How Much Damage Will Coronavirus Do to Cruise Industry?
Photo Credit: The Grand Princess, shown sailing into San Francisco Bay, is the most recent ship to be quarantined. Princess Cruises / Peter Muller
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Cruise lines were set to have a banner year in 2020, but coronavirus and resultant ship quarantines are putting that in doubt. No one knows what the long-term impact will be.
The news Sunday that the U.S. State Department is recommending that travelers not go on cruises is certainly an ominous sign for the industry.
Travel advisors had been seeing some attractive booking incentives for cruises, especially on close-in sailings. It was unclear whether most of those were due to coronavirus or are just part of the usual offerings that crop up during wave season. While some cruise lines are relaxing cancellation policies, fares are holding steady.
How long will cruise lines be able to hold the line on pricing, especially now with the State Department directive? The prospect of getting quarantined on board a ship, most recently illustrated by the Grand Princess stuck in limbo outside San Francisco Bay, is no doubt giving pause to potential cruisers.
Most cruise experts, however, expect the cruise industry to bounce back quickly once the crisis abates. They point to the resiliency of an industry that has weathered other disa
