TO OUR WEBSITE LOCAL TEN.COM, GLENNA. >> THANKS SO MUCH.
OMICRON.
WITH PORT OF CALLS IN PLACE,
SUCH IMPORTANT NEWS TO SOUTH
FLORIDA, WHERE THE CRUISE
INDUSTRY IS A SIGNIFICANT
ECONOMIC DRIVER.
MIAMI-BASED VETERAN.
CRUISE INDUSTRY IS STEWART, WITH
WHO HAS CREWS 12 TIMES SINCE
SAILINGS RESUMED LAST SPRING,
12, RIGHT, INSTITUTE.
>> THAT’S RIGHT, GLENNA.
>> THAT IS WHAT, TWO A MONTH?
YOU HAVE MORE ONE OF THOSE JOBS
WHERE PEOPLE SAY MUST BE TOUGH.
BUT SERIOUSLY, I WANT TO TALK
ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THESE CRUISES
RESUMED IN JUNEK NOW WE HAVE
ANOTHER WAVE.
IS THIS TOO MUCH TOO SOON FOR
THE INDUSTRY DO YOU THINK?
>> NO, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE
NUMBER OF PASSENGERS THAT ARE
SAILING, VERSUS THE NEW COVID
CASES, IT’S VERY
DISPROPORTIONATE TO WHAT WE ARE
SEEING ON LAND.
AND I COULD TELL YOU AFTER ALL
12 OF THESE CRUISES, THE
DESTINATIONS IN THE CARIBBEAN,
MEDITERRANEAN, MEXICAN RIVER
ERA, I ACTUALLY FEEL SAFER ON A
CRUISE SHIP THAN I DO AT HOME,
FLYING ON AN AIRPLANE, STAYING
ON A HOTEL OR GOING TO A THEME
PARK.
EVERYBODY ON THE SHIP IS
VACCINATED.
>> YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT, THAT
IS AN INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE
FROM A FREQUENT CRUISER.
BUT YOU’RE TALKING TO AN
AUDIENCE WHO MAY NOT BE THAT,
AND WHO SEES APPLES IT TO
ORANGES MAYBE BECAUSE YOU KNOW,
A CRUISE SHIP IS A DEFINED
SPACE.
AND YOU ARE WITH A DEFINED
NUMBER OF PEOPLE ALL THE TIME
THAT YOU MAY MOT KNOW.
AND DON’T KNOW THEIR HABITS.
nd WE’RE FORCED TO EAT WHERE
THEY EAT OR CHOOSE TO GO IT TO
THE THEATER.
WE SAW IN PARKER’S REPORT, THERE
IS A THEATRE FULL OF PEOPLE WITH
NO MASKS.
SO THAT IS, YOU KNOW, YOU’RE ON
A SHIP WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE IN A
SURGE OF A PANDEMIC.
THAT IS A PROBLEMATIC IN A LOT
OF PEOPLE’S MINDS WHETHER THAT
IS REALITY OR NOT.
>> I TOTALLY AGREE.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE
PROTOCOLS ON BOARD THE SHIP, I
MEAN A THEATRE WITHOUT PEOPLE
WEARING MASKS, EVERY CRUISE I
HAVE BE ABOUT ON, ROYAL
CARIBBEAN, CARN NAL-- CARNIVAL,
HOLLAND AMERICA, PRINCESS, SEA
BOARD, EVERYBODY IS WEARING
MASKS WHEN INDOORS.
NOW THERE WERE OPPORTUNITIES NOT
TO WEAR MASKS ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN
PRIOR TO THE OMICRON BECAUSE
THERE WERE SECTIONS OF THE
SHOWROOM THAT WERE SET ASIDE FOR
VACCINATED PASSENGERS BECAUSE
THEY ALSO CARRY SOME
UNVACCINATED WHILE STILL
MAINTAINING, AT LEAST 95 PERCENT
VACCINATION ON BOARD BECAUSE
THEY DO CARRY A LOT OF KIDS.
BUT THESE HEALTH PROTOCOLS ARE
IN PLACE AND THEY ARE WORKING.
AND I WOULD TELL PEOPLE THAT I
MEAN IT’S VERY EXTENSIVE,
FORTUNATELY COVID IS GOING TO
GET ON BOARD THE SHIPS.
IT IS INEVITABLE.
BUT HOW THEY MITIGATE, HOW THEY
MINIMIZE THE INCONVENIENCE OF
THE PASSENGERS AND HOW QUICK
THEY GET THESE OTHER PASSENGERS
QUARANTINED.
AND THE CLOSE TON TACTS, THEY’RE
DOING A VERY GOOD JOB WITH THAT.
>> SO THIS ABSOLUTELY TO YOUR
POINT IS A MUCH DIFFERENT
SITUATION THAN LAST YEAR.
I MEAN IT AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE PANDEMIC, WE WERE REPORTING
ON CRUISESHIPS FILLED WITH
PEOPLE WHERE THERE WERE POSITIVE
CASES THAT WERE NOT ALLOWED BACK
IN PORT AND SAT AT SEA WITH ALL
THESE PEOPLE QUARANTINED AND
THAT IS NOT THE CASE RIGHT NOW.
HOWEVER THERE ARE PORTS OF CALL
WHO ARE CLOSING TO CRUISESHIPS
AND JUST THE CARNIVAL FREEDOM
THAT WE SAW PARKER REPORT ABOUT
WAS REFUSED ENT REE TO ARUBA AND
BON AIR THIS WEEK.
IT LOOKS LIKE SOME OF THE
PASSENGERS DIDN’T REALLY MIND
THAT.
WHAT DO YOU FORE SEE IN THESE
PORTS OF CALL THAT MAYBE CAN’T
HANDLE EVEN A FEW POSITIVE
CASES.
>> WELL, IT IS NOT THAT THEY
CAN’T HANDLE IT.
THERE ARE PROTOCOLS IN PLACE
THAT THE CRUISE LINES LINES HAVE
NEGOTIATED WITH ALL OF THE
PORTS.
AND DEPENDING ON WHAT IS GOING
ON ON BOARD THE SHIP OR SHORE,
WILL DICTATE WHETHER OR NOT THE
SHIP ACTUALLY LANDS.
HAVE I BEEN ON SEVERAL CRUISES
IN THE CARIBBEAN, OR GOING TO
MEXICO AND BECAUSE OF INCREASED
CAN COVID CASES OCCURRING IN
MEXICO WE WERE IN SOME CASES NOT
ALLOWED OFF THE SHIP OR WE WERE
REQUIRED IT TO TAKE BUBBLE TOURS
OR WE HAD TO STAY WITHIN THE
PORT AREA WHERE WE COULD DINE IN
THE RESTAURANTS AND SHOP IN THE
SHOPS IN THE PORT THAT CARNIVAL
CORP AND ROYAL CARIBBEAN GROUP
HAVE BRT THERE, IN
COZUMEL,-- DOZEN YOU SHALL ON
SOME OCCASIONS WE HAVE BEEN
ALLOWED TO TAKE SELF-GUIDED
TOURS BUT IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHAT
IS GOING ON BOARD THE SHIP AND
WHAT IS GOING ON LAND.
WE’RE NOT SEEING THAT IN
AIRPORTS.
WE’RE NOT SEEING THAT AT HOTELS
OR THEME PARKS.
BUT THEY ARE BEING VERY STRICT
AND STRINGENT WITH THESE HEALTH
PROD PROTOCOL TO ENSURE THAT NOT
ONLY THE PASSENGERS AND CREW
WERE SAFE BUT ALSO THE
DESTINATIONS THAT THE SHIPS ARE
VISITING.
IT’S BEEN A VERY UNIQUE
EXPERIENCE ON ALL THESE
DIFFERENT ITINERARIES.
CAN I TELL YOU I’VE BEEN ON
SHIPS WHERE WE HAVE SKIPPED
PORTS BECAUSE OF WHAT WAS GOING
ON ASHORE BUT THE REALITY IS I
CAN CERTAINLY TELL YOU ON THE
FIRST SEVERAL SAILINGS I WAS BE
O, I THINK I MAY HAVE GOTTEN OFF
THE SHIP ONCE.
IT IT WAS JUST NICE IT TO BE AT
SEA.
NICE TO BE ON A CRUISE, IT IT
WAS NICE TO BE WITH PEOPLE THAT
WERE VACCINATED AND IT IT FELT A
LOT NORMAL.
SOME PEOPLE ON CERTAIN SHIPS WE
HAD TO WEAR MASKS WHILE THERE
MAY HAVE BEEN OTHERS THAT TOOK A
DIFFERENT PROTOCOL WHERE MASKS
WERE NOT REQUIRED ON BOARD THE
SHIPS.
BUT THE NUMBERS SPEAK FOR
THEMSELVES.
IN ROYAL CARIBBEAN’S OCTOBER
29th-- EARNINGS CALL THEY
ANNOUNCED THEY HAD 500,000
PEOPLE CRUISE AND ONLY 150
CASES.
THAT NUMBER IS PROBABLY CLOSER
TO A MILLION AND MAYBE WITH
THESE TWO CASES WE ARE HE’S
TALKING ABOUT 250 CASES OUT OF
ALMOST A ALMOST, SO SMALL
NUMBERS.
>> AN I KNOW THE INDUSTRY IN
SOME REPORTS, I MEAN THE WORD
OUTBREAK IS ACTUALLY IN THE
VERNACULAR WHEN THERE IS MORE
THAN ONE OR TWO OR THREE THE
NATURAL THING TO SAY IS THERE IS
AN OUTBREAK BUT I KNOW THE
CRUISE INDUSTRY IS BEING VERY
CRITICAL OF REPORTERS USING THE
WORD OUTBREAK TO DESCRIBE CASES
ON BOARD.
>> WELL, IN THE CRUISE INDUSTRY
ACCORDING TO THE CT DRRKS AN
OUTBREAK OCCURS WHEN A CRUISE
SHIP MEAT MEETS OR EXCEEDS 3
PERCENT OF EVERYBODY ON BOARD.
AT THIS POINT THE HIGHEST NUMBER
WE’VE SEEN IS ABOUT 1.09
PERCENT.
SO IT’S WELL UNDER 3 PERCENT SO
ACCORDING TO THE CDC’S
DEFINITION FOR OUTBREAKS ON THE
CRUISESHIPS THERE STILL HASN’T
BEEN ONE.
>> THAT IS GOOD CONTEXT.
>> WHAT IS IT THRIEK WHEN THERE
IS A CRUISE SHORTAGE.
WE ARE TALKING WITH THE NURSE
AND THE UNION HEAD AT JACKSON
FOR THE EMPLOYS WHO WERE TALKING
ABOUT HEALTH CARE ON BOARD THERE
ARE CREW MEMBERS AND WE HAVE
SEEN CREW MEMBERS REPORTING
POSITIVE CASES, WHAT HAPPENS AT
SEA WHEN THAT HAPPENS.
>> THEY DO HAVE A MEDICAL CENTER
AND CREW MEMBERS THAT ARE
TRAINED IN REDUNDANT JOBS, IN
THE CASE OF -- THE-- AT SEAS
THERE WERE 57 PEOPLE AFFECTED
BUT OTHER PEOPLE TO TAKE THEIR
RESPONSIBILITIES.
SO EVEN IF THE MEDICAL CENTER WE
HAVEN’T SEEN ANY CASES WHERE
THEY HAVE BEEN OVERWHELMED.
I HAVE GONE DOWN THERE, CERTAIN
SAILINGS, WE ALL HAD TO GET
TESTED BEFORE WE RETURNED TO THE
PORTS.
THIS WAY WE COULD ARRIVE THE
NEXT DAY AS WELL AS GET ON
PLANES TO RETURN TO THE UNITED
STATES.
IN THE CASE OF 50, THAT IS 57 OR
60, OVER A COURSE OF A WEEK SO
IT’S NOT LIKE A MAD RUSH.
A FEW HERE, A FEW THERE.
THEY HAVE BEEN HANDLING THESE
ISSUES.
AND CAN I TELL YOU ON ALL THE
THE CRUISES I’VE BEEN ON, I HAVE
BEEN SURPRISED AT HOW EXCITED
THE CREW HAVE BEEN IT TO SEE US,
HOW EXCITED THEY ARE IT TO SERVE
US, AND IT WAS REALLY
HEARTBREAKING TO LISS HE INTO
SOME OF THE STORIES OF THESE
CREW MEMBERS, FOR THEIR TIME AT
HOME AND HOW EXCITED HE HAD ARE
TO BE BACK.
>> FOR SURE, A LOT OF PEOPLE’S
LIVELIHOODS DEPEND ON THE CRUISE
INDUSTRY, NO DOUBT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR