Carnival Cruise Line CEO: ‘Our Priority is Public Health’

Carnival Cruise Line CEO Arnold Donald recently said the hope from within the industry is that voyages would once again begin sailing in the near future.

According to Yahoo Finance, Donald revealed that cruises are expected to resume in Germany in August and there are signs that Italy could begin allowing vessels to dock in the country in the coming months.

There has been positive news, as Carnival’s AIDA brand has received clearance to sail again in Germany and overall bookings for 2021 have been stronger than expected due to deep discounts and lower prices.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended its No Sail Order for cruise ships through September 30, but the Carnival CEO remains hopeful voyages will be approved soon thanks to the health and safety changes being implemented by the industry.

“We are doing what we need to do to start cruising,” Donald said during the All Markets Summit Extra event. “Our priority is public health… there is so much yet to learn about COVID-19.”

Donald and the Carnival executive team are working hard to keep the cruise line in a position to resume sailings again when permitted, while also adapting to the everchanging protocols related to the viral pandemic.

The CEO believes the cruise industry may not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2022.