 2028. If a particular cabin category matters to you, a hold now costs little; just confirm the deposit amount and the refund window before you lock the date. Two years out, flexibility is worth more than a small price difference.
- Want the Southern Caribbean on one week of vacation? Silhouette from San Juan from October 2028, 5 port days every sailing. Price the flights to San Juan against the extra cruise nights it takes to reach the same islands from Florida (8 or more from Fort Lauderdale, 9 or more from Miami).
- Want a summer 2028 sailing? Those are not on sale yet. December 9, 2026 is the date, and the school-break weeks are the ones families will be competing for.
Want us to check it for your dates?
Planning with Pixie Vacations is free, with no fees, and we plan cruises and resorts from the same desk, so we can price Xcite from Miami against Silhouette from San Juan, or against a week at a resort, in one conversation. Call 678-815-1584 or send your dates and the ship you are curious about.
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