The new details were revealed at the second in a series of Celebrity Edge “reveal” events, held in New York for media and trade partners on Tuesday (June 27).
The new vessel – the first of four ships in the class – will set sail in December 2018. Celebrity Beyond will launch in 2020, followed by further new ships in 2021 and 2022. Richard Fain, chairman and chief executive, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, hinted to TTG during the first reveal event in Mimi that a fifth Edge-class ship may also join the fleet.
Edge will offer two itineraries from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The newest onboard venue to be revealed – Eden – “melds gastronomic exploration and edgy performance art”. Spanning three decks at the aft of the ship and completely enveloped in glass, the venue “brings the outside in and takes guests to the water’s edge”.
Architect Scott Butler and designer Patricia Urquiola collaborated on Eden, while the company behind the popular Queen of the Night show – Variety Worldwide – developed the new dining and entertainment concept called Eve at Eden.
During the morning Eden will act as a relaxing sanctuary, and as the day progresses evolve to include enrichment classes, cultural music (such as sitar players), aerial artists, snacks and cocktails.
When dinner is about to be served during the evening, Eve at Eden will see performers, known as “Edenists”, dance down the staircase signalling for guests to follow to their tables. They will then continue to feature throughout the dinner service and later into the night.
In terms of the dining options, Eden Café will offer drinks and complimentary casual bites, Eden Bar will feature speciality cocktails and Eden Restaurant will serve experiential “culinary temptations” by chef Cornelius Gallagher.
A sales and marketing toolkit dedicated to Eden has been created – agents can access web banners, renderings, a video, short videos for use on social media, and a communications guide to aid their sales and marketing.
Today (Wednesday June 28) a trade training webinar will be hosted by Leon Hand, Celebrity Cruises’ agent trainer, and the session will be repeated by Emma Rigby (the second dedicated Celebrity agent trainer) on Thursday June 29 at 9am.
Each of the webinars will be uploaded to YouTube.
Jo Rzymowska, managing director UK and Ireland and APAC, Celebrity Cruises, spoke to TTG at the reveal event in New York. Discussing the possibility of basing an Edge-class ship out of the UK, she said: "We’re always planning three years out effectively so I would hope at some stage that we do that.
"There are no immediate plans at the moment but as the trade continues to support us – the UK is a very important market for the brand as the second largest market – I don’t see why there’s any reason why not.
"There are no plans at the moment but I’m sure longer-term in the future there is an opportunity for that to happen."
Fain added: "Eden, like so many aspects of Celebrity Edge, represents a unique advance in cruise ship design.
"It’s an experience that’s multi-faceted and innovative. Connectivity to the ocean is one of the most exciting hallmarks of Edge-class, and with more glass than any other room at sea, Eden embodies that outward-facing concept beautifully."
