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Celebrity Edge

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Celebrity Edge
Celebrity Edge at Saint Nazaire, France
History
Malta
NameCelebrity Edge
OwnerCelebrity Edge Inc.[1] (Royal Caribbean Group)
OperatorCelebrity Cruises[1]
Port of registryValletta,  Malta
BuilderSTX France
CostUS$1 billion (2014)
Yard numberJ34
Laid down21 November 2016
Launched23 January 2018
Sponsored byMalala Yousafzai
Completed31 October 2018
Maiden voyage9 December 2018
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeEdge-class cruise ship
TypePassenger ship
Tonnage130,818 GT[1]
Length306 m (1,003 ft 11 in)[1]
Beam39 m (127 ft 11 in)[1]
Draft8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)[1]
Decks15
Installed power
  • 2 × Wärtsilä 8L46F (2 × 9.6MW)[1]
  • 2 × Wärtsilä 12V46F (2 × 14.4MW)[1]
  • 1 × Wärtsilä 12V32E (1 × 6.96MW)[1]
Propulsion
Speed21.8 knots (40.4 km/h; 25.1 mph)[2]
Capacity2,918[2]
Crew1,377

Celebrity Edge is an Edge-class cruise ship operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group. After the new vessel was ordered with French shipbuilder STX France in December 2014, her keel was laid in June 2017 and she was floated out in January 2018. Upon delivery in October 2018, at 130,818 GT, she became the lead ship of the Edge class and the largest ship by gross tonnage to have joined the Celebrity fleet.

Design

[edit]
A blue-painted cruise ship is viewed from her starboard (right) side as she sails out of port; along the middle of the vessel is a tangerine sheltered platform that moves on a track on the starboard side
The orange "Magic Carpet" along the starboard side of Celebrity Edge

Celebrity Edge was the first Celebrity ship to be equipped with what the cruise line dubs the "Magic Carpet," a tangerine glass-sheltered platform that protrudes and is suspended from the starboard side of the vessel. It was designed to facilitate more accessible tender embarkation and disembarkation. When not in use as a tender platform, it can rise or descend alongside the ship on its track and otherwise hosts additional dining and lounge space.[3]

Most balcony staterooms on the ship also incorporate the outward patio of the balcony into the stateroom by moving the steel superstructure of the ship inward.[3] Royal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain explained the motive behind the design as intending to provide passengers more living area while also allowing passengers to be closer to the edge of the ship while on their patios.[4]

The ship's bow is designed to maximize fuel efficiency by having a parabolic shape that vertically rises towards the decks. It provides extra sheathing for the bulbous bow and the propellers to reduce drag.[5][6]

Construction

[edit]

On 4 December 2014, Celebrity Cruises' parent company, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., announced that they had finalized an order with French shipbuilder STX France for two new ships that would compose a new class of vessels for the Celebrity fleet. Classified as "Project EDGE" during development, the two new ships were planned to be at approximately 117,000 GT each, with a guest capacity of 2,900 passengers. Deliveries were planned for fall 2018 and early-2020 for the two vessels, respectively.[7] Each ship was reported to come at a cost of US$1 billion (2014) .[8]

STX France began preparing construction for the first new Edge-class vessel with the steel-cutting ceremony on 21 November 2016 at its shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France. On the same day, Celebrity announced the name of the first newbuild as Celebrity Edge, and her sister ship as Celebrity Beyond,[9][10] which was later changed to Celebrity Apex in July 2018.[11]

Six months after the steel-cutting, Celebrity Edge had her keel laying and coin ceremony at STX France on 21 June 2017.[12] She was officially launched on 23 January 2018, marking her float-out from the shipyard.[13] On 27 July 2018, she began her first round of sea trials[14] and completed them four days later, on 1 August. Her second and final round of sea trials were performed in September 2018.[15] Celebrity Edge was delivered on 31 October 2018.[16]

Service history

[edit]

Following her delivery, Celebrity Edge jump-started her inaugural season on 6 November 2018 with a transatlantic crossing from France to Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[16] As a result of construction progressing faster than expected, Celebrity released four three-day preview cruises for sale upon the ship's arrival in Florida: 21 November, 24 November, 1 December, and 6 December.[17][18]

Celebrity named 2014 Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai as the godmother to Celebrity Edge in April 2017[19] and Yousafzai christened the ship in a ceremony on 4 December 2018.[20] The ship's official maiden voyage sailed on 9 December 2018, calling in the ports of Key West, Grand Cayman, and Costa Maya.[17]

Since December 2018, Celebrity Edge has been homeported at Port Everglades, operating weekly Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings during the winter season,[16][21] and sailing in the Mediterranean during the summer season.[22]

In November 2022, Celebrity opened the 2023 Alaskan Cruising Season and announced Celebrity Edge would be on the Alaskan cruises.[23] Then Celebrity Edge moved to service the 2023/2024 Australia/New Zealand circuit,[24] and returned to the Alaskan circuit in May 2024.[25]

Celebrity Edge docked at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal, 4 February 2024

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Celebrity Edge (34827)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  2. ^ a b "Celebrity Edge Cruise Ship". Celebrity Cruises. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  3. ^ a b Kalosh, Anne (13 March 2017). "Celebrity Edge dazzles with style, Magic Carpet, infinite veranda rooms". Seatrade Cruise News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019.
  4. ^ Sampson, Hannah (17 March 2017). "Interview: Celebrity Cruises CEO on Getting the Edge in First Ship Design in a Decade". Skift. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017.
  5. ^ Stieghorst, Tim (7 September 2018). "Celebrity and the next wave of hull design". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 17 October 2018.
  6. ^ Street, Francesca (27 November 2018). "Celebrity Edge: 'Futuristic' cruise ship completes maiden voyage". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Celebrity Cruises Orders Two New Ships". Cruise Industry News. 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 10 December 2014.
  8. ^ Bloom Begley, Laura (30 November 2018). "Why This Billion-Dollar Cruise Ship Is The Ultimate Ship For Women". Forbes. Archived from the original on 8 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Celebrity Cruises Cuts Steel, Announces Names for First Edge-Class Ships". Cruise Critic. 21 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 November 2016.
  10. ^ Pickford, Mary Ann (22 November 2016). "Celebrity reveals names of new Edge Class ships". Cruise International. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017.
  11. ^ Kemble, Harry (24 July 2018). "Celebrity Cruises changes name of next Edge series ship". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 2 November 2019.
  12. ^ "STX France Lays Keel for Celebrity Edge". Cruise Industry News. 21 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017.
  13. ^ "New Celebrity Edge Cruise Ship Floats Out". Cruise Critic. 23 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018.
  14. ^ Souza, Ben (27 July 2018). "Celebrity Cruises' New Cruise Ship Begins Sea Trials". Cruise Fever. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018.
  15. ^ "New Celebrity Edge Cruise Ship Successfully Completes First Sea Trials". Cruise Critic. 1 August 2018. Archived from the original on 1 August 2018.
  16. ^ a b c "Celebrity Edge Delivered". Cruise Industry News. 31 October 2018. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018.
  17. ^ a b Kalosh, Anne (8 January 2018). "Celebrity Edge is entering service earlier, five cruises added". Seatrade Cruise News. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  18. ^ Leposa, Adam (23 February 2018). "Celebrity Cancels Dec. 3 Edge Preview Cruise". Travel Agent Central. Archived from the original on 23 February 2018.
  19. ^ Stieghorst, Tim (27 April 2017). "Malala Yousafzai named Celebrity Edge godmother". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017.
  20. ^ Sloan, Gene (5 December 2018). "Celebrity Edge: Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai helps christen ship in Florida". USA Today. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018.
  21. ^ "Celebrity Sends Six Ships to Caribbean for 2019 – 2020 Season". Travel Agent Central. 11 December 2017. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017.
  22. ^ Monk, Dave (13 September 2018). "Celebrity Edge: What to expect on the $1bn cruise ship". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 15 December 2018.
  23. ^ Kalosh, Anne (2022-11-11). "Celebrity going year-round in Europe, Asia, sending first Edge ship to Alaska". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  24. ^ "Experience Celebrity Edge in Australia & New Zealand: Sailing 2023–2024". celebritycruises.com.
  25. ^ "2024 Alaska Cruises". celebritycruises.com.
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