Royal Caribbean Cancels Cruises to Avoid Coronavirus Outbreak

Royal Caribbean International announced Thursday it had canceled 18 cruises in Southeast Asia as a result of the ongoing coronavirus-outbreak.html” target=”_self” rel=”nofollow noopener noreferrer”>coronavirus outbreak.

According to Reuters.com, Royal Caribbean officials revealed the 18 canceled cruises would result in a drop of 65 cents per share as part of the cruise line’s full-year earnings. If the company cancels its remaining sailings in Asia through the end of April, the earnings per share will drop by another 55 cents in 2020.

Royal Caribbean recently revealed its 2020 adjusted earnings forecast, but the viral outbreak which originated in China’s Hubei province will impact the bottom line. As a result, the cruise line’s stock prices dropped, dragging down other companies like Carnival Corporation and Norwegian Cruise Line.

In total, the coronavirus has killed more than 1,300 people and impacted the travel industry with restrictions and cancellations throughout Southeast Asia.

Carnival also announced earlier this week it had suspended cruise operations at ports in China

Last week, Norwegian Cruise Line canceled all Asia-bound sailings aboard Norwegian Spirit from April 15 through December 7 due to growing concerns regarding coronavirus.

In addition, Holland America’s MS Westerdam was finally able to anchor in Cambodia Friday after being blocked from docking at several ports in Asia due to concerns about the viral outbreak.