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U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have proposed the creation of the Set Sail Safely Act to expedite cruises resuming from the United States.

Both Senators are from Florida, and if their bill passes, would create the Maritime Task Force, in coordination with a Private Sector Advisory Committee, to address the health, safety, security, and logistical changes needed to allow for cruise lines and ports to resume operations. 

At a meeting of the Miami-Dade County Commissioners' Tourism and the Ports Committee Thursday, the CEOs of four major cruise companies stressed that the cruise industry is eager to resume sailings when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's no-sail order, which has been in place since March, expires on September 30.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced on Monday its member cruise lines will all cancel cruises from the United States through October 31, 2020 due to COVID-19.

Cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and more, will voluntarily extend their suspension of sailings.

The announcement impacts cruises from the United States, although individual cruise lines have already opted to cancel cruises from other regions, such as Royal Caribbean choosing to also cancel its entire European cruise season for 2020.

The Trump Administration is seeking a $850 billion stimulus to spur the US economy to help consumers and businesses, but cruise lines are not part of the proposal.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the package would also include payments to small businesses and loan guarantees to industries such as airlines and hotels.

While President Donald Trump mentioned the cruise lines needing help during a briefing with reporters, cruise lines were not mentioned as part of this plan.

The Centers for Disease Control has recommended no gatherings of people for the next 8 weeks of more than 50 people.

The cruise industry voluntarily decided to suspend cruises for a period of 30 days in order to assist in curbing the spread of Coronavirus

The recommendations read as follows:

Bill Maher, host of HBO's “Real Time With Bill Maher”, went on an anti-cruise ship rant following the entire cruise industry announced they would pause for a month due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

At the end of the show, Maher talked about the Coronavirus outbreak on a couple of ships, and then delved into anti-cruise tropes.

The United States State Department issued a warning today that U.S. citizens "should not travel by cruise ship" due to Coronavirus concerns.

Cruise Critic announced the winners of its 9th annual Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards naming the most popular cruise ships of the year, based on consumer reviews and ratings shared on Cruise Critic over the past year. 

First-place winners include:

Best Cruises Overall

• Celebrity Equinox – Celebrity Cruises (Large)
• Riviera – Oceania Cruises (Mid-Size)
• Viking Sky – Viking Ocean Cruises (Small-Mid)
• Silver Galapagos – Silversea Cruises (Small)

Best Cruise Ship Cabins