State of Florida Suing the Federal Government Over Cruise Industry Shutdown
Author: Bill
The past week has been a wild one for cruising in the US: The cruise industry pleaded with the CDC to stop it's months of radio-silence on it's Conditional Sailing Order. The CDC then finally provided technical instructions as a 'next step', but with no clear end in sight. Some cruise lines announced they'd sail the Caribbean without the US support. NCL proposed US fully-vaccinated sailings in July. The Florida governor said that private business can't require vaccines. With all this, cruising from the US remains uncertain, while packed bars, flights, and hotels have gone with little or no regulation. Now, the State of Florida announced that it is suing the federal government over the shutdown of the cruise industry... read more
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), which has for months been extending its No Sail Order, preventing cruising from returning the US, is allowing that order to expire at the end of October, meaning they'll allow a phased approach to the resumption of cruising - but don't pack your bags yet.. 
While most cruise lines have continued their suspensions of service since mid-March this year, there are some lines that have started sailing again. These sailings have taken place primarily in Europe and the challenges and ways lines have dealt with them have varied. We’ll look at what some major lines are doing to return to service... 
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, two of the three largest cruise companies in the world, have brought together an impressive group of cross-disciplinary experts on public health, epidemiology, maritime operations, hospitality, and more. Their goal? Combine all of the best science and experience to identify a science-backed plan for a healthy return to service that ensures the wellbeing of guests, crew, and communities that lines visit. In a time we should all be coming together, these competitors are doing just that. 