Carnival Cruise Line is offering passengers up to $200 of onboard credit if they keep their scheduled bookings through May 31 (CCL)

Carnival Cruise Line is offering passengers up to $200 worth of extra credit if they keep their bookings through May 31, 2020.
Guests who choose to keep their upcoming bookings will receive the money as onboard credits, which function like money and can be used drinks, excursions, and other purchases on board.
The cruise giant is also allowing passengers who decide to cancel their trip to move their booking to a new date and receive future credit in the amount of the non-refundable cancellation fee.
Last month, the Diamond Princess ship, operated by Carnival subsidiary Princess Cruises, was quarantined for two weeks in Japan after passengers tested positive for coronavirus. More than 700 passengers have been infected since.
And the Grand Princess, also operated by Princess Cruises, has been docked off the coast of San Francisco as US health authorities investigate coronavirus cases associated with the ship's previous voyage.
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Carnival Cruise Line is offering passengers up to $200 worth of extra credit if they keep their bookings through May 31 as the cruise industry takes a hit over concerns about the new coronavirus.

The cruise giant sent out a letter to passengers on Thursday informing them of several options tey can take if their vacations had been planned between March 6, 2020 and May 31, 2020.

Guests who choose to keep their upcoming bookings will receive the money as onboard credits, which function like money and can be used for drinks, excursions, and other purchases made on board.

Here's how the credits will be distributed

$100 credit per cabin for passengers on three- or four-day cruises
$150 credit per cabin for those on five-day cruises
$200 credit per cabin for those on six-day or longer cruises

The credit will be automatically applied to the passengers' accounts, the cruise line said.

The cruise line also provided additional rescheduling options in case some holidaymakers chose to postpone their travels until after the coronavirus becomes less of a public-health threat.

Guests that booked prior to March 6, 2020, and who decide to cancel their trip, will be allowed to move their booking to a new date and receive a future credit in the amount of the company's non-refundable cancellation fee.

The credit must be used before March 31, 2021.

The company's policy shift comes after several of its ships were impacted by the coronavirus.

The Diamond Princess cruise ship , operated by Carnival subsidiary Princess Cruises, was quarantined for two weeks in Japan's Yokohama port last month after several passengers tested positive for coronavirus.

In total, over 700 passengers from the ship have tested positive for the virus, and six people have died from the illness.

And most recently, the Grand Princess cruise ship, also operated by Princess Cruises, has been docked off the coast of San Francisco as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigates a number of coronavirus cases associated with the ship's previous voyage.

On Wednesday, California announced its first coronavirus death : A passenger that had traveled aboard the Grand Princess last month. According to Princess Cruises , there are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 the formal name for the disease onboard the ship currently.

Carnival shares took a major hit on Thursday amid coronavirus panic, tumbling as much as 15%. Its market value has plunged by nearly 50% since the coronavirus outlook started .

The US has reported at least 232 coronavirus cases in total across 19 states, including 61 in California .

Twelve people in the US have died from the coronavirus : 11 in Washington state and one in California .

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