Cruise ships are sailing out of Florida again.
A Royal Caribbean cruise ship is set to return to Miami on Tuesday after a test voyage with roughly 600 volunteers on board. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is celebrating a decision from a federal judge last week that says the state would be harmed if an order from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues.
The ruling from the judge says the CDC cannot mandate vaccinations against COVID-19 for passengers.
He says the legal authority to keep ships from sailing was “flimsy,” and it was keeping the cruise industry closed without a logical path forward.
“We’re happy,” says Desantis. “We think that basically, we succeeded, and we think the appeal, if they do choose to appeal it, I think we’ll succeed there.”
DeSanits says last week’s ruling is big for more than just the cruise industry.
“I think it’s important, not just for what we want to see these things get back going, but also going forward so that this doesn’t happen again,” DeSantis says.
Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas set sail from Miami on Sunday. The crew is fully vaccinated, and the CDC required the test sailing before the cruises can get fully back to normal in July.
Celebrity Cruises’ ship Celebrity Edge is set to sail from Fort Lauderdale on Saturday with paying passengers.