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HAL to Carribbeam in summer 2007

njcruisingmom

By njcruisingmom,
in Holland America Line

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sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
Posted

UNFORTUNATELY, NO......

 

Again in 2007, HAL will leave the Caribbean for a full six months of the year. No ships there between mid April and mid October. We really miss cruising in the Caribbean in the summer.

 

We're now doing Canada/New England every summer as we want to cruise but don't want to return to Europe at the moment and have no interest in cruising Alaska. What we really enjoy most is cruising the Caribbean.....all four seasons of the year.

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BobMartha

BobMartha

Posted
Posted

Sail

 

WE AGREE. Just off the Statendam last week and asked the cruise consultant as well - any chance HAL will be returning in the future - she said not that she knew of.....so we are tentative to do Canada / NE next summer as well. Sail - are you booked for 07? If so - which sailing?:rolleyes:

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sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
Posted
Sail

 

WE AGREE. Just off the Statendam last week and asked the cruise consultant as well - any chance HAL will be returning in the future - she said not that she knew of.....so we are tentative to do Canada / NE next summer as well. Sail - are you booked for 07? If so - which sailing?:rolleyes:

 

We are booked for the CC HAL group cruise June 23, 2007 and are staying aboard for back-to-backs June 30.

 

Would you consider joining the group cruise that Host Doug has set up?

 

He hasn't been around talking about it lately but he proposed it around mid July....

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Krazy Kruizers

Krazy Kruizers

Posted
Posted

No - it appears that HAL will not be returning to the Caribbean in the summer any time soon.

 

HAL will have 4 ships in Europe for all the summer months:Prinsendam, Rotterdam, Veendam and Westerdam.

 

The Maasdam will do a 35 day Transatlantic, the rest of the summer months she will do Canada/New England.

 

All the other 8 ships will be Alaska.

 

When the Veendam returns from Europe in the fall, she will do several Canada/New England cruises before moving to the Caribbean.

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Candy

Candy

Posted
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This really crimps our cruising style, too... we had a truly awful Caribbean Princess substitute and were drydocked out of our Celebration Bahamas cruise. We don't want to do Alaska, and Jim doesn't care to fly to the west coast.

 

Waddayagonnado?

 

Candy the ZuiderPrincess anxiously awaits Zuidy 7

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hammybee

hammybee

Posted
Posted

It is incumbent upon each cruise line to develop and service a niche to be profitable. HAL did not find sailing in the Caribbean in the summer to be profitable, given the competition. They can sail at 100% + capasity elsewhere, versus less than 100% in the Caribbean.

 

This is why HAL is not in the Caribben in the summer.

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sail7seas

sail7seas

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The fares for Canada/New England cruises are considerably higher than Caribbean fares......as are fares for Alaska and Europe cruises.

 

That is why they leave the Caribbean for the spring/summer/fall. IMO ;)

 

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BobMartha

BobMartha

Posted
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Sail

 

We are looking at the 8/18 sailing out of Boston - with two DD's and their summer camp schedules August is the "family vacation" month for us.

 

Actually in response to Hammy's post - that is exactly what the HAL cruise consultant said to me - that the Zuiderdam was not sailing at full capacity during its summer caribbean sailings = aka full profitability.... which is why they deployed their ships to alaska and europe.

 

Sail I also agree - the Canada/NE sailing price was quite a " sticker shock" - even moving it over to our online ta with a discount it is still rather steep.....

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Candy

Candy

Posted
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Actually in response to Hammy's post - that is exactly what the HAL cruise consultant said to me - that the Zuiderdam was not sailing at full capacity during its summer caribbean sailings = aka full profitability.... which is why they deployed their ships to alaska and europe.

If that's the case, couldn't they have left ONE ship in the Carib for us die-hard HAL lovers?

 

Candy the ZuiderPrincess

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bruce-r

bruce-r

Posted
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If that's the case, couldn't they have left ONE ship in the Carib for us die-hard HAL lovers?

They probably could, but since they can make more revenue sailing other destinations, HAL makes the choice the stockholders will like better.

 

OR are you saying that you'd pay the same price HAL gets for their other summer cruises to cruise HAL in the Caribbean in the summer? Do you think others will also be willing to pay?

 

I'm not trying to be a turd about it, but it really is about the money. I'd really like to sail HAL in the summer in the Caribbean too. But instead well be in the Caribbean in 2007 aboard the http://www.cuanlaw.com

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Islandbuoy

Islandbuoy

Posted
Posted

CCL is the owner and the boss.

HAL ships have retractable covers and Carnival's don't.

There's plenty of Carnival ships to cover the Carib in summer ( they even get to use half moon Cay). The new big ships of ccl can't go thru the Panama Canal to get to Alaska.

 

Where would you put your ships??

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kryos

kryos

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No - it appears that HAL will not be returning to the Caribbean in the summer any time soon.

[/b]

Right now this doesn't affect me, as I don't sail in the summertime any longer. However, come the day that it does, guess it presents an opportunity to try some other cruise lines ... because I will not spend good money to do an itinerary I am not interested in. Right now, Alaska and Canada/New England just doesn't appeal to me.

 

On the subject of other cruise lines ... I hear Princess is going to start doing Hawaii sailings twelve months of the year. While Princess doesn't rank as high up there with me as HAL, for the right itinerary, I might be tempted to give them another try.

 

I can see HAL backing out of the Caribbean during the worst period of hurricane season ... but for six months? Isn't that a bit of overkill?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

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sail7seas

sail7seas

Posted
Posted
I can see HAL backing out of the Caribbean during the worst period of hurricane season ... but for six months? Isn't that a bit of overkill?

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

 

JMHO.....But I don't think Hurricane season is more than a small factor in their pulling all ships from the Caribbean for six months. Maybe it's a small piece of the puzzle but not the primary reason.

 

Selling the same cabin on the same ship for double the price by moving the ship North to New England is an impressive incentive.

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