More cruise lines are returning to the high seas again after months of cancellations caused by the pandemic and uncertainties in international travel restrictions.

As vaccinations roll out and ship operators find new niches willing to welcome passengers and crew, cruise is coming back to life.

Home grown expedition line, Coral Expeditions restarted operations in October last year with sailings on its 72-passenger, Coral Discoverer offering seven-night itineraries from Cairns to Far North Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. The Discoverer will also offer 10-night sailings departing Broome to Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia in May.

The line’s Coral Adventurer and Coral Geographer will be sailing in the Kimberley this month offering 10-night itineraries from Broome and Darwin.

Royal Caribbean marked its return to Asia’s seas with Quantum of the Seas in Singapore offering three-to–four nights itineraries to nowhere for Singapore residents in December last year

Dream Cruises’ World Dream also restarted operations from Singapore in December last year with round-trip sailings of two to four night itineraries with no ports of call.

The line’s Explorer Dream was the first to resume sailings in Taiwan departing from Keelung last July with two and three-night island hopping itineraries calling at Penghu, Matzu and Kinmen Islands.

Star Cruises’ Star Pisces is scheduled to offer two-night sailings from Penang to Langkawi next month.

MSC Cruises has been cruising safely in the Mediterranean since August last year with MSC Grandiosa. Now the line plans to restart Mediterranean cruises with MSC Seaside next month. Both ships will offer seven-night itineraries from Genoa with Seaside calling at Valletta, Rome, Sicily and Taranto and Grandiosa visiting Rome, Naples, Palermo and Valletta.

MSC is also planning to resume domestic cruising in the UK onboard its new MSC Virtuosa for local residents departing Southampton on 20 May.

German line AIDA Cruises, a subsidiary of cruise giant Carnival Corporation resumed sailings in European waters with two ships, AIDAmar and AIDAperla offering seven-night itineraries from Las Palmas and Gran Canaria in Spain in November last year.

Another German line, TUI resumed sailings in Europe with Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 sailing around the Canary Islands last year.

Italy’s Costa Cruises will restart cruising in Europe with its flagship, Costa Smeralda sailing in the Mediterranean in early May and is planning to have a second ship, Costa Luminosa back in service departing from Trieste to Greece and Croatia in mid-May.

Viking will restart limited cruises along the coast of England with its newest ocean ship, Viking Venus reserved for UK residents departing Southampton on 22 May.

Hurtigruten will restart expedition cruises in June.

Ponant is expected to resume cruising later this month.

Norwegian Cruise Line will return to service on 25 July with Norwegian Jade offering new seven-day itineraries from Athens to the Greek islands. This will be followed by Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Gem in the Caribbean in August. Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises are expected to restart sailings in August.

Holland America Line will resume operations in Europe in July.

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth will restart cruises in the UK in July.

Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Splendor will restart Australian sailings at the end of June followed by Carnival Spirit in September.

Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Symphony is scheduled to restart cruising in June.

P&O Cruises’ much anticipated Pacific Adventure is expected to begin sailing from Sydney on 30 April while Pacific Encounter will sail from Brisbane from 7 May.