For the first time, Celebrity Cruises’ newest Edge-class ship Celebrity Apex begins operations from the U.S. The vessel is setting sail from Fort Lauderdale in Florida to kickstart its inaugural Caribbean season.
Second Edge-Class Ship Begins Cruises from the U.S.
After a long delay due to the suspension of operations, Celebrity Cruises can finally showcase its newest Edge-class vessel to the U.S. Celebrity Apex is kickstarting sailings from Fort Lauderdale in Florida for her inaugural Caribbean season. Cruise Hive readers can take a look at Celebrity Apex at Port Everglades below:
The ship is departing Port Everglades today (November 2) for a two-night special sailing, including the much-anticipated naming ceremony. It comes after the Celebrity Apex was originally scheduled to debut in March 2020, but we all know what happened then! The cruise industry suspended operations and only in the last few months have cruise ships started to make a comeback.
Also Read: Things to Know About Your Port Everglades Terminal
“We are elated to welcome Celebrity Apex to our family of magnificent vessels that push the boundaries of what’s possible on a cruise ship,” said Richard Fain, chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Group. “As we welcome guests back to the seas aboard the newest Edge class ship, we are excited to deliver the very best vacation experience that is the hallmark of every Celebrity cruise.
Celebrity Apex set sail on her maiden voyage in Europe by sailing short Greek Island cruises in June 2021. It’s now the turn of the U.S. to host the newest Celebrity cruise ship and the second in the Edge-class series.
“Celebrating Celebrity Apex is certainly long overdue and it’s a day I have been waiting to celebrate for quite a long time – 581 days, to be exact. This stunning ship truly represents a new standard in new-luxury travel, and we can’t wait for our guests to finally experience it for themselves,” said Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. “As we say in our new brand campaign, we know guests will not only, ‘Journey WonderFULL,’ aboard this beautiful ship, but that she will also be the industry’s most talked about new ship.”
Celebrity Apex Naming Ceremony
Celebrity Apex isn’t just setting sail on her first voyage from the U.S., but also is being christened by godmother Reshma Saujani, the founder of groundbreaking non-profit Girls Who Code and author of the bestseller “Brave, Not Perfect.”
Saujani is naming the new vessel today onboard, and also in attendance is will be hundreds of guests, including local dignitaries from the City of Hollywood and City of Dania Beach; representatives from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Coast Guard, Broward County Sheriff’s Department, and Broward County Fire Rescue, as well as media and invited guests.
“I can’t think of anyone better to serve as Godmother for this ship than the incredible Reshma Saujani,” continued Lutoff-Perlo. “Reshma is a visionary, leading the charge to challenge stereotypes and inspire a whole new generation of girls and women to bravely pursue tech jobs; just as Celebrity is working to close the gender gap at sea, growing our percentage of women serving as bridge officers to 30 percent in an industry where the average is 2 percent. It is Reshma’s game-changing spirit that makes her the perfect Godmother for a game-changing ship like Celebrity Apex.”
Following the two-night voyage, Celebrity Apex will begin operating Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries in the Caribbean, including calls to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Belize, and hopefully, Grand Cayman. The first official cruise with guests onboard will depart Fort Lauderdale on November 4 and be a nine-night Eastern Caribbean voyage.
She is the second Edge-class ship and sister to Celebrity Edge. The vessel is 129,500 gross tons with a guest capacity of 2,910 at double occupancy, along with 1,319 international crew members. Another third Edge-class ship named Celebrity Beyond will debut in 2022.
