NORWEGIAN Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) Chief Executive Officer Frank Del Rio has admitted a full relaunch of cruise operations will take “six months”, despite revealing cruises could return in a limited capacity later this year. Speaking on the company’s second quarter earnings call, Del Rio conceded the NCLH fleet would...
NORWEGIAN Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH) Chief Executive Officer Frank Del Rio has admitted a full relaunch of cruise operations will take “six months”, despite revealing cruises could return in a limited capacity later this year.
Speaking on the company’s second quarter earnings call, Del Rio conceded the NCLH fleet would not likely return until the northern spring next year, but flagged limited-capacity cruises could begin as early as Nov.
Del Rio estimated capacity will start out around 50% or 60%, with a full relaunch to then take about six months.
Despite reporting an adjusted net loss of US$666.4 million in its second quarter, Del Rio noted business is “relatively strong”, with NCLH seeing demand for cruises in 2021.
The company’s overall cumulative booked position for 2021 is within its historical range, including bookings made with future cruise credits, NCLH’s earnings report noted.
Roughly 60% of guests booked on cancelled cruises are now electing to take full refunds, with Del Rio saying this did not represent any major shift in consumer behaviour.
NCLH also said it was not planning to sell any of its ships, with Del Rio adding his confidence the company had secured the required liquidity to weather the ongoing pandemic.
Pictured: Norwegian Sun.
