Volendam to house Ukrainian refugees for 3 months

[Oceansaway17]

3 hours ago, MikeD4134 said:

I am on the May 29th sailing and this sucks.

I hope they provide extra dollars or something to another ship.

but at least it is not for repairs or weather and I hope it does some good and that you get another cruise somehow

[AncientWanderer]

This news surprised me -- in a good way.  I honestly didn't think those Volendam cruises were likely to go anyway, because of COVID and light bookings.  

Way to make lemonade out of lemons, Carnival Corp.

[12cruise2]

Always follow the money. . . . .

[flcruiselovers]

We were booked on May 29 sailing for 14 days.. a circle the uk trip including Dublin.. 

We were offered a cruise on June 22 for 14 days to norway and iceland, from copenhagen.

Those who aren't booked think this is fantastic.. those displaced cruisers probably not so much.

We understand the world situation and took it in stride.. but paid for airfare, hotels pre and post cruise and private shore excursions booked will all have to be begging for a refund.

Fortunately we are retired and can accommodate the change.  We feel good for the refugees, but don't think HAL is doing this out of compassion.. its business, and a PR bonus. The Volendam is an old ship and probably wasn't booked past 50% anyway.

 

[VMax1700]

15 minutes ago, flcruiselovers said:

The Volendam is an old ship

But just out of dry dock in Cadiz.  

[Btimmer]

We were booked on the 5/15 sailing and I've been on the phone with my big box TA for almost 2 hours getting the cruise cancelled.  HAL is not offering any real incentive to book other than $200 on board credit if one moves to another European cruise.  They automatically booked us on a similar cruise that conflicts with a cruise we are already booked on, so that does not work.  Plus it's a way cheaper cruise on a different ship.

 

When I called into HAL to cancel the FlightEase airline reservation, I reached an agent in about 15 minutes, but then after being put on hold for 20 minutes, the call dropped so I need to restart that process after the cruise is properly cancelled on the current call.

 

I've got one non-refundable hotel reservation, so I'll be testing out our travel insurance for that.

 

I'll report back on how this whole cancellation process works from the cruiser's perspective.  So far, for much of it, I'm not impressed.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Btimmer

[MAVIP]

<May I try to explain what I understood from articles in on of our newspapers? Staying of the refugees on board the ms Volendam is just for the short period the city of Rotterdam needs to find or prepare other kinds of housing for those on board the ms Volendam. Hotels in the city donot have the extra capacity the m.s. Volendam can offer for the 1400 refugees.  The city of Rotterdam and other organisations will pay and take care for the medical and social care and will take care of education for the children on board. 

From the article HAL published  today: "Under the agreement to charter Volendam, Holland America Line will provide three hot meals per day, private stateroom accommodations, housekeeping services, use of public spaces, fitness facilities, internet access, and other necessities. Volendam will be staffed with approximately 650 crew members." 

This is about the same package we hope to offer in other towns and villages in the Netherlands. But donot you think a cruise ship like ms Volendam is in all our Mariner eyes a nice place to stay for a few weeks in the sad circumstances of refugees who just arrived from a ravaged country? 

I wish you all a very good night.

[Btimmer]

I don't question that HAL's chartering of the ship is a terrific gesture.  I just wish they would make it easier for those of us who booked cruises to be able to get our refunds and/or rebookings.  Trust me, I totally get it that my problems pale in comparison with those of the Ukrainian refugees.

[Sea42]

As someone who is booked on the May 15th segment, I'm disappointed. But, doing this 2 weeks after final payment is not a great move by HAL. They surely knew about this for more than 2 weeks. 

Another annoyance is that apparently the staff on another HAL Cruise informed passengers of this before letting those booked on the cancelled cruises  know. That certainly shows that HAL has known about it for awhile.

[Btimmer]

Just now, Sea42 said:

As someone who is booked on the May 15th segment, I'm disappointed. But, doing this 2 weeks after final payment is not a great move by HAL. They surely knew about this for more than 2 weeks. 

Another annoyance is that apparently the staff on another HAL Cruise informed passengers of this before letting those booked on the cancelled cruises  know. That certainly shows that HAL has known about it for awhile.

I totally concur.  I've been on hold and working with my TA for over 2 hours.  HAL is claiming they sent out a cancellation form but I've received nothing from them.  All my news is either from their press release or CC postings.  My call to HAL's FlightEase got dropped after 20 minutes on hold after speaking with a representative.

[Mary229]

CCL has stepped up before.  I know they volunteered for the Covid relief workers and hurricane efforts on the gulf coast.  I am sorry that some of you have lost your cruise. I would be sad too but know you are doing your part to help others. 

[rkacruiser]

What's the "big picture" here?  The loss of a cruise or the willingness of a company to work in conjunction with the Netherlands Government to accommodate people who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, maybe some relatives?  

 

I lost my home and everything except for the pajamas/robe/slippers/raincoat that I was wearing because of a fire.  I had friends who accommodated me at a time that I did not know what to do or what's next.  

 

The compassion being shown by using the Volendam as a place of refuge for a few months should be of much help to their guests.  A safe, warm, welcoming place will help these citizens of the Ukraine an opportunity to get some sense of stability and provide them with an opportunity to plan for their future.  

[Sea42]

13 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

What's the "big picture" here?  The loss of a cruise or the willingness of a company to work in conjunction with the Netherlands Government to accommodate people who have lost their homes, their livelihoods, maybe some relatives?  

 

I lost my home and everything except for the pajamas/robe/slippers/raincoat that I was wearing because of a fire.  I had friends who accommodated me at a time that I did not know what to do or what's next.  

 

The compassion being shown by using the Volendam as a place of refuge for a few months should be of much help to their guests.  A safe, warm, welcoming place will help these citizens of the Ukraine an opportunity to get some sense of stability and provide them with an opportunity to plan for their future.  

I don't think anyone is saying that it is not a good thing for those displaced by the war in Ukraine.

What I am unhappy with is how it was handled by HAL. I first learned this might be happening is by a post here on cruise critic a few days ago. Staff on another ship were telling passengers that this was going to happen yet no one bothered to informed the passengers actually booked on the cruises that were being cancelled.

We made final payment 2 weeks ago. I don't believe that HAL didn't know about this then, yet still took our money for a cruise that wasn't going to happen.

[BermudaBound2014]

25 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

The compassion being shown by using the Volendam as a place of refuge for a few months should be of much help to their guests.  A safe, warm, welcoming place will help these citizens of the Ukraine an opportunity to get some sense of stability and provide them with an opportunity to plan for their future.  

Hi rka…respectfully, I have a bit different take on this.

 

Of course this is a wonderful gesture for the refugees. As you said, a safe, warm, and welcoming place to offer those suffering. Will not argue that point. Bravo! 

 

I do believe it is naive to suggest ccl is doing this solely from a place of compassion. This is a financial decision. A brief look at the financial releases show that CCL is in a very grave place  without much relief on the horizon. Donald has a finical responsibility to protect the investors and, unfortunately, no longer has positive cash flow to be able offer up the Volendam based solely on compassion. It would be irresponsible. 
 

Ultimately, I suspect this was simply a business decision with a very good PR spin. 

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by BermudaBound2014

[rkacruiser]

1 minute ago, Sea42 said:

I don't believe that HAL didn't know about this then

 

I understand your reactions about the cancellation of your cruise.  Neither of us know what has transpired before this happened.  But, I do believe this Ukrainian situation is so much in flux that it makes me wonder "who really knows what"?  

[rkacruiser]

7 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Ultimately, I suspect this was simply a business decision with a very good PR spin. 

 

The family foundation of Mr. and Mrs. Arison has made a pledge of $3,000,000 to charities to help Ukrainian refugees.  In addition, HAL will try to raise awareness and funds through its On Deck for a Cause program.  That money will go to an organization called Direct Relief.  

 

Good PR for CCL by doing what they are doing?  No debate about that from me.  But, not appropriate to discuss on CC, there may be some other reasons for what the Arisons' are doing if one learns about what many Ukrainians experienced during *** Germany's occupation of their homeland.  

[AFNavigator]

11 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Hi rka…respectfully, I have a bit different take on this.

 

Of course this is a wonderful gesture for the refugees. As you said, a safe, warm, and welcoming place to offer those suffering. Will not argue that point. Bravo! 

 

I do believe it is naive to suggest ccl is doing this solely from a place of compassion. This is a financial decision. A brief look at the financial releases show that CCL is in a very grave place  without much relief on the horizon. Donald has a finical responsibility to protect the investors and, unfortunately, no longer has positive cash flow to be able offer up the Volendam based solely on compassion. It would be irresponsible. 
 

Ultimately, I suspect this was simply a business decision with a very good PR spin. 

 

I agree that this is a great gesture for the refugees, but also one that has a great PR spin for HAL and CCL.  I also agree with one of the earlier posters that HAL may not have been so quick to offer up the Volendam if it was heavily booked the entire charter period.  The charter agreement with Rotterdam likely will result in more net revenue than would have been realized if cruising the same time period.  It's not a bad thing to follow the money, especially after all the losses during COVID, but it certainly is a raw deal for those who were booked on the ship.

 

Question:  Does anyone know if the Volendam was converted to connect to shore power so it can power down all or most of its engines while docked?  

[AFNavigator]

A true gesture from CCL would be to halt the Carnival Sensation for a few months before scrapping it.  It is south of Italy right now sailing to Turkey for scrapyard beaching on Monday.  Of course, that decision probably would have needed to have been made weeks ago before they stripped the ship of whatever furniture and equipment was salvageable before sailing to Turkey.

[rkacruiser]

18 minutes ago, AFNavigator said:

A true gesture from CCL would be to halt the Carnival Sensation for a few months before scrapping it

 

Thank you for your post just prior to this.  

 

18 minutes ago, AFNavigator said:

Of course, that decision probably would have needed to have been made weeks ago before they stripped the ship of whatever furniture and equipment was salvageable before sailing to Turkey

 

Your post affirms my thoughts that the Ukrainian situation is so much in flux--and, I think, particularly with those displaced persons.  What is the proper path to take to assist these people?  

Edited April 2, 2022 by rkacruiser

[albingirl]

While this horrific war is going on, and people are losing everything they love, including their dear families, I find it appalling to read how people here are inconvenienced and put out by this action by Holland America.  Questioning their motives and pissed off about how this affects them.  Imagine being bombed tonite and living in a shelter for God knows how long.  People....put yourselves in their shoes for one second and understand that your inconvenience is simply that, nothing more.  I pray for peace and hope you can find it in your hearts to do so, as well. 

[AFNavigator]

15 minutes ago, albingirl said:

While this horrific war is going on, and people are losing everything they love, including their dear families, I find it appalling to read how people here are inconvenienced and put out by this action by Holland America.  Questioning their motives and pissed off about how this affects them.  Imagine being bombed tonite and living in a shelter for God knows how long.  People....put yourselves in their shoes for one second and understand that your inconvenience is simply that, nothing more.  I pray for peace and hope you can find it in your hearts to do so, as well. 

I couldn't agree with you more that the Volendam will offer up to 1500 refugees a good temporary safe haven from the horrors they or someone they know may have experienced.  I don't think anyone would disagree with that.  It was great to read Mavic's post above stating, "The city of Rotterdam and other organisations will pay and take care for the medical and social care and will take care of education for the children on board."  The children above all others may be the most traumatized refugees and the Volendam may help bring back some normalcy and stability to their lives, even if it is for a relatively short time.

 

That said, It think it is naïve for many to believe Carnival Corp is doing this out of the goodness of their heart.  Carnival Corp is a business.  It lost over $22 Billion dollars over the last two years, forcing the sale of nearly 20 ships and the need to take on a huge debt burden.  With those massive losses, it is difficult to believe they would have entered this charter agreement without first deciding if this action was in their best financial interest.  If money were no consideration, then why offer one of their fleet's oldest and least efficient ships rather than one of their newer, more profitable European ships?

[BermudaBound2014]

21 hours ago, albingirl said:

.  I am certain that HAL will be spending a boatload of money housing 1500 people for 3 months.  

And just how are you so certain? Based on what I’ve read,  CCL is being compensated quite nicely by the government. Given the latest financial release, If CCL was spending “boatloads of money”  that would be  irresponsible to the shareholders no matter how nice a gesture. 
 

21 hours ago, albingirl said:

I don't think that there is anything but a humanitarian effort involved…

 

While this thought may make you feel good, it is a very naive perspective on how things work in the real world.

 

Edited April 2, 2022 by BermudaBound2014

[shipgeeks]

The posts by rotjeknor on this subject, below, give a good perspective.

[ontheweb]

I understand the frustration of those whose cruises disappeared after making final payment as we once had a river cruise over a Christmas/New Year's Day break chartered out from under us. But there is really a difference between helping refugees from a country that has been heartlessly invaded and just chartering out a ship to make a little more money.

[albingirl]

49 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

And just how are you so certain? Based on what I’ve read,  CCL is being compensated quite nicely by the government. Given the latest financial release, If CCL was spending “boatloads of money”  that would be  irresponsible to the shareholders no matter how nice a gesture. 
 

 

While this thought may make you feel good, it is a very naive perspective on how things work in the real world.

 

I owe you sincere thanks for straightening me out on how life really works.