Sunday will mark the first cruise out of the U.S. with paying passengers since March 2020. Major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean International, N

Cruise ships eager to set sail after court victory

submited by

Style Pass

2021-06-25 11:30:05

Sunday will mark the first cruise out of the U.S. with paying passengers since March 2020. Major cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruise Line have scheduled voyages for July and August.

The industry suffered huge losses last year as its ships sat empty. But cruise lines are getting some good news: Demand is high, and COVID-19 restrictions may be coming to an end.

A federal judge on Friday ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot enforce its conditional sail order that imposes COVID-19 restrictions on cruise lines. The CDC rules will stay in effect until July 18, at which point they will become nonbinding recommendations.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisDeSantis declares state of emergency following Surfside building collapse Biden says fed is ready to help following Miami building collapse At least 99 people unaccounted for after deadly Miami-area building collapse MORE (R) brought the lawsuit against the CDC. The ruling was a win for the cruise industry, which has unsuccessfully lobbied the agency to lift its cruising rules by July.

“The restrictions targeting cruising have been uniquely specific, even as most of the rest of the economy has been allowed to reopen,” said Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president for public affairs and policy at the U.S. Travel Association.