Cruise ship gloom and doom?
Foggy San Francisco (Courtesy Flickr/Telstar Logistics)
While the ports of San Francisco, and the small island of Catalina rejoice in their newfangled uprise in cruise ship arrivals, there may not be the same sentiments inside the boardrooms of the major cruise lines. There is no doubt that swine flu has severely impacted the travel industry as a whole, and it certainly has impacted cruise lines by forcing a system wide cancellation of all port calls in Mexico. Passengers expecting warm weather and fun in an exotic Mexican port of call are now having to make due with the foggy San Francisco waterfront, and the “been there, done that”, list of California port of calls. Clearly with the uncertainty in Mexico, bookings will likely stay extremely low even when port calls resume. The question is, how will passenger traffic fare in regions not yet affected by swine flu? Alaska for instance has yet to report a confirmed or possible swine flu case.
Cruise lines are dreading the first swine flu outbreak aboard one of their ships. An outbreak could potentially cause panic and chaos aboard ship and result in massive cancellations across the board. Precautions and preventative measures are not reassuring – washing hands, social distancing, and wearing masks. Not exactly how you picture the vacation of a lifetime.
The Cruise Lines International Association released the following statement concerning a new health screening questionnaire that is being recommended for use by the association’s members;
“The health and safety of all cruise passengers is of utmost importance to all Cruise Lines International Association member lines,” said Terry Dale, CLIA president and CEO. “The cruise industry is taking these proactive steps out of an abundance of caution to identify, isolate and treat any suspect Influenza A (H1N1) cases as appropriate. We will continue to review these protocols and the need for any further actions as necessary.”
Passengers who currently have a cold or minor flu on board will likely either choose to lay low to remain undetected by cruise ship staff, or self-report their symptoms and face isolation and potentially embarrassing scrutiny by a plethora of officials on ship and ashore. Recommendation to passengers – don’t cough or sneeze!
Passengers awaiting to start their vacation while recovering from a cold or flu may have to re-consider, assuming they answer the questionnaire truthfully.
The swine flu panic in the press is dying down but for the cruise ships, swine flu still represents a big red flag…at least for the foreseeable future.
Read More
CDC – Information for the Travel/Cruise Industry
CDC – Information for Cruise Ship Passengers
Cruise Lines International Association – Screening protocalls
