Westerdam February 2023 Indonesia cruise- lack of shore excursions

[Coates55]

Is anyone else getting concerned due to the lack of the above? Despite repeated chasing via the HAL UK Office I am consistently told that they are still working on putting together the shore excursions. Am told the cruise is fully booked which is why it cannot be accessed on the HAL website but me personally, am minded to think this cruise will be cancelled in favour of a drydock option.

 

Any insights or info from HAL Seattle would be appreciated

[mdkirshenbaum]

Yes, My wife and I are very concerned.  We both on separate occasions have contacted the shore excursion desk and have been told that they are working on the excursions and that they will be released next week.  That was over two weeks ago.  My final payment is due this week and I do not want to tie up money on a cruise that appears to be in flux.  I don’t rely on their shore excursions per se, but it shows a commitment on the ship’s behalf that they are committed to the cruise and to the specific ports in the itinerary.  
 

Thankfully, for the first time we bought our airfare through HAL so we won’t risk airfare$$ if we feel compelled to cancel.  

 

We are also booked on the next cruise from Singapore to Tokyo and that segment has some excursions but not a full complement yet.  Our last cruise in August with HAL (Greenland and Iceland)  all the shore excursions were sold out months before final payment was due.

[Coates55]

a wise move to be concerned as final payment approaches. I genuinely can't believe they are still working on shore excursion planning. This cruise has been in the offing for months and I don't believe Indonesia has particularly strict or onerous Covid related restrictions.

[oaktreerb]

6 hours ago, mdkirshenbaum said:

 

 

We are also booked on the next cruise from Singapore to Tokyo and that segment has some excursions but not a full complement yet.  Our last cruise in August with HAL (Greenland and Iceland)  all the shore excursions were sold out months before final payment was due.

RE: shore excursions being sold out.  I have decided that the HIA promo which includes a shore excursion per person causes the  shore excursions to sell out early.  If you are on the waiting list for the excursion some people may cancel the cruise at final payment and the shore excursions will open up.  We just experienced that for our February cruise.  We did have to pay for the excursion but will be reimbursed (for our complimentary excursion) on the ship.

[Coates55]

Shore excursions have never been available on the website for this Feb 23 Indonesia cruise so for that leg I don't believe its a question of them being sold out-  a really strange scenario.

[mdkirshenbaum]

Even when shore excursions are sold out they continue to appear on the website because they allow you to waitlist if you choose in case someone changes their mind.

[Coates55]

Surely another indicator that this cruise could well be cancelled in favour of a drydock

[portpete20]

I am going through the process to obtain an India Visa for Port Blair call but don’t see any shore excursion offering from HA or their Agent. Looks as if we’ll have to go it alone or fix up with other cruisers for this call at least.

We have had cancellations on previous booked Asian cruises with HA.

[Hlitner]

It is not just your cruise.  Our March, Japan cruise still lacks shore excursions for quite a few ports.  I think the problem is that HAL is terribly understaffed (in Seattle) and many of the shore-based tour companies (that contract with cruise lines) have yet to get their act together from the COVID shutdown.  HAL is at the mercy of the shore-based companies.  You might consider doing what we do as a matter of course which is to plan your own port days orjoin with a few others on your CC Roll Call and put together some small group private tours.

 

Hank

[seachef318]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

It is not just your cruise.  Our March, Japan cruise still lacks shore excursions for quite a few ports.  I think the problem is that HAL is terribly understaffed (in Seattle) and many of the shore-based tour companies (that contract with cruise lines) have yet to get their act together from the COVID shutdown.  HAL is at the mercy of the shore-based companies.  You might consider doing what we do as a matter of course which is to plan your own port days orjoin with a few others on your CC Roll Call and put together some small group private tours.

 

Hank

Japan just fully reopened to tourism in mid October so in your case it may be there aren’t any tours yet for HAL to advertise. 

[jettaleea]

We are currently sailing on the Westerdam and will stop in Sydney Nov 23. No excursions listed. We have to wait til Nov 8 to see if HAL will schedule anything. Shore excursion desk can only book per segment.

[WriterOnDeck]

1 hour ago, jettaleea said:

We are currently sailing on the Westerdam and will stop in Sydney Nov 23. No excursions listed. We have to wait til Nov 8 to see if HAL will schedule anything. Shore excursion desk can only book per segment.

I'm on the same cruise. This is a different issue, because there were lots of shorex from the next segment that we could book before we boarded. Just not after we boarded. Strange, I know. It seems like the company would want to sell shorex and make money.

 

I would say for early 2023 you may need to give it time. We didn't even have Hawaii shorex listed until a month or so before the cruise. It was slower for Papau New Guinea, Fiji and other countries just opening.

[Heartgrove]

It was like this in 2021 with poorly managed Viking Ocean excursions for Iceland. No excursions until about three weeks before sailing - and then opened the excursion bookings at noon to 4K+ customers for Iceland and Greece sailings. Total fiasco overloading their Shorex!

[Coates55]

Interesting comments from everyone. I know I don't want to embark on a cruise to Indonesia and not have the comfort of knowing there are organised excursions available. Indonesia is not Europe in the sense that it is much easier to do tours on your own in Europe- this is likely not the case in Indonesia.

 

My real concern is that this cruise may be cancelled for drydock purposes  and I would like some certainty from HAL that this is not on the cards/likely to happen.

[mdkirshenbaum]

Since I don’t rely on HAL for the excursions I just want to ensure that they have skin in the game and will reliably follow the entire itinerary as it is laid out.  I have no issue contracting with outside tour companies where it is necessary.  For those of you currently sailing on the Westerdam, have you skipped ports, other than for bad weather, for unknown reasons?  Thanks for all your comments and information.

[iceman93]

I am on the Westerdam cruise that ends on 1/19, and my understanding is that the ship is going into drydock immediately after.  I suppose HAL could have concerns that the drydock will run long, causing them to cancel the cruise you're asking about?  Poor customer service if so, and I would share your concerns if *no* shore excursions are available to book on the entire voyage.

[grayjay]

I can't believe a possible drydock is the reason, as there is an 11-night cruise right after drydock and before the Indonesian cruise and quite a lot are booked into both cruises.

As there still is quite a long time to go before February I still hope that HollandAmerica will find enough excursions , drivers, guides to offer us - the ship seems to be well-booked ( sold out?) , quite a lot surely have onboard credit for excursions and what I heard from friends who toured Indonesia in September business is running almost as usual in Bali at least.

The shore excursions you can see for the (similar) November Indonesian cruise sound lovely and really interesting. And I'm also quite sure HollandAmerica will love to rake in the money from all those of us who'd prefer to book ship's excursions to individual ones - somebody already wrote what are also my sentiments: Indonesia or the Philippines are quite a different sort of country compared to (for example) Northern Europe where we always do our own thing when docked in a city!

So let's hope for the best!

[portpete20]

We are booked on the Westerdam leaving Singapore on 3 Feb 23. I have been able to download HAL shore excursions for each of the ports of call except for Port Blair which requires an awkward application process and not inexpensive India Tourist Visa. Has anybody got any more info from HAL about this Port. 

[ldog]

6 hours ago, portpete20 said:

We are booked on the Westerdam leaving Singapore on 3 Feb 23. I have been able to download HAL shore excursions for each of the ports of call except for Port Blair which requires an awkward application process and not inexpensive India Tourist Visa. Has anybody got any more info from HAL about this Port. 

I still can't see any shore excursions on our booking on the HAL website for Indonesia.  there are excursions posted for Phuket and Malaysia but nothing after Feb 14.  Not even anything in Singapore on that day.

[Naismith]

On 11/4/2022 at 5:42 AM, Coates55 said:

Interesting comments from everyone. I know I don't want to embark on a cruise to Indonesia and not have the comfort of knowing there are organised excursions available. Indonesia is not Europe in the sense that it is much easier to do tours on your own in Europe- this is likely not the case in Indonesia.

I can understand how intimidating that Indonesia can be for visitors. I lived there for a few years and speak enough to get around, but I remember the first trip.

 

I am not sure of your ports, but my friend Sihol Manullang, while living on Bali, has also arranged tours on Lombok and Java.  All his drivers speak English and have safe, air-conditioned cars (usually seat up to 6 passengers) with a reasonable daily rate.  Although a few tours are listed on the website, he is very flexible and has always organized custom tours for us, including going into a local home to learn to cook a native dish, coming up with the perfect hiking trail when we told him the length/difficulty we were up for.

 

Of course a ship's tour is always preferable due to the guarantee of getting back/ship waiting.  But if you find yourself heading for Bali and want to organize DIY, definitely check with Sihol (see-hole) at Obali Tours https://www.obalitours.com/

 

What'sApp is the contact of choice across Indonesia, so if you have that app you can phone businesses and attractions there at no cost via wifi.

 

Semoga perjalanan aman dan bahagia! (Best wishes for a safe and happy trip.)

[mdkirshenbaum]

I received the following email from HAL yesterday promoting shore excursions for this specific cruise....lol.  

 

27-Day Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan & The Philippines Collector 14 Feb 2023

WHAT WILL YOU DISCOVER? Now that you're only three months from your departure, you may want to think about booking your tours. We have exciting options in every destination, including Komodo Island, Indonesia, so you can really connect with the people and places you'll visit. http://static.cdn.responsys.net/i2/responsysimages/holndamrca/contentlibrary/promotional/booking_series/bs_modules/images/AFAR_partnership2x.gif

http://static.cdn.responsys.net/i2/responsysimages/holndamrca/contentlibrary/promotional/booking_series/bs_modules//images/travelwell_540x540_2.jpg TRAVELING & STAYING HEALTHY Learn more about health protocols and additional steps we're taking to enhance public health on board. LEARN MORE

http://static.cdn.responsys.net/i2/responsysimages/holndamrca/contentlibrary/promotional/booking_series/bs_modules//images/protect_investment_580x420.jpg LAST CHANCE Enjoy peace of mind with our cancel for any reason plan. We also offer trip insurance, emergency assistance and more. Learn More

http://static.cdn.responsys.net/i2/responsysimages/holndamrca/contentlibrary/promotional/booking_series/bs_modules//images/TOUR_1200x600.jpg PERSONALIZE WITH SHORE EXCURSIONS Our carefully crafted excursions help you connect with people and places you'll visit throughout your trip. We offer a level of comfort, care and convenience you won't find anywhere else -- plus our Best Price Guarantee! EXPLORE MORE

[Coates55]

Wow, Lucky you and perhaps the cruises will indeed take place. I checked my booking this am and I still cannot see or access any shore excursions for the initial Indonesia cruise.

[Coates55]

Were you able to actually book shore excursions? I still cannot access them.

[Shogun025]

I could not access the site either. However I did get a response from Sihol about excursions in Benoa and Bali. I am going to try and organize something with him with some wiggle room at the beginning and end to make sure we got off the ship and on the ship in time. We have sore knees and hips so long hikes and walks are not in our cards for I want to organize with him. Maybe some interesting sites, vistas and temples would be my target. Not too much long walking, no beach break.

If anyone is interested. I think maybe two other couples would work with his van.

Still in its infancy in planning. Email me if you are interested.     

 

ckidenouye@gmail.com

[Shogun025]

Does anyone know what port the ship goes to when it says  Bali. 

Benoa is a cruise port in Bali. It lists Benoa but also says Bali.??????

 

Also it says Java but that is the whole Island???????

 

Chris