For most Americans navigating this age of anxiety, the cruise industry’s shutdown is hardly a top priority. But for the millions who love travel by sea and the vast corps of tourism and maritime workers whose living depends on cruising, the question of when—not if—dominates their lives.
Cruise ships are currently blocked from departing U.S. ports, and many world destinations are inaccessible due to national and international concerns about ineffective U.S. COVID-19 strategies. Confidence is rising, however, that cruises might return to the seas by mid-2021, a timeline that could be affected by the world’s reaction to post-election U.S. policies.
