Nieuw Amsterdam - December 14th - Azipod failure

[WScruiser]

My understanding is that if you used flight ease they are rebooking for you.  I think they are also covering flight cancellation and change fees

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, Radbooks said:

I think I'd try and find a nice hotel and spend the rest of the time there and enjoy Florida and fly home on my regular flight.

 

People might have no choice IF they can find a hotel and hopefully, at a reasonable price.  Peak season.

[MisterBill99]

12 minutes ago, WScruiser said:

New info on disembarkation etc.  HAL is doing a pretty good job of communicating- guests can self-disembark now with all shipboard charges reversed plus a full refund of cruise fare, prepaid  excursions etc. plus a 100% future cruise credit equal to fees paid for this trip.  Terrible end to a great vacation,  but HAL is doing the best it can.

 

While it sucks that they had to cancel the cruise, the compensation being offered is extremely generous, so no one should feel that they have a reason to complain. I don't know what happened that caused the azipod to be damaged (I saw the whale rumor) but you can't say it is HAL's fault.

[WScruiser]

3 minutes ago, Radbooks said:

I think I'd try and find a nice hotel and spend the rest of the time there and enjoy Florida and fly home on my regular flight.

That’s what we are going to do.  I cannot reschedule my vacation at this point so we’re going to rent a car and head out

[Radbooks]

1 minute ago, kazu said:

 

People might have no choice IF they can find a hotel and hopefully, at a reasonable price.  Peak season.

True, but better than having to do this next week!

[Copper10-8]

6 minutes ago, Radbooks said:

I think I'd try and find a nice hotel and spend the rest of the time there and enjoy Florida and fly home on my regular flight.

 

I think I would take a drive to Orlando or Key West and spend my vacation there depending on hotel availability

[HAL Sailer]

2 minutes ago, WScruiser said:

That’s what we are going to do.  I cannot reschedule my vacation at this point so we’re going to rent a car and head out

What a great idea and positive approach to a disappointing situation. Enjoy Florida. May the sun shine on you!

[MisterBill99]

33 minutes ago, sail7seas said:

Maybe HAL's  powers that be will learn a lesson from having NO experienced CD on that large ship and   knows that a REAL CD  would  have reams of  tried and tested  activities to entertains cruisers.   AND HOW about a CRUIe staff for that CD?  How dos one have 'fun games' if there is no one to start and organize the 'fun'. a?   BUDGET cutting gone  amuck..............      Big loss  for tiny savings !!  Good  investment to staff the fun department properly ?

 

We here in  this CC forum   have discussed  lackof  real CD;'s several times lately.

 

Maybe HAL might finally figure out we may sometimes   actually  know about what we speak   We are just the flesh and blood that  put our heads in their beds and open our wallets to do so

 

I'm not sure that the need for a real CD and activities staff will be one of their "lessons learned" from this experience. Given how infrequently something like this happens, I can't see it impacting their decision to get rid of non-trivia activities.

[wesport]

Those of us boarding next Saturday will just have to watch and wait. Glad I live in Fort Lauderdale. 

[MISTER 67]

35 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

People might have no choice IF they can find a hotel and hopefully, at a reasonable price.  Peak season.

We live in Florida and I worked at the Nalpes Beach Hotel and Golf Club, peak season is from after the holidays or early January to late March or early April. 

[robear14]

Does anyone happen to have a copy of the cruise cancellation letter if there is one?

 

We're booked on NA for the 1/4 sailing. We didn't have anything planned at any of the ports other than beaches and shopping. I'd hate to have our cruise cancelled though...

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Chief, a couple of questions.

 

It sounds like the azipod is out of service for some time.  How much of a problem would it be for the ship to sail several cruises on one azipod?  I'm pretty sure you have said that the majority of ocean shipping sails with just one propeller.  Is it that big a problem for a cruise ship?

 

When major repairs are required, how possible would it be to get it done somewhere on this side of the Atlantic in a reasonable time frame?

 

Thanks.

 

Roy

It's done all the time.  Carnival did it in Alaska back a few years for nearly two years until drydock.  What is can mean is that in certain countries, like the US, the USCG will require an escort tug to follow the ship from the sea buoy to the dock and back out to the sea buoy, since the ship no longer has redundant steering.

 

Even if the azipod is completely out of service, there is no guarantee that it requires a drydock to fix it, though the #2 drydock in Grand Bahamas would take the NA.  From the descriptions of a loud bang, it sounds like one of the power units for the azipod blew a semi-conductor.  These power supplies take the 10,000 volt, 60 Hz power the generators supply, and condition it to about 6,000-8000 volt, variable frequency power.  The motor on the azipod needs a variable frequency to run at variable speeds.  This kind of repair can be done without a drydocking. 

[MisterBill99]

3 minutes ago, robear14 said:

Does anyone happen to have a copy of the cruise cancellation letter if there is one?

 

We're booked on NA for the 1/4 sailing. We didn't have anything planned at any of the ports other than beaches and shopping. I'd hate to have our cruise cancelled though...

 

The 1/2 Koningsdam sailing (10 nights) is really cheap. Not sure if you're flying down early enough to catch it (or if HAL would let you switch sailings at this point).

Edited December 15, 2019 by MisterBill99

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

Here's a comparison with a twin engine aeroplane. With only one engine, the plane could make it to the nearest airport. With zero engines, the plane becomes a...... glider.

 

With two thousand civilians on board (many with mobility issues), no sane captain would risk an evacuation like the Viking ship off Norway.

 

 

But, with no engines a ship does not sink.  As I've said, there is nothing in any law or international agreement that makes a ship with a single engine "unsafe", and as I've said, it has been done many times before, by many cruise lines.  I can think of Viking, NCL, Carnival, HAL, and Princess right off the top of my head that have sailed with either one azipod or one propulsion motor.

[daisy-mae]

1 hour ago, MISTER 67 said:

If you're talking about modern day jet airliners, they don't glide. 

 

Some do. Ever hear of the Gimli Glider?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

 

[DeeniEncinitas]

1 hour ago, WScruiser said:

New info on disembarkation etc.  HAL is doing a pretty good job of communicating- guests can self-disembark now with all shipboard charges reversed plus a full refund of cruise fare, prepaid  excursions etc. plus a 100% future cruise credit equal to fees paid for this trip.  Terrible end to a great vacation,  but HAL is doing the best it can.

 

Guests can also use the ship as a hotel tonight, and leave tomorrow 

I am so upset for all those people and there wonderful cruise!! Sooooo happy knowing that HAL has come through with a great compensation!! We were on Oosterdam back 2006/2007 !!! I remember we got some kind of compensation but quite honestly I asked my husband and we can not remember. 

Denise😊

[SumoCitrus]

All planes glide. Some more efficiently than others.

[robear14]

6 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

The 1/2 Koningsdam sailing (10 nights) is really cheap. Not sure if you're flying down early enough to catch it (or if HAL would let you switch sailings at this point).

Funny you should say that - I'm on the Holland site now looking at options, and that one stood out!

We've communicated that to our travel agent, so we'll see what happens. Luckily we have a lot of flexibility before the cruise, so it's definitely a possibility. HAL recently changed our 10 day January 2021 cruise to skip one of the ABCs so it would be nice to get all of them!

The other thing is we have the drink package on the NA voyage; I doubt it would transfer over.

[rucrazy]

54 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

I think I would take a drive to Orlando or Key West and spend my vacation there depending on hotel availability

or even sobe if you want to party!

[MisterBill99]

2 hours ago, sail7seas said:

WHAT in the world do   mechanical disruptions have t o do with itips for those  crew members whom we always tip?  I am  struggling hard to find even a tiny  connection and am failing miserably. WHo W would think  to connect

 a cabin or dinings teward to a delay in sailing? 

 

Yes,  HAL will  respond  and react appropriately to total loss of tips due to a cancellation cruise. 

 

 

Since you responded to me, I wanted to point out that I was not the one who brought up the concern about tips for the crew, I was merely responding that it was a minor issue at the point when there was serious consideration being given to cancelling the cruise. Now that the sailing has actually been cancelled and all charges reversed, HAL will have to figure out how to compensate their crew. The good news is they get a few days off and can presumably get off the ship, at least during the day.

[MisterBill99]

58 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

I think I would take a drive to Orlando or Key West and spend my vacation there depending on hotel availability

 

You can even just stay in Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood. There's a new Hard Rock hotel that just opened and is shaped like a guitar.

[cat shepard]

1 minute ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

You can even just stay in Fort Lauderdale or Hollywood. There's a new Hard Rock hotel that just opened and is shaped like a guitar.

or Key Largo with an amazing state park at your doorstep, and sunsets that rival Key West & Hawai’i. There is a Hampton Inn that is a great place to stay. Water toys to rent. Nice pool. Reasonable prices which include a surprisingly varied and good breakfast. Not far from a variety of wildlife rehab facilities - the turtle hospital near Marathon is fun for kids of all ages.

 

or you can work your way down to Key West.....

 

 

 

 

[MISTER 67]

10 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

Since you responded to me, I wanted to point out that I was not the one who brought up the concern about tips for the crew, I was merely responding that it was a minor issue at the point when there was serious consideration being given to cancelling the cruise. Now that the sailing has actually been cancelled and all charges reversed, HAL will have to figure out how to compensate their crew. The good news is they get a few days off and can presumably get off the ship, at least during the day.

A point to consider is that the part of the crew who rely on gratuities won't be working so how much would the line give them to do nothing. They do get room and board and meals so maybe the line would give them some compensation and tell them to enjoy their time off. 

Edited December 15, 2019 by MISTER 67

[HALrunner]

4 minutes ago, MISTER 67 said:

A point to consider is that the part of the crew who rely on gratuities won't be working so how much would the line give them to do nothing. They do get room and board and meals so maybe the line would give them some compensation and tell them to enjoy their time off. 

I'm also hoping the crew is not negatively effected by this. I recall that many of them work under a visa that does not allow them to be in the US for more than 24 consecutive hours. If true, I wonder what happens in this scenario?

[kazu]

HAL is being quite decent about this.  They are rebooking some on other cruises, assisting with the difference in cost in air fare, etc.

 

Here is their post from their FB page (in bold):

 

Due to an unexpected technical issue with one of two Azipod propulsion systems on Nieuw Amsterdam the roundtrip Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Dec. 14 Caribbean cruise has been canceled. While the ship can safely sail with one Azipod, to do so requires approval from several regulatory authorities which is still in progress. Given the impact of the delay on delivering a satisfactory itinerary for guests, a decision was made to cancel the cruise at 2 p.m. EDT today.

All guests have been notified of the cancellation and will have the choice of remaining on board overnight tonight alongside in Port Everglades or disembarking the ship this afternoon. Holland America Line is working with guests to assist with travel arrangements and provide support. Several guests have been re-booked on other Holland America Line cruises departing Fort. Lauderdale today.

Guests will receive a full refund of cruise fare and taxes paid, hotel package costs, prepaid shore excursions and amenities, and any additional travel fees resulting from rebooking air tickets. They will also receive a 100% Future Cruise Credit equal to the amount of the cruise fare paid.

All of us at Holland America Line are incredibly sorry to disappoint our guests and impact their vacation plans in this way. While these types of incidents are incredibly rare, we never cancel a cruise unless we have no choice.

It is not known at this time what impact there may be on upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam sailings. For the cruise scheduled to depart on Dec. 21, booked guests and their travel advisors will be notified no later than Tuesday, Dec. 17, at noon PDT/3 p.m. EDT if any adjustments are required.