The cruise industry received another blow on April 9, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its initial No Sail Order a further 100 days, pushing the potential resumption of the cruise lines ’s operations until late July.
Furthermore, the industry’s trade group CLIA argued in a statement that the CDC is singling out the cruise industry, which has been proactive in its escalation of health and sanitation protocols.
“Should the suspension of sailing extend well beyond the appropriate time to resume business, the economic impact could be significant given each day of the suspension results in a total economic impact loss of about $92 million and the loss of more than 300 direct and 620 total American jobs,” says the statement.
Cruise lines would not be able to operate itineraries from U.S. ports and sail in U.S. territorial waters during a prohibited period.
Seabourn is alredy announced today that it will extend the voluntarily pause of global operations for its five cruise ships to voyages scheduled to depart through June 30, 2020.
The brand had previously announced a pause in its global ship operations from March 14 – May 14, 2020, effectively cancelling all voyages scheduled to operate during that timeframe. The decision is a proactive response to the unpredictable circumstances evolving from the global response to the COVID-19 situation.
In continued response to the impact of the COVID-19 global outbreak and the recent order from the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Princess Cruises is canceling all voyages through June 30, 2020.
Carnival Cruise Line has extended the suspension of all cruises through June 26. Carnival confirmed the cancellation of any voyages planned for the Carnival Sunrise through October 19; any voyages planned for the Carnival Legend through October 30; and any voyages for the Carnival Radiance through November 1. All San Francisco sailings, scheduled on any ship, have also been canceled through the end of 2020.
Holland America Line has made the decision to extend its pause of global cruise operations and cancel all sailings scheduled to depart through June 30, 2020. This includes Alaska, Canada/New England and Europe cruises.