16/03/2020
Dear Travel Advisor,
I’d like to personally let you know that due to the continued, unpredictable port closures and travel restrictions surrounding COVID-19 and in an abundance of caution, Holland America Line has made the difficult decision to voluntarily pause global cruise operations of our 14 ships for 30 days, impacting sailings scheduled to depart through April 14, 2020.
These are unprecedented times, and while no guests or crew have tested positive for COVID-19 on our ships, we must take a leadership position as a global citizen and ensure that we are doing everything we can to help stabilize the situation. We know this decision will be disappointing and also inconvenience your clients in transit, and for that we sincerely apologize. All of us at Holland America Line are fully committed to supporting all of our travel partners and their clients through this change.
Three cruises that were scheduled to depart this weekend are now cancelled. If you have a client on these cruises, we are in the process of sending out notifications. Your clients will receive a 100% refund and 100% Future Cruise Credit.
The cancelled cruises are:
Oosterdam: originally scheduled to embark Saturday, March 14 in San Diego, CA
Nieuw Amsterdam: originally scheduled to embark Saturday, March 14 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Koningsdam: originally scheduled to embark Sunday, March 15, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Other voyages that are currently in progress are planned to debark as follows:
Veendam: March 18 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL as scheduled
Eurodam: March 18 in San Diego, CA as scheduled
Zuiderdam: March 18 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL as scheduled
Maasdam: March 20 in Hilo, Hawaii. This is a change from the scheduled disembarkation in San Diego, CA on April 3.
Zaandam: March 21 in San Antonio, Chile as scheduled
Volendam: March 22 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL as scheduled
Amsterdam: March 24 in Freemantle, Australia. This is a change from the scheduled disembarkation in Ft. Lauderdale on May 12.
Rotterdam: March 27 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL as scheduled
Any guests on back-to-back cruises beyond the dates above will now need to disembark the ship.
Ships not currently in service due to previous cancellations are: Nieuw Statendam, Noordam and Westerdam.
For your clients who did not use our Flight Ease program, please contact the airlines to make ticket changes. Holland America Line will rebook all guests who purchased their air through the Flight Ease program and will endeavor to help others encountering issues.
If your clients are booked on cruises that will not be operating, you will receive communication from us in the coming days.
We fully understand the role travel advisors play in the success of the cruise industry, and we want you to rest assured that Holland America Line will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full and for the total amount of the Future Cruise Credits when your clients rebook. These are challenging times for everyone, and we are here for you.
Holland America Line’s corporate employees remain working and will focus on future sailings and preparing for cruise operations to resume. As details become known about future cruise itineraries, we will communicate with you directly and also publish on hollandamerica.com.
In the meantime, remember that your clients can still book future cruises with peace of mind with our “Book with Confidence” program, which allows for cancellation on cruises that depart through Oct. 15, 2020, for any reason. When ports reopen and we resume business as usual, we’ll be ready to welcome your clients on board and continue to offer the amazing experiences and exceptional service that’s been the foundation of Holland America Line’s 147-year history.
Orlando Ashford
President, Holland America Line
Thank you for your business and loyalty to Holland America Line.
We are Committed to Your Success™.
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