“it seems that the CDC has little motivation for a rapid start-up of cruising.”
The CDC is a liberal Federal agency, and on board with the Green New Deal. The goal of the Greenies is to end or severely cut back on fossil fuels. Airlines and cruising have been targets for decades.
With the rapid increase in the cost of fuel ,to about a dollar a gallon increase I would expect shortly it will cost the moderate sized Cruise ships about $50,000/day while moving. That is about $20 /passenger/day.
Perhaps fuel surcharges are coming back. (or an increase in cruise prices to cover it.)-Tom