Carnival CEO Admits: “I Don’t Know When We’ll Sail Again”

[mnocket]

Forget the August 1st startup date for Carnival.  This doesn't bode well for Princess either as I would expect Carnival to be the first of the Carnival Corp lines to resume sailing.  It really sounds like they have no idea when they will return to business.

 

https://cruiseradio.net/carnival-ceo-admits-i-dont-know-when-well-sail-again/

Edited June 12, 2020 by mnocket

[voljeep]

without reading - well, duh, since the cruise lines don't set the rules ...

 

now, I'll read it ...mayble 

[donaldsc]

As many of you who have read my posts my posts know, I am sort of cynical.  My read on his 1st post is that he knew that there was no chance at all them cruising put he put out the date to see how much interest there was in starting cruising again.  He can then use the hopeful customer responses to pressure the CDC to let them start cruising again.  

 

DON

[mnocket]

27 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

As many of you who have read my posts my posts know, I am sort of cynical.  My read on his 1st post is that he knew that there was no chance at all them cruising put he put out the date to see how much interest there was in starting cruising again.  He can then use the hopeful customer responses to pressure the CDC to let them start cruising again.  

 

DON

That's a possibility I guess.  It wouldn't hurt that they also raked in deposit money too.

[capriccio]

41 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

As many of you who have read my posts my posts know, I am sort of cynical.  My read on his 1st post is that he knew that there was no chance at all them cruising put he put out the date to see how much interest there was in starting cruising again.  He can then use the hopeful customer responses to pressure the CDC to let them start cruising again.  

 

DON

 

I hare your cynicism because otherwise they look even more incompetent announcing a start date for specific ships and departure ports and then saying that's not what they meant!

 

The confusion might best be attributed to a miscommunication in which Carnival specifically said, “Beginning August 1, we plan to resume cruises on the following ships.” This was followed by information indicating that a total of eight ships would begin sailing from the ports of Galveston, Miami and Port Canaveral.

 

While that obviously got cruisers extremely excited, Donald says it was not intended as “a pronouncement that we are coming back on August 1.” He added that instead, they were “waiting to see how things evolve and develop.”

 

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

As many of you who have read my posts my posts know, I am sort of cynical.  My read on his 1st post is that he knew that there was no chance at all them cruising put he put out the date to see how much interest there was in starting cruising again.  He can then use the hopeful customer responses to pressure the CDC to let them start cruising again.  

 

DON

 

Had not considered that view before, but, yes, it's reasonable.

 

MSC has announced plans to try to get Med cruises started in August if enough crew are willing to sign on by July 15th.  If they are successful, how will that impact the other lines, particularly Costa which competes with MSC in the Med.  

[frugaltravel]

Carnival Corp and other cruise lines have sent most of their crew home. It will take months to get them back to the ships, retrained etc. It will be a LONG time before cruising starts again in any meaningful way.

 

[voljeep]

25 minutes ago, frugaltravel said:

Carnival Corp and other cruise lines have sent most of their crew home. It will take months to get them back to the ships, retrained etc. It will be a LONG time before cruising starts again in any meaningful way.

 

it may be a LONG time … but the cause won't be the inability to get trained crew back on the ships … they will be lined up...

 

define LONG ...

[memoak]

I think you can say goodbye to any 2020 cruises.  Without a vaccine I would doubt they will sail  

[ghstudio]

37 minutes ago, memoak said:

I think you can say goodbye to any 2020 cruises.  Without a vaccine I would doubt they will sail  

 

I think that some of the first cruises will be very short...perhaps Florida to a private island....3-4 days.  Those could start this year IF there are enough folks who believe they just won't get the virus (yes, there are many...just look around you) and are willing to sign away any liability (sort of like the GOP convention).  Additionally, it's not unlikely that one of the vaccines will show enough positive results that it will get FDA approval for compassionate use or whatever they call releasing something early that really isn't ready to get a final stamp of approval. While not intending to start a political discussion, think early november for news on a positive result on a vaccine and limited availability.  Net....I wouldn't rule out any cruises this year.......there are just too many possibilities...

[gardenbunny]

Thanks for sharing that article. I try to keep up with travel news but missed that.  A little disappointed in that I was hoping for a chance that a cruise line was going to test the waters...no pun intended.  But it did seem somewhat ambitious.

I am concerned about nothing in 2020 being sadly true.  I am booked on Dec 29-Jan 8, 2021 RT FLL Panama Canal new locks.  Really hope they can figure something out.  Waiting on a vaccine to be developed and administered to the masses is a daunting task.  Not sure how any cruise line or travel company can survive being shut down for 10 months to a year or more.  What a devastating virus that has wreaked so much havoc all over the world - how tragic for lives and livlihoods lost.  

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, ghstudio said:

I think that some of the first cruises will be very short...perhaps Florida to a private island....3-4 days.

 

It doesn't just require a willingness to sail, it would also require that the countries that own those islands would first have to lift their quarantine and then approve the arrival of thousands of foreign visitors from countries with their own continuing pandemics.

[ghstudio]

4 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

It doesn't just require a willingness to sail, it would also require that the countries that own those islands would first have to lift their quarantine and then approve the arrival of thousands of foreign visitors from countries with their own continuing pandemics.

 

While it would require country approval, some of the islands are owned by the cruise lines......and they could just offer a day ashore.

 

[memoak]

7 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

 

While it would require country approval, some of the islands are owned by the cruise lines......and they could just offer a day ashore.

 

The cruise lines for the most part don’t own the islands. They own ports and land on the islands

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, ghstudio said:

 

I think that some of the first cruises will be very short...perhaps Florida to a private island....3-4 days.  Those could start this year IF there are enough folks who believe they just won't get the virus (yes, there are many...just look around you) and are willing to sign away any liability (sort of like the GOP convention).  Additionally, it's not unlikely that one of the vaccines will show enough positive results that it will get FDA approval for compassionate use or whatever they call releasing something early that really isn't ready to get a final stamp of approval. While not intending to start a political discussion, think early november for news on a positive result on a vaccine and limited availability.  Net....I wouldn't rule out any cruises this year.......there are just too many possibilities...

 

A 3 or 4 day cruise from Florida to a private island.  You would have to be really desperate to get on a cruise ship to do do one of those cruises and you would also have to live either in or within a short drive of Florida to do one of those cruise.  I can't imagine anyone who would take one of those cruises although I am also sure that I am wrong and they will fill the ships.

 

Definitely not for me. I can get that kind of experience at any beach side hotel without getting a ship.

 

DON

[caribill]

10 hours ago, capriccio said:

 

I hare your cynicism because otherwise they look even more incompetent announcing a start date for specific ships and departure ports and then saying that's not what they meant!

 

The confusion might best be attributed to a miscommunication in which Carnival specifically said, “Beginning August 1, we plan to resume cruises on the following ships.” This was followed by information indicating that a total of eight ships would begin sailing from the ports of Galveston, Miami and Port Canaveral.

 

While that obviously got cruisers extremely excited, Donald says it was not intended as “a pronouncement that we are coming back on August 1.” He added that instead, they were “waiting to see how things evolve and develop.”

 

 

 

When this was discussed by Donald several weeks ago, the plan to resume cruising with these cruises was really a part of an announcement about cancelling many other Carnival Cruise Lines cruises. These were just the ones that had not been cancelled as of the date of that announcement.

[nbsjcruiser]

14 hours ago, frugaltravel said:

Carnival Corp and other cruise lines have sent most of their crew home. It will take months to get them back to the ships, retrained etc. It will be a LONG time before cruising starts again in any meaningful way.

 

Solid point and I should point out, once cruising starts I think many will be hesitant to jump right back in. We've taken about 30 cruises in just under 20 years. We both enjoy it immensely but even we have to admit we're at least 18 months away from even considering cruising again. Watching the virus being treated like a minor inconvenience in many parts of the US combined with the lies coming out of the US Government is keeping us home for at least the next 18 months. We've even cancelled our annual Florida Fall getaway that we've taken for 5 years now because apart from it being dangerous to our health, we just can't trust the information coming from the sources that should be trustworthy.

[capriccio]

55 minutes ago, nbsjcruiser said:

Solid point and I should point out, once cruising starts I think many will be hesitant to jump right back in. We've taken about 30 cruises in just under 20 years. We both enjoy it immensely but even we have to admit we're at least 18 months away from even considering cruising again. Watching the virus being treated like a minor inconvenience in many parts of the US combined with the lies coming out of the US Government is keeping us home for at least the next 18 months. We've even cancelled our annual Florida Fall getaway that we've taken for 5 years now because apart from it being dangerous to our health, we just can't trust the information coming from the sources that should be trustworthy.

Well said!  We have a similar cruising history and share the same concerns.  I can’t see us cruising until there is a vaccine.  

[LDVinNC]

9 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

A 3 or 4 day cruise from Florida to a private island.  You would have to be really desperate to get on a cruise ship to do do one of those cruises and you would also have to live either in or within a short drive of Florida to do one of those cruise.  I can't imagine anyone who would take one of those cruises although I am also sure that I am wrong and they will fill the ships.

 

Definitely not for me. I can get that kind of experience at any beach side hotel without getting a ship.

 

DON

 

We live in Florida and yesterday we received a brochure from NCL (which we have sailed once or twice and will NEVER sail again) encouraging us to drive to Miami or Port Canaveral to take a cruise.   No dates mentioned.

[ghstudio]

30 minutes ago, LDVinNC said:

 

We live in Florida and yesterday we received a brochure from NCL (which we have sailed once or twice and will NEVER sail again) encouraging us to drive to Miami or Port Canaveral to take a cruise.   No dates mentioned.

 

Agree on NCL 🙂  We are stir crazy enough that we probably would sign up for short cruise, given the right conditions...something we'd never do in normal times.  Different folks assess what "given the right conditions" means to them.  Consider that despite all the public health warnings, massive groups will attend conventions and rallies in the coming weeks.  Likely those are the same folks that would sign up for a short cruise...no worries...what virus? 

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

20 hours ago, capriccio said:

 

I hare your cynicism because otherwise they look even more incompetent announcing a start date for specific ships and departure ports and then saying that's not what they meant!

 

The confusion might best be attributed to a miscommunication in which Carnival specifically said, “Beginning August 1, we plan to resume cruises on the following ships.” This was followed by information indicating that a total of eight ships would begin sailing from the ports of Galveston, Miami and Port Canaveral.

 

While that obviously got cruisers extremely excited, Donald says it was not intended as “a pronouncement that we are coming back on August 1.” He added that instead, they were “waiting to see how things evolve and develop.”

 

Note: It specifically says. "We plan to" not we are going to or we will. You can plan a trip, does not say you are going.

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

2 hours ago, ghstudio said:

 

Agree on NCL 🙂  We are stir crazy enough that we probably would sign up for short cruise, given the right conditions...something we'd never do in normal times.  Different folks assess what "given the right conditions" means to them.  Consider that despite all the public health warnings, massive groups will attend conventions and rallies in the coming weeks.  Likely those are the same folks that would sign up for a short cruise...no worries...what virus? 

Look at all the protests and rioting. So many thousands squeezed together. 6 ft. apart. Guess not.

[mnocket]

In my opinion, cruise lines will not resume sailing until the risk to THEM is seen as acceptable.  The downside of a misfire is just to large.  Even if they were to test everyone before they boarded, there's still a risk of a COVID outbreak during the cruise.  If it were to happen, it would be a disaster for the cruise line.  They would immediately have to suspend cruising once again and the damage to their reputation might be irreparable. This is especially true for Princess since they experienced more than their fair share of COVID issues, and media coverage, the first time around.  It might well represent the final nail in their coffin.  

 

I suspect no cruise line wants to be the first to declare it's safe to resume sailing.  CDC approval will provide some cover, but in the final analysis, if there's a COVID outbreak the cruise line will be blamed.  It's a "damned if you do - damned if you don't"  situation.  Likely, the most desperate cruise line will be the first to resume.  They may have little left to lose.

[rkacruiser]

20 hours ago, memoak said:

The cruise lines for the most part don’t own the islands. They own ports and land on the islands

 

20 hours ago, ghstudio said:

 

While it would require country approval, some of the islands are owned by the cruise lines......and they could just offer a day ashore.

 

 

Country approval is the key for cruises that might visit only private islands (or ports, think Grand Turk, Amber Cay, etc.)  Citizens of those countries are employed at these islands and ports.  Even if the cruise line has invested money to develop that piece of real estate, it remains real estate that is in a foreign country.  

[rkacruiser]

17 hours ago, donaldsc said:

A 3 or 4 day cruise from Florida to a private island.  You would have to be really desperate to get on a cruise ship to do do one of those cruises and you would also have to live either in or within a short drive of Florida to do one of those cruise.  I can't imagine anyone who would take one of those cruises

 

Given where I live, driving/flying to Florida for such a short cruise would not be considered by me.  Make it a b2b or a b2b2b with a slightly changing itinerary and/or, hopefully, a somewhat differing onboard entertainment program?  I would consider such.  If I am in Florida already for a different purpose other than just sailing on a cruise, a short one would be a reasonable thing to book.