As of February 2021....

The CDC has not even hinted as to what it will approve for cruise line health protocols before allowing the cruise-starved public embark on a cruise ship. Actual cruises have been cancelled through April 30, and probably more future cruises will be cancelled. The pent up demand for cruises among avid cruise travelers is tremendous. The economic impact on cruise ports is terrible, with thousands of workers out of work...not just port workers, but suppliers to ships, crews themselves, and tourism workers in destinations. The cruise lines themselves have skeleton crews on ships, but each ship's idle time can cost millions of dollars every month. We are hoping that the vaccine rollout will mitigate the virus and its variants, and hopefully ships will sail before 2021 is over. Royal Caribean has designated a new home port for some of its ships in Barbados, so if cruisers can get to Barbados, and stay healthy to get back into the US afterward, cruises may start there. Meanwhile we wait, and pray for those lost and their families and for better times to come.