Port Canaveral takes hit as COVID-19 impacts travel

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Photograph by: Schooling Photos/Common Photos Group through Getty Photos

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – The as soon as busy Port Canaveral is now hoping to ship ships off on voyages in 2021.

The Diamond Princess in early February 2020 noticed greater than 700 folks get sick on board. 14 of them ultimately handed away. The ship needed to dock in February and couldn’t go away for a month.

Then, by mid-March, all the main cruise traces suspended operations because the CDC issued a no-sail order. On the time, the thought was this solely short-term. 

In the meantime, one other ship — Holland America’s Zaandam — was out at sea with greater than 100 passengers sick. No ports would enable the ship to dock till Florida in April. The Zaandam and her sister ship, the Rotterdam, carried wholesome passengers off the ship and onto Port Everglades. 4 folks died whereas at sea.

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In June, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian fashioned the “Well being Sail Panel” to take a look at every thing the cruise trade does and the way it might do higher with the purpose of submitting a proposal to the CDC within the fall.

Then in September, the 65-page report was launched with 74 suggestions whole. Nonetheless, when the CDC no-sail order expired in October, the cruise line mentioned that they weren’t able to sail. They started voluntarily pushing again sail dates till spring 2021.

In accordance with the Cruise Line Worldwide Affiliation, an estimated $32 billion has been misplaced through the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney Cruise Strains has suffered too however not as a lot as the opposite firms as a result of Disney has its parks and leisure division to offset losses. They even plan so as to add one other three ships within the subsequent 5 years.

At Port Canaveral, a brand new ship known as the ‘Mardi Gras’ was presupposed to be arriving in February 2021. Nonetheless, Carnival Cruise Line mentioned that plans for supply and a maiden voyage are nonetheless in flux.

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Port Canaveral has misplaced greater than 20 million in income, decreasing employees from 268 to 153. The world’s second-busiest cruise ship port is generally a ghost city since COVID-19.

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