Captain Ricky

2 minutes ago, Vict0riann said:

When we were in Sitka last year, I took a picture of this - I think it was in the centre where the shuttle bus dropped us in town.

 

That certificate is in Centennial Hall.  Sitka EMTs and nurses were flown to the Williamsburg to set up a clinic on board for survivors.  A Sitka Doctor was flown to Yakutat to set up an emergence clinic there for survivors.  In Sitka Doctors were waiting for patients who told them their prescription meds.  The two docs wrote script and people went to the drug store across the street to have them filled.  Folks in Sitka made food for the survivors, invited them home for dinner.  Stores opened up.  At the end of the day you could not buy toothpaste, underwear, tampons, and lots of other things but the town pulled together and  aside from loss  of their possessions, it ended well for the passengers.  

4 hours ago, TJR_0323 said:

We all had the opportunity to complete a 2022 GWV survey while onboard this year's world cruise. It included four possible itineraries, and several questions related to preferred ports, etc.

I filled out that survey but things have changed since then.   I think, for instance, a world cruise that picks up on both coasts may be an innovation they want to consider., or add on cruises that can carry us to and from the west coast on both ends. 

Also, with several ports I wanted to visit canceled I have a different wish list for 2020 that I had when I filled in the survey and assumed I would see places and things that we missed.  So, yeah, I want the new survey.

7 minutes ago, pspercy said:

 

Indeed.

I read elsewhere that some ships' Radio Ofc involved in that rescue used it as an example to plead the case for not dropping the requirement that ships carry them when the likes of INMARSAT became operational. They lost.

David Ring, who was the Radio Officer on the Williamsburg, the closest ship to respond has made that argument eloquently.  They didn't listen.  

3 hours ago, pspercy said:

 

Prinsendam Fire October 4, 1980

http://www.alaska.net/~jcassidy/pop-mech.htm

 

They were very lucky.

 

They were, but the Coast Guard helped make that luck.  It was an above and beyond exercise.

1 hour ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Hmm.... given those questions,  any chance the survey went only to those who don’t  have to fly to Fort Lauderdale? We have to fly there from Vancouver, and Captain Ricky flies in from Alaska, so those particular questions are answered before they’re even asked.

That's not the survey i got from HAL.  Mine was a generic how did you like your cruise,  I would love to get a chance to answer some of those questions.  I would love to have some input to the planning of the 2022 GWV, where to, even where from (leaving from both coasts?)  Was the survey on line with a link?  

1 hour ago, prescottbob said:

Besides, at this point, with all that is going on, what would a survey contribute to the future of HAL WC’s?

 

No animosity here. JMHO whatever it might be worth (zero in most cases actually).

 

Be well.

Bob

 

I take your point except that they sent it to some people and not others.  That puzzles me.  I want to take the survey to give a tip of the hat to on board staff that went above and beyond.  I wonder it it went to our TA?  I have sent a note to check.

You may find this interesting from Cruise Critic on why refunds are not coming quickly.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5342/?et_cid=3330961&et_rid=131762234&et_referrer=features_widget_cc

I would consider it if the program on the ship were appealing.  I like HAL cruises with good lecturers, so if it was a cruise with sufficient sea days and a good lecture and enrichment program I would look into it.  Or if it were a theme cruise (like the old Prairie Home Companion cruises) I may consider it.  I'm a trekkie a Star Trek cruise for a week without ports, why not?  Adding a private island may be a positive add on.  A pleasant break from the shipboard life.  I don't think I would do it without the incentive of a good program.

And Now this.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/local-business/seattle-based-holland-america-line-announces-2000-layoffs-other-measures-as-coronavirus-halts-cruise-sailings-worldwide/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article_inset_1.1&fbclid=IwAR30qGwIF-wY0ErqSB_YI1VcMYkiKcZkdLWFNhzD2i6T7TyrQq5ZfnPVB0o

And this from Seattle.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/local-business/seattle-based-holland-america-line-announces-2000-layoffs-other-measures-as-coronavirus-halts-cruise-sailings-worldwide/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article_inset_1.1&fbclid=IwAR30qGwIF-wY0ErqSB_YI1VcMYkiKcZkdLWFNhzD2i6T7TyrQq5ZfnPVB0o

And now this.  HAL lays off Seattle land based staff.

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/local-business/seattle-based-holland-america-line-announces-2000-layoffs-other-measures-as-coronavirus-halts-cruise-sailings-worldwide/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article_inset_1.1&fbclid=IwAR30qGwIF-wY0ErqSB_YI1VcMYkiKcZkdLWFNhzD2i6T7TyrQq5ZfnPVB0o

13 minutes ago, Hygge! said:

Why does this announcement affect long cruises? This was our first “world” cruise and we are hooked! 

Looking at the way HAL is going, larger "Mid sized" ships designed for 7 day cruises or B2B cruises,  The fact that longer cruises may not sell as much stuff than shorter cruises with more turnover, the design of the new ships.  If there is a change in management they may decide to concentrate on the shorter cruises.  Further, I would guess that some ships will not return to service in the mid term future.  Will they be the older ships?  If so that could also affect long term cruises.  Hope they keep them because I too am hooked.

And this.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22929-rick-meadows-retires-from-seabourn-and-carnival-after-35-year-career.html

I just got an email trying to sell me Carnival Cruises for the beginning of September.  I asked if they realistically thought the CDC "No Sail" order would be lifted before a vaccine.  The agent on the chat line said "We can't answer for the CDC."  but "With Carnival, if you were to be on a cruise that the cruise line cancelled due to Covid, the cruise line does not have a set time for refunds to be processed and can exceed 90 days as they have over 1.5 million refunds to process."  To book the cruise I have to put up a deposit right now, (and if I book within 4 days I get extra on board credit and hotel fees paid.) and if I cancel it is non refundable.  I get the feeling that I am being asked to contribute to a big "Ponzi" scheme.  It ain't just HAL.

I just got an email trying to sell me Carnival Cruises for the beginning of September.  I asked if they realistically thought the CDC "No Sail" order would be lifted before a vaccine.  The agent on the chat line said "We can't answer for the CDC."  but "With Carnival, if you were to be on a cruise that the cruise line cancelled due to Covid, the cruise line does not have a set time for refunds to be processed and can exceed 90 days as they have over 1.5 million refunds to process."  To book the cruise I have to put up a deposit right now, (and if I book within 4 days I get extra on board credit and hotel fees paid.) and if I cancel it is non refundable.  I get the feeling that I am being asked to contribute to a big "Ponzi" scheme.

I wonder how this affects the future of long cruises on HAL

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22930-orlando-ashford-leaving-holland-america.html

Orlando Ashford is out.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22930-orlando-ashford-leaving-holland-america.html

Orlando Ashford is out.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22930-orlando-ashford-leaving-holland-america.html

1 hour ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

Sorry to hear! May he rest in peace! 

 

 

 

 

Capt. Edward Westfall, current commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell; retired Capt. Leroy Krumm, commanding officer of Boutwell in 1980; retired Capt. Richard Sardeson, commanding officer of Coast Guard Cutter Mellon in 1980; and Capt. Darran McLenon, current commanding officer of Mellon, pose for a photo during a reunion commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Prinsendam rescue at Coast Guard Base Seattle, Oct. 6, 2015. Boutwell and Mellon, both 378-foot High Endurance Cutters, were involved in the rescue of 524 people after the luxury cruise liner Prinsendam caught fire in the Gulf of Alaska, Oct. 4, 1980. (Photo courtesy of retired Senior Chief Stan Jaceks)

It's weird the way this post has diverged from its original intent.  Or not.

13 minutes ago, Copper10-8 said:

 

 

Had a very pleasant conversation (on line) with (acting USCGC Boutwell XO and author) Steve Corcoran today. He speaks highly of you! 

Sadly we lost Leroy Krumm, who was captain of USCGC Boutwell during the rescue, a couple of weeks ago.  

51 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I have Burning Cold on a book shelf and I don't recall reading anything like what you are saying in that book.

While "Burning Cold" is a good read it is not the definitive account of the incident.  I don't know if any of the three books talk about the request to bring Prinsendam into local bays.  But I covered the story and remember the request and response. By that time it was a footnote, everyone was off the ship, everyone was safe, the national media moved on.   

HAL’s communications have been terrible from the start of the Corona Virus crisis.  We were on the 2020 World Cruise on MS Amsterdam.  The first word I got that our cruise was ending in Fremantle was from a Holland American press release I read on line.  Lots of passengers read this and the rumor spread.  As it spread it was distorted.  I suspect the captain was blindsided by Seattle.

It was only several hours later the Captain confirmed the cancelation.  Panic spread among some of the passengers because many were told that they had to make their own reservations home from Perth.  A whole set of people felt “abandoned.”  The lines at the service desk were long, people looked stricken, were getting testy and the staff behind the desk were taking abuse they didn’t deserve.  

This went on for almost two days when the Captain came on the pa to say we would be getting a letter outlining new procedures later that night; “stay calm and please don’t mob the desk.”  The letter didn’t come that night. When I got up in the morning, I had an email from my travel agent with “the letter.”  Seattle released a letter to TAs before the Captain got to release on board setting off a new round of rumors, concern and panic.  The information in the letter to the TA was different from what the captain had been telling us!  I went to the Guest Services Director, Crystal, and told her they had been blindsided.  She knew.  When the letter actually came from the Captain later in the day it was different in material ways from what my TA sent, for instance, the captain told us that now HAL would help anyone who needed it get reservations home.

After we got home, we all got a letter from Orlando explaining that the disconnect in communication was because time zones and the dateline caused information to come out from Seattle while we were all asleep.  I found this answer disingenuous.  The information from Seattle and from the Captain were different.  I can understand that the situation was changing quickly and, in an effort to get information out, Seattle issued press releases and sent a letter to my TA prematurely.  But I would feel better about HAL if Orlando had simply owned up the mess up in their communications, said it was because of the fast-moving and confusing situation, and then simply said “sorry.”  Making the time zone/dateline excuse has made me less trustful of HAL communications.  Perhaps it’s better that we don’t hear much from them.

Having said that, I loved our half world cruise and would do it again!  I may feel differently if I don’t get my refund close to the promised time without a very good explanation.  Agreed, first job for HAL is taking care of crew, but for their future they also need to take care of their customer base.

2 hours ago, rotjeknor said:

My father was Marine Superintendent with HAL at the time. I remember him being paged at Schiphol airport when this happened( No mobile phones back then). He was planning  to go New York , but flew to Anchorage instead.  Afterwards he was , of course, present at the hearings in The Netherlands. I recently got in contact with the son of one of the engineers who was onboard. So sad that the ship could have been saved.

Thanks for these pictures.  I have a lot of pics in my files but not these.  As far as the comment that she could have been saved, that is probably true but at what environmental cost?  HAL wanted to bring her into one of the bays near Sitka to put out the fire but the US Forest Service denied permission for environmental reasons.  The fear was oil and other pollution interfering with Salmon migration.  Prinsendam would have been pulled into a bay just at the time some species of salmon smolt would be migrating from their streams to the ocean.  Then there would be the possibility of oiling coastline where Herring would be spawning in 5 months.  So the decision was made in favor of the fish.  I can't fault that decision.

12 minutes ago, ON cruiser said:

 

To be clear, I have no opinion on whether HAL or CCL management should resign--as compared to the executives at other cruise lines, I have no basis to say the CCL team is any better or worse.  They are probably doing as well as they believe they can, given all the circumstances. That refunds are taking as long as they are for sure is not satisfactory, but I am not at this stage calling for anyone to walk the plank (given we are talking of a cruise organization, a nautical term seemed apt).

 

What I am fussed about is the attitude of some posters that those asking for refunds are somehow wrong, or are overly impatient. The excuse for this is as Despeque wrote above--in essence, you could afford it at the time.

 

Yet, as I posted on another thread, the times have changed. Imagine that you are a successful business owner of, say, a retail store or a restaurant. Things are going well and you can afford a cruise holiday. Then, Covid enters the picture, your cruise is cancelled by the cruise line, and your establishment is shuttered so you have no income coming in--which is the fate of many. Can you use your refund now, to pay your rent or mortgage, or your staff, or your bank or suppliers, or to feed your family? Of course!   

 

Same analysis applies if you are a manager in a business that no longer has a revenue stream--you agree to a 20% or greater pay cut to keep your job and help your employer "save the furniture", hoping better days return. Or you are a young associate accountant or other professional, a dentist or hygienist, just getting started, with a mortgage, and little or no income coming in and lots of demands on your monies. Can you use your refund now, rather than waiting 90 days? You betcha!  What was budgeted for as a vacation is no longer a viable plan, just as the prior year's government budget is also blown by this.  

 

Moreover, the refund due is your money. You have a right to it, unapologetically. Whether the corporate entities have to restructure or not, is not the concern of anyone owed monies for services not rendered. If people can afford to wait, great. For those who cannot, the anxiety is real. Hopefully those people will avail themselves of the credit card dispute option to speed up the process.

 

I really hope that posters who throw in the face the statement that "you could afford it when you booked" reconsider, and try to walk a mile in the shoes of those people who, for whatever reason, want or need the monies they are legitimately owed.

Not to mention kids who have suddenly lost jobs, lost health coverage and still have mortgages and kids to feed.  Would I rather float CCL or my family?  I'm sure you know the answer, probably same as yours.

I am not dunning HAL with letters and calls.  I am working on not being upset because it helps nothing, it just makes me less effective.  I am happy to have the money I have gotten back from HAL in my account but I do hope that the rest appears within the originally promised 60 days.