Cruise Lines Are Diverting Some $56 Billion From the U.S. Economy Bloomberg 3 hrs ago Fran Golden (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offered a rare glimmer of hope for the cruise industry this week, with the agency saying in a statement to Bloomberg that the latest aspect of its phased return to U.S. cruising “aligns with the desire for resumption of passenger operations in the United States expressed by many major cruise ship operators and travelers, hopefully by mid-summer.” Popular Searches The comment came only after hard criticism from the cruise industry followed an announcement on April 2 that the agency was releasing technical guidance to inform port agreements and deal with Covid-19 outbreaks. With no indication regarding when cruise lines might finally receive the green light to sail—or even when they could begin to conduct simulated sailings, or “test cruises,” to assess new health protocols—it barely advanced the industry’s stalled position.