Celebrity Xcel Palma Excursion Revised for Sunday Cathedral Closure
The adjustment highlights how cruise shore programs must work around local worship schedules, especially in European ports where landmark access can shift by day.
Celebrity Cruises has told guests booked on Celebrity Xcel’s April 26, 2026, transatlantic sailing that a Palma de Mallorca shore excursion will no longer include an interior visit to the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma or its museum. The ship’s call falls on a Sunday, when the cathedral complex will be closed to the tour group. The cruise itinerary itself is not changing.
The change affects the “Small Group: City of Palma” excursion, limiting the cathedral portion of the tour to an exterior visit. Guests who no longer want the revised excursion can cancel and choose another option through the Celebrity Cruises app or the cruise line’s website before sailing.
“We’ve been advised by the tour operator of an update to the Small Group: City of Palma excursion,” Celebrity Cruises told booked guests. “As our call to Palma de Mallorca will take place on Sunday, May 10, 2026, the Cathedral and its museum will be closed.”
The cruise line said planned visits to the cathedral and museum will take place from outside the buildings.
Other stops on the Palma tour are not affected.
The Palma call is the final port visit on Celebrity Xcel’s 15-night crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona. The sailing also includes calls in Bermuda, the Azores, Lisbon and Cartagena before the ship reaches Mallorca. Debarkation is scheduled in Barcelona the following day.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, also known as La Seu Cathedral, remains an active cathedral. Visitor access can be restricted on Sundays and holy days, when space is reserved for parishioners and services.
The exterior-only adjustment means booked guests will still see the cathedral from outside but will not have access to interior features such as the rose window, artwork, royal tombs and the white marble Episcopal Throne.
Celebrity Xcel is nearing the end of its first North American season after entering service in November 2025 from Fort Lauderdale. Following the transatlantic voyage, the Edge-class ship is scheduled to operate Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona and Athens through the summer before returning to Florida for a Miami-based winter season in early November.
