RCL CEO will be on CNBC in the 1PM (EST) hour today, 22 Feb

[zdad59]

He's up sometime this hour.   Will be interesting to see.   If I can find the interview on You Tube later today, I'll post it.

Edited February 22, 2021 by zdad59

[smokeybandit]

Fain is on now

Edited February 22, 2021 by smokeybandit

[molly361]

And when asked if vaccines will be required he skirted that question without actually answering it.  Guess maybe he really doesn't know yet either as this is a work in progress

Edited February 22, 2021 by molly361

[sandebeach]

I really did not learn anything 

[h20skibum]

Nothing new, other than the stock is up 13% today

[smokeybandit]

Not really much from Fain:

 

Discuss the increase in bookings since the vaccine rollout began

-Bookings up 30% compared to Nov/Dec
-Enthusiasm over vaccine, especially among 65+
-80% of Singapore cruisers are first time cruisers

Return to cruising? What's the hold up?

-We're coming out of the big surge
-As the numbers gets better, that's when we can have serious conversations about restarting

 

Does the CDC have thresholds for vaccinations?

-There's no one magic threshold to return to cruising

 

Will everyone have to be vaccinated to cruise?

-People aren't worried about getting sick, but getting quarantined
-Big focus on protocols is on isolating the sick to prevent an outbreak
-However, vaccines are a big part of their plans to avoid outbreaks (I missed some of this response)
 

[sandebeach]

Discussed this with my husband last night. He is adamant that he will not cruise unless we are at least in an Oceanview balcony. He is worried about the ship getting quarantined and he would rather be stuck in a junior suite or above. I imagine that there are other cruisers who feel the same. 

Edited February 22, 2021 by sandebeach

[Sunshine3601]

4 minutes ago, sandebeach said:

Discussed this with my husband last night. He is adamant that he will not cruise unless we are at least in an Oceanview balcony. He is worried about the ship getting quarantined and he would rather be stuck in a junior suite or above. I imagine that there are other cruisers who feel the same. 

Yes, that is our main concern too.   No way would I want to be in quarantine in an OV or Interior cabin.   All our future cruises are booked with a spacious/large OV balcony or Suite. 

I believe Quantum sailings in Singapore are only allowing passengers in balcony cabins as well as MSC and other cruise lines in Europe that are currently sailing.     Of course, the fact that vaccines are now available may change their requirements too.

[boscobeans]

 

[OZ.]

I wonder if it’s really true that the bookings are up or is that some dreaming?

Edited February 22, 2021 by OZ.

[csnarpy]

I believe it completely. By way of how my business has surged

Edited February 22, 2021 by csnarpy

[Jeremiah1212]

12 minutes ago, OZ. said:

I wonder if it’s really true that the bookings are up or is that some dreaming?

 

It would be quite unwise for him to lie on an earnings call so I would be confident to say that it is true if he said it.

 

Edit - Jason Liberty said bookings were up 30% compared to Nov/Dec of 2020, so that is not an overall 30% increase. Fain added that Nov/Dec was a terrible time, so that 30% increase does not amount to much. 

Edited February 22, 2021 by Jeremiah1212

[cruiseboy89130]

52 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

 

I believe Quantum sailings in Singapore are only allowing passengers in balcony cabins as well as MSC and other cruise lines in Europe that are currently sailing.    

MSC has been selling all cabin types - including tiny single insides - since they started sailling in 2020!

[OZ.]

6 minutes ago, csnarpy said:

I believe it completely. By way of how my business has surged

Thanks.

[OZ.]

5 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

It would be quite unwise for him to lie on an earnings call so I would be confident to say that it is true if he said it.

 

Edit - Jason Liberty said bookings were up 30% compared to Nov/Dec of 2020, so that is not an overall 30% increase. Fain added that Nov/Dec was a terrible time, so that 30% increase does not amount to much. 

That makes more sense.

[OZ.]

1 hour ago, sandebeach said:

Discussed this with my husband last night. He is adamant that he will not cruise unless we are at least in an Oceanview balcony. He is worried about the ship getting quarantined and he would rather be stuck in a junior suite or above. I imagine that there are other cruisers who feel the same. 

Same here.

[OZ.]

5 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

MSC has been selling all cabin types - including tiny single insides - since they started sailling in 2020!

😱 There is no way I would risk that. 

[Sunshine3601]

22 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

MSC has been selling all cabin types - including tiny single insides - since they started sailling in 2020!

My apologies.     I know everyone is selling interiors just thought they were only allowing passengers to stay in balconies since they restarted cruising end of summer 2020.

[zdad59]

38 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

 

 Thanks !

[Sunshine3601]

40 minutes ago, boscobeans said:

 

He is still overdue for a haircut.    LOL!

[Diver2014]

I watched Fain on CNBC (the ONLY time I would ever give that network 2 seconds of my time....) and

I'm a bit more optimistic now about our September cruise.  In my opinion, the CDC is the biggest threat to the cruise industry.  They don't want ships sailing, period.  They've become just another political entity with too much power.

[Mapleleafforever]

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Not really much from Fain:

 

Discuss the increase in bookings since the vaccine rollout began

-Bookings up 30% compared to Nov/Dec
-Enthusiasm over vaccine, especially among 65+
-80% of Singapore cruisers are first time cruisers

Return to cruising? What's the hold up?

-We're coming out of the big surge
-As the numbers gets better, that's when we can have serious conversations about restarting

 

Does the CDC have thresholds for vaccinations?

-There's no one magic threshold to return to cruising

 

Will everyone have to be vaccinated to cruise?

-People aren't worried about getting sick, but getting quarantined
-Big focus on protocols is on isolating the sick to prevent an outbreak
-However, vaccines are a big part of their plans to avoid outbreaks (I missed some of this response)
 

80% have been first time cruisers in Singapore?? Very interesting. 

[paulh84]

25 minutes ago, Diver2014 said:

I watched Fain on CNBC (the ONLY time I would ever give that network 2 seconds of my time....) and

I'm a bit more optimistic now about our September cruise.  In my opinion, the CDC is the biggest threat to the cruise industry.  They don't want ships sailing, period.  They've become just another political entity with too much power.

 

The anti-CDC sentiment is getting overblown.

 

-No Sail Order was originally requested to run though February 2021 and that was shot down.

-It was replaced with Conditional Order that appeased political pressure but served the same purpose.

-CDC nor the cruiselines know what to do. There are no fast and easy answers here related to this.

-Planning a restart during a massive spike would have been fruitless.

-RCG is free to plan a restart in other areas of the world that are outside of CDC control.

-The US is just now at a 7 day case average comparable to where we were in late October.

-There will still be major issues to work through with ports that will allow ships.

-Crew? Who is working these ships? They are going to lag behind with vaccinates long after the US sees mass distribution. 

-In the midst of this stall we also have a new Executive Branch and a new CDC Director calling the shots. 

 

All in all we need safe and healthy passengers, safe and healthy crew, ports that allow cruises in, a plan for what to do when (not if) COVID gets onboard, and a plan to prevent ships from bouncing around sea for days upon days with literally no where to go. If this restart does not go smoothly, the impact could forever change the industry.

 

Not to say there isn't reason for some optimism with numbers and vaccines, but there is a long road ahead. 

 

 

[smokeybandit]

23 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

Crew? Who is working these ships? They are going to lag behind with vaccinates long after the US sees mass distribution. 

 

6% of the crew, most of which wouldn't yet be eligible in the USA to get the vaccine, has already gotten it.

Sure that's a long way to go, but they are getting vaccinated faster in their home countries than they would be in the USA.

Edited February 22, 2021 by smokeybandit

[Sunshine3601]

21 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

 

The anti-CDC sentiment is getting overblown.

 

-No Sail Order was originally requested to run though February 2021 and that was shot down.

-It was replaced with Conditional Order that appeased political pressure but served the same purpose.

-CDC nor the cruiselines know what to do. There are no fast and easy answers here related to this.

-Planning a restart during a massive spike would have been fruitless.

-RCG is free to plan a restart in other areas of the world that are outside of CDC control.

-The US is just now at a 7 day case average comparable to where we were in late October.

-There will still be major issues to work through with ports that will allow ships.

-Crew? Who is working these ships? They are going to lag behind with vaccinates long after the US sees mass distribution. 

-In the midst of this stall we also have a new Executive Branch and a new CDC Director calling the shots. 

 

All in all we need safe and healthy passengers, safe and healthy crew, ports that allow cruises in, a plan for what to do when (not if) COVID gets onboard, and a plan to prevent ships from bouncing around sea for days upon days with literally no where to go. If this restart does not go smoothly, the impact could forever change the industry.

 

Not to say there isn't reason for some optimism with numbers and vaccines, but there is a long road ahead. 

 

 

Well said - thank you!