What happened Cruise ship stocks sank on Monday, as a highly contagious new coronavirus strain is forcing governments to impose new lockdowns. As of 11:30 a.m. EST, shares of Carnival (NYSE: CCL) (NYSE: CUK), Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE: NCLH), and Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL) were down 4.9%, 4.5%, and 2.9%, respectively. So what The new strain emerged in the U.K. in September. It's reportedly spreading 70% faster than previous versions of the virus. Over the weekend, U.K. officials enacted lockdown measures in London and much of the country's southeastern regions to slow the spread. Surging COVID-19 case counts could lead to more voyage cancellations. Image source: Getty Images. The news overshadowed positive developments on the COVID-19 vaccine front. After receiving Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other health regulators, Pfizer and Moderna have begun distributing their vaccines in the U.S. and internationally. Now what Investors have begun looking ahead to an eventual end to the coronavirus pandemic. COVID-19 has taken a huge toll on the cruise ship industry in 2020. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings have been forced to keep their ships docked at port due to coronavirus-related sailing restrictions for much of the year. With little revenue coming in, they've suffered brutal losses. Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccines could help the industry begin to recover as sailing restrictions are lifted and more people become comfortable taking cruise vacations once again. But as the recent coronavirus outbreak in the U.K. shows, it's unlikely to be smooth sailing for cruise companies until then. 10 stocks we like better than CarnivalWhen 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 Carnival 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 November 20, 2020 Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Carnival. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source