Celebrity Edge will sail from Port Everglades on 26 June – the first cruise ship to sail from U.S. waters in over a year. The ship will be captained by Captain Kate McCue, the first and to date only American female captain.
SOMEDAY IS HERE. pic.twitter.com/ZC6oS2LXYe
— Lisa Lutoff-Perlo (@LisaLutoffPerlo) May 26, 2021
“Someday is here.” That was the one-line tweet Celebrity Cruises CEO and President Lisa Lutoff-Perlo used to announce the news.
Celebrity was given permission to resume sailing by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), whose guidelines stipulate that ships need at least one practice run before the resumption of regular cruising, but can skip the requirement if they can vouch that 98 per cent of the crew and 95 per cent of the passengers have been vaccinated.
Royal Caribbean International announced yesterday, 26 May, that they would conduct a test run from 20 June, but Celebrity Edge will be the first ship to depart on a full cruise having guaranteed that it fulfils the CDC vaccination requirements. All passengers over 16 years old must be fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to sailing; from 1 August, this applies to all passengers over 12. All crew are vaccinated.
“I’m beyond proud and excited to say that day has arrived,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. “The power of travel has a way of healing our souls as we connect with cultures, sights, and experiences that bring greater joy and renewed energy to our lives. Nothing compares to these experiences at sea and now the wonder of these journeys returns. We’ve been preparing for this day for months and, on behalf of all of us at Celebrity Cruises, we’re ready and we can’t wait to welcome our guests aboard once again!”
“Today’s exciting news is the result of a collaboration with the CDC, our elected officials at the local, state and national levels and our industry partners at CLIA,” said Richard Fain, Chairman of Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Celebrity Cruises. “We’ve consulted with the brightest minds in the health industry to ensure that our passengers and crew feel safe and comfortable on our ships while enjoying the uncompromised experience they know and love.”
