Cruise business in the U.S. could be back in the water soon after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the final guidelines for ships to perform trial voyages with volunteer passengers that would demonstrate their COVID-19 safety protocols.
At the same time, the CDC gave cruise lines a workaround to simulated voyages if they committed to requiring vaccinations from most of its crew and passengers.
All major cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Disney, Norwegian and Carnival, have not been able to sail from U.S. ports because of the pandemic since March 2020. The extended halt in the cruise industry has severely impacted Port Canaveral, PortMiami and Port Everglades, from which nearly 60% of all cruise sailings depart.
