SEATTLE — Holland America Lina has extended its pause of operations as it continues to work towards meeting the CDC’s new Framework for Conditional Sailing Order.
The cruise line previously paused global operations and cancelled all departures on all ships through Dec. 31, 2020 and select Hawaii and Grand Voyage itineraries for early 2021.
This latest extension will see the temporary pause run through March 31, 2021 for all departures, with cruises of eight days or longer calling in the U.S. paused even further.
The extended pause applies to the following:
- All cruise departures from Jan. 1 through March 31, 2021
- Cruises of eight days or more that call at a U.S. port through Nov. 1, 2021
- Select longer voyages in Asia, Australia/New Zealand and South America through mid-April 2021; some departures will be rescheduled to comparable dates in 2022
Guests and their travel agents are being notified of the cancellations and options for Future Cruise Credits (FCC) and rebooking.
Guests with impacted cruises cancelled through March 31 automatically will be cancelled and no action is needed when opting for the FCC. All guests will receive an FCC per person as follows:
- Paid in full: Those who have paid in full will receive 125% FCC of the base cruise fare paid to Holland America Line
- Not paid in full: Those with bookings not paid in full will receive an FCC of double the amount of their deposit; the minimum FCC is US$100 and the maximum will be an mount up to the base cruise fare paid
The FCC is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may be used to book sailings departing through Dec. 31, 2022. Non-cruise fare purchases such as shore excursions, gifts, dining and spa will not be transferred to a new booking and will be refunded to the original form of payment. Other funds such as air fares paid to Holland America Line may be transferred to a new booking or will automatically be refunded via the method of payment used to purchase the services.
Guests booking on several longer voyages to South America aboard Westerdam, Asia aboard Noordam and Australia/New Zealand aboard Oosterdam will be rebooked to similar dates and itineraries in 2022. Those booked on the ‘Voyage of the Vikings’ cruise, scheduled to depart July 9, 2021 aboard Zaandam, will move to a similar date in 2022.
All guests moving to a new voyage in 2022 will receive a $150 per person shipboard credit, protected pricing and equivalent stateroom category.
Guests who prefer a 100% refund of monies paid to Holland America Line can visit the Cancellation Preferences form to indicate this preference no later than Dec. 31, 2020.
The above options are not applicable to guests booked on a charter sailing. Other booking and cancellation conditions and policies may apply if the cruise was not booked through Holland America.
The CDC unveiled its new Framework for Conditional Sailing Order last month to replace its longstanding No Sail Order. The Framework, which applies to cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers in U.S. waters, includes testing and additional safeguards that will help pave the way for cruising’s resumption. Only when cruise lines have demonstrated full compliance will they be given the green light to resume operations.
For more updates from other cruise lines go to https://www.travelweek.ca/news/when-will-cruise-lines-return-to-service-here-are-all-the-latest-updates/.
