When was the last time you went cruising on a giant cruise ship? For my wife and I, its been a very long time.

We're all going to have to wait until at least 2021 to board our favorite cruise ship and put our port of call temporarily on hold, at least for now.

According to USA Today, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and Carnival Corp, have announced their own voluntary sailing suspensions through the end of the year.

The cruise industry has been preparing to sail again for some time, and by putting sailing off until the new year, they have more time to prepare and align industry protocols with standards in the CDC's new order, which includes test sailings, among other requirements to be completed, before cruises can resume. (USA Today)

Back in September, the industry announced mandatory health and safety changes in preparation for a return to cruising.

CLIA and its member cruise lines adopted more extensive mandatory health protocols for vessels that can carry 250 or more passengers, which include crew and passenger testing, mask wearing, enhanced cruise ship ventilation, and shore excursion protocols. (USA Today)

All this talk about cruise ships makes me miss them that much more. We'll just have to wait until 2021 to book ourselves a room on board one of these big beautiful vessels.

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