What pandemic? Carnival Cruise bookings soar 600% for August trips

[babylonsister]

Nope, nope, nope.


https://www.fastcompany.com/90503385/what-pandemic-carnival-cruise-bookings-soar-600-for-august-trips

What pandemic? Carnival Cruise bookings soar 600% for August trips
By Michael Grothaus1 minute Read


When the COVID-19 pandemic began its spread earlier this year, some of the worst horror stories about the disease came from people trapped on cruise ships. Unsurprisingly then, cruise companies were also some of the worst-hit businesses when the economic fallout from the pandemic began to hit.

But apparently the prospect of being stuck on a boat full of infected people isn’t enough to deter some people from going back out to sea as soon as possible, reports TMZ. The publication says a rep from Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, has revealed bookings for Carnival Cruises in August have surged.

Last week Carnival announced that some of its cruises could resume in August. Since that announcement, the Cruise Planners representative says, Carnival bookings shot up 600% compared to the previous three days before news of August Carnival trips were announced. However, what’s really surprising is that Cruise Planners says that August 2020 bookings are up 200% over August 2019 bookings—back when no one had any worries about being stuck on “death ships.”

So why the surge in bookings? The Cruise Planners representative said those making bookings were generally younger and healthy and thus “not a bit concerned about traveling at this time.” The rep also said a pent-up desire for traveling after being cooped up in lockdown for so long has played a part in the surge of bookings. Of course, the fact that you can also book a Carnival Cruise for as low as $28 a night might have something to do with the high number of August bookings, too.

[Squinch]

1. Ewwwwww.. Petri dishes.

[jimfields33]

6. No cruise for me until 2021

But I did by their stock three weeks ago. Making a killing. It will go up I’m sure of it. People love their cruises!!!!

[Squinch]

7. I think there'll be one more crash of those stocks but after that it will go well.

[jimfields33]

10. I agree

I just want enough to pay for a new roof on my house in 5 years. Hoping to double my money so I basically pay for half price. I could lose every penny of course. I never really risked like this but thought I’d give it a try. Could be the dumbest thing I’ve done. Lol. Not hardly.

[Squinch]

11. I don't think it's dumb. But it might seem that way for a bit before a durable rise.

Your 5 year timeline seems reasonable to me.

We shall see. We both might be crazy.

[jimfields33]

13. We're in this together

[Squinch]

14. Lol!

[Vogon_Glory]

19. I'm waiting until 2021 myself

I’m concerned that we’ll be facing a second COVID-19 wave when flu season starts.

[jimfields33]

28. To me it just makes sense

Let the first cruises test the waters and see what happens. First, the rules will be overwhelming on the cruise. I just don’t think it will be fun just yet.

[brooklynite]

2. Why the surge? People have been penned up for months...

...if the counter-argument is that things won't be better through the summer, that's going to have massive emotional and economic consequences for the country.

[spanone]

3. humans are seriously flawed.

[spinbaby]

4. Yuck

You couldn’t pay me to go on a Carnival cruise.

[jberryhill]

5. Forget about the virus....

Can you imagine being at sea on a ship full of people who paid $28 a night for a room and $50 a day for unlimited alcohol.

[AirmensMom]

16. It's unlimited now?

Last cruise we went on was 20 years ago ... but then you had to pay for every drink except for coffee, tea, and soda.

[jberryhill]

17. If you pay for a drink package

I just googled it up, so they may be having all kinds of specials now, but there appears to be an option for $50ish per day which entitles the purchaser to unlimited bar drinks priced under $20.

[FM123]

8. Some people never learn!

[uponit7771]

9. K&R, Trump has ***CONVINCED*** Wall Street CV19 is over or has subsided nationwide its not

Spend a couple of hours on CNBC you'd think there never was a Pendemic.

I doubt they air Fauci's warnings today if Fauci decides not to act like a functionary

[pwb]

12. Wishful thinking. Cruises are sickly.

They spread this shit and deserve what they get.

[AirmensMom]

15. I'm somehow always surprised about the stupidity of people.

First, without a pandemic, I would NEVER cruise during hurricane season.

But add a pandemic to the brew, and that's a real disaster. Cruise ships tend to be crowded during the boarding and disembarking, both at the beginning and end of the cruise and during all the shore excursions, not to mention mealtimes and shows. That raises another question: Do other countries really want our tourists infecting their populations?

I am truly afraid about this. Everyone who says staying home is no way to live (heard it from my daughter the other day) will find that COVID-19 won't just go away because they refuse to live in such a way to make it harder to spread. SMDH at people.

[woodsprite]

18. I expect another surge with opening up and I hope it shuts the cruise lines down through the summer.

Our 20yo son is scheduled to go on a Royal Caribbean cruise the last of August with his GF's family. The entire family goes every year and it'll be his first. I really don't want his first to be his last. His GF fits into several of the most vulnerable groups - diabetic, gastric bypass surgery, hbp, autoimmune disorder, and overweight. Even if she falls out of the overweight and hbp groups, she still has 3. Plus, her mom is diabetic and her grandfather is 83 yo and in a wheelchair.

[Baitball Blogger]

20. A great majority of Americans don't know how to sacrifice.

[Hugin]

21. 600%?

So, six people signed up for cruises instead of one?

You've really got to watch those percentages... Especially, when they're vaulted by promoters and PR firms working on commission.

[cbdo2007]

26. Right compared to 3 days before the announcement...when all cruises were cancelled.

Very misleading headline and article, though I did read somewhere else that their bookings are actually up 200% over where they were last year. But still when you consider nobody has made a new reservation for 2 months, having one or two days that are double what they were last year still isn't good news.

[Initech]

22. I wouldn't take a cruise right now if you paid me.

[area51]

29. +1, n/t

[lark]

23. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

There are many deaths in the 33-54 age group. These people are just stupid. I won't be flying or cruising until there is a vaccine and it's been out for several months without creating a zombie horde.

[global1]

24. Does This Have Anything To Do With A Refund Policy?....

If you booked a cruise for August 2020 before this shutdown - did you get your money back if you canceled? If Carnival reopens by August - do you have to go on the cruise or if you don't do you lose your money? - or some variation of such a policy involving loss of money?

Just wondering?

[babylonsister]

27. I don't know, but I do know

I wouldn't step one toe on one of those ships. Cheap rates are out there; I guess you have to weigh the value of your life against that.

[Hugin]

30. I must admit... Being the only passenger on a 14 story super liner with a crew of 3,000 answering

to your every whim would be the experience of a lifetime. However, just like the airlines are doing, I'd suspect the ship won't leave port without at least an 88% occupancy.

It's more likely a few people are somehow trying to game the trip insurance. Fraud is rampant. They're only following the lead of the WH and it's squatter.

[llmart]

31. +1

That was my first thought. I had a flight booked on Delta to travel in March and I cancelled. They were only going to offer me a future flight voucher that had to be taken by the end of the year. I told them in no uncertain terms that they were going to refund my money to me. After a few back and forth emails they got tired of my complaining and writing my Senators and they said they would "make an exception for me and refund the entire amount". Other flyers probably aren't as persistent as I am.

[bamagal62]

25. Good luck with that!

Not much you can say, except for, “wow, that’s not very smart.”

[Pobeka]

32. So, they went from 1 to 6 bookings? n/t

[writes3000]

33. Exactly. This doesn't definitively mean there was a huge influx of people.

[kairos12]

34. Death at discount rates. Saved cash can be used for funerals.

[Baclava]

35. You First! should be a national movement, that herd thing and all...

[helpisontheway]

36. Crazy as hell..Then when they get sick they will want to dock somewhere

and infect the rest of us. I’m not against cruising. I love cruises. However, you can’t go on a cruise during a pandemic and act surprised when you get sick. These people are choosing to go on a cruise during a pandemic in which 80,000 people have died. It is no over. Thousands still dying everyday and they want us to feel sorry for them if they are not allowed to dock? One thing in the beginning when people did not realize how dangerous it was to cruise. Quite another when they decide to cruise despite the dangers. In fact, the United States government is stupid for allowing that from the United States ports.

[redstatebluegirl]

37. I wouldn't have taken one before this. My husband calls them floating petri dishes.

He said they are just plain unsafe during a pandemic.

[leftyladyfrommo]

38. They better planon being out there for months if

This stuff gets loose on the ships again.