'This is a tough time, a really tough time, and all of us know it because all of us are going through it together,' the Royal Caribbean chairman and CEO said. 'And after enough challenging days for your business, after reading enough of the endless media reports about coronavirus, it's really easy to think that the world is coming to an end.
'Well, I have a spoiler alert: It's not.'
Natural to worry in a storm
Fain continued: 'We're all spending time worrying and that's natural, because we're in a storm. And when you're in the middle of a storm, it certainly feels like it'll never end. But as with most storms, it gets worse before it gets better. It's hard to remember this, too, shall pass.
'And while the virus is to be taken seriously, it's not a cause for panic — not in a personal sense, and not in a business sense either.'
Like you, we're hurting
Fain acknowledged the impact on RCL's business 'ain't pretty. There's a technical term I learned in business school: It sucks.
'Like you, we're hurting. We've had to cancel cruises, we've lost revenue and our people are putting in long days looking out for the health and safety of our guests and crew.
'But we've absolutely sailed through rough waters like this before, and we've weathered every storm, side by side, with you.'
Fain recalled 9/11, the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, the Ebola scare.
'In each one, it felt to me like the rough seas were never going to end, but in each case they did.'
Walking the walk
'We are a strong and growing company in a strong and growing industry, and that's the walk we're walking. Because when this is finally behind us, and it will be behind us, we are going to be in a position to take advantage and move forward at a fast pace, and you will be, too.'
'The bad news is 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.'
The video is here.
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