The first new ship from Celebrity Cruises in six years has taken to the water for the first time.
The 2,900-passenger Celebrity Edge was floated out from the dry dock in France where it has been under construction for nearly a year. Scheduled to debut in November, the vessel now will undergo finishing work on a wet dock.
Edge’s construction is taking place at the STX France shipyard in St. Nazaire, a shipbuilding hub along the west coast of France.
The initial stages of a cruise ship’s construction take place in a dry dock facility. Once exterior outfitting is complete, the dry dock is flooded and the ship is floated to a wet dock where construction continues. The transition is considered a major milestone in the multi-year process of building a cruise ship.
Edge is the first of four new Celebrity vessels due by 2022 that will boast an innovative new design.
Among Edge’s most notable features: A 90-ton platform the size of a tennis court that will be cantilevered over its side. Called the Magic Carpet, it will move up and down the side of the ship serving functions that range from a tender boarding platform (when it’s positioned alongside Deck 2) to 90-seat alternative restaurant (when it’s positioned near the top of the vessel on Deck 16).
Among other unusual features, Edge will have a jogging track that spans two decks and winds around the ship’s terraced pool area. A relaxation area to the aft of the pool deck called the Rooftop Garden also is on its plans as are six poolside cabanas with 20-foot ceilings for rent. Hot tubs will be perched on stems in what Celebrity says is a “martini glass” design.
Edge also will feature what Celebrity is calling Infinite Veranda cabins designed to blend the indoor and outdoor experience. Billed as an industry first, Infinite Veranda cabins will have balconies that are incorporated into the main cabin area. Bi-fold doors in the rooms either can be completely closed, creating a traditional room area separated from a balcony area, or left open, creating a wide-open indoor space that is about 23% larger than traditional balcony cabins.
Edge also will have Celebrity’s first cabins for solo travelers.
Edge is spending its first winter sailing to the Caribbean out of Fort Lauderdale before moving to the Mediterranean for the summer of 2019.
