These Cruise Ships Are Bringing the Destination On Board

When Celebrity Cruises launches its 3,248-passenger Celebrity Xcel this November, brand loyalists will notice something new: The Bazaar, a sea-day concept that will take over a mammoth dedicated space across three decks with food, entertainment, and retail inspired by the previous port of call. It’s a place where guests will be able to find vendors that sell sombreros the day after a visit to Cozumel or rum tastings after they’ve left Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, followed by bachata dancers at night. “It essentially extends guests’ time in each port,” says Jeannette Coto Dou, Celebrity’s vice president of product development.

A SALT dish showcasing local cuisine on Silversea’s newest ship, Silver Ray.

SILVERSEA CRUISES

Silversea pioneered the movement to bring the culture and food of ports on board with its popular SALT program back in 2021, which showcased local cuisine on ships through immersive experiences and partnerships; now other lines are honing their own approaches. In the coming year Celebrity plans to bring The Bazaar, the largest-scale effort of this type, to Celebrity Xcel’s four sister ships in the Edge category on sailings through the Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Boutique line Azamara Cruises recently debuted its Stories Under the Stars program, for which local experts hop on board to share myths and legends; in November cultural specialist Thato Mahlangu will tell tales of the cunning Grootslang serpent, said to guard the riches of South Africa’s Richtersveld region, as Azamara Pursuit sails the South African coast. Similarly, in Quebec, Ponant brought Gaspe Mi’kmaq storyteller Tim Adams on board Le Commandant Charcot during its new icebreaker sailings up the St. Lawrence River, the first in a series of traditional performances on the ship. Native Polynesian craft classes covering such topics as the making of Tahitian hairpins are now offered when the 245-passenger ship sails the Society Islands.

St. John’s wort from Katapola, Greece, a SALT ingredient

SILVERSEA CRUISES

Food expert Laura Lazzaroni, of SALT’s Italy program

SILVERSEA CRUISES

As for Silversea, it has extended its SALT program to its newest ship, the year-old Silver Ray, offering a dedicated chef’s table, set in a bright room with large windows that look out over the sea; it has also retrofitted sister ship Silver Nova to create a similar space. Here, experts like João Sá, the chef of the Michelin-starred Lisbon restaurant Sála de João Sá, will serve dishes to passengers using rare and specialized ingredients from nearby ports—just one more example of the ways cultural immersion can last long after the ship has sailed on.

Seven-night sails on board Celebrity Xcel from $883. This article appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.