Can the Cruise Industry survive ?

[OldDan1943]

If this gets really bad, anchor off shore and have supplies ferried out

 

[OldDan1943]

Mike, stay well. Boating season is just around the corner.

 

[Billr2019]

cruise ships

Too many cruise ships competing for passengers.
Too many passengers per cruise and too many crew to support the life style.
The vessels are not maintained to the highest standards because an idle ship is a money pit for the cruise lines.
Cram as many as you can (cattle boat atmosphere) on board sail the trip, unload the liner as quickly as possible, reload as quickly as possible. Rinse and repeat!
If a crew member becomes ill and spreads his/her germs, how can the ship be decontaminated in the very short turn around allowed.
Short answer: IT CAN'T! and the contagion grows and spreads.

Most of these lines are foreign registry and don't have the same standards as US flagged ships!
My two cents and a nickel thrown in for good measure!

 

[CaptTom]

Most of these lines are foreign registry and don't have the same standards as US flagged ships!

True, but those calling on US ports are subject to many US Coast Guard regulations and CDC inspections. You can search the reports at: https://wwwn.cdc.gov/InspectionQueryTool/InspectionSearch.aspx

It will be interesting to see how the industry handles this. I do believe it'll be a watershed moment. Whether they ever get back to the way things were is an open question.

 

[BruceK]

I`m concerned for the crews. Among other nationalities,all those Filipinos(Pinoys)are there earning money to support family back home,a valued source of support in a largely job poor country with lots of workers overseas.
Just part of the economic mess resulting from the virus.

 

[FF]

"Just part of the economic mess resulting from the virus.'

The many goves of the world have their standard cure , create money out of thin air.

 

[OldDan1943]

Maybe we can start an "Adopt a crew person"?
LOL
I went on a repositioning (14 day) cruise last year. To be honest, I saw very few of the crew other than the servers and cleaners. They had hand sanitizer stations in MANY MANY places.

 

[Woodland Hills]

If this gets really bad, anchor off shore and have supplies ferried out

Who would be foolish enough to go out to a quarantined boat? Would you be willing to go boat to boat delivering supplies to strangers? I wouldn’t unless I could put them into their tender 30’ behind them and get paid online.

 

[OldDan1943]

Who would be foolish enough to go out to a quarantined boat? Would you be willing to go boat to boat delivering supplies to strangers? I wouldn’t unless I could put them into their tender 30’ behind them and get paid online.

I'd rather deliver stores than pump your sanitary tank.

 

[CaptTom]

Who would be foolish enough to go out to a quarantined boat? Would you be willing to go boat to boat delivering supplies to strangers?

Sure, I'd do it. No personal contact required. The risk is no greater than delivering the same supplies to a home or grocery store. Maybe less out on the water.

For many of us, isolating ourselves in our homes (or boats) is feasible. But a lot of people still need to work. We need food prep and delivery people. Fuel supply chains. Water. Electricity. Emergency responders. Medical personnel. Even administrative workers to process unemployment claims and keep our banking system running.

I don't know what it'll be yet, but I, for one, will answer the call if volunteers are needed and I'm able to do so safely.

 

[AdkChris]

Is it doom and gloom to slow down at stop signs and look both ways before continuing? Most of the time there was nobody coming, and you could have saved time by not panicking over a stupid stop sign.

Most people don’t ignore stop signs because of the high cost of a collision compared to the low cost of slowing down and avoiding other traffic. Seems the same with COVID-19.

 

[Genecop]

I hope Princess doesn’t survive, it’s a **** line...The solid players will..

 

[AdkChris]

I would also help out if reasonable efforts were made to mitigate the risk. But I have already decided I am going to avoid my 88 year old neighbor for a while and not even pet her dogs when she walks them thru the woods by our house. As a child she survived WWII in Poland and I don’t want to be the one to do her in.

BTW I believe her when she says you have to move everyday.

 

[AdkChris]

A 4th option could be that they develop a vaccination for this virus before everyone is exposed to it or dies of other causes. In all 4 options it seems likely the 90% or more of the people exposed to the novel Corona virus will not die of COVID-19. Anyone ready to be part of the other group?


We all know there is an annual Flu vaccination, but they have yet to develop vaccinations for the common cold or AIDs virus's. I have not been able to find any evidence that vaccinations have been developed for the other Corona viruses that have crossed to humans. Anyone have any thoughts on the likelihood of a vaccination for this version of corona virus?

 

[SteveK]

Vaccinations will be a loongshot as this virus may be changing as it goes.

 

[AdkChris]

Very true.
All viruses change very fast compared to humans. It is interesting that although some viruses become more deadly most seem to become less deadly. I think it is because viruses propagate by getting the hosts (in this case us) to replicate and spread them. Seems most symptoms of a virus are the virus’s way of getting us to spread it. When we die we become useless to a virus.
The changing nature viruses does not mean there can never be a vaccine. It means that the vaccine may need continual updates to match the changes in the virus. Hence the annual flu shot not a one and done flu shot.
So any observations on the likelihood of a COVID-19 vaccination compared to the likelihood of vaccinations for other viruses?

 

[BruceK]

It`s reported RCCL`s Voyager OTS was skulking off Sydney overnight before heading towards American Samoa.
I`m waiting on Celebrity cancelling our cruise(?refund) instead of me cancelling(? credit).

 

[BandB]

It`s reported RCCL`s Voyager OTS was skulking off Sydney overnight before heading towards American Samoa.
I`m waiting on Celebrity cancelling our cruise(?refund) instead of me cancelling(? credit).

Don't wait too long or they'll say you didn't cancel in time. Or you weren't standing on your head when you did.

 

[Andy G]

I heard from my brother this morning. They're on a 2.5 month round the world cruise. They boarded a week ago in New Zealand and I hadn't heard from him since then. He said the remaining 64 days of their cruise had been cancelled and they were being put ashore in NZ. They're going to rent a BandB for a month and just hunker down the figure out how to get home.

I Just returned from the South Island of NZ on Sunday night. I have to say that is the place I would choose to sit out this 'event'. Apart from being a spectacularly lovely place the Kwis seem to have an old fashioned common sense approach to things, something I am not seeing in the 24/7 news driven coverage, with its wall to wall opinion pieces and conflicting advice.

 

[BruceK]

Don't wait too long or they'll say you didn't cancel in time. Or you weren't standing on your head when you did.

They could be tricky. But they`ve told us we can cancel with a credit up to 48 hours before sailing, we will if they don`t. They can`t get a ship in here or any of their intended ports(or most anywhere else it seems), I`ll wait to see if they "pull the pin" and refund.
Meanwhile Jetstar/Qantas offered a credit for flights home on what passes for Business Class on JQ (Hawaiian BC gets a so so rap here). They are reducing international flights 90% and parking the wide body planes. Are they really going to fly 737s longhaul?
Andy, I agree, superb NZ south island has alpine and fjord scenery to match or beat almost anywhere in the world, with a low population load but a big population of sheep.

 

[BandB]

The number of cruise ships docked in Fort Lauderdale and Miami has decreased significantly from yesterday although still 5 on Dodge Island and 3 in Port Everglades. A lot of cruise ships just off the shore though and between here and the Bahamas. 2 Anchored just off shore. 8 Between South Florida and the Bahamas. Best as I could count them, I think there are about 25 in the Bahamas right now. So there is 43 ships of the industry inventory. A bunch in the Tampa area and the Canaveral area as well, probably another 12-15 in total throughout the area. I'm sure the cruise lines are still figuring out just what to do with all the boats and crews.

 

[Al]

Sorry, Al, but I don’t think people have been harsh enough on your President. Imagine if the Captain of this cruise ship disregarded health officials advice for passengers to self isolate in their rooms, and told the sick crew to keep working? Wouldn’t the Captain be responsible for endangering passengers and the people they came into contact with once ashore? Isn’t your President essentially doing just that?

Hi Murry,

Fair enough, being a "Trumpster" and have been from the announcement to run. Given that, and a desire not to politicize the situation even in the face of compaison to the Obama adminstriations horrid handling of the virus where a huge number of deaths developed. " "In April 2009, H1N1 Became a Pandemic; 6 Months Later, After 1,000 U.S. Deaths, Obama Finally Declared it a Public Health Emergency" quote: https://www.redstate.com/elizabeth-...s-obama-declared-it-a-public-health-emergency
I would ask, as a citizen of Canada under Trudeau , who would you suggest instead, to lead "Our" issue? I'll wait

Al-Ketchikan

 

[SteveK]

Al, I do not think there is another choice at the moment, except the wrong choice.

Today, 1st test vaccination occurred today in the USA. Only this President was able to fastrack such. Hope it works or points them in the right direction.
Trump even called Trudeau to tell him what to do next, close the border except to Americans.

 

[OldDan1943]

Next, all the elected officials will get the vaccine leaving the common folks, unprotected.

 

[Andy G]

Today, 1st test vaccination occurred today in the USA. Only this President was able to fastrack such. Hope it works or points them in the right direction.
Trump even called Trudeau to tell him what to do next, close the border except to Americans.

It's not helpful when politics tries to influence science for its own ends.

"It’s for these reasons that taking a vaccine candidate all the way to regulatory approval typically takes a decade or more, and why President Trump sowed confusion when, at a meeting at the White House on 2 March, he pressed for a vaccine to be ready by the US elections in November – an impossible deadline. “Like most vaccinologists, I don’t think this vaccine will be ready before 18 months,” says Annelies Wilder-Smith, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. That’s already extremely fast, and it assumes there will be no hitches." (The Guardian, 16 March 2020)

 

[BandB]

We will see when a vaccine is ready but it won't be ready or not ready because of who is or is not President. Leadership, or lack of it, is influencing many aspects but that's not one.

 

[SteveK]

It's not helpful when politics tries to influence science for its own ends.

................

Damned if you do and damned if you don't!
Try listening to the doctors and scientist that applaud the speed accomplished by cutting the red tape to allow science to work towards the goal.

 

[Andy G]

Try listening to the doctors and scientist that applaud the speed accomplished by cutting the red tape to allow science to work towards the goal.

Agreed, that is important, but to use his upcoming election as the time frame is not.

Which begs the question, which leader/s across the globe seems to have hit the right note in reflecting people's concern while providing leadership?

I have always been a bit of an Angela Merkel fan, at least with a doctorate in quantum chemistry she should have a greater intrinsic understanding of the potential of this virus than the general run of the mill politician.

 

[SteveK]

“So you’re talking over the next few months, you think you could have a vaccine?” Trump asked during a meeting with top health officials on Monday.

“You won’t have a vaccine,” corrected Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar after some cross talk. “You’ll have a vaccine to go into testing.”

“All right, so you’re talking within a year,” Trump said moments later.

“A year to a year and a half,” interjected Anthony Fauci, a government veteran of disease outbreaks under six presidents.

Stop making this political. Nowhere is this about the election. The urgency is to get a vaccine to help people as fast as possible.
If govt sits on their ass , they are criticised, if they crack the whip on the resources, there has to be an ulterior motive.
Fact is you can never satisfy all the people all the time.

 

[BruceK]

Positivism can be a panacea for quieting the masses but what we need now is truth and honesty. And good apolitical decisions.

The politicization stated with post 203 above. Someone coming from the "it`s less bothersome than influenza position" must lack credibility on this issue. Leave it to the medical advisors, it`s no area for politicians seeking election.
Our own Govt is allowing groups up to 500 in number to congregate. That has to be madness. It`s not political, just silly. Hopefully that, and some other half hearted measures, will change at a national meeting overnight.
So far the political parties in Opposition (out of power) in Australia are supporting the Govt. We have created what is effectively a "War Cabinet" out of the Federal, and various State and Territory Govts. It`s good to see happen and I hope it helps.