As the cruise industry continues to bounce back after essentially shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is now battling another variant and new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) against sailing.

To start the year, cruise lines have been working to improve the passenger experience, including updating COVID-related requirements, announcing Wave Season deals, revealing new ships and itineraries, adding entertaining themed voyages and more.

The cruise industry made major waves over the last month, and here are the top cruise stories from January.