Cruises

Royal Caribbean announced that unvaccinated passengers from Florida will have to pay testing fees and undergo other restrictions after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that banned businesses from using vaccine passports in the state.

Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is no longer a requirement for passengers who board a vessel from Celebrity Cruises in Florida.

Royal Caribbean clarified its vaccine policy ahead of the cruise line's return to U.S. ports next month, saying Monday that all passengers 16 and older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, except for on ships setting sail from Florida.

Two passengers aboard the Celebrity Millennium cruise ship – which carried only vaccinated crew and passengers as the industry aims to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic lockdown – tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of the cruise, the company said Thursday.

Royal Caribbean International plans to set sail from Texas and Florida next month for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic sidelined the entire cruise industry more than a year ago, the company announced Friday.

Carnival Cruise Line – the latest fleet to receive CDC approval to begin hitting U.S. waters again– will first focus on Port of Galveston in Texas as well as Port Miami and Port Canaveral in Florida for "its return to guest operations this summer," Carnival announced Friday.

One of the world’s most prominent cruise companies said vaccinations will be a must for passengers

Congress has voted to let large cruise ships sail directly from Washington state to Alaska without stopping in Canada, a step that could clear the way for cruises later this year.

Royal Caribbean's Celebrity Cruises is amping up its fleet with its largest ship to date

Cruise lines could resume US operations by mid-July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday, sending the industry’s stocks up on investor hope that a more than year-long suspension could be nearing its end.

The state of Florida filed a request in federal court Thursday for an immediate halt to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s sailing restrictions in its latest effort to restart the cruise line industry.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain expressed optimism Monday that cruise lines will be able to resume operations this summer, more than one year after the industry effectively shut down in the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as Dan Sullivan of Alaska, on Tuesday introduced legislation to jumpstart cruise operations.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez stressed on Tuesday that the continued shutdown of the cruise industry has affected tourism in Miami and, in turn, the local economy.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state of Florida is suing the federal government over a failure to lift restrictions on cruise ships as the U.S. stages its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.