Royal Caribbean said that COVID-19 testing is very likely for passengers to board their cruise ships when cruising resumes.
Royal Caribbean’s CEO Michael Bayley held a Q&A session with members of the media this morning during the cruise line’s quarterly earnings call.
During the call, Bayley said that COVID testing was very relevant and “It’s very likely that testing will occur”. He went on to say that discussions are underway and all of their health protocols are currently under review with their health panel. He also said that “Testing is part of the thinking but we have not yet reached a point in our protocols where we’re ready to publish and release for discussion.”
Royal Caribbean expects cruising to rebound in 2021 due to pent up demand.
Royal Caribbean Group reported a loss of $1.6 billion for the second quarter.
The company is in the process of disposing three cruise ships and said that they will evaluate the possibility of eliminating more ships in the future.
COVID-19 has impacted shipyard operations and will result in delivery delays for newbuilds. Currently, Royal Caribbean Group expects that three of the five ships originally scheduled for delivery between July of 2020 and December of 2021 will be delivered within the remaining time frame.
