Coloradans worry cruises and airlines will cancel trips amid COVID-19 concerns

Residents in southern Colorado say they're worried about upcoming travel plans if the new coronavirus outbreaks keep rising.

Kristine, who lives in Pueblo, says she booked a Disney cruise 14 months ago, but is now wondering whether the trip will be cancelled.

Kristine says her concerns come as U.S. health officials warn people to avoid traveling by cruises.

"Last night was kind of the final blow when they said 'Do not board a cruise ship,'" she said. "And it's like: 'Okay. They're telling us to not board. If we board, what are the consequences?'"

Kristine was planning on traveling with her husband and their son's family, but now she is leaning toward not boarding the cruise.

“I don’t think that it’s wise to travel at this point," she said. "Going through airports, getting on airplanes. I just feel that we should probably cancel."

If her family were to cancel, Disney announced that customers could obtain a 100 percent of their cruise credit to reschedule a trip within a year. But Kristine says the company should offer full refunds as well or instead allow people to reschedule within two years.

"Going forward companies should be a little bit more lenient on things like this because no one had any control over it," Kristine said.

Governor Jared Polis also announced Tuesday that Colorado is in a state of emergency due to the spread of COVID-19. Polis said there are 15 presumptive cases of novel coronavirus in the state.