WHEN THE ZAANDAM, a cruise ship operated by Holland America Line, left Buenos Aires on March 7th, its passengers were promised 31 nights of “elegant and comfortable” luxury. They are now approaching Florida, and their holiday has been anything but elegant, comfortable or luxurious. More than 1,000 people have been confined to their cabins since March 22nd. As of March 30th at least 193 had fallen ill with flu-like symptoms, several have tested positive for covid-19 and four have died.
The industry’s reputation was shipwrecked from the pandemic’s early days, when a number of liners suffered covid-19 outbreaks. Several operated by Carnival—the world’s largest cruise company, which owns Holland America Line and the, quarantined in a Japanese port in February, the tally eventually reached at least 712 cases and ten deaths. Its sister ship, the, which has been in quarantine since March 9th in California, has reported dozens more.
Operating cruise ships is hardly a niche business. Global revenues in 2018 reached nearly $50bn. But the pandemic has already scuttled it. The world’s three largest cruise firms—Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian—which account for nearly 80% of global capacity, have suspended all voyages and have laid up their ships. Initially cruise bosses thought the hiatus would last just a month or so.
The pandemic has come at a particularly bad time for the industry. The first three months of the year are known as the “wave season” for the industry—the quarter during which it sells most of its holidays. And 2020 had been expected to break records. The three big firms now have virtually no revenue coming in. Their share prices are down by 70-80% since the start of the year , compared with declines of around 60% for airlines and 30% for the American stockmarket overall.
A business I would happily see contract to nothing. Cruise ships have always been exceptionally polluting, if they can't clean up their acts they should be relegated to the history books.
No, we won’t cruise again until Covid_19 is a distant memory.
I really think it is the communal eating. People can’t be masked and eat. I think we’ll get a vaccine and life will slowly return to normal. One of the earliest messages out of China for health care people was do not eat together, eat alone.
About the time it will be safe to cruise again, I'll be 40 and ready for that midlife crisis vacation.
Did you wear a mask in 2009? We had a pandemic that year too. H1N1 virus.
I will.
I would get on a cruise ship before I would get on an airplane. Talk about a Petri dish of bacteria.
pameladubsky49 Good. I hope it does. It would be a win for the environment.
With a vaccine maybe
Yes but only when all this is over. Could be a while
I’m in Miami and I don’t see how the ships can sail this year or the next without infections
Not until there’s a jab I’m sorry.
Is it in the air conditioning Surely it’s not down to poor cleaning/sanitizing ?
Apparently there’s droves of people still dumb enough to do it 🤦🏻♀️
Yes, we will cruise again. But not until this pandemic is under control - it's currently NOT!
I dont think it is linked to cruise ships. Theyve got the rough end here when you think about cleanliness in the ships the hand sanitising, etc you dont get that in hotels but because of Diamond princess cruising got bad press. Covid can be picked up anywhere not just cruise ship
Not when some companies have started cruising again and they’ve all had covid infections. Why would you put your life at risk? They’d better all be tested before going home.
LOL NOT A CHANCE IN HELL
Good!
They should not, for more than one reason
Nothing but planet killing waste dumps killing the ocean with every voyage - Fuck Cruise Lines
Good riddance they're terrible for the environment.
It’s a blip - Integumen AI (SKIN) are on the case - LOAC 🛳 ✅
No industry will be killed by this unless it was already in its death throes. Worst case scenario is a bunch of companies go bankrupt which sucks if you work for them but nature abhors a vacuum and if the interest is there another company will be created to fill the void.
Nope.
They always contained the possibility of food contamination and viruses . Also, never understood the willingness to be cooped up with a few hundred people over 60 + for 2 weeks plus . CruiseShips
Oh no. And they were just about to ruin my favorite greens space in my town for a new port. RIP floating petri dishes
Thats what happens when shipping flags out to countries no one’s ever heard of to avoid taxes.
Foreign Flags
Cruise ships have always been floating Petri dishes and viral cultures. It’s tragic that it’s come this far.
And this is a very, very good thing. They pollute the sea, the air and they overcrowd places beyond enjoyment. The only thing they are good for is saving humans from wars, or even animals from extinction.
Elderly people cannot 'shun' the Cruise-ship business if they're dead. Just saying for 330 million friends.
It should
They haven't noticed the global pandemic
These vessels are all registered in tax havens, pay their staff minimum wages under flag of convenience, dump waste in international waters, plus were advised of a global pandemic weeks ago. And now want tax payers to bail them out? Screw them!
Good!
... the healing part of the pandemic
Choppy seas ahead for cruise industry sunk by coronavirus chaos.
They should have led the charge to shutdown instantly instead of trying to shill out final cruises to people buying their outright lies and cheap tickets. (Looking at you RNCL and carnival) If they fail its cus their love of money helped grow the evil that befell them.
Cut it he fuck out. Nature abhors a vacuum. Do you know what happens if the every cruise company goes bankrupt? Other companies will be created in their place. They'll be smaller companies with fewer ships and eventually mergers will happen because that's what capitalism does.
Coronavirus lawsuits face uphill battle against cruise industry.
None of those cruise lines have home offices in their real countries. They fly the flags of where they pay the least taxes, and that is where they need go for any relief.
I hope the shitty furnace oil they use to run these tubs sinks them faster.
These ships are ecological desasters anyway.
A movie can be filmed on this tOpic.
The end is over for big cruise ships for a host of reasons let alone docking concerns.
crusaderten Total virus buckets anyway.
Good it’s stupid and wasteful anyway ❗️
'The coronavirus may sink the cruise ship business' (use of this GIF should not be interpreted as supporting/endorsing anything Maggie Thatcher ever did)
...could you call cruise ships floating viral incubators these days?...
. And good riddance. As a fallback, return to intercontinental passenger service if carbon-footprint audit justifies it.
Maybe that is the end of Cruise business...
Convert them to hospitals now.
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