What happened Cruise ship stocks surged on Wednesday after investors received exciting news about an experimental COVID-19 vaccine. By the close of trading, shares of Carnival (NYSE: CCL) (NYSE: CUK), Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL), and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE: NCLH) were up 16%, 21%, and 20%, respectively. So what Surging COVID-19 case counts have weighed heavily on the cruise industry. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian have had their ships stuck at port for months, following a string of coronavirus-related outbreaks aboard their vessels. With little revenue coming in, they've been bleeding cash and forced to incur massive amounts of debt to stay afloat. Cruise ship investors finally received some welcome news. Image source: Getty Images. However, late on Tuesday, Moderna announced promising vaccine trial news. The New England Journal of Medicine published an interim analysis of Moderna's phase 1 trial of its experimental coronavirus vaccine. Neutralizing antibodies produced by the vaccine were found in all of the studies' participants. Scientists believe these antibodies could help prevent COVID-19. The vaccine candidate was also found to be generally safe and well-tolerated. Now what Moderna's news gives investors hope that a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 could be available sooner than many people predicted. That would be a boon for the beleaguered cruise industry, which is desperate to resume sailing operations. If Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian can get their ships back at sea sooner than expected, their stocks could continue to trend higher. 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 June 2, 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