One Day Before Sail Date on Zuiderdam, and no communication from HAL

[croozen]

We were due to sail tomorrow, March 18th on Zuiderdam. Have received nothing from HAL or big box TA.

Anyone else heard crickets about imminent sailing?
 

 Would like to have some assurance we have the refund options discussed here. Funny, we were receiving regular emails from a Orlando Ashford right up until Friday afternoon that sailing was on, OBC offer, they looked forward to welcoming us etc. 

[Crazy For Cats]

I was on the same itinerary.  We received our email over the weekend to select our choice of refund or FCC.  Yesterday I was able to rebook the cruise for November.

[VMax1700]

Did you check your SPAM?  Depending on your email provider, an email can end up in spam even though you received previous mails.

[CruiserBruce]

Is there even an e mail associated with your booking? Not everyone has one.

[croozen]

Yes I have checked spam and junk and deleted folders.

I am quite certain there is an email associated with this cruise. As I noted, we had been receiving regular updates via email from HAL right up until Friday, and before that cruise check in emails.

[Alberta Quilter]

I would be getting on the phone with the big box TA pronto!  I have found that they don't forward emails from HAL but then I'm not affected by this pause so don't know if they would in this situation.  Good luck!

[croozen]

I am on the phone with Big Box now. Called at 8 am and had 30 second wait time. She is helping me. 

[croozen]

Update: they are refunding to CC# including original cruise price, upgrade cost we paid for Neptune Suite (weep weep), excursion etc. We can expect it in about 10 business days. Calling Big Box exactly at opening time worked for me! 

[ger_77]

Glad to hear it's being resolved for you.

 

Smooth Sailing!  🙂🙂🙂

[VMax1700]

Glad it's sorted!

There will be another Neptune 😂

[Queen of DaNile]

34 minutes ago, croozen said:

Update: they are refunding to CC# including original cruise price, upgrade cost we paid for Neptune Suite (weep weep), excursion etc. We can expect it in about 10 business days. Calling Big Box exactly at opening time worked for me! 

Are you getting a future cruise credit as well, which is what Princess did on the imminent cruises I believe?

[Crazy For Cats]

39 minutes ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Are you getting a future cruise credit as well, which is what Princess did on the imminent cruises I believe?

I will.  My PCC didn’t know the exact amount and details.  I have to try and be patient for ten days, give or take, as they sort things out.

 

Already have the credits posted to my credit card for excursions that were booked.

[croozen]

I didn't hear big box TA say anything about an additional FCC, I thought it was just a 100% refund option. She was reading the two options out to me over the phone and I didn't even let her get through the refund option (ding! ding!) before I said we'll take it!! I guess I will wait and see if we get the same as Crazy For Cats. Here's hoping. 

 

We are in limbo with just deposit in on a June 26th Med cruise. I believe I heard others say on here that any FCC we may get due to this stoppage can NOT be applied to balance owing on a cruise that is already booked like this one which was booked like 18 months ago. True? (we have a delay til April 22 to decide on whether to proceed on that one)

[Crazy For Cats]

18 minutes ago, croozen said:

I didn't hear big box TA say anything about an additional FCC, I thought it was just a 100% refund option. She was reading the two options out to me over the phone and I didn't even let her get through the refund option (ding! ding!) before I said we'll take it!! I guess I will wait and see if we get the same as Crazy For Cats. Here's hoping. 

 

We are in limbo with just deposit in on a June 26th Med cruise. I believe I heard others say on here that any FCC we may get due to this stoppage can NOT be applied to balance owing on a cruise that is already booked like this one which was booked like 18 months ago. True? (we have a delay til April 22 to decide on whether to proceed on that one)

The email I got indicated that the credit would be applied to your next new booking. My PCC wasn’t aware of that fine print.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I have been following your thread.

 

Glad you are getting it all straightened out.

 

Sorry but the FCC can only be applied to new bookings.

 

 

[Loreto]

9 hours ago, croozen said:

We were due to sail tomorrow, March 18th on Zuiderdam. Have received nothing from HAL or big box TA.

Anyone else heard crickets about imminent sailing?
 

 Would like to have some assurance we have the refund options discussed here. Funny, we were receiving regular emails from a Orlando Ashford right up until Friday afternoon that sailing was on, OBC offer, they looked forward to welcoming us etc. 

We were in the same situation!  Our 18 day Circle Hawaii cruise was due to sail tomorrow March 18.  We had a number of warm fuzzy emails from Orlando Ashford thanking us for not cancelling , but NEVER an email that our cruise was a no go.  Thank goodness for CC and I took another look at the covid 19 banner at the top of the HAL web page and got the pertinant information!

 

I think the people who got the email from HAL had HAL insurance.  I finally called HAL and was told I WOULD get an email.  I ultimately called and got through to my Big Box TA today and she took care of sending the email.  She also refared our Alaska July cruise, which probably not go either.   I was on the phone with her for almost 2 hours and she was very professional.

 

I am very disappointed in HAL.

Karen

[Cruising-along]

11 minutes ago, Loreto said:

I think the people who got the email from HAL had HAL insurance. 

No, not us.  We have our insurance with Allianz and booking with the Big Box.   Got the email from Ashford Friday night about our April 2 cruise being canceled. 

[Loreto]

22 minutes ago, Cruising-along said:

No, not us.  We have our insurance with Allianz and booking with the Big Box.   Got the email from Ashford Friday night about our April 2 cruise being canceled. 

Hi Carolyn,

Glad you got a timely email!  We are also 5* ( reminded HAL of this when I called) and we still never got any notification from them.  We have used Allianz in the past, but used Travel Insured with USAA this time.  I do have the email from Big Box now.  She also got HAL to let us keep the $3200 future Cruise Credit we used to help pay for this cruise.

 

Karen

[Cruising-along]

12 minutes ago, Loreto said:

Hi Carolyn,

Glad you got a timely email!  We are also 5* ( reminded HAL of this when I called) and we still never got any notification from them.  We have used Allianz in the past, but used Travel Insured with USAA this time.  I do have the email from Big Box now.  She also got HAL to let us keep the $3200 future Cruise Credit we used to help pay for this cruise.

 

Karen

I'm glad it all finally worked out! Who knows how they decide when/who to send those emails, it never makes any sense to me.  Today we booked our "replacement" cruise and got in on the great promotion they started.  

[Hlitner]

We were booked on the April 12 Westerdam cruise from Yokohama, and do our bookings through an excellent cruise agency.  When HAL cancelled our cruise we received an immediate e-mail, on the day HAL cancelled, directly from HAL.  The following day we received a similar e-mail from our cruise agent.  Three days later we received a complete refund for our cruise and air in our credit card account.  A week later we booked another HAL cruise and immediately had our related future cruise discount applied to our new booking as soon as we entered our Mariners Club number.  It all could not have been easier and we thought HAL did a good job...although some complained (including me) that HAL waited too long to cancel that cruise.

 

Not sure why the OP did not get any kind of e-mail from HAL.  Possibly there was an issue with their e-mail or perhaps HAL is overwhelmed and just messed-up.  I cannot even imagine the challenges facing any cruise line at this troubled time.  Events have moved quickly and it must be nearly impossible for the cruise lines to keep up.  We all need to keep in mind that the current situation is unprecedented and the cruise lines are as much the victim as their customers.

 

This is not just about HAL!  I read yesterday that the Norwegian Jewel is currently at sea in the South Pacific and is having trouble finding any port to accept the ship.  That ship apparently does not have a single case of COVID-19, but is still a ship without a port.  The current situation is a nightmare for the entire travel industry and no amount of planning could have anticipated the world situation.

 

Hank

[Blake18]

What is the amount of FCC people are getting im on the April 25th California Coast Cruise which I am sure will get cancelled since basically all the ports are closed for cruises.

[robert james]

ttps://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-bz-coronavirus-stranding-elderly-cruisers-in-australia-20200318-shqkc2sbuneqbla5qklififcpq-story.html Hello Ron, We are writing to you after having read the above article in yesterday’s Sun-Sentinel. We must tell you that we have found Holland America unsympathetic to the needs of their cruisers. For instance, we were booked on Holland America’s Zuidenham to depart Ft. Lauderdale on March 18, 2020 through the Panama Canal. We called them to advise them that one of us(spouse) was hit by a car while biking in the bike path in Highland Beach, Fla on Feb. 24 and sustained multiple injuries and would require surgery. Our Doctor advised us that we would of course need to cancel the cruise. So, we called Holland America and their current cancelation policy on March 10 was a 100% credit towards a future cruise. We asked about a full cash refund and were advised that at that point that wasn't the policy, however, should the policy change we could then request a refund.( would be applied retroactively). On/or about March 13 because of the Corona Virus Holland America cancelled the cruise and changed its policy offering a FULL CASH REFUND. We called yesterday to take advantage of the new policy and they simply stated ABSOLUTELY NO….NO EXCEPTIONS WOULD BE MADE TO APPLY RETROACTIVELY and that was the policy made by Olander Ashford, Executive Director. We have found HOLLAND AMERICA to be a COLD HEARTED CRUISE LINE. We guess that there is nothing more we can do but, we thought we would pass our experience along because it seems to reflect Holland America’s INDIFFERENCE TO ITS CLIENTS. 

[robert james]

ttps://www.sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl-bz-coronavirus-stranding-elderly-cruisers-in-australia-20200318-shqkc2sbuneqbla5qklififcpq-story.html Hello Ron, We are writing to you after having read the above article in yesterday’s Sun-Sentinel. We must tell you that we have found Holland America unsympathetic to the needs of their cruisers. For instance, we were booked on Holland America’s Zuidenham to depart Ft. Lauderdale on March 18, 2020 through the Panama Canal. We called them to advise them that one of us(spouse) was hit by a car while biking in the bike path in Highland Beach, Fla on Feb. 24 and sustained multiple injuries and would require surgery. Our Doctor advised us that we would of course need to cancel the cruise. So, we called Holland America and their current cancelation policy on March 10 was a 100% credit towards a future cruise. We asked about a full cash refund and were advised that at that point that wasn't the policy, however, should the policy change we could then request a refund.( would be applied retroactively). On/or about March 13 because of the Corona Virus Holland America cancelled the cruise and changed its policy offering a FULL CASH REFUND. We called yesterday to take advantage of the new policy and they simply stated ABSOLUTELY NO….NO EXCEPTIONS WOULD BE MADE TO APPLY RETROACTIVELY and that was the policy made by Olander Ashford, Executive Director. We have found HOLLAND AMERICA to be a COLD HEARTED CRUISE LINE. We guess that there is nothing more we can do but, we thought we would pass our experience along because it seems to reflect Holland America’s INDIFFERENCE TO ITS CLIENTS. 

[RuthC]

It would have lent credibility to get the name of the ship you were going to sail on, and the name of HAL's CEO right. 

[robert james]

Zuiderdam.......

 

CEO
Spoke with Supervisor, Mandy G and she stated that this was the direct policy of Mr. Olander Ashford, CEO of HAL

Thanks