BROWARD COUNTY, FL – Broward Commissioners will be on hand tomorrow to celebrate the Celebrity Edge cruise ship as it gets ready to set sail from Port Everglades.  It’s the first cruise with passengers onboard departing from a United States port since March of last year.  The luxurious ship will be under the command of Captain Kate McCue. 

“The world will be watching tomorrow as the Celebrity Edge leaves Port Everglades.  This is one symbol of the United States striving to recover from the pandemic. This is a great day for the cruise industry and a great day in Broward County.  We are honored that Celebrity has chosen Port Everglades as its home port and we welcome the passengers and crew who will be the first to travel aboard a cruise ship from the U.S.,” said Broward Vice Mayor Michael Udine.

The Celebrity Edge sets sail tomorrow, June 26th at 6 PM.  A Sail-Away Celebration and press conference is set for earlier in the day at 10AM at Port Everglades with Vice Mayor Udine, Port Everglades Chief Executive/Port Director Jonathan Daniels, Celebrity executives and the well-known Celebrity Edge Captain Kate McCue.

The $1 billion Celebrity Edge ship was unveiled in December of 2018.  Captain Kate, who became the first American woman to captain a cruise ship in 2015, travels with her cat onboard and is quite a social media influencer.  Captain Kate has more than 1.7 million followers on Tik-Tok and 250,000 followers on Instagram.  She often mentions Port Everglades in her social media posts.

Port Everglades is an economic powerhouse for Broward County. The cruise and cargo industries provide jobs and inject money into our community. It is the third largest cruise homeport in the world. Port Everglades lost more than 50 percent in revenue in Fiscal Year 2020 primarily from the cruise shutdown, which typically generates nearly $60 million in revenue annually for the port.

Celebrity Cruises is homeported at Port Everglades, sailing primarily from Terminal 25. The ultramodern cruise terminal opened in November 2018 following a $120 million renovation to expand the square footage by 83 percent to 157,800 square feet and transform the warehouse into a sleek, contemporary embarkation center with a VIP lounge, a rooftop viewing area, interactive art and a designated crew lounge. 

June 25, 2021 

Commission Media Contact:
Kimberly Maroe
Public Information Manager
Broward County Commission
(954) 357-8053
kmaroe@broward.org