There is a real possibility that there will not be a cruise ship season this year due to COVID-19.
Danielle Timmons, a partner at Aquila Tours said there has been a massive impact on cruises worldwide.
“We at this moment are still planning for some ships in September and October until we hear otherwise but we are also looking at the very real possibility that there will be no ships in 2020 and that we’ll be looking at a 2021 cruise season.”
Timmons said the CDC in the US has extended the no sale order to July 24th so there is no possibility of any ships in Saint John until then.
“Princess and Holland America have canceled all of their ships to Canada and New England and Carnival had a ship that was coming up to Saint John this fall but there were delays in the shipyard for their [renovations] so that ship is also not coming,” she said.
Timmons said they were expecting just over 90 ships this year and have had 43 cancellations, so at about 50 per cent is where they stand right now.
“Those decisions are out of our hands. Those decisions will be made by Transport Canada, Health Canada, the province of New Brunswick, the cruise lines, the CDC and others so at this point we’re waiting,” she said.
Timmons said any ships that call to Saint John sail out of ports like New York, Boston, Baltimore, Quebec City and several of those regions do not have their outbreaks under control so they are not ready to start embarking passengers even if there was a ship.
She said once cruises resume there will be shorter itineraries and that a drive-in market will increase because of the nervousness or government limits on the ability to fly in. She said this will decrease the amount of international travel.
Timmons said they’re in touch weekly with the Cruise Line International Association to come up with protocols and safety measures for the entire industry.
She said at Aquila, the two big concerns are small businesses and the health of New Brunswickers.
“There is no revenue for cruise and it is possible there will be no revenue for cruise in 2020. So if you’re a small business that relies on cruise, that entire revenue stream is gone. So we are worried about some of the small businesses that can’t just hold out and survive until 2021 and what they might need in order to do that,” she said.
Timmons said the health of New Brunswickers is also their first priority.
“So what do we need to do to balance and find the balance with the health and safety of New Brunswickers but on the other side having people be comfortable to welcome cruise back once again,” she said.
Timmons said it’s hard to think of opportunities when the entire revenue stream has dried up but there are some.
“This is forcing a lot of businesses to rethink and reimagine what their customer experiences are,” she said.
Timmons said one of the other opportunities is that there are cruise intentions surveys across the world asking if people intend to cruise in the future and the numbers haven’t changed before COVID-19.
“So that means that people, whether they’re experienced cruisers or first-time cruisers still intend to cruise in the next few years,” she said.
Timmons said that’s a real opportunity that when they rebound and recover will lead to a strong 2021 and 2022.
“It’s a little grim but I am optimistic for 2021.”
