For more than a week, the world has watched as the Diamond Princess ship has been quarantined in the Japanese port of Yokohama, its 3,600 passengers and crew stuck and the number of people infected by the coronavirus climbing to at least 175.
But Covid-19, as the virus has been named, whose ultimate worldwide spread is still to be seen, could be its biggest challenge yet. Each cruise line also listed the precautions it is taking to keep passengers safe: Because they typically have thousands of people in a small space over an extended period, cruise ships are known to be incubators for illnesses.Mr Alex Sharpe, president and chief executive of Signature Travel Network, a consortium of 7,000 travel advisers, said that,"New demand for these cruises is very low currently," and that spring sailings were"unlikely to sell from our market.
A growing number of ports across the Pacific, from Busan, South Korea, to the New Caledonian ports of Lifou, Mare and Isle of Pines, are banning cruise ships. Hong Kong has been closed since Feb 6. In an email Feb 4, Ms Roxane Sanford, coordinator of guest relations for the cruise line, reminded Ms Priem that"mainland China does not include Hong Kong, Macau or Taiwan" and added that"regrettably, we are unable to proceed with cancellation and refund."
Mr Walker said that he has received a"significantly higher" volume of calls from travellers looking for guidance on how to deal with cruise lines changing itineraries without offering refunds or the chance to reschedule.
Keubiko When boomers die they won’t have any customers regardless of what happens with corona
All the actions taken by the cruise lines would not reduce or eliminate the risk of distribution of such sicknesses. The problem lies in the often poorly maintained centralized aircon systems with insufficiently maintained filters, if properly installed in the first place
Keubiko Being a giant petri dish in the midst of a global pandemic is definitely problematic.