The cruise industry in the United States has been shutdown for over 15 months, and in that time a lot of predictions were made of what a cruise might be like whenever they resumed.

The good news is the cruise industry is on its way back, and as we are on the precipice of ships sailing again, there are certainly a few "doom and gloom" predictions that turned out not to be accurate

One constant throughout the shutdown has been change, and what we know one month versus another month may be completely different. Some of these predictions or anticipated changes might have been accurate for the time, but were rolled back or abandoned due to many factors changing in the world around us.

I thought it might be fun to look back on the more memorable things we thought would happen to cruise ships that looks like it will not end up occurring.

Many more ships sold or scrapped

Early on in the shutdown when it appeared cruise lines would not be operating for far longer than anticipated, selling cruise ships to generate cash seemed like something many lines would do.

While there were plenty of cruise ships sold or scrapped, Royal Caribbean came out of the shutdown with far fewer ships disposed of than I think many expected.]

Some other cruise lines were forced to sell off older ships rapidly at the beginning of the cruise industry shutdown in order to generate cash flow and curb spending.

Royal Caribbean said goodbye to two of its ships: Majesty of the Seas and Empress of the Seas.  The ship formerly known as Sovereign of the Seas was scrapped as well.

But Carnival and other lines sold off more ships, and many people thought many more ships would meet their demise sooner than later.

Elimination of the buffet

Last summer, the big question was if the cruise ship buffet would ever be offered again.

The rumor that cruise ship buffets might be axed came out of the uncertainty of new protocols, health recommendations, and a better understanding of Covid-19.

In May 2020, it looked like Royal Caribbean might completely redeveop the Windjammer buffet space and abandon the classic buffet. A couple of months later, we got confirmation the buffet was not going anywhere.

Since then, cruise ships have been able to restart cruises with the buffet in place, albeit in a full service manner, where crew members serve you the food instead of you serving yourself.

Fans of the Windjammer will be happy to know their beloved quick meal location is not going anywhere.

Bankruptcy

After a few rounds of cruise cancellations in 2020, there were more than a few cruise fans who thought cruise lines would have to fold and declare bankruptcy.

There were even some people that cancelled all of their bookings rather than take future cruise credits because they thought once the line went under, their money would disappear.

A few small lines did call it quits, such as Pullmantur Cruises, but the major and even mid-size brands are still in operation and looking to restart.

Granted, most lines took out substantial loans to stay afloat that will take years to pay back. But with new bookings on the rise, and future bookings strong, it looks like cruise lines will be around a while longer.

Back to back cruises banned

I am really not sure where this rumor got started, but right around the time the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) moved from the No Sail Order to the Conditional Sail Order, there were rumors floating around that back to back cruises would not be allowed.

I think the notion for this rumor was based on one of the CDC's rules, which said cruises could not exceed 7 nights under the Conditional Sail Order.  Therefore, some thought a back to back cruise would not be permitted.

As it turns out, this was never a rule and speculation at best.  

2021 Alaska cruise season cancelled

Up until a few weeks ago, the Alaska cruise season being cancelled again this year seemed like a foregone conclusion.

Alaska's cruise season was entirely cancelled in 2020, and with Canada extending its cruise ship ban again through all of 2021, it seemed like it would be another lost year for cruises.

Thanks to the hard work of Alaska's congressional delegation, a bill to temporarily waive the cabotage laws that requires foreign-flagged ships to visit a foreign port when sailing from the United States was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President.

Not only are cruises legally able to sail to Alaska this year, Royal Caribbean and other lines announced new itineraries for sale.

Where and when we will have to wear masks on a ship

To be fair, this one is still in flux, but it looks like cruise ship passengers will not have to wear a face mask onboard a ship nearly as often as it looked like we would have to.

Thanks to declining Covid-19 cases, and an incredible proliferation of vaccines among the public, requirements by the CDC on face mask use have been scaled back.

Royal Caribbean has not released its health protocols for cruise ships sailing this summer yet, but there is no question mask use onboard will be required far less than if those rules had been posted a few months ago.

Just last week, Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain said masks would not be needed for the fully vaccinated, "We're optimistic that masks won't be required anywhere if you're vaccinated and since most people will be."

Cozumel homeport

Right around the time cruise lines were considering basing their ships outside the United States to get around the CDC, Cozumel really wanted to get in on the action.

The Mayor of Cozumel spoke on a radio show about the idea of basing ships from Cozumel.

It seemed like a good idea, until you realized the Mayor was speaking about a pier that did not exist yet, and the fact flights to the island of Cozumel are nearly impossible to find.

Despite the wishful thinking on behalf of the Mayor, no cruise line ever announced plans to go through with basing a ship in Cozumel.

Did I miss something we all thought was going to happen but it appears will not? Share your observations in the comments!

Norwegian Cruise Line announced it will cancel a second cruise ship that was scheduled to sail from outside the United States this summer.

NCL said scheduled cruises from the Dominican Republic on Norwegian Gem are cancelled on sailings between August 15, 2021 through October 10, 2021.

Originally, NCL was going to set sail with three ships outside of the United States:

• Norwegian Jade from Athens, Greece
• Norwegian Joy from Montego Bay, Jamaica
• Norwegian Gem from Punta Cana (La Romana), Dominican Republic
• Norwegian Getaway in Rome
• Norwegian Epic in Barcelona

Sailings on the Joy were cancelled last week, leaving just the Jade to sail from Greece.

In an email sent to guests booked on the Gem, the cruise line announced the time required to get the ship ready and the desire for Americans to cruise out of local ports drove the change.

"As you may know, we have for many months said that launching and crewing our vessels require approximately 90 days. At this time, we are doing our best to maximize our operational fleet and active crew to deliver on cruise vacations in destinations our guests value the most."

"We are so sorry your cruise has been impacted but we hope to welcome you aboard another sailing."

Joy's sailings were cancelled so that the ship could be redeployed to Alaska instead.

The new cancellations come less than a month after Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) CEO Frank Del Rio told investors customers were buying up the new sailings, "The response to our international voyage resumption has been overwhelming and even sailings from our new Caribbean home ports are performing better than expected despite the extremely condensed booking window."

Royal Caribbean also recently cancelled two scheduled sailings outside of the United States: Vision of the Seas from Bermuda and Odyssey of the Seas from Israel.

Odyssey's season was cancelled due to the cruise line's inability to get its crew members vaccinated, as well as violence in the area.  Vision's cruises appear to be cancelled due to weak demand and the anticipated return of cruises from the U.S.

Both Royal Caribbean and NCL seem to see far more demand for cruises departing from the United States, than positioning ships in new homeports.

Adventure of the Seas is still scheduled to sail from the Bahamas in less than two weeks, and NCL has three ships with cruises out of Europe planned.

We already know Freedom of the Seas will begin test cruises in June 2021, but are revenue cruises already planned as well?

A week ago, Royal Caribbean announced it would start test cruises on its first ship to get approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Freedom of the Seas.

Friend of RoyalCaribbeanBlog @UltimateCruiseNews spotted on the Miami Dade County cruise ship schedule at PortMiami listing Freedom of the Seas cruises, beginning on July 2, 2021.

The schedule seems to have Freedom of the Seas offering 3- and 4-night cruises from PortMiami through the month of July.

In addition, the Royal Caribbean app shows very similar dates for Freedom of the Seas on its schedule.

Royal Caribbean has not cancelled its July sailings across the board, and still has bookable cruises on Freedom of the Seas from Cape Liberty, New Jersey on the cruise line website.

Royal Caribbean has not made any announcement about a redployment for Freedom of the Seas, but the schedule might shed light onto what could be coming.

In comparing the Royal Caribbean app dates to the PortMiami schedule, as well as what is listed on Royal Caribbean's website, it seems the app has both sailings loaded in at the moment.

Of course, the docking schedule does not contain much information in the way of determining what the intent is for the ship. Could these sailings in July be revenue cruises? More test cruises? A mistake by the county?

Freedom of the Seas will definitely be conducting test cruises from PortMiami between June 20-22, 2021, and that is reflected on the schedule.

Simulated voyages (also known as test cruises) are when cruise lines can operate ships with volunteer passengers in order to prove their new protocols work.

These are not cruises you can book, but rather, are limited voyages where a cruise line invites certain unpaid volunteers to help go through all the necessary steps and procedures to ensure cruise ships can be run safely.

Each cruise ship needs to be approved by the CDC in order to conduct test cruises.

As to how accurate the July sailings listed are, and if they are the precursor to Royal Caribbean announcing revenue cruises remains to be seen.

In March 2021, the Port of Los Angeles website listed Navigator of the Seas on their schedule prior to Royal Caribbean making their own announcement.

Los Angeles pulled down their schedule for a short time until Royal Caribbean made their formal announcement.

One of the most important countries to the cruise industry in Europe is set to reopen its ports to cruise ships.

The gateway to Western Mediterranean cruises is Spain, and it looks as though they will welcome back cruise ships next month.

Spain's Transport Minister is reported by Reuters to have said its ports will allow cruise ship traffic once again, beginning on June 7.

With new cases falling and an increase in vaccinations in the country, Spain's government officials believe the time is right to let cruise ships back in.

In April, the European Union announced plans to allow fully vaccinated Americans to visit their countries this summer.

Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Croatia are the countries leading the charge to allow Americans, since their economy relies so heavily on tourism.

Spain's Prime Minister said fully vaccinated people from anywhere in the world would be allowed in last week, beginning June 7th.

Royal Caribbean has two ships scheduled to sail from Spain this summer, Harmony of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas.

Harmony's summer season is scheduled to begin on July 4, 2021 and is still on the cruise line's schedule to sail from Barcelona.

Harmony of the Seas European season is scheduled to run between July through October, wwith 7-night Western Mediterranean cruises that visit Palma de Mallorca, Provence, Florence, Rome, and Naples.

Rhapsody of the Seas has a transatlantic sailing scheduled for November 30, 2021 from Barcelona.

Cruise ships have been prohibited from operating in Spain since June 2020.

Royal Caribbean has not officially cancelled or made any updates to scheduled cruises in July, including Europe or the United States.

As of the posting of this article, Harmony of the Seas is off the coast of Barcelona, and Rhapsody of the Seas is in the Bahamas.

Happy Sunday and unofficial start to summer! Temperatures are rising, and so is the pace of cruise news to share with you this week.

Royal Caribbean has moved the closest yet to getting ships sailing in the United States by announcing test cruises on its first ship.

Royal Caribbean has received permission from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to start test cruises on Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami.

The test cruise can commence on June 20-22, 2021.

Royal Caribbean News

• Spectrum of the Seas will restart cruises from Hong Kong on July 30
• Blocks arrive at shipyard for Royal Caribbean's first Icon Class cruise ship
• CDC gives cruise lines relaxed face mask guidelines and issues new rules for vaccinated passengers
• Royal Caribbean Group CEO: "We will not need to be wearing masks" on cruise ships
• President Biden signs new bill into law to allow cruise ships to sail to Alaska in 2021
• Royal Caribbean extends ability to cancel cruise for a credit until July 31, 2021
• Important things to know about Royal Caribbean's restart plans
• Royal Caribbean has vaccinated over half of its crew members
• Florida's vaccine passport law is holding up Royal Caribbean's new health protocols for cruises this summer
• Royal Caribbean patents new firework illusion special effect for its cruise ships
• Royal Caribbean offering up to 35% off pre-cruise purchases with Cruise Planner sale

Cruise News

• Celebrity Cruises announces first ship to sail out of the United States in June 2021
• How will Celebrity deal with Florida's vaccine passport ban?
• Carnival announces agreements with Port Canaveral, Miami & Galveston to restart cruises
• Norwegian Cruise Line announces 8 more cruise ships that will sail from the U.S. in 2021
• Carnival plans to run test cruises from Galveston
• Norwegian Cruise Line expects to get approval to sail from the CDC "in the coming days"

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 408th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, covering some of the latest cruise news this week.

There has been a ton of changes, updates, and announcements by Royal Caribbean since last week's episode, so Matt talks about all the changes on this episode.

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: Here's what volunteers have to do on a test cruise

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 — Here's what volunteers have to do on a test cruise — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO talks about changes we can expect on a cruise this summer

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain shared his most optimistic video update yet this week.

The opportunity for cruises to restart again from the United States is something Fain sees as the result of widespread vaccine distribution, public pressure on government officials, and a change in the relationship with the CDC.

So what will a cruise be like once they can sail again?

"As we restart, there will be some more restrictions than before," Mr. Fain explained, "but we expect there will be temporary and similar to what we've all become used to on land.

Optimism surrounding the cruise industry's chances of restarting are likely the most optimistic they have been in well over a year, and that includes Royal Caribbean.

Over the last couple of weeks, Royal Caribbean (and its sibling cruise brands) moved the closest yet to real sailings out of the United States, and it has a lot of cruise fans excited.

After more than 15 months of no cruises from North America, we are swiftly looking at the real prospect of summer cruises.  Essentially, restart plans went from "if" to "when" in many people's minds.

While a restart is very close, cruise lines are not out of the proverbial woods quite yet, and there are some hurdles and challenges left to overcome.

Here are the most important things you should know about Royal Caribbean's restart plans.

Adults (and some kids) need to be vaccinated

For months, Royal Caribbean was uncertain if passengers would need to be vaccinated, and the answer now appears to be yes.

If you are thinking about going on a cruise ship this summer or fall, you will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The cruise line updated its policy recently to all adults over the age of 16 on North American sailings will need to be vaccinated in order to go on a cruise before August 1.  After August 1, that age restriction drops to 12 years old.

Royal Caribbean has not said much since the policy was changed, but it is clear they are looking to mitigate risk as much as possible.  In an industry that is unfairly and unfortunately associated with outbreaks, they cannot afford to take chances.

Could this policy change? Certainly as life gets back to normal and the vaccine becomes more widely available, there is always a chance this policy could be relaxed.  But in the meantime, plan to be vaccinated if you want to cruise this summer.

Test cruises will be necessary first

While Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line are going to straight to revenue sailings, Royal Caribbean International will have to conduct test cruises first, and then move to revenue sailings.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave cruise lines two choices: get 95% of passengers and 98% of crew fully vaccinated and skip test cruises, or do test cruises first.

Royal Caribbean opted to do test cruises simply because they are a family cruise line and knew they could not get to 95% of its guests fully vaccinated, primarily due to the amount of children onboard.

This means each ship will need to conduct a series of test cruises to demonstrate its new health protocols can work before the CDC will approve a ship to sail with paying passengers.

Speaking of test cruises, if you are interested in being a volunteer on a test cruise, there does appear to be a way to volunteer and hope you get picked.

So far, Royal Caribbean has announced test cruises will begin in June on Freedom of the Seas, but expect more ships to get the go-ahead as well.

Slow approach to restart

Don't expect Royal Caribbean to announce all, most, or even half of its ships restarting immediately.  Or even over the next few months.

For many months, Royal Caribbean (and all cruise lines) have been emphatic that their restart will be slow and methodical.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain said very early on in the shutdown restart will be structured, "We don't expect that... someday somebody blows a horn, and all the ships start operating right away. We think that it will be a gradual start, a little bit like society is opening up gradually."

"So we would imagine that we would start with fewer ships, and more likely to be more drive markets in the beginning, and then it would then evolve and grow from there."

As an example, Norwegian Cruise Line just announced restart plans for 8 ships, and many are not going to begin their first sailings until October or November 2021.

So far, Royal Caribbean has only announced Alaska cruises from Seattle as the confirmed sailings from the U.S. this summer.

As cruise fans, we are eager to get back onboard on our favorite ships from ports of call nearby, but keep expectations inline.

CDC still holds a lot of influence

Like it or not, the CDC is still mostly in charge.

The road to restart goes right through the CDC's jurisdiction, and the cruise lines seem to be past trying to shake them off and are now focused on getting approval to sail.

The tone of discussions with the CDC has radically improved lately, especially with the CDC rolling back burdensome rules and protocols.

Perhaps more surprising is cruises sailing from outside the United States still seem to be based on CDC guidance.

Royal Caribbean has not released its health protocols for Adventure of the Seas cruises from Nassau, Bahamas due to in part, the CDC.

An email update yesterday told guests, "As we’ve been working to finalize all the details, we’re taking a lot into consideration, including the CDC’s recommendations, Bahamian Health Authority’s guidance, and our own Healthy Sail Panel’s expertise – to find that sweet spot."

No matter where ships sail this summer, the CDC will be along for the ride for at least a while longer.

Florida

Celebrity Cruises referred to it as "the elephant in the room", and Florida has gone from chief enabler to major blocker of cruises restarting.

In short, Florida passed a law that prohibits any business from asking their customers for proof of vaccination.  While this may make sense in the case of restaurants or supermarkets, it creates an enormous problem for cruise lines who are battling a sensationalized media that counts any case onboard a ship as a modern day Pandora's Box.

The Governor's office has been adamant about enforcing the policy across the board, including the cruise lines. Meanwhile, cruise executives are talking about some kind of compromise that is in the works.

What ends up happening is anyone's guess, but Florida is the epicenter of the cruise world, and while ships could sail from other states, it is a market too large to ignore.

In the meantime, it is a story to keep an eye on as it relates to where and when cruise ships will be able to sail from first.

Carnival Cruise Line is moving forward with its restart plans from the United States.

Carnival announced the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC) has approved its plans in place with three major cruise ports.

Specifically, Carnival now has agreements with PortMiami, Port of Galveston and Port Canaveral that have been approved by the CDC under Phase 2A of the Conditional Sail Order (CSO).

These port agreements are part of the Phase 2A of the CSO and need to be signed by executives from the cruise line, as well as port and state health authorities, as will as be approved by the CDC.  The agreement explains what the cruise terminal would do in the case of Covid-19 cases on a cruise ship, as well as how it intends to keep the cruise terminal and gangways sanitized.

Royal Caribbean has a similar agreement with PortMiami, Port Everglades, and Port Canaveral.

With the port agreements in place, it supports Carnival's plans to restart Carnival Horizon from PortMiami, and Carnival Vista and Breeze from Galveston.

Port Canaveral has also been identified as a restart priority, and Carnival expects to announce plans for operations from there over the coming days.

"These agreements move us one step closer to sailing with our loyal guests,” said Lars Ljoen, executive vice president and chief maritime officer for Carnival Cruise Line.  

“We appreciate the support from not just these three homeport partners, but all of our homeports, that are eager to have us back as soon as possible.”

The agreement will also include information social distancing guidelines and plans for using commercial operators for any required evacuations at sea.

Each cruise line must have signed contracts with shore-side medical facilities to treat patients and shore-side housing facilities to isolate and quarantine sick passengers.

With the port agreements in place, likely Carnival will either need to apply for approval for test cruises, or skip test sailings if they can get at least 95% of its passengers vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean International has opted to conduct test cruises, but Celebrity Cruises will be able to skip them since they can get at least 95% of their passengers vaccinated.

Innovation has been a major part of what separates Royal Caribbean from other cruise lines, and that tradition continues with the cruise line's latest public filing.

The entertainment onboard a Royal Caribbean ship has always been a focal point for trying to push the envelope, and a new patent application points to something cruise ship passengers are likely to see onboard soon.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office reports a filing by Royal Caribbean for something called a "Water-based Pyrotechnic Illusion".

Among the four patent authors is Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, Nick Weir. It is also credited to Daniel Comins, Zachary Cook, and Steven Michelman.

What exactly is this thing that Royal Caribbean patented?

Based on the patent application, it sounds like something meant to look like fireworks, but utilizing high speed water and lights to create the effect.

Systems and methods for firework water illusions are disclosed. In one aspect, a device for creating an illusion of rotary pyrotechnics includes at least one nozzle configured to rotate about an axis of the device and spray water in a radial direction while rotating. The device can also include a water supply configured to provide the water to the at least one nozzle and a lighting system configured to illuminate the water sprayed from the at least one nozzle to create an illusion of rotary pyrotechnics.

Basically, making something that looks like fireworks without actually using fireworks.

Figure included with patent

Specifically, they aimed to recreate a Catherine wheel, which is a pinwheel type of firework that when ignited, the energy of the fireworks not only create sparks and flame, but cause the wheel to quickly rotate, making the display much more spectacular.

Example of a typical Catherine wheel

Fire is a major concern for cruise ships, and its use onboard is usually prohibited, so creating the illusion of fire would be an important asset.

The use of fireworks in such performances, particularly in the cruise ship environment, may be relatively dangerous and/or prohibited. Thus, there is a demand for the recreation of fireworks using an illusion to recreate at least some of the effects of fireworks without the drawbacks, such as the fire hazard associated with traditional fireworks.

A few different configurations are possible with this patent, and the use of a mister or multiple water nozzles can provide different effects when the light shines on the water droplets moving at a high speed.

They even outlined using a fog machine to further enhance the look.

Whenever water is mentioned in the context of entertainment, Royal Caribbean's signature AquaTheater space usually comes to mind as the likely setting for it.

In fact, the patent talks about the patent being utilized in the AquaTheater without actually naming the venue.

Aquatic shows, which are traditionally performed in a permanent theater, are being adapted for performance on cruise ships due to their continued popularity. 

The patent says that a water-based illusion has an advantage since aquatic shows already have the necessary hardware support in place, as well as being more engaging to an audience compared to a simple visual projection of the image of fireworks onto a screen.

Interestingly enough, the patent also mentions this water-based pyrotechnic illusion could even be used by Las Vegas.

 Yet another environment in which such a water based firework illusion may be so-called "pool parties" which are popular in entertainment centers such as Las Vegas. These parties may include live music, DJs, numerous swimming pools, etc. In this setting, the use of fireworks may also be a fire hazard, and thus, the use of a water-based firework illusion may be desirable.

Whether Royal Caribbean uses this technology on its next Oasis Class cruise ship, which is currently under construction, or on existing ships in the fleet remains to be seen. 

Royal Caribbean's restart plans are moving faster with their ambitious policy of trying to get crew members fully vaccinated.

Ever since Royal Caribbean committed to getting all of its crew members vaccinated, the logistics of doing so seemed to be a challenge, but things are moving swiftly now.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared on Facebook that over half the crew members currently onboard cruise ships are vaccinated.

"Over 50 percent of our current crew fleetwide are vaccinated!  We are getting there slowly but surely," he shared in a Facebook post.

Mr. Bayley indicated that there are 10,620 crew members onboard, and 5,730 of them are either partially or fully vaccinated.

Over the last few weeks, Royal Caribbean ships have been coming in and out of Florida ports to get crew members their vaccine shot. 

On just Thursday, Adventure of the Seas came to Port Canaveral to get 352 more crew members vaccinated, and Explorer of the Seas had 182 of their crew members getting their second Pfizer shot.

Port Canaveral is one of at least three U.S. ports welcoming cruise ships in so that its crew members can get vaccinated.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees approved an expansion to vaccine eligibility in Florida to include individuals who are in the state for purpose of providing good or services for the benefit of residents and visitors of Florida.

The vaccine is a critical part of Royal Caribbean's restart plans to ensure its ships can be as clean and safe for everyone onboard.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain reiterated his company's plan to get the crew ready for cruises during a video update this week, "we intend to vaccinate all of our crew. That process has already started and we expect that essentially one hundred percent of crew members will receive their vaccines before the cruise starts in the US."

In addition to the crew members, all adults over the age of 16 on North American sailings will need to be vaccinated in order to go on a cruise before August 1.  After August 1, that age restriction drops to 12 years old.

Royal Caribbean quickly made the decision to require the vaccine after months of saying no decision had been made, and changing rules might have played  a part in that decision.

The  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been revising its rules for cruise ships, dropping many requirements for guests who are fully vaccinated.

Just this week, the CDC relaxed mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines for fully vaccinated passengers.

To that point, Mr. Fain was excited about the limited restrictions on a cruise ship thanks to the lowered requirements for vaccinated passengers and crew, "We're optimistic that masks won't be required anywhere if you're vaccinated."

"As we restart, there will be some more restrictions than before, but we expect there will be temporary and similar to what we've all become used to on land."

The showdown between Florida and cruise lines that want to sail with fully vaccinated adult is slowing down Royal Caribbean Group's return to service announcement.

Celebrity Cruises announced it would restart cruises from the United States in late June, but Florida law prohibits a business from asking its customers if they vaccinated against Covid-19.

The law has been a concern among cruise lines and cruise fans since it was signed into law, but with cruise ships about to restart operations, could those plans be halted by Florida law?

Royal Caribbean Group has not said much on the topic, but during a webinar with travel agents on Thursday, Celebrity Cruises addressed the issue and seemed to indicate that while the issue is a problem, it is not impassable either.

Dondra Ritzenthaler, Celebrity Cruises Senior Vice President of Sales and Trade Support & Service addressed the "elephant in the room" during her call, and said they are working with the Governor's office to find a solution to the issue.

Ms. Ritzenthaler praised Governor Ron DeSantis' efforts to help get cruise ships going on the federal level, and even thought the law makes sense for local businesses, "our governor was the one that started really pushing the CDC and talking to the White House."

"When he came out with the policy that says that he will not require in the state of Florida people to show proof of vaccinations, he was talking about restaurants, bars, hotels, Disney, places that weren't cruise ships because at the time, cruise ships weren't open yet."

She went on to say that cruise executives from Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and Carnival are working with Governor DeSantis, "we're ironing out a statement that will articulate how cruising will be different than in the state."

The cruise lines are working towards a solution where the law still prevents a supermarket or restaurant from asking customers to see proof of vaccination, but exclude cruise lines since things are different on a cruise ship, as well as due to regulations mandated by the CDC.

Until a resolution is found, Ms. Ritzenthaler said Royal Caribbean Group's full protocols are on hold, "I would say that we are super close, but we will not come out with our total protocols and return to service until we get that formal statement from the governor."

Earlier today, the governor's office told WFTS, "The CDC has no legal authority to set any sort of requirements to cruise. Moreover, the CDC has acknowledged, on record, that the federal government chose not to make a legal requirement for vaccine passports. Now the CDC provides coercive guidance” in the absence of any federal law or congressional authorization, requiring cruise ships to violate state law."

"Companies doing business in Florida, including Celebrity Cruises, should immediately cease to impose such discriminatory policies upon individuals. Companies that violate this law would be subject to a fine of $5,000 each time they require a customer to present a 'vaccine passport' for service," DeSantis said.

Earlier in May, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio said his cruise ships would move their Florida-based vessels to home ports in other states or even to non-U.S. ports in the Caribbean if they were forced to comply with the new rule.

"At the end of the day, cruise ships have motors, propellors and rudders, and God forbid we can operate in the state of Florida for whatever reason, then there are other states that we do operate from."

"We can operate from the Caribbean for ships that otherwise would've gone to Florida. We certainly hope that doesn't come to that. Everyone wants to operate out of Florida, it's a very lucrative market, it's close drive market."