PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — After receiving approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Disney Cruise Line will conduct a test cruise from Port Canaveral later this month.

​“We have reached an important next step toward our gradual and responsible resumption of service, and are grateful for the productive dialogue with state, local and federal officials, the CDC and others in our industry that has made this possible,” Disney Cruise Line said in a statement Tuesday. “We look forward to our amazing crew once again creating magic for our guests and to helping the many workers who support our industry get back to work.”

The Disney Dream cruise ship will leave Port Canaveral on June 29 for a two-night simulated sailing with volunteer passengers. The volunteer passengers will be Disney employees (known as cast members), not volunteers from the general public.

Port Canaveral officials said they were excited about Disney’s announcement.

“Our continuous efforts in close consultation with our cruise partners at Disney has led to this important milestone,” Port CEO Capt. John Murray said in a statement. “We’re very excited and ready to welcome back the iconic Disney ships to their home at Port Canaveral.”

Disney is the latest cruise line to get the OK for test cruises. Royal Caribbean, last week, became the first to announce it had been approved to begin test cruises. Its Freedom of the Seas ship, based out of Port Miami, will conduct a test cruise this month as well.  

Test cruises are the latest step in a return to sailing for an industry that has been paused since March 2020. Under the CDC’s Conditional Sailing Order, cruise lines can either conduct test cruises to ensure safety protocols or attest that 98% of crew members and 95% of passengers are fully vaccinated.