Posted on 10/28/2020 7:55:25 AM PDT by Capt. Tom
Florida news outlet WESH 2 reports that The Governor of the state of Florida, Ron DeSantis, said on Tuesday that he would like to see a return to cruising and that he is in contact with the White House on how that can be done.
The statement was made in the same week that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is set to decide whether the No-Sail-Order should be extended further or if cruising would be allowed from U.S. ports again.
While everyone is hopeful the CDC would allow cruising, there has been no indication from CDC on what the decision might be. While the cruise industry remains ever-optimistic, the pressure from the Governor comes at a welcome time.
President’s support is present DeSantis is certain that cruising is safe and can be done safely, he also acknowledges that cruising is not as safe as other activities in the open air:
“Obviously, that is going to be an environment that is a different level of risk than going to an outdoor football game or some of these other things,” according to DeSantis. “It has all kinds of impacts throughout different parts of Florida where the ships leave. Central Florida, South Florida, Tampa Bay. And we want to see that resume. So, I’ve worked with the White House on that. I do believe the President is supportive of it.”
The support from the White House is critical to the cruise industry. President Trump has always been a loyal supporter of the industry and has been vocal about the need to re-open the industry. Only last month, the President was, supposedly, involved in ensuring the CDC did not extend the No-Sail-Order until February.
Cruising Has Huge Economic Value To Florida
It comes as no surprise that Governor DeSantis is now stepping in and pressuring the CDC while asking for assistance from the White House as well. The economic damage that Florida has sustained due to the Corona Virus pandemic is enormous.
In the cruise industry, excluding people who work for airlines, hotels, and retail, 149.000 people are involved directly with the cruise lines. Be that as corporate or office staff, dockworkers, and more. These jobs totaled $7.69 billion in wages in 2018.
Direct spending was up to $8.49 billion in 2018 in the state of Florida. This accounts for hotels, airlines, retail, travel agencies, and transportation like taxis and van rentals.
Only last month, Federal Maritime Commissioner Louis E. Sola urged the CDC to re-open to cruising as the state of Florida had already lost 49.500 jobs, and $3.2 billion in economic activity.
Protests have been held in the state numerous times over the last few months to pressure the Governor in taking the fight to the CDC and save the Florida economy.
When will the CDC decision come, and what happens if lifted? The decision from the CDC is expected to come before or on Friday, October 30. Should the No-Sail-Order be lifted, it would not be likely that we would be seeing cruises in November from any of the major cruise lines. Most cruise lines have already canceled all their voyages until December.
Also Read: Florida’s Economy Needs Cruise Lines To Start Operations
A lifting of the order would give cruise lines enough time to prepare vessels and crew members for operations. The cruise lines then have the freedom to make test-voyages with crew only to test their systems. Starting up is a process that is expected to take 30 days or so, as was expressed by the Cruise Lines International Association.
This conflict should be be known by Friday.-Tom
I live in FL and from the oceanfront in Palm Beach County you regularly see cruise ships on the far horizon, doing lazy circles, or sometimes anchored. Its easy to think of landlords facing eviction moratoria or large scale rent abatement. But the cruise lines typically lease these enormous vessels, and they cost $2-2.5B to build (maybe more for the most recent ones), so the lease payments are rather large. With no revenue coming in, with minimal crews and idling or low speed fuel consumption, the fixed cost meter is still running at a furious rate. What it must be like to be the CFO of a cruise line, or an airline under these circumstances, I don’t want to know.
Social distancing and stay-at-home / home arrests with no court order - measures have made the pandemic worse, not better.. = killed more people.
I read that Miami and W.Palm ports may open but not Broward...?
I do not understand why RCCL or Carnival or NCL can’t just make customers sign a waiver that says, “The cruise line is not responsible if I get covid,” Especially if they’ve taken other steps to prevent the spread of the virus?
Excellent! Make it so!
I am high risk, so I won’t be able to go! The rest of you low risk healthy people, ENJOY! Anchors Away!
From what I’ve read when they do resume it is going to be such a miserable experience nobody is going to want to go anyway.
Saturday is the 31st...
I figure if the CDC is going to extend the NSO it will do so late Friday...
I NEED A CRUISE...
Fai Mao wrote: “I do not understand why RCCL or Carnival or NCL can’t just make customers sign a waiver that says, “The cruise line is not responsible if I get covid,” Especially if they’ve taken other steps to prevent the spread of the virus?”
They certainly could and many would sign. However, the CDC would not accept that as a viable option. The CDC would insist that someone might become infected and then infect others spreading CV across the nation. The CDC, and many people, view individual choice such as you proposed as a threat to everyone else. It’s the old “You must wear a mask and social distance to protect me.” again.
I agree. Last cruise was a 17-day Panama Canal, Feb 5-22. By the time we got off the ship, everybody was already getting paranoid about Covid. I can’t even imagine how restrictive it will be if cruises are allowed to resume.
Same here. My sister-in-law are pondering taking a Great Lakes small ship cruise in September of 2021. Hope it does come to pass; she just turned 81, and I’m 76. We don’t have a lot of time before we’re either too old, or passed away.
A friend once went from Duluth MN to Quebec City, Canada... took about a week...She said the scenery was great...I dont know what month it was...
That's going to be the case whenever it opens back up, so you might as well do it now.
Things will loosen up after the election. I know lots of people booking air trips to places like Aruba for January on so I suspect the cruise industry will start getting interest as soon as the media panic subsides following Trump’s re-election.
I have often thought of that myself.
But I know one thing for sure, the CEOs will lie through their teeth to protect their organization from a default , and what they say can't be taken seriously.-Tom
True, but these onerous virus protocols are in place around the world, not just here.
In most countries it will make cruise ships visiting them less attractive for the passengers, and some of the ports.
It is going to take TIME for this to help the Cruise Lines but they don't have a lot of TIME to recuperate from the shutdowns already without reorganizing. (Ch. 11 Bankruptcy???) - Tom
“From what I’ve read when they do resume it is going to be such a miserable experience nobody is going to want to go anyway.”
TRUE! My big fear would be that someone (ONE) on my cruise would come down “with COVID” and I would get quarantined (in my cabin) on the ship for the DURATION. 14 day quarantine until someone else tests positive, then 14 MORE days and on and on.....
NO THANK YOU! (been on 6 RCCL cruises, loved every one of them, NEVER again).
AND, most people have to fly on an airplane to get to the ship.
After I wrote that; this came out in the Motley Fool.
Click below to read the article. -Tom
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/why-cruise-line-stocks-plunged-again-today-2020-10-28
(Bleep) the CDC.
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