MOST ALASKA CRUISES CANCELED
Princess Cruises, Holland America, Seabourn, and Carnival Cruise Line have canceled all sailings worldwide through early summer.
Princess Cruises, Holland America and Seabourn said their cancellations include the majority of their Alaska cruises in 2020, and Princess will not open any of its lodges in Alaska this year or operate sightseeing trains or buses.
Princess Lodges and tours impacted in Alaska are at this link.
Princess has also delayed the debut of its newest ship, the Enchanted Princess, until Aug. 1. The Diamond Princess is canceled through Aug. 4, and the Sun Princess won’t sail until at least Sept. 4.
The Princess/Holland America announcements followed Carnival, which canceled all sailings through June 26.
Previously, the four cruise lines had only canceled sailings on most of their ships through the middle of May.
The Centers for Disease Control has extended its “no sail” mandate for cruise ships sailing from U.S. ports, and the mandate may be in effect until August.
Princess and Holland America are the dominant cruise lines for the Alaska market, dedicating nearly half of their ships to Alaska every summer.
Disney Cruise Line has also canceled all sailings through May 17 and all Alaska sailings through the end of June.
The Alaska economy just had the last nail placed in its coffin!
A very small nail.
Not going to say shutting down cruise ships was the wrong move, but why no controls, even today, on airports?
If the goal is to stop infections from being carried into the state or into the country, why aren’t there controls on who comes in?
Obviously, just asking questions of passengers is like no control at all.
Look at all the snowbirds, seasonal workers, and yes, tourists arriving daily. We know that some of those people are going to be asymptomatic carriers of the virus. So our clock for hunkering down gets restarted with each new plane.
Why no controls? Doesn’t make sense.
If it is going on in late summer, all the returning teachers are in the same boat. Delay the start of school season?
You may as well resign yourself to the fact that every village in Alaska will be exposed and that nearly 100% of the people are going to get this.
.
Flattening the curve is not containment. Having zero cases is not the goal.
I know. There is a acceptable casualty in any engagement. In war anyway. If it sweep the villages though. It will play a role as the terminator and we will never recover from it.
Testing standards are backwards. We need to be testing the asymptomatic people whom we need to come in close contact with , if we don’t want to live 6′ apart forever.. Right now you still need “symptoms” to get tested in AK. Which means the asymptomatic people cannot find out they have it, in AK>. GO figure. And thus they spread it unknowingly. Anyone should be able to get a test. IMO , Prioritize testing for 1) health workers, and 2) people who come into close contact with others like dentists, nursing home attendants, grocery store workers, flight attendants –the potential silent spreaders. I’d feel a lot better about going to dentists , hairdressers, grocery store,or getting on a plane, if the people I had to come in contact with were tested.
Brutal.. Check out the Freep press and what mayor Mike Duggan has implemented. Large pay cuts to city workers and layoffs of government to cover $50 million shortfall. Some 90% of pay so that their health insurance can be paid. Brutal there too. We are in for a long ride folks. Hold on and best wishes to all Alaskans.
Trump money just went in. I feel stimulated.
Wait till inflation hits…that free money bubble will burst quickly.
Nope. It isn’t about the greenbacks. That is 1960’s thinking. Its about trade and how strong we are. Not on the gold standard anymore comrade.
Tourist industry shuttered for summer 2020. Oil below $30. Restaurants, bars, and hotels significantly closed down. Price of gas below $2 and falling. Time to pack a big lunch, buy a tent and fishing gear and go explore Alaska’s hiways and wilderness. Tourism for Alaskans.
Sounds like a plan.
Old school!
Absofreakinglutly!
What did everybody expect for this? Look at the world free lazy and looking for the next dollar to spend. We made this problem with our own greed. Get us to it because this virus is not going away as we will live with it for a long time.
This particular nail hits me personally. We have one rental and our tenant lives on a single income from doing heavy diesel maintenance for Princess. Next month, we will be kissing our house good bye, the biggest investment of our lives because they won’t be able to make rent once his income disappears.
There are options.
Why will you be kissing your house good bye?
They have options. Could put it up for sale. take out a second mortgage. Just live in it like a regular house and get a job. etc.
Good news is the annual gripe fest about tourist hordes and cruise ships overwhelming fragile public services probably got cancelled too…
So dude that runs bulldozer is out of work? What was he doing docking the liner with his CAT?
Alaskans need to explore and support our local tour destinations.
Thank power hungry Gov Dunleavy for the downfall of the Alaska economy. He is in charge and he can reopen the state, if he wants to….but he wont.
Beautiful places, but there are plenty of others. Still planning to take my girlfriend for her first trip to Homer at the end of summer when the travel ban from Outside should be over. Including a coffee stop from the front page of this site today.
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