Royal Caribbean’s Richard Fain: Now is ‘Not a Time to Panic’

In a video message to its travel advisor partners today, Royal Caribbean’s Richard Fain said that despite the media coverage making it “really easy to think that the world is coming to an end…it’s not.”

Fain wanted Royal’s advisors, whether booking Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea, or Azamara, to know that this is not a time for panic, neither on a personal front or on a business front, despite concerns over the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

“This is a tough time, a really tough time, and all of us know it because we are all going through it together…As with most storms, it gets worse before it gets better, but its hard to remember that this too shall pass.” 

Royal, Fain said, is hurting because of the impact that coronavirus has had, including canceling sailings, losing revenue, and working long hours, but the concerns will pass, just like other pandemics and other major events that disrupted travel. 

“In each case, it felt to me at least that the rough seas were never going to end, but in each case they did,” he said. 

He also wanted advisors to know that “none of us is going to go through this alone.” 

“The bad news is that we’re in a tough patch, the good news is that we’re in it together and together we’ll get to the better part sooner than you think.” 

Ship orders are also on schedule for Royal and Celebrity Apex is still scheduled to debut later this month.