Cruise cancellations are beginning to roll back into future schedules and it’s not a good sign.
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First Cancellations Have Rolled In
One advantage to being a travel agent is seeing early announcements from travel providers.
I didn’t cheer this one on.
Celestiyal Cruises have cancelled sailing on a pair of ships in this announcement:
CELESTYAL CRUISES
TO SHORTEN 2021 SEASONDear Valued Travel Partners, We are writing by way of advance notice, to advise you that we will shortly announce that we will shorten our 2021 operating season. Sailings on our two ships, Celestyal Olympia and Celestyal Crystal will end on: CELESTYAL CRYSTAL
August 28th – Last sailing departing August 21st from PiraeusCELESTYAL OLYMPIA
August 30th – Last sailing departing August 23rd from Lavrion
While the notice stops short of stating that all cruises are cancelled, it also does not include the resume sailing period in this notice. Celestyal is focused on Mediterranean cruises, but there have been rumblings that others specifically are preparing to shut down. Among those that may be affected by this news are:
- Carnival Cruise Lines
- MSC Cruises
- Royal Caribbean
- Holland America Line
- Princess Cruises
- and Virgin Cruises
No Sweeping Announcements… Yet
The good news is that we have not seen any sweeping or wholesale announcements yet. It seems like only yesterday that Celebrity Cruises were heading back out to sea with its cruise on June 30th ahead of precarious situations covered on this blog for its July 2, 2021 sailing.
One of the hardest-hit states for the Delta variant (and more broadly, COVID-19) has been Florida. With a number of ports throughout the state including Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Tampa, another set back in the cruise industry would deal a significant blow to the sunshine state.
Cruise ships like Adventure of the Seas, and Celebrity Edge need to be in the water with passengers onboard to make money. It’s likely that the industry as a whole will be hesitant to cancel sail dates unless they must and restart the “Future Cruise Credit” (FCC) process that imperiled them before as they aimed to maintain bookings.
A Bad Sign
From Los Angeles to the United Kingdom, the Delta variant appears to be progressing quickly. While more transmissible, the variant has been less fatal causing some to wonder just how drastic measures should be pursued to stop the virus from crippling the economy again.
Delta (the airline, not the variant) already made a move to renew elite status for travelers for this year, more or less succumbing to weakening demand.
Airlines, cruise lines, and hotels should also be on guard that financial facilities available to them through special government allowances the first time may not be available again. Carriers were quick to recover pricing where possible which upset some taxpayers who felt that allowing financial security for travel providers that created no security of their own then gouged customers at the first possible sign of recovery.
The public won’t be so happy to help if another lockdown ensues.
However, it’s all but a forgone conclusion at this point that other cruise lines will follow suit. Disputes with the state of Florida and CDC have led to costly legal battles that RCCL never wanted to be a part of in the first place. Disney cruise lines will have to, at minimum, follow the same guidelines as its Florida parks which once again has visitors masking up.
Conclusion
It seemed inevitable but remains disheartening that some cruise lines are already shutting down future trips. It’s not yet a certainty that all cruise lines will shut down again, either voluntarily or by order, but these first few cancellations may be the canary in the coal mine. I hope, for everyone’s sake, that they are no such foreteller.
What do you think? Will additional cruise lines shut down again? Are we headed for a complete lockdown in the near future?
The biggest problem with cruise ships is that they insist on testing people during the cruise instead of before/after. And even a single positive case disrupt shore stops etc for everyone.
Imagine if everyone got tested mid-flight or mid-train trip and then there was an emergency landing if one out of 300 people tested positive.
Cruises need to stop testing midcrhise, till that happens it is foolish to step foot on one
You are totally correct, lets all be honest we don’t go around just “testing” for any other illness/virus, when someone turns up ill they are tested if necessary. Cruises have had problems with various viruses for many years and it never makes the news so why now? If you don’t want to take the risk that is involved with cruising don’t take a cruise but, the government/media shouldn’t be trying to destroy an entire industry.
I am booked on a cruise in 3 weeks with my wife and my 4 grandparents, we all know the risk and our excited to resume cruising like we have for many years. Hopefully Holland America is smart enough not to make any changes in the next few weeks.
I would not call one small cruise lines cancelling a few cruises… rolling in. Let’s hope media articles and media content do not cause unnecessary panic this time around. This virus is here forever. At this point life world wide needs to continue on as each individual desires.
We just cancelled our two cruises this year and our 8 other friends are cancelling theirs as well. The reason? Masks. There is just no way we are wearing masks on a cruise ship, and we can all see the writing on the wall. We are all vaccinated and this is just so frustrating.
People have to understand that there will be no sustained recovery of the travel and entertainment industries (as well as returning to offices) unless/until the mask mandates fo away for good. While some say masks are no big deal, I (and many others) see them as a major discomfort and imposition.
I was willing to do it while we awaited vaccines but not anymore. I don’t mind slipping one on for a brief trip to the grocery store, doctor’s office, or bank. I don’t even mind putting one on to walk from the door of a restaurant to the table (although I find it ridiculous). But there is no way I will spend my money and my vacation walking around a cruise ship in a mask. The same applies to bars, clubs, concerts, etc.
Somehow, some way, we as a society need to learn how to live with this virus and the fact that many people are just going to refuse vaccination. Maybe they have a good reason and maybe they don’t, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s their problem. If any person has fears about covid or any other virus, it should be their responsibility to protect themselves. Wearing an N95 mask with a face shield provides far more protection than having someone else wear a dirty piece of cotton loosely over their face. If we can’t recognize and accept this fact soon, then our entire T&E industry is doomed.
I mean the fastest and easiest way to get rid of mask mandates would be to switch to vaccine mandates (with medical and legitimate religious exemptions of course). Once enough people are vaccinated and the vaccine is available for children, the need for masks will be heavily reduced because people will either not contract the virus or it won’t cause them much harm. Mask mandates made sense when we didn’t have a vaccine, but now that we do it makes a whole lot more sense to mandate vaccines than it does to mandate masks again.
Ok, so you’re claiming the variant is “progressing in The UK rapidly”, but where is your source for this? I just fact checked and it’s stayed pretty much level this entire week and has been trending down. Let’s not spread false info and cause alarm when it’s not needed.
@Brandon – I had not seen the collapse but I do see it here: https://nym.ag/2WDIoRr
That’s a hopeful sign for everyone. There’s no one on any side of the political, scientific, or medical fence that wants this to continue.
Kyle, you missed the fact that Celebrity is also cancelling cruises and folks are cancelling cruises because policies regarding kids who are not vaccinated being allowed on board are changing. Saturday was a real mess for the big cruise ticket brokers. You reported on the tip of a far larger iceberg.
“Are we headed for a complete lockdown in the near future?”
Considering that roughly half the states have already told the CDC to suck it just with mask mandates, I don’t see widespread shutdowns gaining traction. I’m sure the public health politburo in certain areas will try, but I suspect compliance will be so low that any measures will be basically useless, anyway.
As for the issue with cruises, the industry has a unique problem (or at least a perception problem) that you risk your cruise being ruined, or at least significantly inconvenienced, if even a small number of people onboard test positive for CV during the sailing. Do you want to take the risk of what, say, Barbados might do to your ship if a dozen or so guests test positive while you’re in port? I can tell you I don’t, and I don’t think I’m alone in that regard, either. My guess is demand just never was as great as the cruise lines thought it might be.
And yes, Keith is right. The masks are also a problem. There are more people out there than the press wants to admit that find the things actively unpleasant for more than 30 minutes or so, and it does drive travel spending decisions. Maybe it’s a small percentage, but if demand isn’t as robust as the industry thought to begin with, it’s probably enough to tip the scales to unprofitability.
I am also unsure about how one persuades the vaccine holdouts when the Delta variant is getting all the press, yet 74% of those in Maryland who contracted the virus in the latest outbreak were vaccinated. Yes, it was less severe for those vaccinated, but it’s also unclear as to whether or not the variant is generally less lethal despite increased transmissibility.
If there is another shutdown, is it needed for a virus less imposing than the original?
The killer issue regarding high rates of vaccinated folks getting delta now is that is you are vaccinated and travel abroad you can catch Delta, be asymptomatic, be denied flight entry back to the US and incur quarantine costs. You can be glad you are not in the hospital, but you may still have a COVID tab in the thousands for hotels and food in quarantine and for COVID retesting.
Less severe for the vaccinated? Okay, but one can still get a less severe case (read non-fatal) of the seasonal flu after a vaccination. But ongoing questionable restrictions (masks again all over the place) on those who have gotten vaccinated just to supposedly protect the sick, lame and lazy non-vaccinated morons is ludicrous.
@Max Gross – I could be wrong and my information could be anecdotal, but I really don’t know of anyone who is unvaccinated and wants or expects the vaccinated to wear masks for their protection. It’s kind of a self-assigned burden. If the unvaccinated want to fend for themselves, the concept of imposing restrictions on the entire populace, is not welcomed by literally anyone so why bother?
The killer issue regarding high rates of vaccinated folks getting delta now is that is you are vaccinated and travel abroad you can catch Delta, be asymptomatic, be denied flight entry back to the US and incur quarantine costs. You can be glad you are not in the hospital, but you may still have a COVID tab in the thousands for hotels and food in quarantine and for COVID retesting.
With over 200,000 illegals coming into Texas per month (without testing even if they have symptoms of You know what) and then our government sending them all over the US(no testing No Quarantine esp to Florida..) We will never see the end of Covid or it’s many variants of Delta and now Gamma(Brazil)!!!If we(US citizens) try to come back into the US from another country we must have a negative Covid test or stay away and Quarantime!!!the double standard …..Gotta love the Dems and open borders to illegals.. We are all paying the price.
Yeah dee! Shame on that Blue-state Dem powerhouse of Texas! It’s a free for all down there – maybe they should elect some tough on border security ‘Murican Republicans to clean things up!
FL had 21K Covid cases yesterday, highest since the start of the pandemic (including the peak wave in winter)…great job by JV Trump wanna-be DeSantis.
Now HERE’S a state that should be starting a Gov recall…
My thought on this is that all of these people have had the opportunity to get vaccinated for many months. They all have the opportunity to wear N95 masks and face shields, too. The health care system in FL is intact, and even though hospitalizations are elevated they seem to be managing without having to ration care in any way. Again, we have to transition our mindset to one of personal responsibility. It seems Florida has done this and it appears their governor is quite popular for it.
I have little sympathy for anyone that gets seriously ill when they know the risk and have the means to protect themselves.
Rumblings of more shut downs, I wonder how accurate those rumblings are. Both Carnival and Royal Caribbean just launched their brand new ships Mardi Gras and Odyssey of the Seas with paying customer this weekend. Also over at Royal Caribbean two more of their ship left today to conduct their CDC required simulated or test cruises with volunteers onboard as part of the CSO (conditional sail order) to test the COVID protocols on those ships. If the Independence and Symphony of the Seas both pass their test voyages those ships will join four other Royal Caribbean vessels already back in service here in North America. Symphony of the Seas is actually the second Oasis Class ship to conduct a test cruise earlier last week Allure of the Seas left out of Florida to conduct its test cruise. Royal isn’t the only company ramping up its operations Carnival is doing the same in North America as well they are bringing more of their fun ships back into service every couple of weeks.
If a shut down were coming cruise lines wouldn’t still be spending much needed cash right now putting ships back into service across the US.
I just finished sailing on the first Norwegian Cruise Line ship at sea, Jade out of Cyprus, and the week before Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas out of Greece. Both ships advertised no masks but when we boarded found out that Europe mandated a mask policy at the last minute. It was really no big deal to have to wear it again and sometimes forgot I was still wearing it. Most everyone followed the rules and they had plenty of masks if you forgot to put it on when you left your cabin. It was good to be back at sea even with a small inconvenience.
It would be good if mandates were the same in every state. I don’t have a problem with mandates because we do not have a vaccine for children younger than twelve and I have three nieces whom I adore. If they got seriously ill with Covid, I would be devastated. Adults should mask for the sake of children who do not have a vaccine available to them. As for cruises? I feel strongly that patrons should be required to be vaccinated with proof of such if they want to cruise. Period.