The number of COVID-19 cases on cruise ships is spiking. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that there’s been a 30-fold increase in cases over the last two weeks.

What can you do if you've already booked a cruise?

Paula Nicoletti and her husband were due to be on an around-the-world cruise for their 50th anniversary. They canceled and got their money back.

Paula’s advice: “Read, read, read. Read the blogs, read the tweets. Read the emails. Find out from the other passengers what’s really going on.”

If you get vouchers as refund payments, see if you can get them in small chunks and not just a lump sum for the entire cruise price.

If you want to push forward with that cruise, insurance is highly recommended. There are now COVID-19 specific travel policies.

“Depending on the cruise line and where the stops are, for your trip if you do test positive and they ask you to get off the cruise ship and self isolate in another city for 14 days or whatever it is – and then fly back home. This policy would cover you for your meals and accommodation for that," said Omar Kaywan with Goose Insurance.

Like the cruise refund policies do your homework on the insurance policy, too.

“It’s highly recommended that you review the policy wording. Contact the agency you are buying it from. Ask the tough questions. Ask to speak to a licensed agent,” Kaywan said.

If you want to take a cruise but are not convinced this is the time to take to the sea, there’s always the option to book now for later as many cruise lines are offering discounts.

Watch the video above for the full story.

Thinking about going on a cruise? Here's what you need to know

Updated: 7:50 AM EDT Jul 4, 2021

Port Canaveral is starting to resemble the old days, with multiple cruise ships docked and ready for action. When the action starts, at least one cruise line, Royal Caribbean, has a set of some new rules.If you are sailing from any state other than Florida, you must have proof of vaccination to buy a ticket starting Aug. 1, but because of the governor's mandate, Royal Caribbean cannot do that in Florida."Gov. DeSantis said you cannot require or ask for proof of vaccination, so in other states, it is not necessarily an issue to say, 'yes, we are sailing fully vaccinated,'" said Colleen McDaniel, editor in chief of Cruise Critic.So as a result, Royal Caribbean has made a special rule for passengers coming out of Florida. If you opt not to prove you are vaccinated, Royal Caribbean will require those passengers to buy travel insurance.The thrill of cruising again is so strong, Royal Caribbean reports that their cruises coming out of Florida are sold out for the next two months. After 15 months of no sailing, passengers and cruise lines are crossing their fingers that there will be smooth sailing in the months ahead.Learn more in the video above.

The first cruise ship is preparing to leave a U.S. port since the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a 15-month standstill.

Celebrity Edge will depart Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Saturday evening with the number of passengers limited to 40 percent capacity, and with virtually all passengers vaccinated against COVID-19.

Celebrity Cruises says they meet health requirements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that require at least 95% of the travelers to be fully vaccinated.

Officials are hoping it all goes smooth to turn a new chapter after deadly outbreaks on ships.

The CDC issued new guidance for cruise ships, giving the industry better direction on how ships can resume normal operations.

The CDC said that coronavirus vaccination efforts will be “critical” to resuming normal operations.

The new guidance provides cruises with the following six instructions:

• Increasing from weekly to daily the reporting frequency of COVID-19 cases and illnesses.
• Implementing routine testing of all crew based on each ship’s color status.
• Updating the color-coding system used to classify ships’ status with respect to COVID-19.
• Decreasing the time needed for a “red” ship to become “green” from 28 to 14 days based on the availability of onboard testing, routine screening testing protocols, and daily reporting.
• Creating planning materials for agreements that port authorities and local health authorities must approve to ensure cruise lines have the necessary infrastructure in place to manage an outbreak of COVID-19 on their ships to include healthcare capacity and housing to isolate infected people and quarantine those who are exposed.
• Establishing a plan and timeline for vaccination of crew and port personnel.

The CDC said the next phase will include “simulated” voyages. The CDC recommends that all eligible personnel and travelers get vaccinated as soon as they can.

“Cruising safely and responsibly during a global pandemic is difficult,” the CDC said in a statement. “While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, following the phases of the CSO will ensure cruise ship passenger operations are conducted in a way that protects crew members, passengers, and port personnel, particularly with emerging COVID-19 variants of concern.”

Last week, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a trade group that advocates for a number of the top cruise line companies, called on the CDC to lift the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order. The CLIA wants a phased resumption of cruise operations from U.S. ports by the beginning of July.

The organization cited recent comments by President Joe Biden who said he is hopeful that the US can return to a state of normalcy by July 4.

The CLIA says that the pandemic has cost 300,000 jobs to its industry alone.

"Over the past eight months, a highly-controlled resumption of cruising has continued in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific—with nearly 400,000 passengers sailing to date in more than 10 major cruise markets. These voyages were successfully completed with industry-leading protocols that have effectively mitigated the spread of COVID-19. Additional sailings are planned in the Mediterranean and Caribbean later this spring and summer," said Kelly Craighead, CLIA's President and CEO.

The CLIA believes the ships can safely reopen.

"The cruise industry has adopted a high bar for resumption around the world with a multi-layered set of policies that is intended to be revised as conditions change. Our Members continue to follow this multi-layered approach to enhancing health and safety that has proven effective, making cruising one of the best and most adaptable choices for travel," she added.