Westerdam took the wrong route - is this fair compensation ?

[Zyc]

While I realize it is very disappointing to miss the Canadian part of the inside passage, compared to a trip to Japan, it is a minor part of the voyage, it is not nearly as dramatic as say the inside passage in Chile. We have had 2 chances at the inside passage and one was fogged out and the other was a pleasant sail among misty islands at dusk.  I am sure everyone who cruises regularly has had disappointment over routes and ports, but that is life on a cruise.

 

[REOVA]

4 hours ago, asebastian said:

At least not Captain Wouter van Hoogdalem who stuffed up our stop at Komodo Island (Singapore Indonesia Discovery cruise) in Nov-Dec last year by disallowing anyone not on a ship excursion from taking the tender to the island (vague safety reasons were provided even though people with mobility issues were seen getting into the tender). After a lot of complaints, we received a letter of apology signed by the captain as well as USD250 non-refundable OBC to each passenger. We were literally 2 days from ending the cruise in Singapore so there was a rush to the shops to spend the OBC! I would have preferred the money to be in the form of FCC.

This was a recent policy change (a few years ago) of the island any time we went there. If you don't have either a HAL tour or a private tour, they don't want you on the island. They were trying to limit the tourist and maintain the environmental aspect of the dragons so they could have some control of people walking around. Nothing to do with the Captain. Lucky they gave you OBC. 

[peajay]

11 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

Wow, I took the time to read this whole thread. I also read "The Letter" everyone commenting should do that first. I'm afraid any "scenic cruising" would have been during the short hours of daylight when entering Queen Charlotte Strait and the daylight before arriving in Victoria keeping in mind that sunrise around here at this time of year is 0530 hrs. The rest would be in the dark. I think there would have been a very big problem if the Victoria port call was missed, being that it is required for the PVSA. I still haven't heard anyone say anything about the Port Visit which for several reasons was way more important than "scenic cruising"

In fact the inside passage cruise scheduled was during daylight. The speaker was in the Crow's nest lounge as planned at 11:00 am for the start of the scenic cruising presentation. This was also noted in the daily activities paper.  

[CNSJ]

4 hours ago, asebastian said:

At least not Captain Wouter van Hoogdalem

We found Captain van Hoogdalem to be the best of all HAL Masters we have sailed with.

[Sir PMP]

10 minutes ago, CNSJ said:

We found Captain van Hoogdalem to be the best of all HAL Masters we have sailed with.

 

10 minutes ago, CNSJ said:

We found Captain van Hoogdalem to be the best of all HAL Masters we have sailed with.

Wouter is a great captain, we knew him when he was a first officer on the Volendam in 2011.

[Sir PMP]

7 hours ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Captain Bart Vaartjes is scheduled 

 

Barneveld.

[peajay]

12 hours ago, Taters said:

I was on this cruise.  First there was an announcement throughout the ship, and even into the cabins (where I happened to be at the time), where the mistake was announced along with a mention of upcoming compensation for everyone. Later that day we all received letters in our cabins.  Neither I nor my husband complained about missing the Inside Passage.

We didn't receive a letter as the captain announced, so I walked two decks and saw just a few letters in the cabin mail racks. I walked back through after midnight and still saw very few letters. The next morning we asked in reception and were told "we are getting to it" The next day we asked again and they reluctantly printed one for us. Interestingly some letters had the passenger names, but others like ours stated dear valued guest. Personally I consider myself a passenger or a customer, for me guests are something else.

[Blackduck59]

1 hour ago, peajay said:

In fact the inside passage cruise scheduled was during daylight. The speaker was in the Crow's nest lounge as planned at 11:00 am for the start of the scenic cruising presentation. This was also noted in the daily activities paper.  

Thank you. So when were you supposed to arrive in Victoria?

[ECCruise]

35 minutes ago, peajay said:

 Personally I consider myself a passenger or a customer, for me guests are something else.

I don't think I've ever been on a cruise where I wasn't referred to as a "guest" by everyone associated with the cruise line.  From Captains to deck hands and everyone in between. Most cruise lines even refer to their receptions as "Guest Services."

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, peajay said:

we were all aware that we missed better Alaskan sights (close proximity to beautiful landscapes) than we had seen up to that point

But you didn't miss any Alaskan sights, as the portion of your original route that you missed was entirely in Canadian waters.

[AKJonesy]

I was on the same cruise.  I'm a bit skeptical of the captain's response.  In the morning, I was up in the Crow's Nest getting coffee and I noticed the tracking on the board.  I was wondering why we were sailing to the outside of the island instead of in the inside passage.  It was around 2pm when the Captain made the announcement that we were not going on inside passage, even though we were far past that point already.  I was on the cruise, and I have read many posts from people that have been talking about cut backs, etc.  IDK, maybe "someone filed the wrong paperwork" or something.  LOL.  OK, jk, but yes, itinerary changes ARE not an uncommon thing and it is clearly spelled out.  We also received some compensation so I'm happy about that, AND the outside of the island was fairly smooth sailing.  HOWEVER IN SAYING ALL OF THAT...I did confirm what other people have been saying on this board regarding cutbacks.  I have never responded very negatively to HAL when I've seen cut backs over years, but this time, I am.  It was beyond ridiculous...4/5 star mariners not allowed their loyalty benefit of having ANY priority for tenders?  I had to wait 45 minutes IN THE LOUNGE to receive a tender ticket AND to hear my number called.  The dining room staff cut-backs were evident and our MDR meal took 30 minutes between courses.  We did talk to the dining room manager about it and it seemed to improve, BUT it probably just meant the poor guys and gals just had to hustle even more.  WE are very simple cruisers.  We don't go to entertainment and we don't require much.  But, when we do give loyalty we do hope for that in return.  There is more, but I don't want to hijack the OP.  When I disembarked finally, I did talk to one of the officers for a minute saying that we were disappointed about the tendering, etc., and sadly he gave me a snotty remark.  IDK, we keep dummying down expectations, but might consider an alternative in future.  Just sayin'.

[stevenr597]

23 hours ago, peajay said:

Here is the letter 

 

 

Were any ports missed.  If not, I do feel that the compensation was adequate for the "mistake."  

[stevenr597]

27 minutes ago, AKJonesy said:

I was on the same cruise.  I'm a bit skeptical of the captain's response.  In the morning, I was up in the Crow's Nest getting coffee and I noticed the tracking on the board.  I was wondering why we were sailing to the outside of the island instead of in the inside passage.  It was around 2pm when the Captain made the announcement that we were not going on inside passage, even though we were far past that point already.  I was on the cruise, and I have read many posts from people that have been talking about cut backs, etc.  IDK, maybe "someone filed the wrong paperwork" or something.  LOL.  OK, jk, but yes, itinerary changes ARE not an uncommon thing and it is clearly spelled out.  We also received some compensation so I'm happy about that, AND the outside of the island was fairly smooth sailing.  HOWEVER IN SAYING ALL OF THAT...I did confirm what other people have been saying on this board regarding cutbacks.  I have never responded very negatively to HAL when I've seen cut backs over years, but this time, I am.  It was beyond ridiculous...4/5 star mariners not allowed their loyalty benefit of having ANY priority for tenders?  I had to wait 45 minutes IN THE LOUNGE to receive a tender ticket AND to hear my number called.  The dining room staff cut-backs were evident and our MDR meal took 30 minutes between courses.  We did talk to the dining room manager about it and it seemed to improve, BUT it probably just meant the poor guys and gals just had to hustle even more.  WE are very simple cruisers.  We don't go to entertainment and we don't require much.  But, when we do give loyalty we do hope for that in return.  There is more, but I don't want to hijack the OP.  When I disembarked finally, I did talk to one of the officers for a minute saying that we were disappointed about the tendering, etc., and sadly he gave me a snotty remark.  IDK, we keep dummying down expectations, but might consider an alternative in future.  Just sayin'.

As a cruiser for many years, we have noticed significant cutbacks in the quality of service on board both Princess and Celebrity after Covid.

Sadly, this is a situation we have seen staying in hotels and dining out.

It is one of the signs that we, as of yet, have not fully recovered from the effects of the Covid Shutdown. 

Taking that into consideration, I would much rather be on board a cruise ship, then staying at Cocoa Beach, and seeing the cruise ships staying one mile out to sea during the Covid Pandemic. 

[Despegue]

21 hours ago, ski ww said:

That is a pretty big mistake for the navigator to mistake going around the west side instead of the east side of Vancouver Island, wonder if he still has a job.

Hello ski ww,

 

This is not how things work at HAL or any other Cruise line that values Safety.

There is a concept called Just Culture, where one is not punished for mistakes that are not due to wilful disregard of procedures. ( google has some good websites explaining the concept, which originated in Aviation, like many Safety concepts onboard by the way). This promotes an open Safety culture where one is not afraid to come clear about errors made, where it is realised that most errors are the result of a wider failure in many departments, and focusing on ‘what went wrong, and how to avoid it in the future” rather than  who did this and how can we put the blame on him. It is vital for a Safe Operation of your Cruise ( or flight).

 

 

kind regards 

 

A Belgian Captain.

 

[Dutchman48]

On 5/13/2024 at 6:46 AM, peajay said:

We have just returned home from the Westerdam transpacific cruise from Tokyo via Alaska to Seattle. A very nice enjoyable cruise despite some rough seas and mediocre weather. However after  visiting three Alaskan ports and on the way to Victoria, the itinerary was to cruise through the inner passage. This was widely advertised as one of the cruise highlights and the best opportunity to see marine wildlife, we bought two souvenir mugs that were special for the cruise showing the cruise map and ports visited and  quoting the inside passage specifically

Unfortunately the crew  made an error and sailed west of Vancouver island, so no inner passage cruise for us. The captain announced that they made a mistake and tried to get a pilot at the last minute but none were available. He told us we would get a letter delivered to our cabin detailing the compensation. We did not get the letter and after persisting, guest services reluctantly gave us one. The offer is 10 % of the cruise cost given as FCC. Many people were really frustrated and angry and several that we talked to were very unhappy with the offer, for them, like us, they did not receive one of the highlights of the cruise. This is the first HA cruise we have taken, so I am interested to see opinions. For me this isn't compensation, because we get nothing if we don't buy another cruise, so this is basically a marketing inducement to buy another cruise. On other lines where ports have been missed that were no fault of the cruise line (unlike this one) we received OBC as immediate compensation. We travelled from Europe and at our time of life, we are unlikely to ever cruise Alaska again.  People that had done the inner passage previously, sadly told us that we missed the most picturesque part.

 

Was also on the cruise. I was surprised when the captain made the attempt to turn around and go back so he could go down the east side of the island.  We were expecting to go down the west side and through the straights like most ships going to Victoria. I would have expected the ship to stop in Vancouver if it came down the west side rather than Victoria.

To me the 10%is fair, will probably not get to use it as I have 3 cruises on the books already for the next 12 months, but still fair. 

 

[Dutchman48]

On 5/13/2024 at 7:51 AM, Mary229 said:

I have serious doubts that was said. A copy of said letter would be helpful

 

On 5/13/2024 at 8:38 AM, peajay said:

It's a pity that they didn't have one of these mugs on the bridge 🙂

They might have. If you look closely the ship goes down the west side of the Island. 

[Heartgrove]

Most likely not the Captain's fault as someone in the Corporate office in Seattle actually plotted and made arrangements (pilots, ports, etc.) for the route. It was explained at a "Captain's Talk" onetime after the Costa Concordia disaster. Any deviation and the captain is sent a message. If they don't immediately respond they receive a phone call! The Captain was gracious for accepting responsibility. Fault onboard would fall to the Navigation Officer not recognizing the mistake sooner.

[Mary229]

24 minutes ago, Heartgrove said:

Most likely not the Captain's fault as someone in the Corporate office in Seattle actually plotted and made arrangements (pilots, ports, etc.) for the route. It was explained at a "Captain's Talk" onetime after the Costa Concordia disaster. Any deviation and the captain is sent a message. If they don't immediately respond they receive a phone call! The Captain was gracious for accepting responsibility. Fault onboard would fall to the Navigation Officer not recognizing the mistake sooner.

Absolutely, by the tenor of multiple posts you would think some junior officer turned left when he was supposed to turn right as if ship’s crew are allowed to run amok .  The letter clearly though briefly says this was Seattle.  Someone should have caught it absolutely but it is not a dereliction of duty. 

[wetterthanwater]

I'd take the Canadian inside passage over most of those tourist trap ports in Alaska.

On 5/13/2024 at 3:17 PM, Khlela said:

I honestly was not impressed with the inside passage. I prefer coming back on the outside. I know it feels upsetting but I do feel this is fair compensation. I missed my absolute favorite port last time, Sitka, and came the inside passage home. I was so upset and disappointed. I LOVE sitka and the inside passage was really disappointing. No compensation for us but I also didn’t expect it.

 

There are many cruise lines who wouldn’t have provided any compensation for something like this. 
 

im sorry again that you were disappointed. ❤️

I'd take the Canadian inside passage over most of those tourist trap ports in Alaska.

 

The CIP was absolutely glorious on Friday on Koningsdam. 

[jeh10641]

To Peajay,

HAL sails in Europe so you can use the future cruise there. You did not say how much your FCC was. I see HAL cruises in Europe for US$500 or 600 so a hypothetical credit  of US$100 amounts to a pretty good discount.

 

To all responders, why do you not sign your names to comments? I always do.

Jim

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, jeh10641 said:

To Peajay,

HAL sails in Europe so you can use the future cruise there. You did not say how much your FCC was. I see HAL cruises in Europe for US$500 or 600 so a hypothetical credit  of US$100 amounts to a pretty good discount.

 

To all responders, why do you not sign your names to comments? I always do.

Jim

Besides my obvious first name some of us want to protect our privacy. If I post my full name someone could easily find me and know when I am away 

[REOVA]

3 hours ago, Dutchman48 said:

 

To me the 10%is fair, will probably not get to use it as I have 3 cruises on the books already for the next 12 months, but still fair. 

 

If you haven't paid in full (or past final payment date) you can apply the FCC to any of those 3. If it's not showing in your account yet, a call to HAL can get it expedited and applied. 

[Fouremco]

59 minutes ago, jeh10641 said:

To all responders, why do you not sign your names to comments? I always do.

Other than the potential privacy and security issues, adding my name to a post would contribute nothing to the discussion.

 

BTW, something else that you always seem to do is compose your posts in bold. Any particular reason? Just curious.

[Copper10-8]

7 hours ago, Sir PMP said:

Barneveld.

 

 

 

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt 😉 (14 September 1547 – 13 May 1619) was a Dutch statesman and revolutionary who played an important role in the Dutch struggle for independence from Spain. He is generally considered as one of the greatest and most important political figures in the history of The Netherlands

[Despegue]

5 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

 

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt 😉 (14 September 1547 – 13 May 1619) was a Dutch statesman and revolutionary who played an important role in the Dutch struggle for independence from Spain. He is generally considered as one of the greatest and most important political figures in the history of The Netherlands

He was balding the same way as I am it seems , the struggle is real people!