Holland America Line Pauses Ship Operations Through June 30

[jeremystevens]

29 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Couldn't you check your previous credit card statements to see whether the payment went to HAL or to your TA?  That way you should know whether you need to contact them or not.

That's a good call thanks, I'll do that.

[david,Mississauga]

15 hours ago, ger_77 said:

Really, the Canadian government issued its ports closed to cruises up to and including July 1st in the middle of March.  Both the TA and the HAL rep should have known that.  I'm sorry your cruise isn't going to happen; let's hope for better days ahead.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

 

Indeed, HAL has the nerve to say: "Holland America Line has made the difficult decision to delay the start of the Alaska, Europe, and Canada & New England cruise seasons through June 30, 2020."  It was not a difficult decision. The decision was made for them a month ago. The date of the Canadian government's closure of cruise ports until the 1st of July is subject to review and I have read that the port of Seattle is closed until further notice.

 

HAL has had the cheek to post Alaska and Canada/New England cruises for May and June on their booking site. They are still there this morning.

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, Bramcruiser said:

Let's put it this way....certain ports in Norway have banned cruise ships at this time and the latest round of cancellations to June 30 on most lines includes Europe. So unless things change dramatically I am expecting cruises to Norway will end up like the Alaska season. Of course it would help to have a crystal ball and be certain but..........

 

Anyway, whether to cancel now or wait for the cruise company to cancel is really a personal decision. I paid my amount fully in advance of the deadline on the hopes I would be going. Even if I am feeling that the cruise is a no go at this point I figure its better now to wait and let them cancel and recoup what I can. I am not sure what I would have done if I had yet still to pay the cruise off?

We cancelled our late July Norway cruise. We also saw that some of the ports had already closed. We were also worried that the airlines would change our flights and they would no longer work out. Having only a refundable deposit made the decision quite easy.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, jeremystevens said:

I'd like to get a refund on my 3rd June cruise but as it was booked via a TA, I'm not sure whether I should cancel using the form provided by HAL, or wait until my TA gets in touch - but my TA is only taking calls from people whose holidays were due to commence in the next 72 hours. My concern is that HAL says they'll put the refund on the original card, but I'm not sure whether my original payment on my card went to HAL via the TA, or to the TA themselves (who then subsequently paid for the booking from their own account). All balance payments have also gone via the TA. I don't want to complicate things/add further delay if HAL never actually received the original payment directly from me.

If you have an ethical TA, your credit card should be always be charged straight to the cruise line. This protects the consumer in case the TA goes bankrupt.

[jeremystevens]

Worth noting... the online cancellation form includes the following wording at the bottom, saying that if someone opts for the FCC option now they can still change their mind and request a refund instead between 1st June and 31st December 2020:

 

This is a clarification regarding the Option 1 Future Cruise Credit ("FCC"). If a guest elects Option 1 and does not use his/her FCC and wants a refund thereafter of the original base cruise fare paid, between June 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020, the guest can request Holland America Line to exchange the FCC for a refund of their base cruise fare paid. Refund will be issued within approximately 60 days from request date. Requests accepted via email to guestrelations@hollandamerica.com. In no situation shall a guest be entitled to a refund greater than the base cruise fare paid. Guests selecting Option 1 and requesting a refund as set forth herein will not be entitled to any other compensation/credit. Guests selecting Option 2 shall not be entitled to any additional refund (other than the initial refund as set forth in Option 2) at any time. All FCC's expire on December 31, 2020 if not applied to a booking sailing by December 31, 2021 and are subject to published terms, conditions, and restrictions. Offer and its terms are subject to change.

[wyobean]

14 hours ago, SuzieQ521 said:

Oh, how long did it take for Costco to send you the form? Today our cruise was automatically cancelled  since we had the Alaska June 7 one. Haven’t received the Costco email but got one from Holland

3-4 days after HAL announced the cancellation.

[JeffElizabeth]

Interesting that Holland America is planning a limited cruise season to Alaska. Almost a soft opening, let's try this with a couple ships, and if it works, more can come online. Will they redesign the main dining rooms and remove a few tables and put less people per the remaining tables? 

[Boatdrill]

14 hours ago, Janet76 said:

What's the point of sending out just two ships to Alaska for the month of July-August and first week of September.

 Better some than none.  

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I have 2 final payments do on  May 10th, for a August  and September cruise  what should I do ?????

[daisy-mae]

At the risk of sounding morbid, does anyone know if a FCC is transferable to the estate in case of death?

[Cruising-along]

14 hours ago, Janet76 said:

What's the point of sending out just two ships to Alaska for the month of July-August and first week of September.

 

4 minutes ago, Boatdrill said:

 Better some than none.  

And again, it isn't just the first week of September.  The Koningsdam (I don't know about the Eurodam) ends their Alaska season on September 26.

[Crazy For Cats]

3 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I have 2 final payments do on  May 10th, for a August  and September cruise  what should I do ?????

I was in the same situation with an August cruise.  I cancelled today.  If their 60 refund policy holds true I can book it again if ships are sailing.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

1 minute ago, Crazy For Cats said:

I was in the same situation with an August cruise.  I cancelled today.  If their 60 refund policy holds true I can book it again if ships are sailing.

60 day refund policy is it still alive ???

[Crazy For Cats]

10 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

60 day refund policy is it still alive ???

Only time will tell.  I’m still waiting on FCC details from our cancelled March cruise.  

[KirkNC]

Per Arnold Donald’s interview, cruising won’t start until social distancing restrictions are removed.  Let’s hope this study is wrong:

 

https://abc11.com/health/study-social-distancing-practices-may-last-until-2022/6104716/

 

 

Edited April 15, 2020 by KirkNC

[Copper10-8]

2 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I have 2 final payments do on  May 10th, for a August  and September cruise  what should I do ?????

 

Wait until May 7th and take a look see where you/we/they/everybody are/is at at that time

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

2 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Wait until May 7th and take a look see where you/we/they/everybody are/is at at that time

Thanks for your thoughts.

[rotjeknor]

2 hours ago, daisy-mae said:

At the risk of sounding morbid, does anyone know if a FCC is transferable to the estate in case of death?

I was on the phone with the Rotterdam office today because for one reason or another , people who paid in euros are not entitled to a refund.... just the FCC .

I asked the rep what happens when I kick the bucket before using them, you lose ‘em , she said . I can’t believe it .

[kazu]

9 minutes ago, rotjeknor said:

I was on the phone with the Rotterdam office today because for one reason or another , people who paid in euros are not entitled to a refund.... just the FCC .

I asked the rep what happens when I kick the bucket before using them, you lose ‘em , she said . I can’t believe it .

 

WOW!!!! 😱 Unbelievable!   🤬

 

 

I’d be 😅😅tempted to ask for it in writing and go to the authorities who are in charge of the travel industry (sorry, can’t remember the name but I believe you are supposed to have some protections in Europe).  that is NOT right 🤯😡🥵

[daisy-mae]

18 minutes ago, rotjeknor said:

I was on the phone with the Rotterdam office today because for one reason or another , people who paid in euros are not entitled to a refund.... just the FCC .

I asked the rep what happens when I kick the bucket before using them, you lose ‘em , she said . I can’t believe it .

 

Which is why we are asking for a full refund. I would much rather leave my kids with something tangible (cash) rather than a useless certificate...

[slidergirl]

52 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Wait until May 7th and take a look see where you/we/they/everybody are/is at at that time

 

Why is May 7th a magic number?  Sorry, but I must be missing something.  

[slidergirl]

For the Alaska Land & Sea people - remember that the National Parks may be closed, so that would quash a big part of your Land trip.  And, since Glacier Bay is also part of a National Park, cruising that part of Alaska could be up in the air, also.

 

Here in town, I know several of our local bus drivers who do seasonal driving here and then go up to Alaska to drive for the tourists up there.  None of them have been offered contracts yet - still waiting to hear from their usual employers what the plan is for the season.  

[Copper10-8]

17 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

 

Why is May 7th a magic number?  Sorry, but I must be missing something.  

 

It's not and you're not. It gives them a three day window until their final payment day.............could be the 8th or the 9th also, their choice

[slidergirl]

11 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

It's not and you're not. It gives them a three day window until their final payment day.............could be the 8th or the 9th also, their choice

 

Ah.  I thought it was some global cruise decision date, not an individual day based on what their final payment day is.   Too many Bloody Mary for my lunch, I'm afraid.

[NMTraveller]

23 hours ago, SuzieQ521 said:

Oh, how long did it take for Costco to send you the form? Today our cruise was automatically cancelled  since we had the Alaska June 7 one. Haven’t received the Costco email but got one from Holland

I just got me email from them 30 minutes ago.