I visited the former East Germany and Soviet Eastern Europe a couple times, and have lived in China.
What I learned in those places is that literally everything is political.
Forget about their “business model” - the question to ask yourself now in the USA is - are they politically-correct, and will government allow it?
The Trump Administration was sympathetic to the cruise industry, but this Biden Group is hostile to them.
That's why I believe the the cruise lines troubles are going to continue in 2022. -Tom