Celebrity Edge Becomes First Cruise Ship To Sail From A U.S. Port In 15 Months

The Celebrity Edge departed Port Everglades on Saturday at 6 p.m. for Royal Caribbean Group with 1,105 guests aboard, marking the first revenue sailing for a large cruise ship from a U.S. port in more than a year.

15 months after making history with a first all-female bridge and officer team sailing in March 2020 and the last sailing before the industry was put on pause, Captain Kate McCue, now lead the fleet – and the industry – back into operation from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades. The ship set sails for Mexico and the Bahamas for a one-week cruise at 41.2 percent occupancy.

All guests are reported to be vaccinated except for two adults and 24 children, while 100 percent of crew onboard have been vaccinated.

“This is a momentous sailing and one that we have been preparing for a long time. It’s not only a huge honor to be the first ship back in the water, leading the industry in the long-awaited return to U.S.-based cruising, it’s also an incredible achievement and testament to the tireless efforts of our shoreside team and onboard crew,” said Richard Fain, Chairman of the Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Celebrity Cruises. “Travel is a powerful catalyst for positive change in our world. There’s nothing more enriching in life than exposing yourself to new cultures, sights, and experiences… and nothing more luxurious than doing it on board a Celebrity cruise ship,” he added. “All that’s left to say is welcome aboard.”

With today’s sailing, eight of the 14 ships within the Celebrity Cruises’ fleet now have plans to return to sailing in 2021 and are ready to take guests to breathtaking destinations, from the Caribbean to Europe, Alaska and the Galapagos, including:

The magnificent Celebrity Millennium led North America’s return to service as the first ship to sail in the Caribbean on June 5 from St. Maarten.
Celebrity Apex, the newest addition to the Celebrity fleet, made her world debut in Athens on June 19, with seven-night sailings to the Greek Isles. The cruise marked a historic return to Greece for the company, which was founded there 33 years ago.
Celebrity Silhouette prepares to summer in Southampton, UK beginning July 3 and offer stunning cruises of the British Isles and coastline.
Beginning July 4, the luxurious, state-of-the-art mega-yacht, Celebrity Flora®, will resume sailing the magical Galapagos Islands. She will be followed soon after by the award-winning Celebrity Xpedition and intimate 16-passenger Celebrity Xploration on July 24, and September 18, respectively.
And, Celebrity’s long-awaited return to the incomparable natural wonders of Alaska begin July 23.