Edge-class cruise ship

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Class overview
BuildersChantiers de l'Atlantique (France)
OperatorsCelebrity Cruises
Preceded bySolstice class
Planned5
Building1
Completed4
Active4
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage
Length
  • 306 m (1,003 ft 11 in)[1]
  • 327 m (1,073 ft)[2]
Beam39 m (127 ft 11 in)[1]
Draught8.4 m (27 ft 7 in)[1]
Installed power
Propulsion
Capacity
  • 2,918 in 1,467 staterooms[3]
  • 1,650 staterooms[2]

The Edge class is a class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. The class is constructed by Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France. At present, there are four active Edge-class ships: the lead vessel of the class Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond, and Celebrity Ascent. Celebrity Apex was scheduled to begin operations in April 2020, but entry into service was delayed until June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrity Ascent is the newest ship to debut and welcomed its first guests in November 2023.[4] A fifth ship, Celebrity Xcel is currently under construction.

Both Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex were built with a gross tonnage (GT) of 130,818. Subsequent new builds have a hull extended by 20 metres (66 ft), bringing the length of the ship to 327 metres (1,072 ft 10 in), and an increased gross tonnage to 140,600 GT.[2] Ships in this class are reported to cost US$1 billion each.[5]

History[edit]

Orders[edit]

On 4 December 2014, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced that it had signed a letter of intent with STX France for two new ships that would compose a new class of vessels for the Celebrity Cruises fleet.[6] In June 2015, the letter was converted into a formal order for the first two ships.[7]

On 25 May 2016, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announced that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with STX France for two additional ships for the Edge class.[8] These two vessels comprise the third and fourth in the class, originally scheduled for delivery in fall 2021 and 2022, respectively.[8]

On 11 April 2019, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. ordered a fifth Edge-class ship with Chantiers de l'Atlantique, with delivery scheduled for fall 2024,[9] since revised to 2025.[10]

Construction[edit]

Celebrity Cruises marked the beginning of construction for the first Edge-class vessel with the steel-cutting ceremony on 21 November 2016 at the STX France shipyard.[11] On the same day, the lead vessel's name was announced as Celebrity Edge.[12] She was delivered on 31 October 2018.[13]

Celebrity initially named the second vessel of the Edge class as Celebrity Beyond,[11] but she was renamed Celebrity Apex on the day of her steel-cutting on 23 July 2018.[14] She was delivered on 27 March 2020.[15]

Celebrity celebrated the steel-cutting of the third ship, named Celebrity Beyond, on 28 January 2020.[16] She is the first of three vessels in the class to evolve in design and expand in gross tonnage.[2] She entered into service on 27 April 2022 with a sailing from Southampton, UK.

The steel cutting for Celebrity's fourth Edge-class vessel, Celebrity Ascent, occurred on 17 November 2021.[17] The ship entered service with Celebrity on 22 November 2023 on a "preview" sailing out of Port Everglades, FL.

Ships[edit]

Name
building number 		Status Entered service for Celebrity Gross tonnage Flag Notes Image
Celebrity Edge In service 25 November 2018[3] 130,818  Malta
Celebrity Apex In service 19 June 2021 130,818  Malta
Celebrity Beyond[18] In service 27 April 2022 140,600[2]  Malta Steel cut on 28 January 2020 and hull lengthened to 327 m (1,073 ft)[2]
Celebrity Ascent[18] In service 22 November 2023 141,420[19]  Malta Construction started on 17 November 2021

Float out completed 24 January 2023[17]
Planned maiden voyage 3 December 2023[20]
Floating engine room unit built at CRIST, Gdynia[21]

Celebrity Xcel[10] Under construction November 2025 (planned) TBA Construction started 7 November 2023. Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the flex fuel engines, enabling the ship to run on methanol.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Celebrity Edge (34827)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Groizeleau, Vincent (2020-01-29). "Saint-Nazaire : la construction du premier Edge Jumbo a débuté". Mer et Marine (in French).
  3. ^ a b Monk, Dave (13 September 2018). "Celebrity Edge: What to expect on the $1bn cruise ship". The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  4. ^ "New Celebrity Ascent Welcomes First Guests in Fort Lauderdale". 2023-11-23.
  5. ^ Street, Francesca (2018-11-27). "Celebrity Edge: 'Futuristic' cruise ship completes maiden voyage". CNN.
  6. ^ Staff, C. I. N. (2014-12-04). "Celebrity Cruises Orders Two New Ships". www.cruiseindustrynews.com.
  7. ^ "Celebrity Cruises : Commande de deux navires à STX France confirmée". 2015-06-05. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  8. ^ a b "Royal Caribbean Orders Three New Ships". Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 2016-05-25.
  9. ^ "A new order for Chantiers de l'Atlantique". 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  10. ^ a b c "Celebrity Xcel Named As Next Ship For Celebrity Cruises". Cruise Industry News. 2023-11-07.
  11. ^ a b "Celebrity Cruises Cuts Steel, Announces Names for First Edge-Class Ships". www.cruisecritic.com.
  12. ^ Pickford, Mary Ann (2016-11-22). "Celebrity reveals names of new Edge Class ships". Cruise International. Archived from the original on 2019-11-02. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  13. ^ Staff, C. I. N. (2018-10-31). "Celebrity Edge Delivered". www.cruiseindustrynews.com.
  14. ^ Sloan, Gene (2018-07-25). "Construction begins on new Celebrity Cruises ship Celebrity Apex". USA Today.
  15. ^ "Celebrity Takes Virtual Delivery of Celebrity Apex". Cruise Industry News. 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  16. ^ "Celebrity Cuts Steel and Names New Ship Celebrity Beyond". Cruise Industry News. 2020-01-29.
  17. ^ a b "Steel Cut for New 2023 Celebrity Newbuild, Celebrity Ascent". 17 November 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Chantiers de'l Atlantique: Edge-class" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  19. ^ "Celebrity Ascent (39736)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
  20. ^ "Find a Cruise – 5 Itineraries". Celebrity Cruises. Retrieved 13 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Another cruise ship mega block has left CRIST". 2022-04-07. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
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