Coronavirus: Royal Caribbean resumes Hong Kong ‘cruises to nowhere’ after 21-day ban over infected crew member
- Spectrum of the Seas sets sail for first time in three weeks as government-imposed ban expires
- Most guests with reservations for the six cancelled voyages rebook for a later date, company says, but refuses to comment on financial impact of the saga
A spokesman for the company said the “majority of affected guests” chose to rebook but he declined to comment on the total losses incurred from the cancellation of six voyages between October 22 and November 10.
With the ban now lapsed, Royal Caribbean’s Spectrum of the Seas set sail at 7pm for a three-night excursion into international waters with no port of call. The Hong Kong Cruise Society estimated that 1,300 people were on board.
Frederick Yip, executive director of travel agency Goldjoy Group, said about 60 per cent of affected passengers who were booked on the Spectrum of the Seas through its online platform for the subsequently cancelled services had decided to postpone their trips to a later date.
“Many of them actually chose to rebook their sailings for this week because they really want to get on the ship,” Yip said.
He said the other 40 per cent mainly chose to cancel their bookings and get a refund, suggesting it was difficult for many of them to secure time off work again for the journeys.
“Both the cruise line and travel agents had never really anticipated such a large volume of refunds over such a short period,’ Yip said.
He said customers as a whole were not spooked by the suspension, noting that many people saw it as an overreaction from the government, with sales holding up through travel agents offering discounts.
