**When Are Cruise Lines Around the World Expected To Resume Service?**

Alaskans Losing Most from Cruise Ban, U.S. Federal Maritime Commission Report Says

(5:50 p.m. EDT) -- A report issued by U.S. Federal Maritime Commissioner Louis E. Sola concluded that, "when considered on a per capita basis, there may not be another state in the Nation paying as high a cost from passenger ships not sailing than Alaska."

The latest in a series of in-depth assessments into the impact of the cruise industry's shutdown on the U.S economy, the report notes that the cancellation of the entire Alaskan cruise season because of the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected Alaskans, as many state towns are heavily dependent on cruise tourism.

"While tourism benefits all our Northwestern states, it is one of three pillars of t

Cruise Lines Continue to Boot Passengers Who Violate COVID-19 Shore Protocols

(3:10 p.m. EDT) -- Cruise lines in Europe are continuing to bar passengers who violate their health and safety regulations when it comes to shore excursions and staying within the ship-sponsored "bubble" in port.

Tuesday, a guest on AIDAblu left his travel group during a ship-sponsored shore excursion in Catania, Italy. "As a result, the guest was unable to continue sailing on AIDAblu, and AIDA supported the guest in organizing his trip home," the line said in a statement.

AIDAblu is the first ship to resume cruising in the COVID-19 era from the German line AIDA, which is owned by Carnival Corporation. The current cruise is the first one back, sailing a seven-day itinera

MSC Cruises to Install Advanced Air Sanitation System on New Ship Coming in 2021

(11:05 a.m. EDT) -- MSC Cruises will install a new and advanced technology sanitation system to improve the quality and cleanliness of the onboard air for its passengers and crew.

Known as 'Safe Air', the new system will be fitted on MSC Seashore, the line's newest ship, which is due to launch in July 2021 and will be the first of two "Seaside Evo"-class ships.

MSC claims that the technology -- which uses ultraviolet rays to blast organic particles and so prevents the circulation of air pollutants -- will be a world first for a cruise line.

However, other lines are trialling similar technologies, including Norwegian Cruise Line, which [announced new health a

Royal Caribbean Lays Out New Guidelines for Quantum of the Seas Cruise Ship Return in Singapore

(12:15 p.m. EDT) -- As Royal Caribbean gears up for a restart in Asia in December, the line has released several infographics outlining changes passengers will see on its ship in that region.

Quantum of the Seas will start sailing from Singapore on December 1, at half capacity with only passengers who live in the country and on "Ocean Getaways", or cruises to nowhere. While Royal Caribbean Group has a partial interest in TUI Cruises, a German line that has also resumed cruising, the sailing could mark the first Royal Caribbean ship to welcome back passengers worldwide; the line has canceled all U.S. sailings through November 30 and is await

Princess Cruises Moves Up Transfer of Two Ships To P&O Australia

(7 p.m. EDT) -- Princess Cruises announced Wednesday it would accelerate the transfer of two Grand-class ships – Golden Princess and Star Princess -- to sister-brand P&O Cruises Australia.

In 2018, the line announced it would transition the 2001-built Golden Princess and its 2002-built sister, Star Princess, to its P&O Australia brand. Golden Princess was slated to enter service down under this October, while Star Princess had been scheduled to sail its last voyage under the Princess banner at the end of 2021.

While Golden Princess had already been removed from Princess Cruises' active fleet, Star Princess was scheduled to continue

Holland America Line to Deploy Six Ships in Alaska Next Year

(12:25 p.m. EDT) -- Holland America Line will deploy six of its vessels to Alaska next year, including a full roster of sailings departing from Vancouver, Seattle and Whittier (Anchorage).

For the 2021 season, the line will send Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Oosterdam and Volendam to Alaska. Sailings will run from April through September of 2021.

The move by the line, which has always maintained a strong presence in Alaska, is a big vote of confidence in the region after the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic saw the cancellation of the entire 2020 Alaskan cruise season, which in turn devastated many smaller ports of call like the former Gold Rush town of Ska