The first cruise ship operating out of the Port of Palm Beach will set sail in July.
A representative for Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line said Tuesday that the Grand Classica leaves July 2 from the Port of Palm Beach en route to Freeport.
Cruise lines have been prohibited from sailing in U.S. waters or stopping at U.S. ports since March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We, of course, are enthusiastic about getting back to cruising," said Oneil Khosa, CEO of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Lines. "On the front end, it has to be as fun as before. On the backhand, we have to make sure all of our loose ends tighten up."
In April, Governor Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody sued the Biden administration in federal district court to overturn the "Conditional Sailing Order" that prohibits cruise lines from operating in the U.S.
According to the State of Florida, a Federal Maritime Commission report in September 2020 estimated that during the first 6 months of the pandemic, losses in Florida due to the cruise industry shutdown totaled $3.2 billion in economic activity.