Allure of the Seas to begin her test cruise today

The first Oasis Class cruise ship to potentially restart operations will give it a try later today when Allure of the Seas conducts her simulated voyage.

Allure has been docked in Port Canaveral for a few days in preperation for the test sailing.  

The two-night test cruise will depart today and visit Perfect Day at CocoCay before returning back to Port Canaveral on Thursday.

Simulated cruises are part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) phased approach to cruise ships restarting in the United States.

While the State of Florida has won its lawsuit against the CDC, and test cruises from Florida are no longer required, Royal Caribbean said it will continue to follow CDC cruise ship recommendations.

Required or not, the purpose of a test cruise is to demonstrate to the CDC that the onboard health protocols can work, and keep crew members and passengers safe.

All the passengers onboard are volunteers, who are a mix of travel agents, top tier Crown and Anchor Society members, and cruise line employees.

So far three other Royal Caribbean ships have successfully conducted test cruises: Freedom of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas & Odyssey of the Seas.

If all goes well for Allure of the Seas on her test sailing, she could be ready for her first scheduled voyage on August 8.