First new Celebrity Cruises ship in six years, Celebrity Edge, begins trips from Florida

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Last SlideNext Slide

Saturday will be a big day for Celebrity Cruises fans as the line’s first new ship in six years begins sailing with paying passengers for the first time.

The much-awaited, 2,918-passenger Celebrity Edge will depart Florida’s Port Everglades Saturday afternoon on a three-night voyage to Nassau in The Bahamas. It’ll return to the Fort Lauderdale-area port early on Tuesday.  

Unveiled to travel agents and media earlier this week, Edge is the prototype for an innovative new series of ships at Celebrity called the Edge Class. Designed to be oriented to the ocean in a way that is unusual for big vessels, it boasts several features that are groundbreaking not just for the line but the industry. 

Among them: Outward-facing cabins that are fronted with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling glass – a new concept for ocean cruising made possible by redesigning the internal architecture of the ship.  

RELATED:  Exclusive first look inside Celebrity Edge | Celebrity CEO says new ship will be transformational for brand | Edge’s ‘magic carpet’ will take you to water’s edge 

Dubbed the Edge Stateroom with Infinite Veranda, the new cabin type has 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 percent larger than traditional balcony cabins. 

The glass walls at the end of the cabins slide down from the ceiling at the push of a button, descending to the level of a traditional balcony to create a balcony-like feel. 

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Peek inside one of the groundbreaking new Edge Stateroom with Infinite Veranda cabins on the new Celebrity Edge.
USA TODAY

Also noteworthy on Edge is a three-deck-high, plant-filled lounge, dining and entertainment venue at the back of the ship that is partially encircled in a massive, curving wall of glass. Called Eden, it offers unusually wide-open views of the ocean. It’s full of seating nooks facing outward to the sea. 

Another innovative new feature of Edge is Magic Carpet, a 90-ton platform the size of a tennis court that is cantilevered over the ship’s starboard side. Painted tangerine, it moves up and down the side of the vessel serving functions that range from a lounge to a restaurant to a tender-boarding platform. When used as a lounge or restaurant, it offers stunning views out to sea and back to the main part of the vessel. 

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The first new Celebrity cruise ship in years, the Edge, is loaded with cutting-edge tech, including this striking new Magic Carpet.
USA TODAY

At the top of the ship, another unusual new space, the plant-filled Rooftop Garden, offers passengers a garden-like outdoor venue to watch movies under the stars. It also is home to a grill where passengers can grab a bite while enjoying the sea breeze. 

Celebrity enlisted some of the world’s best-known architects and designers to design Edge’s public spaces, including Patricia Urquiola and Kelly Hoppen. 

Edge arrived at Port Everglades earlier this month after a 15-night journey from the shipyard in France where it had been under construction for more than a year. It’s scheduled to be christened in early December. 

After an initial series of short voyages to the Bahamas out of Port Everglades, Edge will operate week-long trips to the Caribbean out of the cruise hub through the spring. It’ll move to the Mediterranean for summer 2019.