Rotterdam - 01/10/25 - 16 Night Southern Seafarer - Cancelled by HAL. Sad Trombone

[Don Kehote]

Looks like they're offering a rebook on a march 2025 itinerary with up to $100 per person OBC ($200 max per room), rebook any other Fall 2024-Spring 2025 Rotterdam Caribbean Collector at same per diem rate, or cancel for full refund.  

 

I don't have detail yet as to WHY it was cancelled, but smells like charter, I guess.

 

 

[CruiserBruce]

19 minutes ago, Don Kehote said:

Looks like they're offering a rebook on a march 2025 itinerary with up to $100 per person OBC ($200 max per room), rebook any other Fall 2024-Spring 2025 Rotterdam Caribbean Collector at same per diem rate, or cancel for full refund.  

 

I don't have detail yet as to WHY it was cancelled, but smells like charter, I guess.

 

 

A 16 day charter would be an extremely long charter. Unless they break it into 2 shorter cruises. 

[VMax1700]

Looking at the website there is nothing bookable between 10th January and 2nd February.  That is a total of 23 days!

[KAKcruiser]

A travel agency is showing the Rotterdam sailing a 9 day Eastern Caribbean itinerary on January 17, 2025. What was the itinerary for the 16 day sailing on January 10?

[Don Kehote]

18 minutes ago, KAKcruiser said:

A travel agency is showing the Rotterdam sailing a 9 day Eastern Caribbean itinerary on January 17, 2025. What was the itinerary for the 16 day sailing on January 10?

Caribbean Eastern/Southern from my old screenshots.  There WAS a 9 day Southern on Jan 10, and a 7 day Eastern on Jan 19.  )That was from mid September.)  I see the 9 day on Jan 17 in the booking system now. Closest previous is a 21 day on December 20 that I can find in the system.  That gets in on January 10.  

 

So, extrapolating from that:  Ship gets in to FLL on Jan 10, and is not available until Jan 17.  Someone chartered it for a week is my best guess.  I can't imagine just taking a week off for the hell of it, and that seems way short for maintenance/drydock.

[KAKcruiser]

I am guessing that it is a 7 day charter.  They must have decided to add 2 days to the 7 day Eastern Caribbean itinerary and start it on January 17.  

[Don Kehote]

3 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

I am guessing that it is a 7 day charter.  They must have decided to add 2 days to the 7 day Eastern Caribbean itinerary and start it on January 17.  

Passes the sniff test.  It's chartered again on Jan 26, that much I am certain on.

[glorialagos]

16 hours ago, Don Kehote said:

Looks like they're offering a rebook on a march 2025 itinerary with up to $100 per person OBC ($200 max per room), rebook any other Fall 2024-Spring 2025 Rotterdam Caribbean Collector at same per diem rate, or cancel for full refund.  

 

I don't have detail yet as to WHY it was cancelled, but smells like charter, I guess.

 

 

My TA called yesterday to tell me this had happened.  She wanted to rebook us on the Statendam for a day later.  The entire point of the cruise was to go on the Rotterdam.  Could you share the email you received?  I was getting ready to board a plane and did not get full details and expected I would also have the email but I received nothing.  (we were. booked for one week, leaving Jan 19)

 

Thanks

[Anastas617]

My first HAL cruise is in February on the Rotterdam and I'm just wondering if it's a normal thing to cancel an existing cruise so a group can charter it?

 

Everyone seems so nonchalant about it in the responses and I'd probably be pretty PO'd if that was the reason and it was just a few months away.

 

I understand nothing is guaranteed, just wondering if this is a very rare circumstance (if that is, in fact, the reason for the cancelled cruise).

[CHOPPERTESTER]

4 minutes ago, Anastas617 said:

My first HAL cruise is in February on the Rotterdam and I'm just wondering if it's a normal thing to cancel an existing cruise so a group can charter it?

 

Everyone seems so nonchalant about it in the responses and I'd probably be pretty PO'd if that was the reason and it was just a few months away.

 

I understand nothing is guaranteed, just wondering if this is a very rare circumstance (if that is, in fact, the reason for the cancelled cruise).

Normal, no, but it's all about the Benjamins and some groups have a lot more than us.

[wdw1972]

9 minutes ago, Anastas617 said:

My first HAL cruise is in February on the Rotterdam and I'm just wondering if it's a normal thing to cancel an existing cruise so a group can charter it?

 

Everyone seems so nonchalant about it in the responses and I'd probably be pretty PO'd if that was the reason and it was just a few months away.

 

I understand nothing is guaranteed, just wondering if this is a very rare circumstance (if that is, in fact, the reason for the cancelled cruise).

This is October 2023 and the cruise in question is January 2025 - so hardly last minute!  A cruise can be booked as a charter at any point, but generally far enough in advance for the charter to sell it, and typically 7-night sailings in the Caribbean.  Those are relative insignificant cruises so it does happen.  It's highly unlikely for a 10, 11 or longer cruise.  As an older, experienced, but not yet retired person I won't book the 7-night itineraries.  They're so different (the 7 night cruises - in a negative way) compared to the longer itineraries and the itineraries longer than 7 nights are much safer from being chartered.  

 

Sue/WDW1972

Edited October 22, 2023 by wdw1972

[Anastas617]

7 minutes ago, wdw1972 said:

This is October 2023 and the cruise in question is January 2025 - so hardly last minute!  A cruise can be booked as a charter at any point, but generally far enough in advance for the charter to sell it, and typically 7-night sailings in the Caribbean.  Those are relative insignificant cruises so it does happen.  It's highly unlikely for a 10, 11 or longer cruise.  As an older, experienced, but not yet retired person I won't book the 7-night itineraries.  They're so different (the 7 night cruises - in a negative way) compared to the longer itineraries and the itineraries longer than 7 nights are much safer from being chartered.  

 

Sue/WDW1972

My bad! For some reason I thought it was this upcoming January. Fifteen months away is a whole different ballgame than three months. So, now I have egg on my face 🙂 .

 

I shouldn't read forums and work at the same time as I miss some details! 🤣

 

 

[wdw1972]

6 minutes ago, Anastas617 said:

My bad! For some reason I thought it was this upcoming January. Fifteen months away is a whole different ballgame than three months. So, now I have egg on my face 🙂 .

 

I shouldn't read forums and work at the same time as I miss some details! 🤣

 

 

Happens to all of us - no harm done, as someone will always be the voice of reason that we're missing in the moment!

 

[CruiserBruce]

43 minutes ago, Anastas617 said:

My first HAL cruise is in February on the Rotterdam and I'm just wondering if it's a normal thing to cancel an existing cruise so a group can charter it?

 

Everyone seems so nonchalant about it in the responses and I'd probably be pretty PO'd if that was the reason and it was just a few months away.

 

I understand nothing is guaranteed, just wondering if this is a very rare circumstance (if that is, in fact, the reason for the cancelled cruise).

Cancelations for charters do happen occasionally. But not last minute. Typically a year or more ahead.

 

Charters are usually very profitable for the cruise line. Typically, the chartering agency takes the entire ship, at or near rack rate, and the cruise line doesn't have to promote anything or discount anything if not selling well. Chartering agencies may request many things, like specific ports or routings, etc. But overall, a charter is a very good thing for the cruise line. 

[dawnvip]

I was invited by a friend to join her on a HAL carribean charter leaving next month. Not sure who the charter was arranged by, but it was a very good deal! Too bad I'm already booked for SA leaving Nov.15th on the Oosterdam! 😊

[Haljo1935]

On 10/21/2023 at 9:02 AM, glorialagos said:

My TA called yesterday to tell me this had happened.  She wanted to rebook us on the Statendam for a day later.  The entire point of the cruise was to go on the Rotterdam.  Could you share the email you received?  I was getting ready to board a plane and did not get full details and expected I would also have the email but I received nothing.  (we were. booked for one week, leaving Jan 19)

 

Thanks

I know this response is a bit late, but I just saw this thread. 

Since you have a TA, they would have sent you the email, not HAL. HAL sends TA the email and they forward to you. Perhaps that's how your TA learned of the cancelation and called you instead of sending you the email.

[Don Kehote]

On 11/18/2023 at 11:19 PM, Haljo1935 said:

I know this response is a bit late, but I just saw this thread. 

Since you have a TA, they would have sent you the email, not HAL. HAL sends TA the email and they forward to you. Perhaps that's how your TA learned of the cancelation and called you instead of sending you the email.

Also late to the game.  I think this is right; sometimes I get confused because not only am I the cruiser, I'm my TA as well.  It's easier with other people, I swear.