Posted on 05/06/2020 4:46:53 PM PDT by Capt. Tom
-- From Alaska to Washington State and British Columbia in Canada, ports in the Pacific Northwest are facing significant financial challenges as the already-short Alaska cruise season confronts delays and cancellations from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Coupled with restrictions on cruising brought on by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the temporary suspension of cruises from Canadian ports of call until July 1, Alaska stands to lose two decades' worth of passenger growth overnight.
Alaska will feel the effects statewide. Westmark Hotels, which operates properties throughout Alaska and the Yukon and caters largely to cruise tour passengers, announced on April 15 that it was shuttering its hotels "until further notice." Ninety percent of all visitors to Southeast Alaska arrive by cruise ship, according to a 2020 report prepared last year by Rain Coast Data for Juneau's Southeast Conference
Princess canceled its popular "Alaska Gulf" voyages that sail between Vancouver and Whittier, along with all voyages out of San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. On May 6, Holland America Line and Princess canceled the remainder of their 2020 Alaska seasons, along with a host of other voyages.
Earlier in April, Carnival Cruise Line also canceled voyages to Alaska aboard Carnival Miracle. And on May 4, Carnival confirmed that all sailings would be canceled on sister ship Carnival Spirit, meaning Carnival has canceled its entire 2020 Alaska season.
While not a common turnaround port, the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority (GVHA), which operates the Ogden Point Cruise Terminal just west of downtown Victoria, expected to see nearly 300 individual ship calls this year. That number has been slashed in half due to the restrictions on cruising put in place by Transport Canada, the CDC and the multitude of cruise line cancellations.
(Excerpt) Read more at cruisecritic.com ...
This is a direct economic problem for our West Coasters.
The die is cast and it is going to be an economic disaster for Alaska this year. -Tom
ALL CRUISES are CANCELLED!! The Caribbean Isand people will be STARVING!! Same as the Med. people!!
That won't happen.
Cruise lines will operate around the world and avoid our USA litigious and regulation society.
This Alaskan cruise ship article directly affects some of us Americans economically. -Tom
Alaska has all those oil dividends, right?/sarc
You must NOT be a regular cruiser.
I am a regular cruise ship cruiser having started 60 or so years ago on the Oceanic. Very few cruise ships then -Rotterdam- Carnivale- Mardi Gra.
My post is to say no matter what this country does or how we restrict cruise ships, they will continue to go all over the world again.
The Alaskan problem is an American economic problem. -Tom
What was your last cruise? On what line? If you've been cruising for 60 years, you are at risk.
I live in Wasilla, Alaska, yes this will affect Alaska but not in a huge disastrous manner, the rock bottom oil prices will affect us more so.
I predict there will be a lot of people moving here though, escaping from tyrannical blue states.
My wife was diagnosed with Alzheimers about 7 years ago.
I did a cruise with her out of Puerto Rico on the Celebrity Summit, with a prior hotel stay, and flying both ways from Boston.
What an adventure in bizarre behavior.
I decided then no more flying or hotel stays, so since then with her I did 3 Boston to Bermuda cruises on the Norwegian Dawn and the last 2 on the Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas to Bermuda.NO Flying involved.
Would like to squeeze a last one in this October ,Boston to Bermuda on the Norwegian Gem. But my wife's health is a big factor. -Tom
I feel sorry for my friends and family in Alaska.
We had so much money in the 80’s we would never run out.
The government had other ideas.
It is still the best state. with prejudice of course.
The area along the coast, called by some old timers as the "Banana Belt" will be affected in a big way.
Places like Juneau- Skagway- etc will be hard hit with the loss of the cruise passengers.
All of you Alaskans won't be getting a $1600 oil check next year-Tom
The trial lawyers may be the kill shot for domestic departures..
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_America_Line
Holland America Line is a British–American-owned cruise line, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_America_Line#As_a_US-based_cruise_line_(1989%E2%80%93present)
Holland America also owns the following:
the Westmark hotel chain operating in Alaska and the Yukon[17]
Half Moon Cay, a private Caribbean island (known officially as Little San Salvador Island) with most Caribbean cruises spending a day there.[citation needed]
I’m in Fairbanks. Alaska’s economy runs on Oil, tourism, fishing. In that order.
Our state is completely screwed this year. This is huge. Combined with the border to Canada closed. It’s going to be rough.
Bluefish and gut them immediately..... Thanks for posting this.
We have cruised to Alaska 7 times and love the cruise. We are planning on going in 2021 for our 55th Anniversary, but probably going several months late because we want to include Sitka.
Our last cruise was from March 5-18, 2020 on the Carnivale Miracle on the Panama Canal passage and it was wonderful, although we were cut short to the 19th and docked in LA on the 18th instead of SF on the 19th.
It's unlikely NCL will survive at this point, their CEO was on TV yesterday morning saying absent a bailout, they were probably filing for bankruptcy which is what's forcing my GF and I to request our refunds.
It just sucks. I really like NCL. They're more upscale than the rest, their crews and ships are awesome. Just a reality of what this China Virus is doing to so many companies.
usconservative wrote: “It’s unlikely NCL will survive at this point, their CEO was on TV yesterday morning saying absent a bailout, they were probably filing for bankruptcy which is what’s forcing my GF and I to request our refunds.”
That’s incorrect. NCL stated that they might have to file for bankruptcy as a part of a filing to raise cash to avoid that bankruptcy. If they had not made that statement, then they would have been liable for not warning potential buyers of that possibility.
There is a big difference between “probably” and “possibly”, particularly when the lawyers are involved.
I'm guessing that come next year cruises will be hurting for passengers and I'll probably get an even better deal then. Time will tell.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.