The cruise ship industry will be allowed to take to the high seas again beginning Nov. 1, after the Centers for Disease Control and the White House Coronavirus Task Force on COVID-19 reached an agreement to extend the no-sail ban set to expire today. The CDC wanted to extend the cruise ban all the way to Feb. 15, but compromised to extend it another month to Oct. 31, coinciding with the self-imposed ban industry stalwarts like Carnival (NYSE: CCL)(NYSE: CUK), Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL), and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE: NCLH) agreed to independently. Image source: Getty Images. A wave of good news It was also reported cruise line CEOs are scheduled to meet with the White House on Friday to discuss when and how they will be allowed to resume their businesses again. Deaths associated with coronavirus are declining after six months, though some fear the death toll could double by the new year if a second wave strikes. Some of the most severe outbreaks of COVID-19 occurred on cruise ships. However, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian have developed safety and social distancing protocols to help prevent a similar outbreak, and though booking volumes are down compared to historical levels, the cruise operators report there is still a robust level of new bookings. Norwegian Cruise Line president and CEO Rank Del Rio recently told analysts as much as 75% of of the cruise line's bookings are cash, not the credits it offered customers for previous cancellations, and 60% of those booking cruises for next year are repeat customers, suggesting consumers may hold minimal fear of a pandemic repeat. 10 stocks we like better than Norwegian Cruise Line HoldingsWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of September 24, 2020 Rich Duprey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Carnival. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source