Tag Archives: Carnival Corporation

Carnival is selling 6 cruise ships after a $4.4 billion loss, a sign of the industry’s bleak future in the coronavirus pandemic

Posted on by
Reply
Princess Cruises Coral Princess
The Coral Princess, part of Carnival Cruises’ Princess Cruise line. Princess Cruises
  • Carnival Cruises, which includes brands such as P&O, Princess Cruises and Cunard, is to sell 6 ships amid a downturn caused by the coronavirus crisis.
  • The industry has been hammered by COVID-19 after multiple outbreaks occurred at sea, and ports around the world closed to cruise ships. 
  • Carnival said it lost $4.4 billion in the past three months and doesn’t know when it can resume normal operations.

Carnival is planning to sell 6 of its cruise ships after reporting a loss of $4.4 billion in the second quarter of 2020, as the coronavirus crisis continues to hammer the cruise industry.

The company, which includes major cruise lines such as Cunard, P&O and Princess Cruises, reported on Thursday that it was “accelerating” planned sales of the ships.

It reported a massive drop its revenues in the three-month period to May 31, taking in $700 million, a fraction of its $4.8 billion revenues for the same period in 2019, The Guardian reported.

The company said it was “unable to definitively predict” when cruises will back to normal, making it impossible to make an earnings forecast.

All its cruises were suspended in mid-March after onboard outbreaks were reported. Across the industry, by March 25 there had been coronavirus outbreaks on 36 cruise ships worldwide, as Business Insider reported.

Although Carnival has offered customers the chance to pause their bookings for a future date, half of them requested a cash refund, the company said.

Meanwhile, administration and keeping ships afloat still cost the company $250 million a month.

An estimated 21,000 ship staff are still stuck on board 49 ships which cannot dock due to governmental restrictions, the company said.

Cunard extends cancellations until November

Posted on by
Reply

Cunard extends cancellations until November

Cunard is further extending the cancellation of cruises until November, blaming the continued impact of Covid-19.

Flagship Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria will have sailings cancelled until November 1 and Queen Elizabeth until November 23.

The extension follows the sister brand extending its pause in operations until October 15.

Cunard will be communicating with all passengers, and their travel agents, who are booked on affected voyages.

Passengers booked on cancelled cruises will automatically be given a 125% future cruise credit which can be redeemed against any new booking made by the end of December 2021 on any voyage on sale at the time of booking.

Cunard president Simon Palethorpe said: “With many differing restrictions across countries, people’s ability to move freely and safely across borders remains seemingly someway in the distance.

“For Cunard, where we celebrate having a truly international mix of guests and sail all over the world, this becomes particularly impactful. We also need to better understand the implications Covid-19 will have onboard our ships.

“We are therefore working, at the highest level possible, with government bodies, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – the CDC – and Public Health England, as well as the industry collective body – Clia – and other expert medical professionals to review every aspect of a holiday with us.”

He added: “Whilst we have always taken pride in having the highest levels of health and safety we are looking at enhanced protocols across all aspects of ship life and experiences onshore.

“We will only return to service when we have a comprehensive restart protocol with the stamps of approval and accreditation from the most trusted and informed sources.”

Carnival chief Arnold Donald reveals the personal impact of racism

Posted on by
Reply

Arnold Donald, one of America's few black CEOs, on how he went ...

Carnival Corporation chief Arnold Donald has added his voice to the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

He revealed his own experiences of racism while growing up in the segregated South of the US.

Writing to employees of the world’s largest cruise company, Donald said: “I have been hesitant to join in with the many executives who have issued communique knowing that any words are far too inadequate in the face of the events that have occurred in the US over the past several days.

“We have painfully witnessed the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others, followed by frustrated, passionate protestors exercising their rights of freedom of speech, unfortunately, followed by vandalism and looting perpetrated by a few – all in the context of a higher than normal level of pent up tension and anxiety exacerbated by the global pandemic, stay at home, shelter in place, loss of jobs and income, and an uncertain future.

“Clearly these are not the best of times.”

He added: “So what can we do? And I ask what can I do? Not just words but actions that, in my own small way, help us to a brighter day? Racism is real. Not just here in the US but around the world.

“Injustice and brutality are real. They’ve been with us forever despite many efforts to eradicate both.”

Donald revealed that be witnessed and suffered injustices while growing up.

He said: “I have a family member with Bipolar Disorder and at times when elevated, can come across as belligerent, at perennial risk as a young black adult of finding himself in a bad situation that could lead to severe or even fatal consequences.

“And I have family members who are in law enforcement and put their lives on the line every day. I’m certain that many of you have similar circumstances.

“I make certain that my bipolar family member is introduced to the law enforcement officers in the communities that he is in. I make certain that they see him as a human being, as a complete person, albeit one with the unique challenge of suffering from bipolar disorder.

“I make certain that I remind my law enforcement family members to remember their purpose and their training – all of their training. And of course, out of love and concern for them, I hope they don’t hesitate when they face a truly threatening situation.”

Donald added: “In the hope of catalysing even the smallest of change, I share with my neighbours and my professional colleagues the incidents of racial profiling and biased accusations that my family members and I have experienced on far too many occasions.

“And through the greatest platform that I have available to me to effect change, as CEO of this corporation, I want to provide the support and the motivation for us to build on our foundation of being the greatest travel and leisure company in the world, bringing millions of people together every year of all nationalities, ethnicities, backgrounds and experiences so they can joyfully discover what they have in common and learn to celebrate their differences, rather than fear them – while at the same time providing an economic multiplier that contributes to a higher quality of life through the power of inclusion.”

He concluded: ”Despite these times, and despite what seems to be far too tedious and far too slow progress, collectively we are capable of powerful change for the better and I have no doubt that if we double down on our efforts and stay the course, together we will create a brighter future.

“The only way through is forward.”