Royal Caribbean

The news the cruise industry has been waiting for is here!

Royal Caribbean announced on Tuesday it has received permission from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct test cruises with volunteer passengers.

The lucky ship is Freedom of the Seas, which can begin her test cruises on June 20, 2021.

Royal Caribbean has submitted a proposal so that it can begin an official test cruise from the United States.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires all cruise lines to conduct test cruises in order to gain approval to sail from the United States, although test cruises can be skipped if a ship opts to require 95% of its passengers and 98% of its crew members to be fully vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley confirmed his cruise line has submitted an application to start test cruises.

Cruise ships are headed back to Alaska.

Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises both announced ships that will sail to Alaska in summer 2021.

The news comes right after legislation was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to allow cruise ships to sail to Alaska without having to stop in Canada.

The more you cruise with a specific cruise line, the more perks you will unlock through their rewards program. Royal Caribbean's Crown & Anchor loyalty program rewards cruises for staying "Loyal to Royal." 

The more you sail, the more days you will accumulate, moving you up the Crown and Anchor loyalty ranks and making you eligible for a number of perks, including use of robes while onboard, complimentary alcoholic beverages, free internet, access to exclusive lounges, buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) specialty dining, and even free cruises! 

Royal Caribbean announced two of its cruise ships will sail from outside the United States this summer.

While it tries to work with the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) to get permission for cruises to restart, Royal Caribbean announced so far two ships will offer summer sailings from other North American ports that are open to Americans, as well as residents of any country.

Vision of the Seas will sail from Bermuda in June and offer 7-night cruises that visit Perfect Day at CocoCay in The Bahamas.

Royal Caribbean has joined most other cruise lines in cancelling its May 2021 cruises.

The cruise line announced it would extend its global cruise shutdown through the end of May, minus a few exceptions:

• Quantum of the Seas
• Odyssey of the Seas
• Spectrum & Voyager of the Seas from China

This article was last updated on May 1, 2021.

Royal Caribbean fans everywhere are itching to know when the line will resume cruising from North America.

Since the expiration of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's ban on sailings in late 2020, several new developments -- conditional sailing framework requirements, vaccination roll-outs and an extension of Canada's no-sail order -- have shaped the way cruise lines are operating.

Royal Caribbean Group revealed the findings of a new study that looked at how aerosol particles spread on a cruise ship's ventilation system.

The study was conducted by the Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) onboard Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas to evaluate the efficacy of HVAC systems on ships in order to assess and improve ventilation to combat COVID-19 spread.

Surrounding the topic of cruises resuming, Royal Caribbean Group did not indicate if guests would need to get a Covid vaccine in order to cruise.

Royal Caribbean Group held a conference call with investors on Monday to discuss their fourth quarter 2020 earnings, but they would not say if passengers would be required to get a Covid vaccine.

"We're really in an interim period where the vaccines are still relatively new. They're coming out amazingly quickly, but it still is going to take months to get huge numbers of people vaccinated."

"We don't have answers yet."