JAN 1 - NOV 1, 2021 - Holland America Announces: Temporarily Stops Selling 8 Days & Longer Cruises That Call In U.S.

[boze9999]

"Holland America Line announced that it has reviewed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Framework for Conditional Sailing and is seeking additional clarification to fully understand the requirements, according to a statement.

"While we await further information, we have (temporarily) stopped selling all cruises eight days and longer which call upon a U.S. port and depart January 1 through November 1, 2021," the company said.

"For those who are currently booked on one of these cruises, we ask for your patience to receive further information from Holland America Line on whether your cruise is impacted."

With the continuation of travel and port restrictions due to global health concerns, Holland America Line has also extended its pause of cruise operations and cancelling departures on all ships through Dec. 31, 2020". 

[zelker]

Seabourn and Princess have announced the same.  Not sure about the other CCL lines.  So disheartening. 

[Himself]

I am sorry to hear this. 

[Mary229]

It is going to be a system wide freeze for all of Carnival Corp.  I am confident that once the CDC is forced to remove this directive as the vaccine distribution rolls out bookings will resume.  

[zelker]

52 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

It is going to be a system wide freeze for all of Carnival Corp.  I am confident that once the CDC is forced to remove this directive as the vaccine distribution rolls out bookings will resume.  

It's not just CCL that's being impacted but have to ask why you'd make a statement that says the CDC will be forced to remove this directive?  

[Mary229]

That 

5 minutes ago, zelker said:

It's not just CCL that's being impacted but have to ask why you'd make a statement that says the CDC will be forced to remove this directive?  

I started that statement with "I am confident" hoping that phrase would signal the start of my personal commentary.  

[Susanmaz]

We received a HAL email delaying the  final payment for our March 2021 cruise, but nothing yet on cancellation. I can wait.... although I will be cancelling anyway since I won't risk traveling to Florida at this time.

[Roz]

I'm making final payment on a January 2021 cruise today.  Not work from HAL on cancellation or delayed payment.

[JeffElizabeth]

We aren't very interested in a seven day cruise. We think 21 days are the perfect length. In our twenty plus years of cruising, we have only taken one short cruise and that was an Alaskan land/sea cruise that was our first back in 1997. 

[Roz]

59 minutes ago, Roz said:

I'm making final payment on a January 2021 cruise today.  Not work from HAL on cancellation or delayed payment.

 

No word, not "Not work". Gotta love autocorrect.

[WisRiver]

The way I read this announcement is that the Fall transatlantics will be cancelled.  Or this this cancellation only affect cruises leaving the US.  I am trying to get through to my Issaquah travel agent, but there are lengthy holds.   We were considering at the TA's from Amsterdam in early October or  Barcelona in mid-November.

[YXU AC*SE]

11 minutes ago, WisRiver said:

The way I read this announcement is that the Fall transatlantics will be cancelled.  

 

TAs are currently on stop-sell. I'm currently booked on Rotterdam ex AMS to FLL.  As far as cancellation goes, a lot will happen between now and a year from now, so HAL will likely take a wait-and-see approach -- ie let's not grow our problem, but let's not toss the [revenue] baby out with the bathwater ... yet. 

 

Complete list of impacted sailings may be found here:

https://gohal.com/app/uploads/2020/11/Impacted-Voyages-Temporarily-Closed_8-day-US-ports.xlsx   GoHAL is HAL's TA community comms vehicle.  

 

Scott. 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by YXU AC*SE

[Roz]

12 minutes ago, YXU AC*SE said:

 

TAs are currently on stop-sell.

 

 

What exactly does that mean?

[Sailfish]

We are currently booked on 2 Jan 2020 southern Caribbean 10 night cruise and I called HAL yesterday after hearing about the hold on cruises 8 day or longer from a friend booked on Princess. I was told that as of right now, our booking has not been cancelled, but no new bookings on the voyage will occur until they work out the issue with the itinerary. 

 

We would be okay being rebooked on a 5 night back to back. But I was lead to believe, once they figure out what they will do, our agent will be notified with our options, which will be the usual refund or FCC. We will have the option to rebook the shorter alternatives, but it will be classified as a new booking.  

 

But at the moment, it doesn't look good. So we wait and see. 

 

Suzi

[ScottC4746]

14 hours ago, boze9999 said:

"Holland America Line announced that it has reviewed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Framework for Conditional Sailing and is seeking additional clarification to fully understand the requirements, according to a statement.

"While we await further information, we have (temporarily) stopped selling all cruises eight days and longer which call upon a U.S. port and depart January 1 through November 1, 2021," the company said.

"For those who are currently booked on one of these cruises, we ask for your patience to receive further information from Holland America Line on whether your cruise is impacted."

With the continuation of travel and port restrictions due to global health concerns, Holland America Line has also extended its pause of cruise operations and cancelling departures on all ships through Dec. 31, 2020". 

I just booked yesterday an Alaska cruise Seattle round trip for June 2021.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, ScottC4746 said:

I just booked yesterday an Alaska cruise Seattle round trip for June 2021.

 

I believe that is a 7 day cruise?  They are not frozen.  It’s the cruises over 7 days that are frozen for sales.

 

[YXU AC*SE]

16 hours ago, Roz said:

What exactly does that mean?

 

Whilst HAL awaits further clarification from CDC, it has stopped selling all cruises eight days and longer which call upon a U.S. port and depart January 1 through November 1, 2021 -- which would include the trans-Atlantics the OP referenced?      Scott.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

20 hours ago, YXU AC*SE said:

 

TAs are currently on stop-sell. I'm currently booked on Rotterdam ex AMS to FLL.  As far as cancellation goes, a lot will happen between now and a year from now, so HAL will likely take a wait-and-see approach -- ie let's not grow our problem, but let's not toss the [revenue] baby out with the bathwater ... yet. 

 

Complete list of impacted sailings may be found here:

https://gohal.com/app/uploads/2020/11/Impacted-Voyages-Temporarily-Closed_8-day-US-ports.xlsx   GoHAL is HAL's TA community comms vehicle.  

 

Scott. 

 

Thanks for sharing.