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Princess Cruises halts all sailings for two months
Princess Cruises will halt all cruises globally across its entire fleet for two months.
It impacts all itineraries due to depart from now until May 10.
The company said it hopes to resume full operations from May 11, 2020.
The drastic move was announced by Princess president Jan Swartz in a message to customers.
"By taking this bold action of voluntarily pausing the operations of our ships, it is our intention to reassure our loyal guests, team members and global stakeholders of our commitment to the health, safety and well-being of all who sail with us," Swartz said.
Ships currently at sea and scheduled to end within the next five days will continue as normal.
Longer cruises will end ‘at the most convenient location for guests.’
"Princess will do everything possible to return each guest home with the greatest amount of care possible."
Booked guests impacted by the suspension can make use of a full cruise credit to be used on a future cruise within two years or request a refund.
"This is perhaps the most difficult decision in our history. Never in those 55 years, and certainly not in the 20 years I have served in this company, have we been tested in ways we have been tested over the past 40 days," Swartz added.
Viking Cruises also just announced it is suspending all ocean and river itineraries until May.
Cruise line stocks again tanked after President Trump announced restrictions on travelers from Europe.
Carnival Corp., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean all saw more double-digit declines, and have lost about half their stock value in less than two months.
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