Royal Caribbean's 'Allure of the Seas' returns to Port Canaveral after test cruise
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - Royal Caribbean's test cruise returned to Port Canaveral on Thursday morning. The goal of this cruise is to determine if Royal Caribbean can operate safely during the pandemic.
The ship pulled into port around 7 a.m.
The "Allure of the Seas" left Tuesday morning with a mix of employees and volunteers on board.
If all goes well, the ship will have its first revenue cruise from the port in September.
The pandemic is having a big impact on the economy at Florida ports. According to a new report, it'll take years for the multi-billion dollar shipping industry to rebound – and we're not just talking about cruise ships.
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This includes goods being brought in on those giant freighters.
"People are buying stuff, certainly to a level that they were doing it beforehand, whether they have revenue on hand or not," said Michael Rubin, President of the Florida Ports Council. "But it does appear that those numbers are going to be not only back to pre-pandemic numbers, but maybe exceed that as well."
Port leaders estimate last year, the coronavirus was responsible for about $23 billion in losses.
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