What is it with poor old Princess Cruises and the coronavirus? The public relations nightmare that began with the quarantine of Diamond Princess in Japan five weeks ago shortly after China owned up to the initial outbreak is now verging on a catastrophe with Grand Princess suffering a similar fate in San Francisco.
It may simply be bad luck, a case of being in the wrong places at the wrong times, but for Princess, and the cruise industry in general, the fall-out is significant.
As has been, and continues to be, well documented by the hysterical world media, it all began on 3 February when a couple of passengers on Diamond Princess were found to have contracted the coronavirus and the ship was holed-up off Yokohama for two weeks as the number of cases on board soared to more than 700.
Headlines became more and more “Armageddon” – like as the media used all the incendiary words that propel their posts to the top of the social media sites.
As a result, after another Princess ship, Sun Princess, had been refused entry to Madagascar, on Reunion Island the citizens rose up and “hurled rocks” at buses carrying passengers and, amid the “chaos”, French police “used teargas” to break up “violent” demonstrations. All of one protester was arrested, and the best bit is that NO-ONE on the ship was suffering from coronavirus.
Diamond Princess during her two-week quarantine period in Yokohama in February
Now, across the other side of the world, in the latest “gripping” coronavirus episode, Princess is making the headlines again with Grand Princess being refused entry to the port of San Francisco because of an onboard outbreak during the ship’s return from Hawaii.
Princess’s parent company, Carnival Corporation, has said it believes a 71-year-old Californian man was probably already sick when he boarded the ship on 11 February for a cruise to Mexico and infected his dining room server. The passenger later died of the virus.
Twenty-one people, a majority of them crew members, have now tested positive for the virus, but the good news is that, after much deliberation, the ship, carrying 3,500 guests, 100 of them Britons, will dock in Oakland, California, tomorrow (9 March).
“After docking, we will then begin a disembarkation process specified by federal authorities that will take several days,” the ship’s captain Smith told the passengers last night.
The cost of coronavirus to Princess, and the cruise industry, will be considerable as compensation payments, cancellations and a general reluctance to book holidays are calculated. Princess’s compensation package promised to every guest on board Diamond Princess will on its own run into millions of dollars.
Meanwhile, the company is implementing a revised policy for cruises and cruise tours departing up to 31 May to assist guests making decisions regarding their cruise holidays during the evolving worldwide COVID-19 situation.
The details vary by departure date:
- April 3 or earlier: Cancel up to 72hrs before sailing to receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) for 100 per cent of cancellation fees
- April 4 – May 31: Cancel by 31 March and receive receive a FCC for 100 per cent of cancellation fees
- For cruises from 1 to 30 June, the final final payment moves to 60 days prior to sailing from 90 days
Guests that choose to keep their booking for departures from 9 March to May 31 will receive the following complimentary onboard spending money
- $100 per cabin for 3-day and 4-day cruises
- $150 per cabin for 5-day cruises
- $200 per cabin for 6-day and longer cruises
CLICK HERE for full details
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