Following more than four years of planning and 23 months of construction, Celebrity Cruises today took delivery of Celebrity Edge.

Royal Caribbean Cruises chairman Richard Fain and Celebrity Cruises president Lisa Lutoff-Perlo hosted a ceremony on board Celebrity Edge, while docked in the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.

The Celebrity Cruises executive team was also in attendance along with shipyard officials, including general manager Laurent Castaing, and 1,377 crew members from 72 different countries.

“The Celebrity Cruises team has done an outstanding job and I cannot thank the Chantiers de l’Atlantique team enough for delivering this game-changing ship and for their ongoing partnership,” said Fain.

“Their work continues to transform the way our guests experience the world.”

Following the Celebrity Edge cheque-signing and delivery ceremony, attendees made their way across the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard for the ceremonial keel laying of Celebrity Apex, where a 762-ton block was lifted in the air and a lucky coin was placed on the dock before the block was lowered into position.

“Today is a very special day for all of us as we have been eagerly anticipating this moment for more than four years,” said Lutoff-Perlo.

“There are so many aspects of Celebrity Edge that are more ground-breaking than we could have ever imagined, and it is all a testament to the hard work, creativity and talent of everyone who helped bring this magnificent ship to life.”

On November 6th, Celebrity Edge will begin her transatlantic voyage to her home port at T25 at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Her inaugural season will be spent sailing alternating seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruise itineraries, with her maiden western Caribbean voyage departing on December 9th, and her maiden eastern Caribbean voyage departing on December 16th.

In the spring, Celebrity Edge crosses the Atlantic again to offer guests stunning vistas of the Mediterranean with a range of seven to 11-night sailings visiting iconic cities, including Barcelona and Rome.

“Thanks to the confidence Celebrity Cruises granted us and to the exceptional level of cooperation between our respective teams, we are proud to have designed and built one of the most innovative cruise ships ever,” added Castaing.

“This achievement demonstrates once again our capacity to deliver, on time, ships of the highest quality to our most demanding customers.”