Celebrity Cruises has officially taken delivery of its newest ship and first Edge-Class vessel, Celebrity Edge, at a ceremony in Saint-Nazaire, France.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s Chairman and CEO, Richard D. Fain, and Celebrity’s President and CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, hosted a ceremony aboard Celebrity Edge while docked in the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.
“The Celebrity team has done an outstanding job and I cannot thank the Chantiers de l’Atlantique team enough for delivering this game-changing ship and for their ongoing partnership,” said Fain. “Their work continues to transform the way our guests experience the world.”
“Today is a very special day for all of us as we have been eagerly anticipating this moment for more than four years,” said Lutoff-Perlo. “There are so many aspects of Celebrity Edge that are more groundbreaking than we could have ever imagined, and it is all a testament to the hard work, creativity and talent of everyone who helped bring this magnificent ship to life.”
Following the Celebrity Edge cheque-signing and delivery ceremony, attendees made their way across the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard for the ceremonial keel laying of Celebrity Apex, where a 762-tonne block was lifted in the air and a lucky coin was placed on the dock before the block was lowered into position.
On 6 November 2018, Celebrity Edge will begin her transatlantic voyage to her home port at T25 at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her inaugural season will be spent sailing alternating seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruise itineraries, with her Maiden Western Caribbean voyage departing on 9 December 2018, and her Maiden Eastern Caribbean voyage departing on 16 December 2018. Then, in spring of 2019, Celebrity Edge crosses the Atlantic again to offer guests stunning vistas of the Mediterranean with a range of seven- to 11-night sailings visiting iconic cities, including Barcelona and Rome.
Celebrity Edge will be joined by her sister ship, Celebrity Apex, in 2020, and two additional ships in the Edge Series will follow in 2021 and 2022.
Today is a day @CelebrityCruise has been anticipating for 4 years- taking delivery of #CelebrityEdge! She is a testament to the hard work, creativity & talent of all who brought her to life at Chantiers de l’Atlantique. Then… the keel laying for #CelebrityApex! #bestdayever pic.twitter.com/E9fBCK9oDi
— Lisa Lutoff-Perlo (@LisaLutoffPerlo) October 31, 2018
Lead image: The Celebrity Executive Team were also in attendance along with shipyard officials, including General Manager Laurent Castaing, and 1,377 crew members from 72 different countries.