As of April 30th, there were still thousands upon thousands of crew members on board various ships across the world. Carnival Cruise Line has strict rules set in place which is why there are more than 10,000 members still stuck onboard their ships worldwide. Unfortunately, these crew members have all been tested and their results concluded they are all healthy, they are simply stuck onboard unable to debark. The reason they are confined to the cruise ship they worked on is due to the clash between the CDC and the cruise line.
The conflicting procedures between the states where they are docked, the CDC, and the cruise lines are what’s keeping each crew member on board as they wait to hear if their disembarking plan will be approved. Unfortunately, it may be too little too late for these cruise lines as the last remaining crew members may be the last passengers they ever see and feed again. It doesn't matter if these cruise lines are the largest with the most amenities and activities, or whether they're small but travel further and longer. Every cruise line in the travel industry has been affected.
The Moment They Step Off, They Will Have Their Temperatures Checked
The moment passengers and crew members will dock and be allowed to exit the cruise in order to return home will be an anxious and stressful moment. No one aboard is returning to a world that’s familiar or normal. Each person will be greeted by front line men and women dressed in complete hazmat suits with a clipboard, ready and waiting. Medical personnel will take the temperatures of everyone returning to begin the medical assessment. They are looking for individuals with a fever - one of the many Covid19 symptoms.
For passengers whose temperatures read normal, they will then be allowed to make their way to their connecting mode of transportation home, whether that be by plane or by taxi or a quarantined family member will be allowed to pick them up. Unfortunately, a cruise ship is not a designated area for medical miracles or listed as a designated quarantine treatment center like some local busses have become.
Those whose temperature is above 100.4°F or 38°C, passengers will undergo a secondary health screening. During the secondary screening, passengers and crew members will undergo an intense evaluation. They will have their temperatures assessed for a second time and receive a pulse oximetry reading. Those with chronic lung illnesses, like asthma, will need to provide nurses with a letter from their doctors just in case their baseline oxygen saturation levels are lower than normal. Finally, passengers and crew members will be assessed and asked if they have chronic flu-like symptoms, like coughing and even rashes. It doesn't matter if you're a family with young children or a wealthy celebrity, everyone will be treated as though they were diagnosed with Covid19.
Getting To The Airport And Flying Home Safely Will Be Essential (And At No Expense)
Everyone currently onboard has cabin fever and rightfully so. They have been stranded on board, some of them confined to their windowless room, for weeks and months. After the Covid19 outbreak on cruise ships began, the CDC put in place a No Sail Order. Each cruise line quickly docked, whether at home or at various ports like the Bahamas. Cruise lines were asked to safely implement procedures in order to send each crew member home safely. Once the cruise line signs an agreement agreeing to comply with the CDC’s requirements to provide noncommercial transportation for each crew member, they will then be able to disembark.
There are currently eighteen cruise ships that belong to Carnival Cruise Line that are docked in the Bahamas, in the midst of finalizing each mode of transportation home. Currently, there are hopes for a chartered flight but there has been no response from the CDC as to if that plan was approved and when the flight would arrive.
If this plan is approved, there would be private cars and taxis waiting at the port to bring each of these chartered planes in order to reunite crew members with their families after such a long and horrifying experience.
Time To Disinfect These Massive Petri Dish Cabins
The maintenance crew has been disinfecting the entire cruise ship from top to bottom since the start of the pandemic. However, once crew members who have been confined to their cabins disembark a massive blowdown will commence. There will be a routine cleaning as well as sanitizing protocols put in place. Cruise lines are equipped with sanitizers, such as Virox, that will be able to kill Covid19 in thirty seconds on all hard surfaces. The virus can survive on surfaces for hours to a few days.
Each surface will be sanitized and each room will be disinfected, cleaned, sanitized, and remade. Beds will be made, cutlery will be washed, perishable food will be given away and non-perishable will be stored, but no one will board these boats for a long time to come.
Unfortunately, the cruise industry is not doing so well since the start of the pandemic. Investors and passengers are pulling out their stocks and vacation reservations, making it one of the quickest businesses to be impacted by the virus. Some large cruise lines, like Norwegian, have also publicly discussed the possibility of going bankrupt.
Cruise Line Stocks Are Plummeting - Time To Pull Out
Experts are predicting that cruise lines will never come back as strong as they were pre-pandemic. Large companies like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line have been widely accused by the media and officials for being gigantic Petri dishes for the virus. There is no “start date” for when cruise lines will be able to sail again, however it is clear that the first few sails will not be at maximum capacity.
Back in January, these three major cruise lines started being affected by Covid19, and stocks began to fall. Financial experts believe these companies will need to quadruple or quintuple their stocks just to remain afloat, unfortunately, this doesn’t seem very realistic. Currently, the demand for sailing has plummeted. Many passengers have received full refunds, while others postponed their sailing dates. All passengers have also received between $300 to $600 in onboard credits. Things are quickly changing for the future, including passengers who are or will be over 70 years of age will need to provide the company with a doctor’s note, which is a huge hit for companies as off-season sees a lot of retirees looking to escape.
Fixed costs in the sailing industry are also being affected. Many of the current bookings are reaching record-low fares and due to social distancing, the on-board capacity will also shrink. Meaning, in short, cheap tickets and fewer people. Most importantly, it will be extremely difficult for civilians to be able to afford a cruise after a large economic hit that they’ve encountered or will encounter.
Sadly, many companies out of the United States are also not receiving a bailout. The travel industry, excluding airlines and hotels, have been impacted the most. Cruise lines are part of public trades, where they are registered under various foreign flags and pay minimal taxes to U.S bills.
