Author: Morgan Hines, USA TODAY

Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International, both subsidiaries of Royal Caribbean Group, have canceled cruises as COVID continues to spread.

“Voluntary” doesn’t mean that cruise ships will not be regulated by the CDC – regardless of whether they opt into the CDC’s new program.

Norwegian Cruise Line canceled a sailing on its Norwegian Gem ship while the vessel was in the middle of a voyage due to COVID.

Norwegian Cruise Line canceled more sailings this week as COVID continues to spread across the country.

The CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order will expire Saturday and the health agency’s COVID guidance for cruise ships will become voluntary.

Royal Caribbean joined Norwegian in canceling cruises. Some scrapped sailings were to depart as soon as Saturday, leaving cruisers in a lurch.

Royal Caribbean International announced Friday that it will pause operations on multiple ships because of COVID-19.

Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess ship docked in San Francisco Thursday with a dozen COVID-19 cases among passengers.

Royal Caribbean is moving crew members who have tested positive for COVID to two of its out of service cruise ships to quarantine as COVID surges.

Norwegian Cruise Line canceled cruises on several of its ships Wednesday as COVID-19 continues to surge with the emergence of the omicron variant.