Cruise bookings jump 600% after Carnival announces plans to resume sailings
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. —
Carnival Cruise Line announced earlier this month that it plans to resume sailings this summer, and it appears there will be plenty of people ready to head to sea.
On May 4, Carnival announced it will begin to phase-in cruises starting Aug. 1 with eight of its ships leaving from Port Canaveral, Miami and Galveston.
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, said that on the day of Carnival’s announcement, bookings shot up 600% compared to the same date last year.
The combined sales for three days after the announcement represented a 200% increase vs the same date range in May 4 – May 6, 2019 – when folks traveled without fear of the novel coronavirus, Cruise Planners said.
The company said the increase in bookings is specific to the performance of Cruise Planners network of 2,500 travel advisors during the period and should not be considered indicative of sales performance for Carnival Cruise Line overall.
Carnival said resuming sailings in August is contingent on guidance from the CDC.
The CDC issued a no sail order in mid-March and then extended it in April.
The CDC said Tuesday that is closely monitoring the situation on cruise ships and reviewing the cruise lines’ plans to prevent, detect, contain, and respond to COVID-19 during the no sail period.
“At this point in time, we do not have enough information to say when it will be safe for cruise ships to resume sailing. CDC will continue to work with cruise lines to ensure all necessary public health procedures are in place when cruise lines do begin regular sailing,” a statement from the CDC said.
The CDC added that it has not consulted with any of the cruise lines on timelines for resuming cruise travel for passengers.
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