ST. LOUIS — St. Louisan Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corp. (NYSE: CCL), is optimistic that his fleet soon will be cruising.
"What I will predict is this: I think that certainly by the end of this year, most, if not all, of our fleet, I’m optimistic, will be in action," Donald told industry workers last week during a webcast. "I think there’s a really high probability that all of them will be back by early next year if things continue to progress the way they have."
Donald said the multiple COVID-19 vaccines, better treatments and low-cost testing bode well for the resumption of cruising, which has been suspended during the epidemic. "The knowledge about COVID has changed. The ability to manage Covid has changed. All these things have moved in a positive direction," he said.
Donald said that the cruise company has not yet decided whether to require passengers or crew to be vaccinated for COVID-19. "I won't jump the gun to say it will be mandated, but I will say it's in everyone's best interest that everyone is vaccinated over time," he said. "We'll let the medical experts and scientists tell us."
Donald cautioned that the resumption of cruising will be gradual. "All the destinations aren’t going to open simultaneously at once,” he said, given differences in regulations and local conditions.
“We’ve gone almost a full year without people being able to get their cruise fix, so there’s plenty of pent-up demand," he said.
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