Cruise ship scramble & incentives

A horde of cruise ship passengers were scrambling March 9 to rearrange vacations as cruise-ship operators struggled to deal with the chaotic situation set off by the coronavirus outbreak. Carnival, the largest operator of cruises out of the Port of New Orleans, has been trying to sooth customers spooked by the outbreak, especially after lengthy quarantines of passengers have on two of the company's ships: Diamond Princess in Japan, and Grand Princess, which was held off the California coast until it docked on March 9 at the Port of Oakland. The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert for U.S. citizens March 8 advising passengers not take cruises because of the increased risk of the coronavirus, and disruptions to containment measures at international ports. Carnival has put heightened medical screening procedures in place, and implemented more stringent hygiene regimes. The Miami-based company also has started offering passengers on upcoming cruises as much as $200 of onboard spending credit as an enticement not to cancel. Carnival Valor sailed from New Orleans as scheduled on March 9. Cruise operators have basically declined to make information public about the extent to which ships have suffered cancellations. Evidence suggests cruise bookings are down and cancellations up, even if there are still plenty of passengers willing to take up incentives. (Source: NOLA.com 03/10/20) https://www.nola.com/news/business/article_6e776952-6215-11ea-91e0-07594d6cb904.html