Four summer calls: Celebrity Xcel in Kuşadası and the 11:00 safari
Celebrity Xcel has only been sailing since 2025, and her Kuşadası pattern is about as regular as a timetable gets. The port schedule as of early October 2026 lists four calls in the next 12 months: Tuesday 29 June, Tuesday 27 July and Tuesday 24 August 2027, each four weeks after the last, and then Monday 20 September 2027, a day earlier in the week and 27 days later. Every one runs from 08:00 to 18:00. All of these months are inside our riding season: the only break is in winter, between 1 December and 31 March, and we are out riding again from 1 April.
There are no calls before next summer, so you have time to plan. Our 11:00 safari fits all four dates. The full list of Celebrity Xcel calls has the current hours for each one; check it again nearer the time.
Two clock checks, both passed
For any cruise call we ask two questions before we say yes.
| Check | What we need | Celebrity Xcel |
|---|---|---|
| In port before the meeting? | Alongside by 10:10 | Arrives 08:00 |
| Back with an hour to spare? | Departure at 15:15 or later | Departs 18:00 |
The second check comes from our rule: you must be back at the port at least 60 minutes before the ship departs. The morning group returns between 13:45 and 14:15, so 18:00 leaves room to spare.
Run the same checks for the 16:00 session and it fails. That ride needs the ship to stay until 20:15 or later, because the group is back between 18:45 and 19:15. By then Celebrity Xcel has already sailed. So on all four dates, the morning is your safari slot.
How a Tuesday with Celebrity Xcel can run
The timings below hold for every call, the Monday included.
Early morning. The ship is in at 08:00. There are about two hours before you need to be anywhere, enough for a proper breakfast and an unhurried walk off the ship.
10:10. We meet you at the Kervansaray meeting point, The Big Ottoman Palace, roughly 50 m beyond the cruise port exit (map). From there it is a drive of about 15 minutes to the start, in the pine forest behind Pamucak beach.
11:00. The ride, roughly two hours, with a 30-minute break at Pamucak beach partway through.
13:45–14:15. Back at the port.
The rest of the afternoon. From the latest drop-off to an 18:00 departure there are 3 h 45 min. Take off the hour our rule asks for and you still have well over two hours in town. One caution: Celebrity Xcel's daily programme will give an all-aboard time, and it is usually earlier than 18:00. Work back from that, not from the departure.
Picking the right ride for your group
Celebrity Xcel is an Edge-class ship for about 3,260 guests at double occupancy, so the people on one sailing want very different things from a shore day. Our three rides cover a fair range.
If you want to be in control of the machine, choose the quad safari or the buggy safari. There is no licence requirement, but drivers have to be at least 16. You can take a single vehicle or share a double. After a safety briefing, with helmet and goggles on, you follow the guide in convoy. Children younger than about 2 years cannot come on these.
If you would rather go at a walking pace, the horse safari is built for beginners. Riders are 8 and over, or younger with an experienced companion, and a riding guide leads a small group. Helmets are provided. Whether horse riders can swim at the beach stop depends on the season.
Getting your date booked
Open the cruise day planner, select Celebrity Xcel and your date, and it will show the 11:00 session and fill in the booking form for you. The reservation page works just as well if you already know the date and tour.
With the first call still months away, the line may adjust a time or two before then. Look at the Celebrity Xcel ship page shortly before you travel. It always carries the current schedule and tells you which session fits each call.