Great news for cruise lovers! The CDC just gave approval for the first big cruise ship to sail from a U.S. port.
In a one-line reveal by Celebrity Cruises CEO and President Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, she tweeted, “SOMEDAY IS HERE.” That ‘someday’ is referring to the long 15 months of the no-sailing order in the U.S. by the CDC for large cruise ships. Thanks to effective vaccines, things are starting to change — and for the better.
Celebrity Edge will be the first large cruise ship to sail from US waters and the launch date is Saturday, June 26. Edge will depart from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on a seven-night cruise of the Caribbean in what promises to be a historic moment for the cruise and travel industry.
I was fortunate to sail on Celebrity Edge on its inaugural voyage (here’s my review) and the reason it was given the green light by the CDC is because it met all the new standards for providing a healthy cruise experience for its guests and crew.
According to Travel Weekly, “All U.S. passengers 16 and older on the cruise must be vaccinated, Celebrity said, and the entire crew will also be inoculated. Celebrity will allow a small number of guests ages 16 and younger, or others ineligible to be vaccinated to sail, so as to maintain a 95% vaccination threshold as required by the CDC to enter service without test sailings. Starting Aug. 1, all guests 12 and older will have to be fully vaccinated.”
Also notable is that the ship’s captain is Kate McCue, the first and still only American female Captain.
Now that Celebrity Edge has been approved to sail in U.S. waters, expect other cruises to get approved. Things are looking up!
