Carnival's Princess Cruises extends Covid-19 shutdown
By Sean Farrell
Date: Thursday 04 Jun 2020
(Sharecast News) - Carnival has extended the shutdown of its Princess Cruise business, effectively scrapping the summer season, as ports remain closed and restrictions limit international travel.
The shutdown will apply to Princess cruises in and out of Australia until mid-September and voyages in and out of Seattle and Vancouver in September and October. Pacific and California coast seven-day cruises from San Francisco in September and October will also be put on hold as well as roundtrip packages from Keelung, Taiwan, departing in August.
Princess, which would normally host more than 1m passengers a year, had planned to restart cruises in June after cancelling voyages during the Covid-19 crisis. The continued shutdown of Princess follows Carnival's decision to cancel all sailings for P&O cruises until mid-October. Neither brand will now operate during the peak summer period.
Guests booked on cancelled Princess voyages who have paid are eligible for a credit worth 125% of the price they paid. Those who have not paid in full Princess will give credit worth twice the deposit. All customers can also get a full refund.
Carnival shelved all cruise holidays after governments imposed strict restrictions on travel and interaction between individuals to stem the spread of Covid-19.
Several passengers died on Carnival ships and thousands were stranded on vessels that were breeding grounds for the virus, raising the prospect of permanent damage to demand for cruises. Many of the company's potential customers are in their 70s, making them vulnerable to Covid-19.
"Due to extension of the closure of cruise ports in regions around the world and other factors impacting international travel, Princess Cruises is extending its pause in cruise operations," Carnival said.
Carnival raised £5bn in April to stay afloat during the crisis but it was forced to pay a high interest rate and secure loans on its fleet of ships. The company's shares were down 0.3% to £11.55.50 at 10:37 BST.
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