Seattle takes another hit with Carnival canceling rest of cruise season through city
May 5, 2020, 6:39 AM | Updated: 8:49 am
A cruise ship on the Seattle waterfront. (KIRO 7 image, file photo)
(KIRO 7 image, file photo)
More bad news for Seattle’s tourism industry: Carnival Cruise Line has canceled the rest of its season through Seattle.
Port of Seattle looks to protect workers by delaying cruise season indefinitely
Carnival announced its plans to restart its cruising on Monday. It includes sailings out of Texas and Florida, starting August 1, but it did not include any sailings out of Seattle.
According to The Seattle Times, that cuts 11 potential sailings from the city that were scheduled after July 1, which is the earliest sailing could begin out of the city. Each sailing represents more than $4 million in economic impact to the city.
There have been nearly 100 canceled vessel calls so far this season, which was set to start the first week of April.
Port Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck has said they won’t allow cruise ships to sail until they know they are safe.
“The Port, cruise lines, first responders and local leaders will continue to evaluate the public health landscape in the region as we determine the appropriate start to the cruise season,” he said.
Puget Sound Pilots keep cargo and passengers moving during pandemic
That’s if there will be a cruise season at all.
Five other cruise lines sail out of Seattle. They have not made any official announcements on their plans after July 1.
The cruise season supports about 5,500 regional jobs. More than a million people were expected to pass through Seattle getting on or off their cruises.
