For a long time, the cruise seemed to be inexorably booming. Then the new corona virus came. Sea travel is now becoming increasingly impossible. How do the shipping companies react - and what does that mean for vacationers?
Rostock (dpa / tmn) - Cruise passengers are thrown at stones by residents when they arrive in the harbor - for fear of the new corona virus. This is what happened on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean when the "Sun Princess" started in early March, according to various media reports. The example shows: The Sars-CoV-2 virus has plunged the popular form of cruise into a deep crisis.
The Aida Cruises shipping company with 14 ships in the fleet initially stopped all cruises until the beginning of April due to the corona virus. The Costa shipping company also announced that it would cease its trips worldwide by April 3. The cruise line Princess Cruises had previously withdrawn its 18-ship fleet from traffic for 60 days. Ocean Viking Cruises also canceled all sea trips for the time being.
In contrast, the Hurtigruten shipping company, for example, now offers free rebooking for a while: holidaymakers can postpone their trip to a later point in the year and sometimes until 2021. Tui Cruises and MSC have also canceled further trips.
Cruises are increasingly impossible
Normal shipping operations are currently becoming increasingly impossible for providers: due to the state of emergency and the restriction of travel freedom in Italy, the country with its numerous cruise ports is not a destination. The Spanish government has closed all cruise ship ports for two weeks, according to media reports. In Norway, according to the Federal Foreign Office, all those arriving from "non-Nordic countries" can expect to be rejected or to be obliged to quarantine for 14 days. Countries such as Malaysia, India and the Seychelles had previously banned cruise ships.
Vacationers who like to go on a cruise now ask themselves: Can I still book a sea trip without any risk? "At the moment we are experiencing a coordination of customers with our feet," says Detlef Schäferjohann, managing director of the booking portal E-hoi: Many customers canceled.
How high is the risk?
Several thousand people come together in a small space on the large cruise ships. The ship medical doctor Christian Ottomann refers to the cancellation of major events with more than 1000 participants in Germany - a cruise is ultimately nothing else. "The large ships have even more people on board," emphasizes the head of the ship's doctor's exchange.
Keeping a safe distance can offer protection against infection, the best is two meters. "You can't do that on a cruise ship," says Ottomann. "It starts with the embarkation."
Corona infected people are free of symptoms for a long time
The ship's doctor also sees no definitive protection in hygiene measures: "I haven't had any symptoms in Corona for a long time, that's insidious and the difference to the norovirus." According to experts, the incubation period is up to 14 days. That is why measures such as measuring the temperature when embarking are "pure eyewashing": "I have long since been infected." Once brought on board, the corona virus can spread quickly and practically unhindered.
The doctor points out that the ship clinics are well equipped - right up to the intensive care unit. Nevertheless, he advises: "People over 60 and with previous illnesses are definitely not advised to go on a cruise."
Price reduction when changing the route
Legally, changes to a promised cruise route are considered a lack of travel. "This corrects for a price reduction," explains Prof. Ernst Führich, an expert in travel law. And if it is already clear before a tour that most of the ports cannot be reached, the travel contract can be canceled free of charge.
Many shipping companies meanwhile show themselves generous when making new bookings: "The shipping companies now offer special accommodating rebooking and cancellation rules," says Detlef Schäferjohann from the E-hoi portal. "Not everyone who books now will end up being committed to a cruise." The motto is "book without risk".
"The shipping companies are trying not to cancel everything head-on-head and are happy about everyone who now books long-term in advance at the currently low prices," says the industry expert. "The prices were reduced considerably in the short term, sometimes even halved."
However, it is at least questionable whether that is enough to currently attract vacationers to a cruise.
Travel and safety information for Malaysia
Report from "Reisevor9" on the attack on Reunion Island
Disease Control Notice to Cruises
AA information on Covid-19
Action in the Seychelles
Costa suspends cruises - Hurtigruten offers rebooking
Because of the new corona virus, more and more cruise lines are changing their plans. The Italian shipping company Costa announced on Friday that it will voluntarily cancel its trips worldwide by April 3. The Norwegian shipping company Hurtigruten announced free rebooking of cruises on Friday.
Costa ships that are currently on the move should only end their voyages to let the guests disembark, the company said. Previously, it had already announced that tours with departures by April 30 can be rebooked once and free of charge on another sea trip with departure by February 2021.
The rebooking must be made by March 27, 2020 at the latest. The following applies: If the value of the new trip is higher than that of the originally booked cruise, Costa calculates the price difference. Costa is particularly affected by the current Coronavirus emergency in Italy.
With Hurtigruten, customers can rebook their already booked cruise free of charge until summer 2021, as the provider announced. This applies to all trips departing between March 12 and June 30, 2020. The date of the new trip must be between July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2021. The offer also applies to new bookings until the end of April 2020. In addition, all bookings must be made by this deadline. Anyone who rebooks will receive a credit, which also includes the flight, provided that it was booked via Hurtigruten.
Hurtigruten is best known for its post boat trips along the Norwegian coast. According to the Federal Foreign Office, all "non-Nordic countries" traveling to Norway since March 12 must expect to be rejected or obliged to quarantine for 14 days.