Finally, after almost eight months of bobbing empty at sea there’s a plan to get cruise ships sailing again in North America. And cruise lines will even be recruiting passengers willing to get on board in the weeks ahead as subjects for tests of safety protocols.

Cruise ships have to go through a month-long process to get a Conditional Sailing Certificate from the US Centers for Disease Control as well as local health authorities in the U.S. ports where the ship intends to dock.

The requirements include test cruises with crew and a few carefully screened guests over the age of 18 who agree to be lab tested in advance of the cruise. They’ll also have to sign a waiver that they “consent to participate voluntarily and not as a condition of employment or future compensation” in a test of unproven safety protocols and attest to understanding that cruising during a pandemic is “an inherently risky activity.”

Read it all in The Cruisington Times