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Nieuw Amsterdam - December 14th - Azipod failure

iamwiz82

By iamwiz82,
in Holland America Line

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canadianbear

canadianbear

Posted
Posted (edited)

From HAL on their FB page:  generous but still feel sorry for all on board.  

 

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.

Edited by canadianbear
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MisterBill99

MisterBill99

Posted
Posted
9 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 agree and would hope (even expect) that HAL makes them whole. The person I was originally responding to was concerned that they were losing the excess tips from guests who overtip (or tip generously, if you prefer to think of it that way). I can't see HAL making up for that.

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kochleffel

kochleffel

Posted
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1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

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

 

I was curious enough to check on hotel availability - partly because I have a booking on the Nieuw Amsterdam in January, partly because I've gone on short notice to Fort Lauderdale when weather disrupted another winter vacation. Rooms were available at prices that weren't bad at all.

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MisterBill99

MisterBill99

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, kochleffel said:

 

I was curious enough to check on hotel availability - partly because I have a booking on the Nieuw Amsterdam in January, partly because I've gone on short notice to Fort Lauderdale when weather disrupted another winter vacation. Rooms were available at prices that weren't bad at all.

 

Yes, I just checked Priceline as a starting point and several good choices in Hollywood Beach, FL. I think this may be a low period since it's before the holiday.

 

https://www.priceline.com/relax/in/5000496645/from/20191216/to/20191221/rooms/1

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ozzie0075

ozzie0075

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

Yes, I just checked Priceline as a starting point and several good choices in Hollywood Beach, FL. I think this may be a low period since it's before the holiday.

 

https://www.priceline.com/relax/in/5000496645/from/20191216/to/20191221/rooms/1

 

There is always the option of renting a car and heading to Orlando. There always very inexpensive options for really nice place there.  I'd be hanging out by the pool all week enjoying the weather. 

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MisterBill99

MisterBill99

Posted
Posted (edited)
31 minutes ago, ozzie0075 said:

 

There is always the option of renting a car and heading to Orlando. There always very inexpensive options for really nice place there.  I'd be hanging out by the pool all week enjoying the weather. 

 

Yes, but then you've got to drive back to FLL unless HAL pays to change their return flight. And then there's the cost of renting a car (assuming you are an American and can rent and drive here).

Edited by MisterBill99
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sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, canadianbear said:

From HAL on their FB page:  generous but still feel sorry for all on board.  

 

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 Tnoon PDT/3 p.m. EDT if any adjustments are required.

 Thanks or ositng hagt otice here  I just about never go to Facebook but am interested to read how Hal  is handling this.  I am sorry  fo those who now must travel home without having   been on their cruise.    I   wonder how many guests will transfer to other ships (HAL or not) in order to   be aboard for Christmas which likely was  the goal of many.

Hopefully as many as  want to go to another ship  get all the help they need in order to secure a cabin on a ship doing an itinerary they like.

 

 

 

 

Edited by sail7seas
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aliaschief

aliaschief

Posted
Posted

It’s a sad event and I feel for all those affected. It appears Hal is doing a great job in supporting the guest.

 

I’m sure Hal has some insurance coverage for their company that covers some of these contingencies but it still must be a huge financial loss for the company.

 

Hopefully the NA can be repaired and seaworthy quickly with no further affected cruises.

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, aliaschief said:

I’m sure Hal has some insurance coverage for their company that covers some of these contingencies but it still must be a huge financial loss for the company.

Maritime P&I (Protection & Indemnity) insurance will cover loss of revenue from the vessel.  However, P&I is a mutual insurance, and the claim could be denied by the other members of the P&I club, or if the members of the club have a bad year and there are a lot of claims, all the members will have to shell out to cover the claims.

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HappyInVan

HappyInVan

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

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.

 

 

There's also been examples of ships without propulsion being 'uncomfortable' in high seas. Fortunately for passengers, it is not a decision for you to make.

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chengkp75

chengkp75

Posted
Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

 

There's also been examples of ships without propulsion being 'uncomfortable' in high seas. Fortunately for passengers, it is not a decision for you to make.

No, its not, but I have worked with many Captains who would not hesitate to set sail with passengers with only one propulsion system.  And, as I've said, nearly every major cruise line has sailed within the past 3-4 years with only one propulsion system, and in several cases, have done so for many months.  Once class and the flag state say it is okay for the ship to sail (which is what HAL is doing now), then it is perfectly legal to sail, and they will.

Edited by chengkp75
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HappyInVan

HappyInVan

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

No, its not, but I have worked with many Captains who would not hesitate to set sail with passengers with only one propulsion system.  And, as I've said, nearly every major cruise line has sailed within the past 3-4 years with only one propulsion system, and in several cases, have done so for many months.  Once class and the flag state say it is okay for the ship to sail (which is what HAL is doing now), then it is perfectly legal to sail, and they will.

 

 

IN this case, they are not sailing. So, perhaps they know something that you don't?

 

 

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