Shares of cruise operator Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL) (NYSE:CUK) stock rose a respectable 4.9% in 2:30 p.m. EST trading today. Partly, this seems a continuation of a trend over the past few days, as investors respond positively to the company's plans to support digital gambling ("Ocean Sportsbook") aboard its Princess cruise line. But of course, before that can happen, Carnival needs to start cruising again. Image source: Getty Images. So what The good news today is that a Carnival peer seems to think that that happy day is getting closer. As CruiseIndustryNews.com reports today, Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) CEO Richard Fain is encouraged by the recent "sharp decline in COVID-19 cases in the United States."