Starboard has won the Best Cruise Retail Initiative award for the shopping experience developed aboard Celebrity Xcel.

The company received the honor at the 2026 Global Travel Retail Awards in Cannes for its project, “Redefining Retail at Sea: The Multisensory Experience of Celebrity Xcel.”

Starboard said the consumer-voted recognition celebrates an onboard retail concept designed to encourage discovery, engage the senses and reflect the distinctive character of Celebrity Cruises’ newest ship.

The award was accepted in Cannes by Starboard representatives Benito Mendez and Matteo Assalino.

Rather than treating onboard stores simply as places to display and sell products, cruise retailers are increasingly developing spaces that form part of the wider vacation experience.

This approach can include carefully selected merchandise, interactive product presentations, themed events and retail spaces connected to the identity of the ship and the destinations it visits.

Celebrity Xcel is one of the cruise ships named to Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Hot List, which recognizes notable new and recently transformed travel experiences.

Starboard credited its partnership with Celebrity Cruises and the work of the teams that brought the retail concept to life.

For the shipboard employees operating the stores, delivering a multisensory retail experience requires more than traditional sales skills. Crew members must understand the products, communicate the story behind each collection and create personal interactions that encourage guests to explore.

The recognition also highlights the growing role of cruise retail within the overall guest experience. Shopping aboard modern cruise ships is increasingly being designed as entertainment and discovery rather than only a commercial activity.

Starboard said the Celebrity Xcel project reflects its goal of making shopping a memorable part of the voyage.