Tag Archives: P&O

Coronavirus: P&O Cruises boss says ‘bear with us’

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P&O Iona currently doing sea trails.

P&O Cruises’ president, Paul Ludlow, has asked passengers to show “some forbearance and patience” as the cruise line deals with mass cancellations amid the coronavirus crisis.

On March 16, the cruise line was one of four Carnival brands which announced a temporary halt to all cruises, lasting until mid-April.

P&O Cruises said it will provide a 125% future cruise credit for passengers affected by the suspension.

In a message for passengers, Ludlow said: “I am…aware that some of you have stated you are frustrated at some of the changes we have had to make to our policies.

“While I understand your concerns, I would ask you to bear with us as we work through the multitude of new guidelines from government and industry bodies, including Abta.

“These are being updated regularly as this situation evolves and we are striving to strike the right balance between doing our very best for our guests and working in line with the rest of the travel industry in what will be, without doubt, the most challenging period the travel industry has ever seen.

“P&O Cruises needs you, more than ever, to stay with us and to show some forbearance and patience.

“Also, I promise you that I fully understand the disappointment caused for many of you, given your holidays have been curtailed, have been cancelled or are looking unlikely in the current situation.

“We are working through the very complex plan for our resumption of sailings and we will be sharing that once completed.”

The full statement is on the P&O Cruises Twitter feed @pandocruises

Abta issued guidance to members on delaying refunds on Friday and hopes for government confirmation of the changes today (March 23).

These would see ‘refund credit notes’ issued to consumers protected by the ATOL scheme, initially up to July 31.

P&O Cruises Details Fleet Status

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P&O Aurora (Photo: Antonio Simas)

P&O Cruises UK has detailed the status of its cruise fleet in a recent update.

  • The Arcadia is en route to Southampton, due to arrive April 12. She will then berth in Southampton before relocating to Dover.
  • The Aurora arrived in Southampton on March 16 and is now en route to Dover where she will berth at Cruise Terminal 2.
  • The Azura is in the Caribbean heading to Barbados. All guests will fly home on Friday or Saturday. The ship will then sail home to the UK with no guests. She will then berth in Southampton prior to relocating to Portland.
  • The Britannia is en route to Southampton, due to arrive March 25 and will berth at the Mayflower Terminal.
  • The Oceana arrived in Southampton on March 18 and is now berthed in Dover at Cruise Terminal 1.
  • The Ventura arrived in Southampton on March 17 and remains at the Ocean Terminal.

Carnival Corp. 2020 Outlook

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Carnival Corporation provided adjusted earnings guidance for 2020 on today’s Q4 and year-end earnings call from $4.30 to $4.60 per share, compared to 2019 adjusted earnings of $4.40 per share.

Carnival President and CEO Arnold Donald said that he expects cruise revenues to be up approximately 5 per cent on capacity growth year-over-year of 6.6 per cent.

At this point, he said, the company is entering 2020 with a record booked occupancy position but at slightly lower prices.

Donald noted the headwinds Carnival has faced this year, some of which will continue into 2020, including the impact of Cuba being off-limits to cruise calls, events in the Arabian Gulf, Hurricane Dorian, unscheduled drydocks and ship delays, compounded by a decline in market demand in Continental Europe, particularly Germany, while Southern Europe is also challenging.

Noting these as “unusual events,” Donald said they had had a $0.23 negative impact on 2019 earnings.

In order to improve the market situation and accelerate demand growth in Southern Europe, Donald said that two older ships are being removed from the Costa fleet in 2020, following the recent introduction of the new Costa Smeralda. He said the new ship is much more efficient than the ships being removed.

In the UK, Carnival has been able to grow revenue yield despite Brexit, and Donald noted that P&O Cruises’ New Iona is looking at a significant premium over other ships on comparable itineraries.

In North America, the Caribbean is strong and so is Alaska. However, Alaska is seeing what he called an over-concentration of capacity and will need to absorb another industrywide capacity increase of 10 per cent in 2020, on top of a 15 per cent capacity increase in 2019.

As for China, Donald said Carnival will focus on its new joint venture cruise line. Meanwhile, he said, Costa had a good year in China in 2019 and looks forward to another good year in 2020, with more direct business, but is also happy with its charter model.

Carnival will essentially have six new ships in six different markets for the full year in 2020, starting with the Carnival Panorama, which just entered service on the West Coast, the Costa Smeralda in Southern Europe; P&O’s Iona in the UK; the Enchanted Princess in Europe and North America; the Mardi Gras in Florida; and the Costa Firenze in China.

According to Donald, Carnival is also accelerating marketing and media spend in all of its key markets to drive demand in 2020.