Zuiderdam itinerary change

[suemag]

Just got this message- no other information?????????

 

Holland America Zuiderdam has changed its itinerary for the following sail dates.

 

April 23, 30; May 14, 28; June 11, 25; July 9,23; August 6, 20; September 3,17; and

 

October 1,15, 2005.

 

 

Thank You.

[wannago30]

I called my travel agent and she had no info on this change. Any information would be great..

[jpny]

Just got this message- no other information?????????

 

Holland America Zuiderdam has changed its itinerary for the following sail dates.

 

April 23, 30; May 14, 28; June 11, 25; July 9,23; August 6, 20; September 3,17; and

 

October 1,15, 2005.

 

 

Thank You.

On the 4/30 sailing and have not heard either. Will advise if we hear.

 

Jean

[Oceanwench]

Maybe it's an old message -- the Zuiderdam itinerary was changed a while back, with the days for Tortola and St. Thomas switched, and the hours in St.Thomas changed.

 

I have not heard anything since then.

[KBG]

We are sailing on August 20. I received this message from my TA this afternoon:

 

"We have been asked by Holland America to contact you. They have made a very slight itinerary change to your cruise. On Tuesday, instead of visiting Road Town, Tortola, BVI from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, you will be there from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. All other ports/times are the same as before."

 

Hope this helps. -KBG

[Oceanwench]

They just keep chopping away at those hours!!!

 

Thanks for the info. I am sure our TA will be leting us know too.:(

[suemag]

I just got this from TA

 

Holland America Zuiderdam has changed its itinerary for the following sail dates.

 

April 23, 30; May 14, 28; June 11, 25; July 9,23; August 6, 20; September 3,17; and

 

October 1,15, 2005. It will arrive Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands at 8:00am and depart at 5:00pm, instead of departing at 6:00pm.

 

 

 

Thank You.

 

The first notice stunk!!!! Tried to get on HAL website but it was shut down............

[oceanlov1]

i will be on the 4/30 sailing. even though, as HAL calls it a "very slight" itinerary change, it is still an inconvenice. i enjoy HAL, but do not enjoy less time in port. SHAME ON HAL!!

[Ziggy7]

I read on another thread last December ( sorry dont remember where, I think Port boards) but someone who lived in St. Thomas said that its up to the port authorties when ships can arrive and must leave, they have the right at anytime to tell a ship to leave. They are pretty good about sticking to schedules but if crimes are up, they will limit night time ports of calls. They do not want their port to get a bad rep for crimes again cruise pax, and most crimes happen at night when they have less authorities on patrol. This can happen in many ports.

 

This made good sense to me :) I hope I explained it as close to his words as possible

[Oceanwench]

A member of our roll call for the 5/14 sailing posted the information he just received from his TA.

It notes the change in the hours for Tortola, and it also states that the time in St. Thomas has changed to 8 a.m.-11 p.m.

I believe the original itinerary had us in St. Thomas till 11, then it got cut back to much earlier in the evening.

 

Back when the St. Thomas hours were curtailed [around December], there was much speculation on this board about the reason. Many thought that it was related to crime in the area.

 

To me, it seems a little more capricious than that, unless the "crime" in St. Thomas has plumetted since December!

 

Has anyone else heard about the latest change in hours in St. Thomas?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

OceanWench,

I got an actual letter from my TA back in February stating the original changes. Are you saying they changed the hours back to 11pm in St. Thomas? That was one of the reasons this cruise looked so good. The only ports I have ever been in at night was San Juan and Bermuda.

 

Bill

[FCOWHER]

Too bad HAL couldn't change the itinerary to add a day at St. Maarten or add a day at Key West. HAL could even add sea days for all I care, as long as the dining room and bars remain open, DW and I will be there with bells on. 37 days till the Zuiderdam. Joe V.

 

Serenade of the Seas 12/31/05

Zuiderdam 4/23/05

RCI - 2 times

Princess - 3 times

QE2 - 1 time

Royal Majesty - 1 time

Carnival - 1 time

[richcrow]

A member of our roll call for the 5/14 sailing posted the information he just received from his TA.

It notes the change in the hours for Tortola, and it also states that the time in St. Thomas has changed to 8 a.m.-11 p.m.

I believe the original itinerary had us in St. Thomas till 11, then it got cut back to much earlier in the evening.

 

Back when the St. Thomas hours were curtailed [around December], there was much speculation on this board about the reason. Many thought that it was related to crime in the area.

 

To me, it seems a little more capricious than that, unless the "crime" in St. Thomas has plumetted since December!

 

Has anyone else heard about the latest change in hours in St. Thomas?

 

Oceanwinch,

 

I received the same info from my TA. She just provided me with a copy of the actual fax from HAL which stated that the itinerary for Tortola had changed from 7:00am til 6:00pm to 8:00am til 5:00pm. It also showed that the departure time for St. Thomas was 11:00pm. But I will say that the fax had the itinerary for Tortola in bold font which made me wonder if this notice only pertained to Tortola and HAL used a copy of the old itinerary showing the original St. Thomas departure time. I hope not because I would like to stay in St. Thomas until 11:00pm.:confused:

[richcrow]

I called HAL and they stated that the arrival and departure times fro St. Thomas have not changed back to the original published times of 8:00am til 11:00pm. They remain as changed to 7:00am til 6:00pm. The person that i talked with did say that the time changes are not on their part. They are being dictated by the ports-of-call.

 

Richard

[Oceanwench]

Thanks Richard!

I e-mailed HAL this morning and asked about the changes ... have not heard back. I also asked DH to call our TA to check ... I am sure he hasn't gotten around to that yet.

 

I will let the people on the Roll Call know about this error -- I am sure you are right, they used an old itinerary and just changed the time for Tortola.

 

As far as Tortola, does a 5 p.m. departure make it difficult to get over to Virgin Gorda and back, do you know?

[Honeymoon_cruisers]

Here is a thread that addressed the change http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=132861

[Oceanwench]

I was the OP on that thread ... that was a previous change HAL made on the itinerary, back in February.

 

This latest, quite recent change that people have posted about is the departure from Tortola, moved from 6 p.m. back to 5 p.m.

It appears that the notice of this change went out, but the "old" departure hours from St. Thomas [11 p.m.] were listed along with the "new" departure time for Tortola.

 

I have e-mailed HAL, just for my own peace of mind.

[richcrow]

Thanks Richard!

I e-mailed HAL this morning and asked about the changes ... have not heard back. I also asked DH to call our TA to check ... I am sure he hasn't gotten around to that yet.

 

I will let the people on the Roll Call know about this error -- I am sure you are right, they used an old itinerary and just changed the time for Tortola.

 

As far as Tortola, does a 5 p.m. departure make it difficult to get over to Virgin Gorda and back, do you know?

 

Sorry, but I wouldn't know about Virgin Gorda because i have never been to Tortola.:(

 

Richard

[bepsf]

There is a very good editorial regarding port changes from CruiseBlogger.com:

 

 

* From the more truth in advertising department: It's time for cruise lines to get what they're selling in line with what their policies reflect and what consumers expect.

Most experts in the cruise industry agree that consumers should be focused on buying the right line and ship rather than focusing on the specific ports of call (obviously don't buy the "right" ship if it's in Alaska and you really want to cruise the Caribbean), because you spend a lot more time on the ship than you do in any one port, or even all the ports put together for that matter. In the end, by picking the right ship, the consumer is much happier than if the choice is based on the specific itinerary.

Most consumers, however, spend much more of their time anticipating the ports than is really advisable. They've chosen the "exotic western Caribbean itinerary" over the "seafarer western Caribbean itinerary," or after careful study, one Mediterranean itinerary over another. To help them do that, the cruise lines devote lots of pages in their brochures to describing their different itineraries and ports. The cruise lines also "help" consumers focus on the ports by making all their ships very similar so consumers won't have to choose between the ship they really like that goes here and another one that goes to a "better" collection of ports.

Then reality sets in. In the real world, cruise ships often don't go where they are scheduled to go. Sometimes it's a mechanical reason, sometimes it's inclement weather, and sometimes there are other valid factors that cause a schedule change. Recognizing this reality, cruise lines have told consumers right up front in the brochure (but with no glossy pictures) and in the contract on the ticket, that the cruise line is not responsible for itinerary changes, and they actually owe the consumer nothing for any changes.

What's happened is that the marketing people have gotten a bit carried away, and have been letting consumers (with their help) focus on the itinerary rather than the ship as the actual destination. For their own good, and the good of the consumer, they need to get back to the way they used to market and the way feature-rich land-based resorts still market. They need to focus on the wonderful things available in the "resort" and look at the locale (in the cruise lines' case, the ports) as an added bonuses for the customer if and when they should feel the desire to leave the resort, and stress that many people never feel it necessary to leave.

It also only make sense with the current generation of larger ships being built with more and more features. Consumers are going to be more conflicted as these ships call at four ports in a week, and feel compelled to do everything in every one of those ports, at the same time taking away from their time to enjoy the growing number of shipboard features. Something's got to give. For this, and other reasons, it's only logical, that eventually the number of ports of call are going to be reduced on most itineraries so consumers won't feel cheated because they didn't get to do everything they wanted to do on the ship.

What can the consumer do? That's simple. Right now - before the cruise lines start telling you to do it - start focusing on buying the right ship and line. Then when your ship deviates from the planned itinerary, you'll still have had an outstanding vacation and not be heartbroken that you've missed the port you've been looking forward to, or outraged that the cruise line only gave you $20 onboard credit because you missed it.

Personally, I think it's rather good advice...

[Oceanwench]

Brian,

 

Interesting read.

However, I don't think this thread is full of complainers. More or less we were just discussing the hours being curtailed on one of the ports of call.

This may cause some consternation among those who have chosen excursions through an independent source rather than HAL.

 

Since all our TAs aren't always up on the latest changes, it's good that people post them on this board.

Last month I posted when HAL switched days for Tortola and St. Thomas, and many people had not heard about it. It afforded them the chance to alter their plans and not be surprised at the last moment.

I was able to contact the tour operator in St. Thomas and change my reservation to the new arrival day.

 

The blogger is correct in that the cruise lines tend to market their ports more than their ships' amenities.

And many consumers do choose an itinerary over a particular line or ship.

 

As for me, I choose HAL first, itinerary second.

I've been disappointed only once, missing St. Martin on my first HAL cruise due to weather, but I realized it was beyond HAL's control.

Things happen -- as I often say, it even rains at Disney World.

 

While the blogger gives good advice -- chose the ship over the itinerary -- I still think the onus is on the cruise industry to change its marketing strategies and ensure the consumer is more aware of the potential for changes in itineraries.

 

Speaking of marketing ... how about all those TV commercials for cruises? Do you ever seen a crowd around the pool?

[bepsf]

OceanW--

 

I certainly was not intending it as any kind of judgement on anyone at all - I thought that little perspective on the subject might be appropriate.

 

For me, the specific itinerary is rather unimportant - one sunny island in the Caribbean is pretty much as good as another, IMHO. Although I'm certain that on a European itinerary it might trouble me more...

Re: Commercials & Advertising

Well, yes, I do recall seeing folks shown around a pool - or rather on a pool-slide or in a jacuzzi - on certain line's TV commercials. But certainly not the typical pool scene that you and I are accustomed to seeing aboard ship. In all, I believe that the television advertising is geared more towards the ships - it's the printed literature that emphasizes the ports, and in a certain way I can't blame them - after all how else would a new cruiser decide between a European or an Alaskan cruise?

BTW - I love the portholes on your signature...

[Oceanwench]

Thanks ... I like the portholes, too!

 

I didn't think you were being judgmental, but I did want to stress that this was not a thread of complainers!

I've read enough of those -- and I've always posted about the cruise lines' right to make changes to the itinerary.

 

I guess everyone chooses a cruise for his/her own reasons, whether it's the ship or the ports. I have friends who go for the ship [and sometimes don't bother getting off at the ports] and others who long for the adventure of a new port.

I choose cruises b/c DH can't fly ... and I want a vacation free from driving. Cruises work perfectly for us. DH loves the ship, I love the ports. We both love HAL. :)

 

I brought up the commercials for the cruise lines b/c I think they are marketing tools also ... designed to lure you onto that uncrowded ship ... I am thinking RCCL. The brochures highlighting the ports are step 2 in the process.

[Candy]

5/14 will be our 4th Zuidy (3rd Eastern) and all three eastern cruises have switched St. Thomas and Road Town. There's nothing we can do about it, and don't really care. This is a good reason to book excursions thru the ship rather than the independents online.

 

Candy <-- loves to just stay on this beautiful ship!

Just got this message- no other information?????????

 

Holland America Zuiderdam has changed its itinerary for the following sail dates.

 

April 23, 30; May 14, 28; June 11, 25; July 9,23; August 6, 20; September 3,17; and

 

October 1,15, 2005.

 

 

Thank You.

[FoxyTerrier]

Just got this message- no other information?????????

 

Holland America Zuiderdam has changed its itinerary for the following sail dates.

 

April 23, 30; May 14, 28; June 11, 25; July 9,23; August 6, 20; September 3,17; and

 

October 1,15, 2005.

 

 

Thank You.

 

We received a copy of a HAL FAX from our TA which says the itinerary Change starts with the Mar 12 sailing and continues through the Dec 3 sailing.

 

Hmmm, As it look at it more carefully and compare to the above the dates same are not included.

 

Our FAX which is dated 3/11/2005 include the following sailings:

 

March 12, 19, 26

April 2,9,16

October 22

November 5,12,19,26

December 3

[Oceanwench]

One of the members of our roll call for the 5/14 sailing called HAL's pax services.

He was told St. Thomas departure is slated for 11 p.m.!!!

He was also told the Tortola departure has been changed to 5 p.m.

 

My e-mail to HAL about the most up-to-date times has not been answered.

 

I enjoy booking with independent tour operators and will continue to do so, as long as I am sure we'll be back to the ship on time.