How will cruise lines decide whether to cruise or cancel?
Hide Transcript Show Transcript  STEWART: ANOTHER MAJOR CRUISE LINE IS REPORTING POSITIVE CORONAVIRUS CASES. THIS TIME, ROYAL CARIBBEAN IS BEING FORCED TO POSTPONE THE ODYSSEY OF THE SEAS SCHEDULED CARIBBEAN VOYAGES OUT OF FORT LAUDERDALE. OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, THE JULY CRUISES WILL BE DELAYED AND PASSENGERS WHO WERE BOOKED ON THE ODYSSEY WILL BE GIVEN OTHER OPTIONS. THE DELAY MAKES IT CLEAR CRUISING IS STILL NO SURE THING. SUMMER: WERE LOOKING INTO WHAT PASSENGERS CAN EXPECT, AND HOW LIKELY MORE DELAYS MIGHT BE, AS THE INDUSTRY STRUGGLES TO SAIL. WESH 2S N DABILLOW IINS PORT CANAVERAL. DAN: THATS A BIT OF A MOVING TARGET. BUT EXPERTS SAY WHAT THEMOY WANT TO AVOID IS A BIG COVID OUTBREAK THAT WOULD SCARE PASSENGERS AWAY. SO CRUISE LINES WILL BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL AND READY TO DELAY ANY CRSEUI. >> WE WILL NOT RESTART ANY SPHI UNLESS AND UNTIL WE ARE CONFIDENT OF TWO THINGS, FIRSTLY, THAT IT IS SAFE TDO SO, AND MORE SO THAN SHORE SIDE EQUIVALENTS. DAN: ROYAL CARIBBEANS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER SAID LAST WEEK ANY CRUISE THEY MAKE HAS TO ABE SUCCESS. >> AND SECONDLY, THAT THE EXPERIENCE ONBOARD MEETS OUR EXACTING EXPECTATION INCS,LUNGDI GUEST RATINGS OF THE CRUISE AT LEAST EQUAL TO WHAT THEY WERE PRE-PANDIC.EM DAN: THE CRUISE LINE BACKED THAT UP THIS EKWE WHEN IT DECIDED TO DELAY THE FIRST CRUISE OF THE BIG NEW ODYSSEY OF THE SEAS FROM FORT LAUDERDALE BY ABOUT A MONTH. EIGHT CREWMEMBERS ON THE SHIP HAVE TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID-19. THEY HAD ALL BEEN VACCINATED BEFORE BEING TESTED, BUT THE 14-DAY WAITING PERIOD FOR THE SHOTS TO BECOME FULLY EFFECTIVE WOULD NOT EXPIRE UNTIL JUNE 18. SO THE CRUISE LINE WANTS TO WAIT OUT E THCREWMEMBS'E QUARANTINE PERIOD AND THEN SOME BEFORE SENDING THEM TO SEA WITH PASSENGERS. IT CANNOT AFFORD A BIG OUTBREAK ONBOARD. CRUISE LINES DONT HAVE LIMSIT ON HOW MANY CREWMEMBERS OR PASSENGERS MUST BE AFFECTED BEFORE A CRUISE IS CANCED.LE LAST WEEK THE CELEBRITY MILLENNIUM SHIP HAD TWO CREWMEMBERS TEST POSITIVE DURING THE UICRSE. THE VOYAGE CONTINUED AS PLANNED. THE GOAL FOR A SLLHIPS IS TO VACCINATE AND TEST SO MANY PASSENGE ANDRS CREW THATHE T SHIPS ACT LIKE A COVID-FREE BUBBLE. Share Shares Copy Link Copy  A delay in the first cruise of a Royal Caribbean ship from South Florida makes it clear cruising is still no sure thing.WESH 2 News is looking into what passengers can expect, and how likely more delays might be, as the industry struggles to be afloat. Thatll be a bit of a moving target, but experts say what they most want to avoid is a major COVID-19 outbreak, one that could scare customers away from cruising. So cruise lines will be extremely careful, and ready to delay any cruise. "We will not restart any ship, unless and until we are confident of two things: Firstly, that it is safe to do so, and more so than shoreside equivalents," Royal Caribbean CEO Richard Fain.Fain said last week any cruise they make has to be a success. "And secondly, that the experience onboard meets our exacting expectations, including guest ratings of the cruise at least what they were pre-pandemic," Fain said.The cruise line backed that up this week when it decided to delay the first cruise of the big new Odyssey of the Seas from Fort Lauderdale by about a month. Eight crew members on the ship have tested positive for COVID-19. They had all been vaccinated before being tested, but the 14-day waiting period for the shots to become fully effective does not expire until June 18. So the cruise line wants to wait out the crewmembers quarantine period and then some before sending them to sea with passengers. It cannot afford a big outbreak onboard.Cruise lines dont have limits on how many crewmembers or passengers must be affected before a cruise is canceled. Last week the Celebrity Millennium ship had two crewmembers test positive during the cruise. The voyage continued as planned.The goal for all ships is to vaccinate and test so many passengers and crewmembers that the ships act like a COVID-19-free bubble. Passengers are advised to keep in mind that all the cruise lines intend to act like Royal Caribbean, and will not hesitate to delay the earliest cruises.