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,,, and . 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.[1] A fifth ship, Celebrity Xcel is currently under construction. [2]
Both Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex were built with a gross tonnage (GT) of 130,818. Subsequent new builds have a hull extended by 20m (70feet), bringing the length of the ship to 327m (1,073feet), and an increased gross tonnage to 140,600 GT.[3] Ships in this class are reported to cost US$1 billion each.[4]
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.[5] In June 2015, the letter was converted into a formal order for the first two ships.[6]
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.[7] These two vessels comprise the third and fourth in the class, originally scheduled for delivery in fall 2021 and 2022, respectively.
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,[8] since revised to 2025.[9]
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.[10] On the same day, the lead vessel's name was announced as Celebrity Edge.[11] She was delivered on 31 October 2018.[12]
Celebrity initially named the second vessel of the Edge class as Celebrity Beyond,[10] but she was renamed Celebrity Apex on the day of her steel-cutting on 23 July 2018.[13] She was delivered on 27 March 2020.[14]
Celebrity celebrated the steel-cutting of the third ship, named Celebrity Beyond, on 28 January 2020.[15] She is the first of three vessels in the class to evolve in design and expand in gross tonnage.[3] She entered into service on 27 April 2022 with a sailing from Southampton, United Kingdom.
The steel cutting for Celebrity's fourth Edge-class vessel, Celebrity Ascent, occurred on 17 November 2021.[16] The ship entered service with Celebrity on 22 November 2023 on a "preview" sailing out of Port Everglades, Florida.
| Name building number | Status | Entered service for Celebrity | Gross tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
J34[17] | In service | 25 November 2018 | 130,818 |  Malta | |||
K34[18] | In service | 19 June 2021 | 130,818 | Malta | |||
| [19] L34[20] | In service | 27 April 2022 | 141,420[21] | Malta | Steel cut on 28 January 2020 and hull lengthened to | ||
M34[22] | In service | 22 November 2023 | 141,420 | Malta | Construction started on 17 November 2021Float out completed 24 January 2023 Planned maiden voyage 3 December 2023[23] Floating engine room unit built at CRIST, Gdynia[24] | ||
N34[25] | Under construction [26] [27] | November 2025 (planned) | 140,600 (planned) [28] | Construction started 7 November 2023. Technology group Wärtsilä will supply the flex fuel engines, enabling the ship to run on methanol. Keel laid on 13 June 2024.[29] [30] |
https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/construction-navale/les-chantiers-de-l-atlantique-vont-mettre-a-l-eau-le-dernier-paquebot-dehttps://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/large_xl/public/images/2023-01/1c.jpg?h=d40dd50c&itok=vfoVR2S2
Le Celebrity Ascent dans la forme B des Chantiers de l'Atlantique le 27 décembre:(5 pics)https://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/medium_lg/public/images/2023-01/1i.jpg?itok=-6EiHCNOhttps://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/medium_lg/public/images/2023-01/1h.jpg?itok=kA9ThkvRhttps://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/medium_lg/public/images/2023-01/1e.jpg?itok=OCg4iQbdhttps://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/medium_lg/public/images/2023-01/1f.jpg?itok=dhCZbAlZhttps://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/medium_lg/public/images/2023-01/1j.jpg?itok=ZuDI-O26
Le Celebrity Ascent aux Chantiers de l'Atlantique le 27 décembre.(3 pics)https://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/medium_lg/public/images/2023-01/1l.jpg?itok=r61LNFK5https://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/medium_lg/public/images/2023-01/1n.jpg?itok=O4VtkfwOhttps://assets.meretmarine.com/s3fs-public/styles/medium_lg/public/images/2023-01/1o.jpg?itok=LlUiORic
