Royal Caribbean-owned Celebrity Edge becomes the first cruise ship to set sail from the US in 15 months: 99% of the 1,110 passengers are vaccinated
A Royal Caribbean-owned ship, the Celebrity Edge, set sail from a US port Saturday, marking the first cruise ship to sail from a US port in 15 months.
It set sail with 99 percent of its 1,110 passengers fully vaccinated, the company said.
Celebrity Edge departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6pm Saturday, with 1,110 passengers on board, which is 40 percent capacity.
Celebrity Cruises, one of Royal Caribbean Cruise's brands, says 99 percent of the passengers are vaccinated, well over the 95 percent requirement imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A giant greeting was projected on a wall of one of the port buildings: 'Someday is here. Welcome back.'
Passengers arrived with matching T-shirts that read phrases such as 'straight outta vaccination' and 'vaccinated and ready to cruise.'
'Words can't describe how excited we are to be a part of this historic sailing today,' said Elizabeth Rosner, 28, who moved from Michigan to Orlando, Florida, in December 2019 with her fiancé just to be close to the cruise industry's hub.
To comply with both the CDC's requirement and a new Florida law banning businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination, Celebrity Cruises asked guests if they would like to share their vaccination status. Those who did not show or say they are vaccinated face additional restrictions.
The Celebrity Edge cruise ship is docked at Port Everglades, Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Celebrity Edge is set to sail on Saturday from Fort Lauderdale. It will be the first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port with ticketed passengers since the onset of the pandemic, which halted sailing
The Celebrity Edge is moored at Port Everglades, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale
Porter Johnny Jones Jr. tags the luggage of Celebrity Cruise passengers James and Cynthia Mitchell of Kansas, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Celebrity Edge is the first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill. The cruise ship has 40 percent capacity, and with virtually all passengers vaccinated against COVID-19
Orchid Klaric, left, assists Brenda and Kurt Duncan of Denver, with checking into their cruise, Saturday, June 26, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Celebrity Edge is the first cruise ship to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill. The seven-night cruise will have 40 percent capacity and with virtually all passengers vaccinated against COVID-19
The Celebrity Edge set the seas on Saturday as the first ship to leave a US port in 15 months
Passengers line up to board the Celebrity Cruise at Fort Lauderdale - some are masked, but 99 percent are vaccinated
It's 'Straight Outta Vaccination' for this couple as they board the ship for the first US cruise in 15 months
At the boarding center for Celebrity Cruises, passengers line up to set sail for the first cruise to take off from a US port in 15 months after COVID-19 brought the industry to its knees
Saturday's sailing kicks off the cruise lines' return to business with Carnival vessels already scheduled to depart from other ports next month.
'This is an emotional day for me. When I stepped on board the ship, I was proud. It´s a beautiful ship,' said Royal Caribbean Cruises' CEO Richard Fain, after expressing condolences to the victims of the Surfside building collapse, less than 15 miles south of the port.
Celebrity Cruises had unveiled the $1billion boat in December 2018 - betting on luxury cruising, offering a giant spa and multi-floor suites. The seven-night cruise will sail for three days in the Western Caribbean waters before making stops in Costa Maya, Cozumel and Nassau.
The ship is led by Capt. Kate McCue, the first American woman to captain a cruise ship, who has more than 1 million followers on TikTok.
'You can truly feel the palpable sense of excitement and energy amongst the group as we prepare for our welcoming of our first guests,' McCue said. 'I've never honestly seen a group so excited to get back to work.'
Industry officials are hoping all goes smooth to move past a chapter last year of deadly outbreaks on cruise ships that prompted ships to be rejected at ports and passengers to be forced into quarantine. Some passengers died of COVID-19 at sea while others fell so ill they had to be carried out of the vessels on stretchers.
The ship is docked before it set sail Saturday as the first cruise in 15 months to take off from a US port
Cruisers were nearly completely vaccinated as the ship was ready to set sail Saturday
Luggage sits tagged and ready to be boarded on the ship ahead of its Saturday sailing
The Celebrity Edge was docked at Port Everglades earlier in the week ahead of its Saturday launch
On Saturday, Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, left and Brian Abel, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations and Celebrity Cruises set the ship off to sail at 40 percent capacity
The CDC extended no-sail orders repeatedly last year as the pandemic raged, and came up with strict requirements for the industry that have already been contested in court by the state of Florida. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says the industry generates billions for the state's economy.
On Saturday, officials at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale said only that port lost more than $30 million in revenue in fiscal year 2020 from the cruise shutdown.
During that hiatus, Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, the three largest cruise companies, have had to raise more than $40 billion in financing just to stay afloat. Collectively they lost $20 billion last year and another $4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
The pandemic forced Kurt and Carol Budde to cancel their beach celebration wedding aboard the world's largest ship, Symphony of the Seas, in March 2020. COVID-19 halted cruising six days before they were scheduled to tie the knot in St. Maarten. Kurt Budde's part-time gig as a travel agent also dried up.
'It's a honeymoon make-up cruise,' said Kurt Budde, sporting matching shirts with the phrase 'On Cruise Control.'
'We are living our best lives post COVID today,' he said.
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