Celebrity EDGE again leads the way sailing from a U.S. Port

By Peter Rosenstein - May 30, 2021 12:00 am

Once again Celebrity is leading the way as we slowly go back to cruising. It has been too long since we were on a ship. It was announced previously Celebrity APEX will be sailing this summer from Athens to the Greek Islands. Finally the long awaited announcement the United States is ready for cruise ships to sail from its ports. The first ship to get approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the Celebrity EDGE. It will be the first cruise ship to sail from US waters in more than a year.

This exciting news was first announced to the general public in a letter from Celebrity CEO and President Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. Perlo herself is one of Celebrity’s firsts, an American businesswoman and first woman to lead one of the Royal Caribbean Group’s cruise line brands. Within the first year after being named to that post she hired Captain Kate McCue, now the Captain of the EDGE. She is the first American woman to captain a cruise ship. Kudos to Celebrity and Captain Kate McCue, still the only American female Captain, who will lead the industry back into operation from the United States when the EDGE sails on June 26th  for a seven-night cruise of the Caribbean.

Friends and I have cruised many times on Celebrity. We vouch for their incredibly high level of service in every area. My first cruise after the pandemic will be a transatlantic one on the Celebrity APEX at the end of October. Yet for me in these times of COVID my major concern is about my health. It is very comforting to know that is also the top concern for Celebrity. They have instituted a series of guidelines to ensure each passenger will be safe in every way. The first thing is requiring all their crew to be vaccinated. The second is all US guests must be fully vaccinated to board the ship. Celebrity is now working with all the countries around the world they will sail to and ensure they meet all those countries health guidelines. To read their current specific guidelines and to submit any questions you may have just click on COVID-19 Cruise Health & Safety Protocols | Celebrity Cruises.

Celebrity is also working to ensure they meet all the requirements for returning passengers. Current U.S. requirements stipulate returning international travelers must get tested no more than 3 days before re-entering the United States. To accommodate that requirement “Celebrity Cruises will administer an antigen test onboard the ship, and cover the related cost, should it be required for country re-entry. The test will be administered just before the end of the cruise, and guests will be provided a copy of their test result.” They go on to suggest “Therefore, cruise guests should plan to fly home within 24 hours of departing the ship if it’s not in the US, for the test result to be within the valid window.” Celebrity has committed to “continually evaluating these protocols and will make updates as government requirements, Healthy Sail Panel guidance, and public health standards evolve. Booked guests will be advised of the latest requirements leading up to departure.”

So you can rest assured it is going to be safe to cruise on a Celebrity ship. We will again feel the excitement as we check-in, walk up the gangplank, and get directed to our stateroom. That is a feeling I can’t describe accurately but if you have sailed before you will know what I am talking about. There is no better way to see the world and nothing better than being on the water sailing to exciting ports-of-call. But for me, when on a transatlantic cruise on a Celebrity ship, it’s the relaxing days at sea I like the most. It’s time to sail!!!


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