Posted on 03/06/2020 9:09:35 AM PST by Rebelbase
Carnival shares suffer worst day in 19 years, close at 11-year low; Royal Caribbean’s stock suffers biggest loss in 11 years
Shares of cruise ship operators took double-digit dives Thursday to their lowest closes in years, as the global spread of the coronavirus fueled fears of a drop in travel demand.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.’s stock RCL, -4.439% plummeted 17.1% to $65.78, to suffer the biggest one-day drop since Jan. 30, 2009. The stock closed at the lowest price since Sept. 19, 2016. It has lost more than half its value (51.3%) since closing at a record $135.05 on Jan. 17.
Carnival Corp. shares CCL, -3.696% tumbled 14.1% to $27.87, which was their worst performance since Sept. 17, 2001. They closed at the lowest price since July 29, 2009.
And shares of Norwegian Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH, -1.854% sank 13.4%, which was the worst day for investors since they started trading in January 2013. They closed at the lowest level since June 24, 2013.
Analyst Joseph Greff at J.P. Morgan said he believed Royal Caribbean was the “best positioned” to weather slowdown in demand amid COVID-19 fears, and therefore the best positioned to outperform “coming out the other side.” Although Greff said Royal may have slightly more balance sheet risk than rival Carnival, he wrote in a note to clients that “we currently don’t see liquidity being a major risk (though the cruise sector has an unusually high amount of tail-risk, which is hard to quantify).”
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
I have been on about a dozen cruises on 5 different cruise lines.
We did an Alaska cruise. Once.
We went in July. It was overcast and rainy for most of the trip with highs in the upper 40's / lower 50's.
With the crappy weather, no one went out on deck. The interior spaces were crowded. People sat in the theater when nothing was going on, just to have a place to sit.
The average age of people on our Alaskan cruise was deceased.
To make matters more fun, four out of six of us came down with with the Norvo virus during the trip. Three days of no eating and hugging the toilet.
Every other cruise we have been on - with the exception of a bargain basement Carnival Cruise - has been delightful. We have done the eastern, southern and western Caribbean, as well as the Mexican coast.
I am in my 50's and the thought of an Alaskan cruise makes me shudder.
My wife and I are scheduled for an Alaskan cruise starting in May but we are leaving out of Vancouver. I did book our flights into Seattle though so we could spend a few days there then take the train to Vancouver. I am hopeful the virus situation is being overblown.
With matching clientele.
The worst thing about the Alaska Cruise is that whenever you go on a tour of the glaciers, inevitably you’ll get a lecture on Global Warming.
They could cure that by tossing a virgin into an Alaskan volcano. That worked in the past didn’t it? Not everyone died... so it must have worked.
My recent trips to an art museum in Seattle, and a history museum in Tacoma were ruined by what you described. It’s all about social justice crap, propaganda, political correctness.
Funny, I ride motorcycles in the mountains and forests...dirt bikes. I’m so happy there, removed from mass society.
“I’m the type that hates buffet food, mass groups, fake this and that. I despise Las Vegas for example.”
If you are on decent line you never have to go near a buffet. there are usually 3 or 4 varied restaurants besides the main dining rooms, plus a few mini specialty restaurants. The buffet is there if you want it and it is much better at the beginning of the cruise then at the end. Waking up walking out to a balcony and seeing an entirely different landscape then the night before is just one of coolest things there is.
I hate Vegas too, the wife loves the shows so she is able to drag me there once in a while. I can think of no better example of “you get what you pay for” then food in Las Vegas.
Damn, that doesn’t sound fun at all!
I lived in Anchorage for 4 years...joke line being that I spent 8 winters there...
Have always wondered how that place could be “fun” for a cruise....
Seattle has sadly become completely over run by the homeless drug crowd. But... nearby Bellevue is the OPPOSITE, and might just be the nicest big city in the USA. If you don’t want to experience “multi culturism” on steroids, find the visiting spots on the Bellevue side of Lake Washington instead. Pro tip...
Since I retired in 2009, I've been on 8 cruises, all on Celebrity Cruises for a total of 103 nights.
I’m the type that hates buffet food, mass groups, fake this and that. I despise Las Vegas for example.
Although I don't have a problem with the buffet, most of our meals are done in the dining room or specialty restaurants. It's also easy to find places on the ship that are quite quiet. I like to get away during the day for reading, the lounges are closed then but are open to sit and read. Many times, I'm the only one in there. The pool areas are the busiest. I don't cotton to pools or beaches.
I do like the idea of being at sea, and visiting interesting ports. I wouldn’t like the mass market stuff. I have clients that have paid top dollar to only be disappointed on cruises too.
Sea days are my favorites. I've been on 4 Transatlantic cruises and 1 Transpacific cruise. My next one I hope to do will be from Barcelona to Buenos Aires. In ports, my thing to do is avoid the "tourist" spots. I like to get away and see the countryside, wine tasting being my favorite thing to do, mixed in with a few historic stops. With a private tour guide, even the touristy places are tolerable.
One cruise my clients NEVER complain about is Alaska. I work with affluent Seniors.
An Alaska cruise is on my bucket list however, my cruise from China ended up in Alaska. We spent a few days in a chalet in the country before flying home. Alaska is a beautiful state. I could see myself living there, at least in the summer(I like sunshine) A reason I like the repositioning cruises is that good values can be had. I was a bit nervous about doing my first cruise but my daughter convinced me that since I was retired, I needed to travel. I fell in love with cruising the first day of my first cruise. I highly recommend it!
We didn’t pay yet, payment due this month. We can get our tiny $1K deposit back if we want to. Told husband to go ahead and get it back and we have over a year to decide whether to go or not. We were still planning to go. It is Norwegian cruise lines. NOT Princess, where all the sick people are...
Buffet is available but there are also many great restaurants onboard. We have been on cruises to Bermuda and Alaska. Great Trips! And I was one who never thought I would want to cruise. Great way to travel. Unpack bags once and your hotel goes with you. Love it.
We cruised on Holland America cruise line to Alaska. Had a great time. Loved that railway! Best part of the cruise. Really enjoyed our days in Vancouver, too! The Capilano bridge and tree top hiking and cliffwalk. Enjoyed Vancouver much more than NYC where we toured before and after our Bermuda cruise. NYC is one nasty dirty filthy city. No beauty there. Central Park is NOTHING compared to Huntington Gardens in San Marino Ca.
Only 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver, allow 2 - 3 hours for your visit to Vancouver’s iconic Capilano Suspension Bridge, hanging 450 feet (137m) across and 230 feet (70m) above Capilano River. The park offers more than just the bridge. Its surrounding 27 acres celebrate nature, history and culture in unique and thrilling ways. No more so than with the newest attraction,
CLIFFWALK. Cliffwalk hangs for 213m (700ft) and reaches 91m (300ft) high, hugging the granite cliffside and offering a panoramic view of the thriving rainforest and canyon far below. On Treetops Adventure venture from one magnificent old growth Douglas-fir to another on a series of seven elevated suspension bridges, reaching as high as 110 feet (33m), for a squirrel’s eye view of the forest. Guides, signage and interactive exhibits throughout the park help you in your understanding of rainforest ecosystems and their sustainability.
Cruise in June. It is only March. Haven’t paid for it yet. Of course.
Ha ha ha good one! We had prepaid for a helicopter tour of a glacier but it was cancelled due to terrible cold windy weather... It we in JULY!!!!!!!!!!
If you do the Alaska cruise add the inland trip (AAA Cruise tour in our case). Worth every penny. We went on a package that took us from Anchorage to Fairbanks and flew home from there. Part of the trip was train and we were shocked how good the food was. Take the small plane around Mt. Denali (McKinley) -fantastic.
I started in the late 60s on the "Oceanic".
Mostly all Caribbean cruises in Feb/March
Now to avoid flying ,the last 5 yers I do all Bermuda Cruises out of Boston in October.
Running out of steam now, but might get another one in this October on the Norwegian Gem , Boston to Bermuda, depending on my, and the wife's health. -Tom
Thanks for your and the others that replied. Great information. I will most likely try a cruise in the next couple few years with my wife..and will definitely do my homework first!
BFL
With its high Chinese population Vancouver and B. C. have been hit a bit by the virus. Not as much as Washington state but its there. Not sure how overblown it is or not. You should hope by May its blown over.
“Seems it would be a good time to buy cruise and airline stocks. Buy low. Sell high.”
I’d wait a bit on the airline stocks - they have a long way to go. For cruise lines, we don’t even know the names of the cruise companies that will emerge after this virus. We only know the names of those that WILL NOT survive.
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