by Sarah Kuta
Last updated: 1:50 PM ET, Tue July 22, 2025
Celebrity Cruises has unveiled the identity of the man who will sail its newest ship, Celebrity Xcel.
When the ship debuts in November, it will have Kyriakos (Kirk) Matragkas—also known as Captain Kirk—at the helm. Matragkas was born in Piraeus, Greece, and grew up on the water with his father. He later graduated from the world’s oldest marine academy in Hydra.
Matragkas joined Celebrity Cruises in 2000 to help launch the Celebrity Millennium and has been a beloved figure for the brand ever since. When he’s not working, Matragkas likes to read, snowboard and play the guitar and drums.
“I’m speechless,” Matragkas said, wiping away tears after being asked to lead the new vessel, in a video the company posted on social media.
Celebrity Xcel is the newest ship in the brand’s Edge Series. It will spend its first season in Fort Lauderdale, offering 7-night sailings to The Bahamas, Mexico, Cayman Islands, Puerto Plata, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. Next summer, the vessel will head across the Atlantic to Europe to offer 7- to 11-night journeys from Barcelona and Athens
The ship will have a variety of brand new spaces, including the Bazaar, a three-story, multi-sensory entertainment venue. Celebrity Xcel will also feature the new Celebrity Pool Club, an adults-oriented arcade lounge called Attic at The Club, Celebrity’s largest spa yet and the line’s first-ever Celebrity Flagship store.
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