The cruise company is set to launch its first ship voyage in more than a year.

Among the many industries hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, the cruise industry stands out as one of the most severely affected. The Diamond Princess incident in early 2020, where a significant number of passengers and crew fell ill with the virus, causing deaths and a lengthy quarantine on the ship, cast a shadow over the entire cruise industry. This event highlighted the grave threat posed by the pandemic and led to a halt in cruise operations worldwide.

Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of several major cruise lines, faced similar challenges. Celebrity Cruises, one of its subsidiaries, has not seen a single sailing since March 2020. However, as of now, the CDC has granted approval for Celebrity Edge to resume operations, with the first cruise scheduled to depart from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 26, 2021.

Richard D. Fain, the chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, expressed gratitude for the milestone in a statement, acknowledging the collaborative efforts with the CDC, other government bodies, the Healthy Sail Panel, and industry partners to bring back cruising safely.

Celebrity Cruises gets CDC approval for a June comeback, marking the first sailing from U.S. waters https://t.co/8s67eWd2dP

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 27, 2021

However, the authorization comes with specific requirements. Celebrity Cruises must ensure that 95% of crew members are fully vaccinated and provide a detailed vaccination plan to limit sailings to 95% vaccinated passengers. The complete schedule for the upcoming voyage is yet to be disclosed.