Cruise News: Top Stories From July

The cruise industry is one of the cornerstones of travel and tourism and companies are still working to overcome the continued impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Data released this month shows that demand for cruises is surging, but labor shortages are causing headaches. Cruise lines got some good news, as the CDC dropped its existing COVID-19 program for cruise ships.

Add in new sailings being announced, the return of themed voyages and more, and it's been a bounce-back month for the cruise industry.

Cruise lines made major waves over the last month, and here are the top cruise stories from July.

A new study found demand in the cruise industry is rebounding after the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic and associated travel restrictions. According to a survey from Cruiseline.com and Shipmate, 91.4 percent said they plan to take a cruise within the next year, 2.5 percent said they would not cruise in the next year, and 6.1 percent are undecided.

The cruise industry is facing a serious test as labor shortages have forced cruise lines to cancel voyages and implement occupancy constraints. Cruise lines employ about 250,000 onboard workers from over 100 countries, but pandemic-related visa restrictions and "a general preference for flexible working hours" have impacted company staff numbers.

On July 18, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is officially ending its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships. This was, at least in theory, a "voluntary" program-though cruise lines couldn't exactly decline to opt-in-which replaced the CDC's previous Conditional Sailing Order in February.

The CDC released a new set of recommendations for the cruise industry, just days after ending the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships. While much of the new guidance is optional, the government agency still strongly recommends pre-embarkation coronavirus testing within one day of embarkation. The agency still suggests all eligible travelers should be up to date with their vaccination status, while those with a prior medical condition should talk to their healthcare provider before booking a cruise, even if fully vaccinated.

As a result of the CDC's decision to ease COVID-related requirements, several cruise lines announced they would no longer require guests to complete pre-cruise testing unless required by local regulations. Some cruise lines that changed their health and safety protocols include Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line and Virgin Voyages.

Two cruise lines recently announced expanded service in California. Princess Cruises is now offering a new summer season sailing out of Los Angeles, with year-round trips to destinations like Mexico, Hawaii and the California Coast from the port beginning in 2023. American Cruise Lines also announced its first-ever California cruise would launch in 2023.

A&K Travel Group, Ltd. announced it had officially purchased the assets required to restart the operations of the former Crystal Cruises. CEO Cristina Levis said the company is "committed to recreating the most luxurious, award-winning cruise brand," and plans to complete significant refurbishments on the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity ships.

The world's only hip-hop music festival at sea, Days of Summer Cruise Fest, announced disembarkation dates for 2023. Sailing aboard the Norwegian Sky ship out of Miami to Great Stirrup Cay and Nassau, Bahamas, the annual voyage will take place July 2-5, 2023. The music festival at sea will be hosted by DJ Khaled and feature two of hip hop's leading artists, Lil Baby and Future, with more artists to be announced in the coming months.

American Queen Voyages introduced a new premium excursion experience on its Upper Mississippi River trips that will allow fans to walk one of the sport's most hallowed grounds; The Field of Dreams. The option will be offered as part of itineraries on the American Queen, American Duchess, and American Countess between St. Louis and Minneapolis.

Disney Cruise Line is set to offer fans of all ages new fun in the fall of 2023 with the Halloween on the High Seas, Very Merrytime Cruises and more. The new Halloween and holiday vacation offerings that were just announced for Disney will sail from Florida, California and New York, including the fleet's first departures from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Princess Cruises unveiled a Kids Sail Free promotion, which is available on a range of 2023 sailings to the Caribbean, Mexico, the Mediterranean, California Coast, Alaska and Canada/New England when booked by August 15.

Carnival Cruise Line announced it would adjust certain protocols to reflect the changes to reflect the lifting of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requirements for the cruise industry in the United States. Starting on August 4, Carnival will no longer require pre-cruise testing for fully vaccinated guests booked on sailings with itineraries of five nights or less. The cruise line also revealed that pre-cruise testing for itineraries of six nights or longer could be conducted three days before departure.

Explora Journeys, the new luxury brand of the cruise division of MSC Group, has signed an agreement with Italian shipyard Fincantieri to build two more hydrogen-powered ships. The company plans to operate its first cruise with its first ship, 922-guest Explora I, on May 31, 2023, and now eventually could have a total fleet number of six vessels. Three more sister ships are expected to enter service, each named Explora followed by a Roman numeral.