The rumor mill has been swirling lately with the unconfirmed possibility that Royal Caribbean's other private destination may reopen.

Labadee, a private destination in northwest Haiti, has been shutdown since cruises stopped in 2020. While Perfect Day at Cococay has reopened, Labadee has not and there has not been a great deal of detail as to why or when it might resume.

Up until now, scheduled visits to Labadee have been routinely cancelled and replaced with visits to other ports.

There are two new pieces of very circumstantial evidence that point to Labadee possibly welcoming guests back again sooner than later.

First, Harmony of the Seas is scheduled to visit there next week when she sails on January 23, 2022. 

According to the Royal Caribbean app, Harmony is scheduled to visit Labadee on Day 5 of the sailing during her 5-night Western Caribbean cruise.

Of course, itineraries can change at any time.

Someone also shared a post on Facebook, claiming that the visit to Labadee is scheduled and that a "test cruise" is headed there on January 27th.

The other thing we spotted is Royal Caribbean is actively hiring for Labadee, posting on social media an opening for a Shore Excursions Manager to work in Labadee.

Royal Caribbean has made no announcement either way about Labadee reopening or not. 

Thus far, the only public comments have been made in emails to guests on booked sailings that have had to have their itinerary revised.

Labadee is a 260-acre private destination that Royal Caribbean has operated since 1986, and was visited by both Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises ships.

Challenges for Labadee

The exact reason why Royal Caribbean has not resumed visiting Labadee is not entirely clear.

Haiti has dealt with the assassination of its president, as well as a major earthquake.

The U.S. State Department lists Haiti as having a level 4 warning not to visit, which is the highest level of warning to avoid travel.

Should you expect cruises to visit Labadee?

It's still too early to tell what to expect for Labadee and when ships will visit there again.

Certainly ancillary evidence after months of little to no updates or information is a step in the right direction, but we still lack Royal Caribbean's confirmation.

For now, we will keep an eye on the situation and share any updates if the situation changes.

Happy weekend! We hope you are enjoying a wonderful and relaxing weekend and managing to stay warm. Now it is time to sit back with a cuppa tea or java, and check out the latest in Royal Caribbean cruise news.

The cruise industry and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have had their ups and downs over the last two years, but the CDC Director was pleased with the work done by the lines.

At a U.S. Senate Hearing on Tuesday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Congress it will let the Conditional Sailing Order transition to a voluntary program. She also complimented the work done by cruise lines.

"I think the Conditional Sailing Order and the fact that the industry has stepped up and is now interested in doing and exceeding, as you know, the the compliance with the sail order without the order even necessarily needing to be in place, as is a real testimony to how well that has worked and how we've worked collaboratively with the industry."

Royal Caribbean News

• Royal Caribbean extends Cruise with Confidence program
• Royal Caribbean released its deployment schedule for 2023-2024 cruises
• CDC opens up option for cruise lines to opt-into voluntary Covid-19 protocol program
• Royal Caribbean will use Serenade of the Seas as a quarantine ship for Covid positive crew members
• NCL CEO talks Covid impact with Dr. Gottlieb
• Royal Caribbean cancels sailing on Independence of the Seas due to Covid-19
• Chill spots to get away from the crowd on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship
• Royal Caribbean offering up to 35% off Cruise Planner purchases this weekend
• I had to cancel my cruise because I caught Covid, here's what happened

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 437th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, where Matt talks about what the cruise industry is doing in response to Omicron.

Bari Golin-Blaugrund from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) shares insight into what cruise lines are doing despite all the negative press, as well as discuss recent changes from the CDC.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

New RCB Video: How to get the cheapest cruise ship suite

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — How to get the cheapest cruise ship suite — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

22 Do's and Don'ts for your Royal Caribbean cruise in 2022

I love sharing cruise tips, but this year there's a few things that you should really focus on when planning a cruise.

Cruise ships are sailing, and despite some hiccups,  there are a few important things you can do during this time to prepare for a 2022 spring, summer, winter or fall cruise.

Appropriately, I've come up with a list of 22 things you should know when planning a cruise in 2022.

What it's like on 4 cruises in a row during Omicron

You might not know it by reading the news, but lots of people are cruising and loving it. So much so, some people are going on multiple cruises in a row.

RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Greg is sailing on Freedom of the Seas for 5 consecutive cruises, and has completed the first four legs.

Greg shared what it's like to stay onboard a cruise ship right now after all those sailings.

Live blog from Independence of the Seas

Our editor just completed a 4-night cruise on Independence of the Seas, and shared what her cruise experience was like onboard.

Jenna's sailing visited Nassau and Perfect Day at CocoCay, along with plenty of fun onboard.

Check out all the daily posts from Independence:

• Independence of the Seas Live Blog - Day 1 - Embarkation
• Independence of the Seas Live Blog - Day 2 - Sea Day
• Independence of the Seas Live Blog - Day 3 - Nassau
• Independence of the Seas Live Blog - Day 4 - Perfect Day at CocoCay

Royal Caribbean has released its deployment schedule of when it will put new summer 2023 - winter 2024 cruises on sale.

While some new itineraries were released in November and December, the bulk of the new itineraries are set to be released between February and April 2022.

Royal Caribbean posted the new deployment schedule for a variety of itineraries, such as Long and Short Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, cruises from the Northeast and more.

• Week of February 21, 2022: Northeast
• Week of February 28, 2022: Long Caribbean
• Week of March 7, 2022: Short Caribbean
• Week of March 14, 2022: Los Angeles
• Week of March 28, 2022: Barbados & Panama
• Week of April 4, 2022: Australia
• Week of April 11, 2022: China
• Week of April 18, 2022: 7-night Caribbean
• Week of Singapore: Week of June 6

Keep in mind this deployment schedule is subject to change, and may end up being delayed.

If you missed it, here is a look at the 2023-2024 cruises already available to book now:

• World Cruise
• Alaska
• 7-night Caribbean
• Europe

What is a deployment schedule?

The deployment schedule is when Royal Caribbean plans to release new cruises to book by the public.

At some point in that week, the new itineraries will go on sale.

This means at some point between Monday and Friday of that week, the new cruises will be loaded into Royal Caribbean's system to become bookable.

Typically, the new sailings start getting loaded into the system in the evening, and then fully available by morning of the next day.

A common mistake is for guests to read the date, and assume that will be the first day the sailings on on sale.

Why does it matter when Royal Caribbean releases new sailings?

Generally speaking, when a new sailing is released, this is one of the best times to book a cruise to lock in a low price.

Cruise ship pricing follows a supply and demand model, similar to airfare. When a new sailing opens up, all the cabins are available and that means price is low. As more and more people book cabins, supply goes down and that can drive the price up.

Booking first is also super important if you care about being in a specific cabin, especially suites.

While there are plenty of balcony and interior cabins on Royal Caribbean ships, suites and cabins in special areas (like the aft) are always in high demand. Securing one of these rooms early is important.

What you can do now while you wait

While you wait the weeks and months until Royal Caribbean releases the new bookings, there are a few things you can do to prepare for when they become available.

It's a good idea to talk to your travel agent now to let them know you're interested in pricing something out when it becomes available.

By telling your travel agent now what you are considering, you might be able to get a head start on everyone else.

Researching the type of cabin you want, as well as what each type of itinerary offers can make the decision-making process later when the sailings open up much easier.

Planning on booking a cruise in 2023-2024? These posts will help:

• What is the best time to cruise to the Caribbean?
• Tips for taking a 3-night Royal Caribbean cruise
• What is the cheapest month to go on a cruise?
• Do's & Don'ts of Perfect Day at CocoCay
• What are the different types of cabins on a cruise ship?

One sailing of Independence of the Seas has been cancelled due to Covid-19.

Guests sailing on the January 22, 2022 2-night cruise were informed today about the cancellation.

In the email, Royal Caribbean says the cruise was cancelled, "as a result of ongoing Covid-related circumstances."

If you're wondering why one two-night cruise was cancelled, it may have to do with two chartered sailings that were scheduled to sail before and after it.

An 8-night charter cruise on Independence of the Seas was supposed to set sail on January 22 was cancelled as well.

The January 14 sailing of Independence of the Seas had been a chartered 8-night sailing, known as "The Super Cruise XIV", put on by Capital Jazz.

On the charter website, the group said their charter was cancelled on January 7, "The supercruise program scheduled for January 14-22, 2022 has been canceled due to the recently issued CDC level 4 alert for cruise ships."

It also appears the January 24 cruise was a charter that was cancelled. This was the K-Love charter cruise, scheduled for January 24 - 29, 2022.

According to the K-Love website, it was cancelled due to Covid concerns, "Unfortunately, the current health and wellness challenges make it impossible to deliver the K-LOVE Cruise experience at this time."

In the case of both charters, it appears the group organizing the cruises cancelled the sailing.

Independence is the latest cruise ship to be cancelled due to Covid-19.

Royal Caribbean cancelled sailings on 4 ships last week due to Covid-19 cases among the crew.

Crew members that test positive for Covid-19 are isolated and quarantined.

If a cruise ship has too many crew members that test positive, the cruise line pulls the ship out of service so that it can give the crew time to recuperate before restarting cruises again.

All cruise lines are working around the issues caused by Covid, as the Omicron surge has seen cases rise everywhere. Almost 900,000 people testes positive for Covid-19 in the United States on Thursday, which is almost 10 times the amount that tested positive a few weeks ago.

Unlike land-based businesses that have barely any health protocols, cruise lines have the most stringent and most scrutinized industry of all, reporting directly to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with their testing protocols and numbers.

Royal Caribbean, and other lines, require mask wearing, pre-cruise tests, and social distancing. All crew members are fully vaccinated, and all passengers 12 years old and older are required to be fully vaccinated.

Will my cruise be cancelled?

Royal Caribbean intends to sail as many of its ships as possible going forward, so you should plan on your booked cruise to happen until something changes.

Covid-19 is impacting all businesses in a way that it can wreak havoc on having proper staffing levels.

The bottom line is any scheduled cruises you have scheduled now are still planned to happen.

Royal Caribbean is offering a potential discount on cruise add-ons, such as drink packages, shore excursions and more, with its new sale.

The "Rise to the Vacation" sale runs between  January 14, 2022 - January 20, 2022 and is valid on sailings between : January 18, 2022 - December 31, 2022.

Here is what is included during the sale:

BEVERAGE: Up to 40% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 30% off onboard prices.
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 35% off onboard prices.
• Spring Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• San Benedetto Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• Evian Water Bottles: 40% off onboard prices.
• Deluxe Beverage Package: Discount varies by ship.
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 35% off onboard prices.
• Refreshment Package: 30% off onboard prices

DINING: Up to 55% off

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship.

INTERNET: Up to 50% off

• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship. 

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 25% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship. 

ACTIVITIES: 20% off

• All Access Ship Tour (excl. Grandeur of the Seas)

PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 70% off

• Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 Print and/or Digital Options: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Private Photo Session: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Picture This Private Studio: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: All Digital: Discount varies by ship.

Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off

• Anniversary Decorations with Champagne
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries
• Inky Beach Set
• Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe)
• Inky Travel Set
• Red Wine and Cheese
• Royal Caribbean Beach Towel
• Strawberries with Champagne
• White Wine and Cheese

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

More helpful information

• Should you buy pre-cruise purchases now or wait to buy it onboard?
• 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise
• How much should I budget for a cruise?

Once again, Royal Caribbean is giving its customers more time to take advantage of its flexible cancellation program.

Cruise with Confidence has been extended again for bookings made through March 31, 2022 on sailings departing on or before September 30, 2022.

What this means is you can cancel a booked Royal Caribbean cruise for any reason for a 100% future cruise credit.

In an email travel agents, Royal Caribbean explains the Omicron variant impact to its business, "With the rise of the Omicron variant, we have strengthened some of our health protocols to ensure that we mitigate the spread of COVID-19 onboard. We are confident in our approach as Royal Caribbean Group has carried 1.1 million guests since the restart of cruising from the US in June of 2021. We remain in constant communication with various government health authorities and will continue to work collaboratively with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)."

"At the end of the day, we want to ensure that planning your clients' vacations is as worry-free as possible. Therefore, we've made the decision to extend our popular Cruise with Confidence program to reservations confirmed on or before March 31, 2022 on sailings departing through September 30, 2022."

Prior to this extension, the Cruise with Confidence program was set to expire on January 31, 2022.

When a guest cancels their cruise past the final payment date, they can get a future cruise credit worth 100% of the cruise fare paid as long as they cancel at least 48 hours before the sail date.

It was originally introduced right before cruises began shutting down due to Covid-19 as a mechanism to give guests piece of mind they could change their plans after the final payment date.

Without the Cruise with Confidence program, there would be a penalty if you cancelled a cruise after the final payment date.

Included with the ability to cancel a cruise under Cruise with Confidence is the Best Price Guarantee, which allows guests to reprice their sailing up to 48-hours prior to the sail date if the price drops.

If you have a cruise booked already, then you qualify automatically for Cruise with Confidence. Going forward, you have until at least March 31, 2022 to qualify for Cruise with Confidence.

Do all sailings qualify for Cruise with Confidence?

Cruise with Confidence is applicable to all sailings.

It is not available to guests booked on chartered sailings or residents of mainland China.

You simply need to book a cruise before March 31, 2022. Existing bookings automatically qualify for Cruise with Confidence.

Why are they extending Cruise with Confidence?

The reason Royal Caribbean has extended this flexible cancellation program again is to give consumers more time to change their mind if they are worried about going on a cruise during the pandemic.

Traditionally, the final payment date would be the point in time when you would have to cancel without incurring a penalty fee.

At the onset of Covid-19, people were uncertain what to expect and cancelled their bookings early out of concern they could not predict if they would want to sail or not.

As a result, Cruise with Confidence was introduced so that anyone who has a cruise booked could wait longer to make a decision if they want to sail or not.

Royal Caribbean Group's new CEO Jason Liberty talked on a webinar for the first time in his new role about a variety of topics, such as becoming CEO and the short-term impact Omicron variant is having on business.

Mr. Liberty took over for Richard Fain as CEO of Royal Caribbean Group on January 3, and he was invited to speak to travel agents during a Royal Caribbean International webinar.

Here are a few of the intriguing topics covered during his talk.

100 Day Goal

Mr. Liberty was asked what he wanted to do in his first 100 days as the CEO, and he is starting off by listening more

"Most of my time is going to be around learning and listening from others," he explained. "Spending time with our travel partners, I'm spending time with our customers and spending time with our employees, and I'm spending time with many of our partners ...to make sure that I have the kind of firm understanding of of what everybody is looking for."

He also said continuing the company's return to service is a priority, "we have about 80 percent of our fleet up and running, making sure that we continue to execute on that successfully is certainly a priority."

When will bounce back from Omicron

Mr. Liberty also asked about the effects of Omicron on the business, and his view on the rebound.

He indicated that the good news is people want to cruise, but consistency is the key, "[it's] really, really clear that there's really strong demand for cruise and I think people are just looking for consistency."

Mr. Liberty leaned in the direction of the second quarter for things to feel better overall, "I think to you as we get into Q2 and beyond, we're going to see a much more global state of things based off of where the experts believe the disease will be, as it relates to Covid, and us getting our fleet back up and running."

He later said he thinks the second quarter should look more like the first quarter was supposed to before Omicron, "as it relates to our expectations, when we look at kind of Q2 and beyond, it's very much in line with what we expected in Q1 because of some of the cancelled sailings impact."

No compromise on guest experience

Despite the challenges of Covid, Mr. Liberty was adamant about not allowing it to compromise what passengers can look forward to onboard its ships.

"I think it's very important to note that even through this entire journey, we have not, and we will not, compromise our guest experience."

"We have a strong long-term business. This is an exceptional business that does very well financially."

'This is a meteor that hit our industry'

Mr. Liberty used a few different metaphors to describe the hit cruise lines have taken during the last two years due to Covid-19.

"This is a meteor that hit our industry and we have survived that hit," he said later in the interview. The silver lining, as he describes, is that it demonstrates they can adjust and overcome challenges by working together.

"I think that that comes through the innovation and continuous improvement oriented mentality that we have."

"These are good businesses that have just had to deal with a black swan event."

Is he a "bean counter"?

Since being named Richard Fain's successor, some have pointed out the fact Mr. Liberty comes from a financial background as a negative to choosing him to lead the company.

In response to such questions, Mr. Liberty explained he is not what you may think, "I know sometimes there are things that come along with, 'Hey, he was a finance guy, he's a CFO guy', but you really should understand and appreciate... that's actually the opposite of how I am."

He pointed to the fact he was a major proponent of the company providing commissions and loans to travel agents during the pandemic, as an example of putting the collective industry ahead of the company's bottom line.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the manner for cruise lines to transition away from the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) once it expires.

The CDC promised its CSO will move to a voluntary program when it expires on January 15, 2022.  When it does, cruise lines can continue being part of the program if they so choose.

As reported first by Seatrade Cruise News, by volunteering to be a part of the program, cruise lines will follow all the CDC recommendations and guidance, and cruise ships will continue to receive a color status from the CDC.

Cruise lines that do not opt-in will have their color status to gray on the CDC website, which means the agency has neither reviewed nor confirmed their health and safety protocols. These gray-color coded ships will be subject to other CDC orders and regulations to the same extent as other vessels subject to US jurisdiction.

The CDC is asking cruise lines to opt in by January 21, 2022.

Changes to the voluntary program

Under the voluntary program, the CDC is relaxing certain aspects of its monitoring.

The threshold for CDC investigation will go from 0.1% passenger cases or one or more crew cases to 0.3% of passengers and/or crew. The definition of yellow, orange, and red status will be updated to reflect the higher threshold.

The CDC will also eliminate the need to conduct test cruises (simulated voyages), along with the conditional sailing certificate application process.

Other changes the CDC has made include:

• Testing requirements will continue, and ships with at least 95% of fully vaccinated crew and passengers may continue to reduce or eliminate certain public health measures onboard, such as mask use and physical distancing.
• Self-service beverage stations will continue to be allowed regardless of onboard vaccination status
• Self-service food operations will begin to be allowed
• Negative air pressure for quarantine cabins will not be required — these cabins must still be in a separate HVAC zone.
• Isolation cabins must still have negative air pressure.
• Port agreements between US port and local health authorities will still be needed.
• CDC will continue to conduct routine unannounced inspections and announced outbreak investigations.

Seatrade reports the CDC will update their website on January 14 with the new program details.

Masks

The CDC will still require cruise ships to wear masks onboard ships, regardless of if the lines opt-into the voluntary program or not.

CDC Director: 'the industry has stepped up'

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Congress yesterday she was pleased with what the cruise lines are doing under the CSO.

"I think the Conditional Sailing Order and the fact that the industry has stepped up and is now interested in doing and exceeding... the the compliance with the sail order without the order even necessarily needing to be in place, as is a real testimony to how well that has worked and how we've worked collaboratively with the industry."

Moreover, Dr. Walensky believes cruise lines will opt-into this voluntary program, "the cruise ship industries will continue to understand that this is a really safe practice for those industries."

Cruise industry reaction

Following the CDC's announcement, here is the official statement by the the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA):

Today’s announcement by the CDC regarding the planned transition of the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) to a voluntary program recognizes the cruise industry’s unwavering commitment to providing some of the highest levels of COVID-19 mitigation found in any industry. Cruise is the only segment of travel and tourism that requires, prior to embarkation for both passengers and crew, exceedingly high levels of vaccination (approaching 100% compared to only 63% of the U.S. population) and 100% testing of every individual (21 times the rate of the U.S. on land).

When cases are identified as a result of the high-frequency of testing onboard, cruise ship protocols help to maximize onboard containment with rapid response procedures designed to safeguard all other guests and crew as well as the communities that the ships visit.

Further, cruise is the only sector that continuously monitors, collects, and reports case information directly to the CDC.

Given this oversight and the uniquely high vaccination rate required on board, the incidence of serious illness is dramatically lower than on land, and hospitalizations have been extraordinarily rare even during a time landside hospitalizations are peaking. CLIA ocean-going cruise line members will continue to be guided by the science and the principle of putting people first, with proven measures that are adapted as conditions warrant to protect the health of cruise passengers, crewmembers, and destinations.

It looks like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will follow through on its promise to allow the Conditional Sailing Order to expire next week.

At a U.S. Senate Hearing on Tuesday, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Congress the Covid-19 regulations will move from mandatory to voluntary on January 15.

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) asked the Dr. Walensky what the cruise industry can expect, citing the enormous lengths they have gone to in order to adhere to Covid-19 protocols.

Senator Murkowski wanted "assurance" that the CDC recognizes the work cruise lines have done to protect passengers, crew members, and the communities their ships visit, is what is necessary to allow the Conditional Sail Order to expire, "I understand the conditional sail order is is set to expire in a few days in recognition that the companies have practices that adhere to or even exceed the guidance in the order."

"I'd like some assurance from you that that they can count on that, that this is clear guidance and messaging to those within the industries and to those who are counting on being able to to have a season this coming summer."

Dr. Walensky confirmed the CSO will not be renewed, "We anticipate that this order will not be renewed and that the cruise ship industries will continue to understand that this is a really safe practice for those industries."

Dr. Walensky pointed out how impressive the cruise lines have been with their dedication to these protocols, "I think the Conditional Sailing Order and the fact that the industry has stepped up and is now interested in doing and exceeding, as you know, the the compliance with the sail order without the order even necessarily needing to be in place, as is a real testimony to how well that has worked and how we've worked collaboratively with the industry."

Senator Murkwoski wanted some insight into the summer, since it greatly affects Alaska cruises.  Dr. Walensky was not ready to make any predictions about what to expect in five to six months from now.

Walensky: "What I can't predict is what the summer will bring."

Murkowski: "I understand that, but for right now, you expect this guidance to stay in place."

Walensky: "That's my anticipation."

The Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) began as the No Sail order in March 2020, when the entire cruise industry shutdown due to Covid-19. 

Since then, the CDC and cruise lines worked together to craft new health protocols that would keep everyone onboard safe from spreading the disease unchecked.

All the cruise lines operating from the United States have since adopted this framework so that they can safely operate during the pandemic.

The CSO was extended on October 25, 2021 with the understanding it would expire on January 15.  Cruise lines had said they intend to follow the CSO regardless of if it's required or not.

Since then, the Omicron variant shot up Covid numbers around the world, including cruise ships. There was concern that Omicron would change the CDC's minds.

Dr. Walensky pointed out the up tick in cases, "just over the last two weeks with Omicron, we've seen a 30 fold increase in cases on ships during this season because of Omicron."

Senator Murkowski pointed out the work cruise lines have put in over the last two years, "in fairness, the industry itself has undertaken extraordinary precautions as one industry, to make sure that people are protected from from this virus."

When the CSO ends on January 15th, it will transition to a voluntary program where the CDC will continue to oversee the industry as it always has in the past.

What does this mean for cruise ships?

The CSO transitioning to a recommendation may or may result in any noticeable changes in the short term.

Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines have already committed to follow the CSO regardless of if it's required or not. Cruise lines first indicated they would follow the CSO following Florida's legal victory against the CDC in summer 2021.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said in July 2021, "We will continue to voluntarily follow all CDC guidelines and recommendations."

Some cruise fans were hoping the end of the CSO would mean a relaxing of certain health protocols, but there's been indication yet that is going to happen.  Certainly not while the Omicron variant is driving up case counts and capturing the attention of the world.