The Celebrity Edge set sail on Saturday evening for a week-long cruise, with passengers, the first cruise ship to do so in the United States since the coronavirus pandemic began.
Passengers waited excitedly at Port Everglades.
"Beyond ready," said passenger Cynthia Mitchell. “We’ve been flying, you know travelling different places."
"We’ve taken road trips but our cruises we missed dearly.”
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Mitchell and her husband James travelled from Kansas to be on the inaugural voyage after they had nine cruise reservations canceled because of the pandemic.
“We meet people from around the world and we all have the single agenda," said James Mitchell, "which is to have fun!”
The billion dollar ship is the first cruise ship with passengers to leave the U.S. after a 15 month pause.
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Port officials say more cruises are on the way.
“We are going to see through the summer two or three vessels that are cycling through here," Jonathan Daniels, Chief Executive Port Everglades Director said.
Earlier this month, two passengers tested for COVID on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
But the Mitchells say they are vaccinated and believe they will be just fine on the Celebrity Edge.
“Totally feel confident that we will arrive without it and leave without it and the next crew will go on board again," Mitchell said.
