Being in the cruise industry in a time of a pandemic outbreak is tough. With recent outbreaks and quarantines on ships having been seen in recent weeks, Princess Cruises has announced a “voluntary and temporary pause” of its global ship operations for the next 60 days. Princess Cruises is part of Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL).
The response is of course due to the global spread of COVID-19. The move affects 18 ships and pertains to the voyages departing from March 12 to May 10. For passengers who are currently on a cruise that will end in the next five days, the press release indicated that those ships will continue to sail as expected through the end of the itinerary so that onward travel arrangements are not disrupted.
Where things get tricky here is on the current voyages already underway that extend beyond March 17. Those cruises “will be ended at the most convenient location for guests, factoring in operational requirements.” The release also said:
Princess will do everything possible to return each guest home with the greatest amount of care possible. During this time, our operations and medical teams across the fleet will remain vigilant in their care and service for guests and crew onboard.
Princess said that it is offering guests the opportunity to transfer 100% of the money paid for their canceled cruise to a future cruise of their choice. The company also will add an additional future cruise credit benefit that can be applied to the fare of the cruise or toward onboard expenses:
In addition, Princess will honor this offer for those guests who had made final payment and cancelled their booking on or after February 4, 2020. The future cruise credit can be used on any voyage departing through May 1, 2022.
Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said:
By taking this bold action of voluntarily pausing the operations of our ships, it is our intention to reassure our loyal guests, team members and global stakeholders of our commitment to the health, safety and well-being of all who sail with us, as well as those who do business with us, and the countries and communities we visit around the world.
As for additional information, see the press release on PRNewswire.
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