Will the Hurricanes Help or Harm the Cruise Industry?

I think in the short run, it will hurt the industry but in the long run things will eventually turnaround. The ships will just use different ports of call. I am hoping for the best but realistically, it will take a long time for some of the islands to rebuild.

I say sell because most of the ships being built, or contracted, are destined for the Caribbean. Sell now, buy back when they drop. MO, and only MO.

My stock market record ain't too good. Buy high, sell low, and make it up in volume ( or take the tax write off ), isn't a real good model.

Funny you say sell stock ... I was actually thinking of buying stock because I see them capturing a whole new market of people who usually fly to islands and stay at resorts ...

The cruise lines won't spend a dime on the rebuild ... lots of show of assistance now but they will simply sail right by when it comes down to the aftermath IMO ....

As of yet, no one has stated given a timeframe for short and long term issues, so here is my take. First of all, sell your cruise line stocks. It will have to be the cruise lines who will foot most of the rebuilding costs, especially around the port areas.

Cancelling all or part of a cruise leaves a bad taste in people's mouths. They will find other ways to spend their vacation dollars.

The other problem will be, if during the rebuilding process, another storm hits. Smaller vendors will abandon the islands.

Bookings will slow to a crawl during hurricane season, but this will create a glut of post season bookings. Top excurions will be viewing the devastation.

Beneficiaries may be Mexican Riviera, Alaska, and Panama Canal crossings.

All very good points.

People who have never cruised to the Caribbean don't really know what islands or ports they will be "missing" and the beautiful beaches and ocean will still be gorgeous. News Alert for Snorkelers and Scuba Divers: In addition to normal marine life, watch for household objects and vehicles to be sitting at the bottom of the ocean ... Off my St Croix shore, friends used to scuba dive for lobster and there was an entire wrought iron patio set sitting on the ocean floor ....

All inclusive resorts have a bigger hurdle than ports to overcome because if they do not address the mold issue wrought by storms and water (many don't - they clean up the mud and call it good) they will begin to have very sick guests who are being contaminated by what lurks in the walls...

Thanks for this link, Debbie. It is very helpful!

Interesting question. I hang with those who believe it will be detrimental in the short run, at best, and at the worst have an adverse impact for five to ten years. In that investors regarded the Caribbean visitor market to be over supplied to begin with it might not hurt to see some slackening in cruise line exploitation of the sightseeing resource there.

We have visited most of the Caribbean islands, more than once, over the years, but, with one exception, we were going to or coming from other places, i.e. the Amazon, circumnavigation of South American, TA to Europe and Africa, the North American west coast and the Pacific. The exception was a two week cruise just sailing around the Caribbean less than two years ago, due the overcrowded conditions at most ports of call on that voyage, afterward we decided we weren't going to do that again.

Another looming question with regard to all this, is what happens if these storms continue to become more frequent and larger? For those who believe world climate change to be a hoax then they have nothing to be concerned about. If however, that be not the case, then those dependent upon the tourist trade in low countries or islands better start looking for broader horizons.

I am very realistic about how long it will take for the hardest hit islands to recover and no matter how much they tout their desire to come back strong ... it may take years not months. The ports may reopen but there will be few choices for "excursions" in many of them. Remember that most of the tour buses, boats etc were damaged as well. You can definitely cross zip lining off my list as I would never trust the safety of it after going through a hurricane / storm nor would I trust it was safety tested afterwards. They will cut corners...

The following link is a good one to check out caribbean updates on your favorite islands:

http://caribbeantravelupdate.com/

This really is a good question, I think in the short term yes the cruise lines will be hurt. These past hurricanes will scare off some first time cruisers and some that have been on the fence. Those of us that are addicted will continue to cruise, probably do a bit more research and may even choose destinations that we may not have considered in the past. I also think we might began to see the cruise lines pushing new campaigns to attract new or keep engaged past cruisers. I'm hoping for some interesting creative marketing to come from the cruise lines. As for the islands there is alot of rebuilding that will need to be done and hopefully as this planning gets on the way maybe new ports and islands will be opened to offer new adventures. Guess we just have to wait and see.