Gasparilla 2021 Pirate Festival canceled due to continued COVID-19 concerns

Gasparilla Invasion – Courtesy: Gasparilla Pirate Fest website It seems like every other week another major Florida event is canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and this week serves as another example as to why public safety is the main priority for festival and large-scale event organizers during the pandemic. Despite having the

Florida’s tourism industry reports lowest figures since 2010

Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by Gustavo Frazao The Sunshine State was on track to post record-setting tourism numbers for state visitations in 2020, but then the pandemic happened, and those projections were derailed. In fact, according to new data from Visit Florida, the tourism industry saw an astounding but reasonably expected 34 percent drop in

Florida cruise activity may get delayed another year due to COVID-19 complications

Courtesy: Image by Ed Judkins from Pixabay According to one lobbyist from the cruising sector, a majority of Florida cruises scheduled for 2021 may not be able to set sail for at least one year. In a Florida Senate Transportation Committee meeting on Feb. 2, the Florida Ports Council emphasized that cruise officials, staff, and

CDC “no-sail” order is lifted, but not so fast: Cruising cannot return until further approval of ship safety protocols

Courtesy: Shutterstock – photo By pisaphotography This weekend, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ‘no-sail’ order officially expired, allowing ships to return to sea. However, don’t expect to be onboard any time soon.  According to a release by the CDC on Friday, the “Framework for Conditional Sailing Order,” which replaces the no-sail order,  it

24 people rescued from sinking boat by passing Carnival Cruise ship off Florida coast

Courtesy: Carnival Cruise Lines/ Press Release Twenty-four people were rescued from a distressed boat some 37 miles off the coast of Palm Beach, Fla., last Saturday. The Carnival Sensation was out on international waters conducting non-operational manning status with a skeleton crew and no passengers on board when they spotted a sinking boat in the

Florida’s Idled Cruise Industry Can Set Sail Again on November 1

Photo: Ed Judkins / Pixabay The cruise industry has been fine-tuning a public health proposal to resume sailing. Florida’s idled $8-billion-a-year cruise industry can set sail again November 1 under a plan endorsed by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. President Donald Trump’s administration blocked the CDC’s pending order to keep cruise ships docked until

Campaign to Help Tourism Industry in Florida Launched

Image by Michelle Maria from Pixabay  Governor Ron DeSantis and Visit Florida have teamed up to create a publicity campaign aimed at attracting Floridians to vacation across the state. The new tourism campaign kicked off on Wednesday, September 2, the same day the Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale and Art Basel Miami Beach were

Winterfest Boat Parade Brings Holiday Cheer to Fort Lauderdale Waterways

Photo Credit: Winterfest Boat Parade Facebook Page Have you ever wanted to watch a holiday parade on the water? Come to Fort Lauderdale and you can! The Winterfest Parade in Fort Lauderdale has some of the best displays of lights on the water in Florida. The Parade is an annual tradition held every December in

Royal Caribbean Founder Ed Stephan Passes Away Aged 87

Ed Stephan of Royal Caribbean Passed Away

Edwin W. Stephan, who is credited with making Miami the cruise capital of the world, passed away Friday.   He was 87 years old.   He was the cruise line’s first president for 27 years and then he served as the vice-chairman of the board of directors until he retired in 2003.   Stephan was