FORT LAUDERDALE — A Royal Caribbean-owned ship, the Celebrity Edge, set sail from a Florida port on Saturday, marking the first cruise ship to sail from a U.S. 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 6 p.m. 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.