New coronavirus warning brings more uncertainty to Seattle’s cruise ship season

SEATTLE — After waiting off the California coast for days, the Grand Princess on Monday docked in Oakland.

Of the 3,500 people aboard, 21 had confirmed cases of coronavirus.

The same ship is scheduled in Seattle April 1 to kick off the Alaska cruise season.

"Of course, we're cautious," said Kim Anderson of Seattle.

Anderson and her husband are booked for a July trip from Seattle on Norwegian Cruise Lines, which has a new a flexible cancellation policy.

"We'll go as planned and be smart and if something comes up prior to, then we'll make that decision when it comes," Anderson said.

On Monday the State Department and Centers for Disease Control recommended U.S. citizens, particularly those with underlying conditions, not travel by cruise ship.

Industry leaders call the announcement a surprise.

It came two days after they met with Vice President Mike Pence on new safety protocols.

Port of Seattle officials said none of the 233 sailings scheduled this year have been canceled, yet.

"We are looking at all options for the beginning of the cruise season," said port spokesperson Peter McGraw.

The cruise industry employs a lot of people in Seattle, and the port says every time a ship docks, it injects $4 million into the Seattle economy.

"It's huge business for us," said Alex Vaughan, a manager at Piroshky Piroshky in Pike Place Market.

The bakery is working on plans to sell more to locals if the cruise business dries up.

"We're hoping that everything kind of calms down quickly and people aren't afraid to go on the cruises," said Greg Ioka, also a manager at Piroshky Piroshky.

"I think by the end of the month if the coronavirus is subsiding and things have normalized then we can have close to a normal cruise season for Alaska," said Ross Klein of Memorial University in Newfoundland, who studies the cruise industry.

But if the outbreak escalates, that's another story.

Klein says, at some point, we can expect a big public relations campaign to convince people cruise ships are safe, plus deep discounts with cruises selling for as little as $50 a day.

"It costs them money but it's almost the only way they can go because they earn more in onboard spending then they do in ticket sales," Klein said.

Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are offering free cruises to firefighters who responded to the Australian brush fires.

Klein said if those firefighters come off the ship without getting sick, that will also help convince people cruising is safe.

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