Posted on 08/25/2021 9:54:18 AM PDT by Capt. Tom
The cruise lines have to deal with even more challenging CDC guidelines.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on Friday urging even some fully vaccinated potential passengers to refrain from sailing right now. Royal Caribbean and Disney have joined Norwegian Cruise Line in requiring teen and adult passengers to be fully vaccinated on Florida cruises. With the peak summer travel season essentially over before it started we turn to new challenges in the fall. Motley Fool Issues Rare “All In” Buy Alert
Getting back to business has been harder than many people expected for the cruising industry. The historically potent summer season has been a wash, as false starts, the surge of the delta variant, and political wrangling have kept sailings in check for Carnival (NYSE:CCL) (NYSE:CUK), Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL), Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE:NCLH), and Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS).
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance for cruise passengers late last week. It's now urging that even those who have been fully vaccinated to avoid cruises if they are older adults, immunocompromised, or dealing with obesity.
It's not breaking news that the CDC is urging caution for particular groups. We've long known that surviving COVID-19 is more challenging for folks who are older, have pre-existing medical conditions, or are extremely overweight. However, the new guidance -- suggesting that even vaccinated folks in those groups steer clear of cruise ships -- is a significant update. The near-term prospects for the cruise line industry get even worse when you check the calendar.
Fall is in the air It's still technically summer for a few more weeks, but the new school years have started in the popular port states of Florida and Texas. Summer vacations -- including summer cruise vacations -- are no longer on the travel menu.
Fall is when passengers start to skew older for the industry. Families with children in school or college find it hard to take a week or more off once the new academic years start in August and September. Autumn cruising is popular for retirees, taking advantage of unique itineraries and lower price points once the demand for young families dries up. In short, the CDC is recommending that older passengers to stay away regardless of vaccination status just as we're heading into the the time of year when they make up the lion's share of the target audience.
No one is saying it will be impossible to fill a boat under these new guidelines. They are merely recommendations for Carnival, Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Disney right now. No matter what you may think about when you conjure images of all-you-can-eat dining stations and midnight buffets, many older cruise passengers tend to be fit and active. However, the new guidance will make a slow season even more problematic for the industry.
A new wrinkle this week is that Royal Caribbean and Disney have followed Norwegian Cruise Line into requiring proof of vaccination for passengers 12 and older leaving out of Florida. Vaccination mandates run afoul of Florida's stance on the matter, but a federal judge recently sided with Norwegian Cruise Line.
Royal Caribbean and Disney announced on Tuesday that they will be following Norwegian Cruise Line, but it's not necessarily out of a desire to get into legal fisticuffs with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. They don't have much of a choice. The Bahamas -- where most cruise lines including Royal Caribbean and Disney have private islands that are popular ports of call -- and St. Thomas aren't letting ships in unless all passengers and crew members are vaccinated. As important as it may be to keep the tourism industry going in those hard-hit island nations it's even more important to keep their citizens safe from potential COVID-19 outbreaks.
We're now more than 17 months removed from when the cruising industry suspended operations, and this summer's restart in the U.S. has been slow and challenging. Investors in cruise line stocks will need to be patient. Sooner or later the breaks will start to happen, but for now the headline risks remain all too real.
Just another obstacle for the cruise lines.-Tom
"Tomorrow" is not a viable plan for some of these passengers.
They should just scuttle all of their ships like the SS Antilla…
Been on several (pre covid) however now ain’t the time to cruise....regardless of age.
Something most Americans don’t realize is most of the crew on these ships are not American and many don’t even speak English.
Also basically when your out around 12 nautical miles your not in the US any more and our rules and laws don’t apply.
Sell the ships to Zuckerbucks and turn them into Democrat vote registration/print/dropoffs stations.
What’s the difference between a guideline and a law?
I’ve heard that if you are retired it can be cheaper to perpetually cruise than stay in assisted living.
Don’t eat the fish and you should be fine. :)
I would consider it.
I only had a couple more places I wanted to visit.
Austria, Switzerland, and Costa Rica.
We’ll see if flying restrictions ever change.
Otherwise, I’ll get to see a lot of America…
I am in that category myself, because of my age and health.-Tom
Stay away from Royal! Booked a cruise out of NJ for December several months ago. At the time there was no vaccine requirement. On August 1st the changed policy requiring the vaccine. This was a major change in scope and I requested a refund. They did not want to return my money and I needed the credit card company to intervene. The situation is way to dynamic to even think about cruising. By the way, i booked at $1200, the same room is now selling for $850. If you believe in a free market system, this shows people are not buying.
I hear Portland, Seattle and San francisco are nice. 👌
Great business model for cruise lines: Turn away older passengers.
It’s been quite a while since I shit on a sidewalk now that you mention it…
It really wasn't that crowded, at least not how I expected. We went to a couple of destinations we knew we'd enjoy for a day, but really had no desire to hang out for an extended stay.
The voyage to and from was relaxing. We didn't visit the casino or the bars... no shade towards those who like that... but there was something to do all the time.
We did pay a premium for a super nice dinner on her birthday, but otherwise we didn't do the "plus up" meal plan, but the regular fare was more than fine. We're not the type that eat lunch every day on white tablecloths with linen napkins... so even that was a bit of an event. We went to a show every night, and while the weren't Broadway quality, they were fun and free... Date Night bonus points!
Our cruise was only four days, and the expense was about what you'd expect to pay on a four day road trip, factoring in gas, meals, lodging, entertainment, etc... but with none of the headaches. Once we got on the cruise, everything was easy. No daily packing and unpacking, no hours locked in a car, when we were hungry there were a lot of choices just a short stroll away.
Naturally, having enjoyed it and planned for more of the same... it looks as though the industry is in real trouble, and I am sorry for it.
PS. Our cruise did have a buffet, but that's not for me. I don't like buffets on dry land. So all our meals were in sitdown restaurants with waitstaff service - and it wasn't one of those situations where you are assigned a meal time and dining companions. We went where and when we wanted and ate alone, although we did chat a few times with folks at nearby tables. Norwegian is a good line. My sister-in-law is a travel agent, and she steered us away from others that were a bit cheaper... but not a value for us.
“I’ve heard that if you are retired it can be cheaper to perpetually cruise than stay in assisted living.”
We’ve met a few retirees on cruises who do exactly that. They love it.
The cruise fare includes all food and entertainment, travel to interesting countries, and meeting interesting people.
There’s medical on board, which we’ve found to be fine for the basics a couple times. (Our last cruise February 2020, the Sky Princess Medical Center even had an ICU ward.) Of course, if you’re frail, this would not be a good option.
We seriously considered looking into that option. It was cheaper than my in-laws spending $7,000/month in assisted living, and then being hit up for “care points” which was a ton of extra money, and totally arbitrary.
Last week did what might be my last cruise...going on 73...
Had a exemption for religion but thats no longer available...
Mrs. CC and I just booked a NCL cruise through the Mediterranean for early October. I’ve already had Covid and she is fully vaccinated (nursing home worker). We just booked and now I’m wondering if it was a good idea...ha ha ha
Shipbreakers for 2020/2021 as the cruise lines have dumped a bunch of cruise ships to be cut up and scrapped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7wgjIwRCwA&ab_channel=CruiseWithBenandDavid
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