Another round of coastal sailing cancellations - considering Havila as a future alternative

[Homerody]

So our coastal sailing has been canceled - only 24 hour port to port passengers permitted, due to pandemic.

 

Perfectly understandable.

 

At this point, I'm not sure about rebooking my twice cancelled booking (not anyone's fault). One of the reasons, is I would like a balcony - all other things being equal.  The Spitsbergen would be an ideal vessel for our cruise. But it is not a frequent vessel during the months we are looking to rebook.

 

I am really intrigued by Havila.  I know they have not started any sailings,  but the ships look great and their services seem on par with Hurtigruten's. 

 

I guess is this a case of sticking with Hurtigruten - a known commodity, or take a chance with Havila the Coastal Sailing newbie.

 

Anyone out there on CC has booked  a future Coastal sailing with Havila?

[hallasm]

I do not know when you had booked a Hurtigruten port-to-port voyage, but I doubt that it would be possible to travel into Norway at all.

When Havila starts operating is still an open question. It is not only Hurtigruten that has had delayed delivery of ships - Havila initially only gets two of four ships and it is not yet known when it will be possible to book voyages. So far not possible to book on-line.

I do not think anyone yet have been able to  book a Havila voyage.

 

[Homerody]

On 4/1/2021 at 6:49 PM, hallasm said:

I do not know when you had booked a Hurtigruten port-to-port voyage, but I doubt that it would be possible to travel into Norway at all.

When Havila starts operating is still an open question. It is not only Hurtigruten that has had delayed delivery of ships - Havila initially only gets two of four ships and it is not yet known when it will be possible to book voyages. So far not possible to book on-line.

I do not think anyone yet have been able to  book a Havila voyage.

 

I did not book a port to port.  I booked the 12 coastal journey.  While the ship will be sailing, my booking was canceled as no one can be on board for more that 24 hrs.  And for that matter, as you state, enter Norway.

 

As for Havila, they may not have ships running yet - but their booking and customer service departments are functional and respond to email inquires in a very speedy fashion. 

[hallasm]

13 hours ago, Homerody said:

As for Havila, they may not have ships running yet - but their booking and customer service departments are functional and respond to email inquires in a very speedy fashion. 

Sorry - I misunderstood your Port-to-Port reference.
Of course, the Norwegian authorities only allow the necessary transport along the coast.  Same guidelines for Havila if the situation has not changed in July.

It is not possible to compare the two companies' customer service at present - Hurtigruten has seven ships in operation and reduced staff. Havila has been open for bookings from July 6 - only two out of four ships - and these two ships have not even been delivered yet.

 I doubt that Havila has many bookings and therefore not that many inquiries.

[Homerody]

57 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Sorry - I misunderstood your Port-to-Port reference.
Of course, the Norwegian authorities only allow the necessary transport along the coast.  Same guidelines for Havila if the situation has not changed in July.

It is not possible to compare the two companies' customer service at present - Hurtigruten has seven ships in operation and reduced staff. Havila has been open for bookings from July 6 - only two out of four ships - and these two ships have not even been delivered yet.

 I doubt that Havila has many bookings and therefore not that many inquiries.

While I agree that it is not possible to compare Hurtigruten and the upstart Havila operationally and the ships have not been delivered - the offerings and ships they plan to use - in my opinion - are more refined and elegant than the working ships Hurtigruten is using.

 

But it is all a bird in hand is worth more than many more on the tree.

 

As for customer service - I see your point.  And as I've said in another thread  - I am willing to give Hurtigruten some latitude and time for slow response time.  At the same time, however, that reservoir of good will is not limitless.  At some point, Hurtigruten's slow/lack of response will have a negative impact on customers including me.   

[hallasm]

31 minutes ago, Homerody said:

 

As for customer service - I see your point.  And as I've said in another thread  - I am willing to give Hurtigruten some latitude and time for slow response time.  At the same time, however, that reservoir of good will is not limitless.  At some point, Hurtigruten's slow/lack of response will have a negative impact on customers including me. 

Admittedly, Hurtigruten has not had the best customer service.
 It is fine with competition on the route and the Havila ships have a nice design and significantly better layout.

[Homerody]

36 minutes ago, hallasm said:

Admittedly, Hurtigruten has not had the best customer service.
 It is fine with competition on the route and the Havila ships have a nice design and significantly better layout.

Perhaps I should take Hurtigruten Northbound and Havila Southbound and compare - once sailing resumes for tourists.  Purely for the purposes of consumer research.  😀

 

 

[Homerody]

I can report Havila is taking reservations. 

[travelbug2225]

I also consider booking Havila. The boat looks very nice. I got the brochure last week. The price seem to be very resasonable. Regarding service on broad I read somewhere while I do my research that they transfer staffs from Hurtriguten to work on Havila ship. The experience on service might be about the same. This is just from what I read I never take Hurtriguten. 

[hallasm]

44 minutes ago, travelbug2225 said:

while I do my research that they transfer staffs from Hurtriguten to work on Havila ship

The original agreement was that crews from four Hurtigruten ships would be transferred to Havila on 1 January 2021. I do not know what the situation is now that Havila is severely delayed - originally the first of four Havila ships was to start sailing on 6 July and the second ship to follow shortly after while it is unknown when the last two ships will be delivered.
 As I see it, Havila will now start sailing with two ships on September 4th.

[Homerody]

15 hours ago, hallasm said:

 As I see it, Havila will now start sailing with two ships on September 4th.

Start of sailing in 2021 was not a consideration for me in making my Havila booking.

 

I'd say deteriorating Hurtigruten customer service was an important consideration.  After about 2 months of intermittent and slow communication with them I decided to not rebook my 2 times canceled trip with them. Given that now I have what seems a very comparable and favorable alternative.

 

 

[CarolatSea]

We booked the RT from Bergen to Kirkenes sailing October 17. Desperately hoping it sails with us.  I started a Roll Call if anyone wants to join. It's in "Other Ocean Cruise Lines."

 

We were also on an NCL cruise RT out of Copenhagen Oct. 1-10, but that was cancelled two days ago. Just when I breathed a cautious sigh of relief that the EU announced vaccinated Americans could enter this summer.

 

Yes, I know Norway isn't in the EU, so that why the sigh was cautious. 🙂

 

 

[Homerody]

1 hour ago, CarolatSea said:

We booked the RT from Bergen to Kirkenes sailing October 17. Desperately hoping it sails with us.  I started a Roll Call if anyone wants to join. It's in "Other Ocean Cruise Lines."

 

We were also on an NCL cruise RT out of Copenhagen Oct. 1-10, but that was cancelled two days ago. Just when I breathed a cautious sigh of relief that the EU announced vaccinated Americans could enter this summer.

 

Yes, I know Norway isn't in the EU, so that why the sigh was cautious. 🙂

 

 

So you booked with Havila or Hurtigruten?

[hallasm]

1 hour ago, CarolatSea said:

Yes, I know Norway isn't in the EU, so that why the sigh was cautious.

As a starting point, Norway follows EU guidelines - but it is my hope and expectation that travel will be possible by October.  An excellent time to see the Northern Lights.

- just be prepared for som cold days at the sea. Bring warm clothes.

Very few participating in Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage roll-calls.

Edited April 30, 2021 by hallasm

[CarolatSea]

6 hours ago, hallasm said:

As a starting point, Norway follows EU guidelines - but it is my hope and expectation that travel will be possible by October.  An excellent time to see the Northern Lights.

- just be prepared for som cold days at the sea. Bring warm clothes.

Very few participating in Hurtigruten Coastal Voyage roll-calls.

Thanks for the reassurance.

I think the cruise out of Copenhagen was cancelled because of concerns over Russia -- St. Petersburg was a stop. My friends in Copenhagen who are in their 20s are scheduled for their vaccines in September. And I have a friend in Stavanger who said vaccines are available for anyone over 18. So I am cautiously optimistic.

I'm not surprised that there's not a lot of roll call interest on Hurtigruten -- it's not that kind of crowd. 🙂  But I wanted to try.

 

I miss travelling so very much!

[hallasm]

6 hours ago, CarolatSea said:

My friends in Copenhagen who are in their 20s are scheduled for their vaccines in September. And I have a friend in Stavanger who said vaccines are available for anyone over 18. So I am cautiously optimistic.

I'm not surprised that there's not a lot of roll call interest on Hurtigruten -- it's not that kind of crowd

With the current vaccination plan, everyone in Denmark who wants it should be vaccinated the first week of August - a possible delay of 3 weeks is expected depending on the availability of vaccines.
Hurtigruten caters to an audience that is not traditional cruisers - Hurtigruten also differs from the traditional cruises as it is a passenger and freight route along the Norwegian coast with 34 stops between Bergen and Kirkenes  - most of only 15 minutes duration and several during nights.
It is a fantastic trip along the coast - and as mentioned, good opportunities to see the Northern Lights in October.