European river cruise operators are bracing for the unknown as they prepare to open the 2020 season.
Even before President Trump on Wednesday night sharply restricted incoming travel from Europe for 30 days, river cruise companies said bookings were down and cancellations were up at a time when they are normally selling the last of their inventory for the season.
This week's advisories from the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention certainly didn't help. And the surprise Trump announcement Wednesday took that uncertainty to a whole new level.
Also on Wednesday, Viking said it was canceling all river and ocean cruises until May 1. Most river companies begin their European sailings in early April.
Rudi Schreiner, co-founder and president of AmaWaterways, said travelers are basically in a wait-and-see stance.
"I'm prepared for the worst," he said. "Then it can only get better."
Like the ocean cruise industry, river companies have responded by offering unprecedented flexibility in their change and cancellation policies.
Riviera River Cruises this week changed their policy to let passengers cancel for a future credit as late as 24 hours before a sailing. Avalon's policy allows canceling for a future credit up to three days before sailing. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has a two-week window. And AmaWaterways is letting passengers buy their cancel-anytime-for-any-reason insurance at any time. It used to only be available at the time of booking.
"A lot of people are postponing, but a lot of people are not," said Ellen Bettridge, CEO of Uniworld. "It's amazing how many people are still on board."
Marilyn Conroy, executive vice president for Riviera River Cruises, said the eased cancellation policies are unprecedented for the cruise industry
"Quite frankly, I'm surprised the river or ocean lines didn't take a more hard-line approach," she said. "We relaxed ours because everybody else relaxed theirs."
Pamela Hoffee, managing director of Avalon, which along with its parent company, Globus, was an early leader in easing cancellation policies, said that the flexibility they are offering "is generous, but we hope people will stay with us and not worry what if."
Indeed, instead of walking away from their plans, Conroy said passengers who are uneasy about traveling in the near future are rebooking for later in the year.
So while the ships might launch this spring much emptier than planned, fall sailings are filling up fast, the companies aid.
Hoffee says 2021 is also selling well, in part because of rebookings from 2020.