Celebrity Edge gets first taste of water
Celebrity Cruises is this much closer to its newest class of ship in years as Celebrity Edge was floated out of dry dock for the first time.
The 2,918-passenger ship under construction at STX France shipyard in St. Nazaire, France has moved to the next stage of construction, having now had its first taste of water, and proving it can float.
“This truly is an exciting moment for our brand,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, President and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. “The float-out process marks a milestone in the building of Celebrity Edge. With exterior construction complete, the amazing STX France team will now turn their attention to bringing all of the meticulously designed venues and transformational staterooms and suites to life.”
The ship debuts in November, set to sail seven-night alternating eastern and western Caribbean itineraries out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
“Edge is going to be interesting,” said Stewart Chiron, who runs industry website CruiseGuy.com. “Edge really is like a Quantum class ship with some new features. Certain aspects of it, the sensory aspect of it.”
One of those features is the Magic Carpet, which has multiple roles, but will offer an innovative way for passengers to disembark and reboard the ship when it tenders at ports of call. It will move up and down the side of the 16-deck ship and act as mass transportation, but also as an entertainment and dining venue.
Another feature is the three-story venue called Eden that will feature an 18-foot-tall wall of plants over a bar that uses ingredients from the plants in its drinks. The venue will act as relaxing lounge during the day and dinner theater venue at night with aerialists and musicians. Other features include martini glass-shaped jacuzzis, staterooms without sliding doors and two new suite categories (Iconic Suites and Edge Villas).
The 129,500-ton, 1,004-foot-long vessel’s first sailing from Port Everglades is Nov. 21. It will continue sailing the Caribbean until summer 2019 when it migrates to the Mediterranean.
Celebrity Edge is the first of a new class of ship. The line’s last class of ship, the Solstice class, debuted more than 10 years ago. A sister ship, Celebrity Beyond, is slated for delivery in spring 2020 with two more on order for 2021 and 2022.
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