Can anyone recall the last time HAL cancelled a cruise?

[constructiondude]

I'm doing a little research. What were the circumstances and how were passengers compensated?

 

Thanks.

[jessemon]

I'm doing a little research. What were the circumstances and how were passengers compensated?

 

Thanks.

We were supposed to sail on the Noodam in 96 or 97 when it broke a prop shaft in Cozumel.

Sailed on the Grandeaur of the seas the day after finding out about it.

[lougee1043]

i believe there were some cruises cancelled due to norvo virus

[jessemon]

i believe there were some cruises cancelled due to norvo virus

I think they were delayed for a day or two...not cancelled.

[kryos]

i believe there were some cruises cancelled due to norvo virus

I don't recall HAL ever cancelling a cruise due to that. We did have a bad norvo virus outbreak on my Zuiderdam cruise in 2004, but what HAL did was a lot of sanitizing while we were sailing, and then on disembarkation day they completely fogged the ship with some sort of chemical. While that process resulted in a delay in embarkation of the new passengers, the ship still sailed reasonably on time. Of course, us disembarking passengers were really hustled off the ship that day. I think the entire ship was cleared by like 9:00 a.m.

 

Cancelling a cruise costs the cruise line millions. Believe me, they are not about to do that unless there is a real emergency ... something that makes it impossible or unsafe for the ship to sail.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[constructiondude]

kewl...thanks for the input...i did a google search and found absolutely nothing so HAL must not have had to do it in a long time.

[Bill S]

At least one Ryndam cruise was cancelled in 2002 due to norovirus-she was quarantined in Vancouver for at least a week that summer. We saw her across the harbor from Canada Place. We were embarked on the Statendam for a 7-day Alaska cruise.

That same night, 2-hours into our cruise there was a fire in the electrical distribution panel causing a complete electrical failure and engine shutdown. We had to be towed back into Vancouver and our cruise was cancelled the next day as well as the cruise for the following week.

That was a costly month for HAL, I bet!

I can only speak as to HAL compensated passengers on our Statendam cruise-we were given two options:

1. Take a full refund of the cruise fare and receive a credit for a future HAL cruise of worth 25% of your cancelled cruise fare; or

2. Let HAL keep your cruise fare and receive a credit for a future HAL cruise worth 50% of your cancelled cruise fare.

We took option 2 because we had booked a Cat S for the cancelled cruise and we knew we were going to book another HAL cruise in the near future. It worked out very well for us, as we used it for a South America/Antarctica cruise of lifetime.

[Atomica]

The only time I can recall is a few years back when the Statendam had lost all power due to an electrical fire shortly after leaving Vancouver for a Northbound Alaska cruise. But that's a different situation than say Celebrity cancelling a December sailing on the Millennium due to (drum roll..) more pod problems. It must be costing them a heck of a lot by now. They're such nice ships, too.

[KAKcruiser]

Do you only want to address the issue of cancelled cruises due to natural causes or do you want to talk about cruises cancelled because the ship has been chartered?

[bepsf]

I think there were a couple cancelled/postponed inaugural sailings for Volendam and Zaandam when they were introduced - delays at the shipyard where they were being built.

 

I think those and that Ryndam cruise in 2002 were the last to be cancelled outright.

[RevNeal]

No ... the Amsterdam had a cruise cancelled due to Norovirus. I don't remember what year.

[sail7seas]

don't recall HAL ever cancelling a cruise due to that. We did have a bad norvo virus outbreak on my Zuiderdam cruise in 2004, but what HAL did was a lot of sanitizing while we were sailing, and then on disembarkation day they completely fogged the ship with some sort of chemical.

 

 

Not true, Kryos. Greg, you are correct. They had such a bad outbreak of NLV on Amsterdam they cancelled the Thanksgiving cruise.

 

We sailed back-to-back Christmas/New Years cruises on Amsterdam that year and when we disembarked she left for the World Cruise. The year was 2002. The last year Amsterdam did the World Cruise. Went to Prinsendam and is now returning to Amsterdam.

 

There were a few cruises cancelled due to late completion of brand new ship Statendam, I think. Her Inaugural was delayed a bit.

 

[bepsf]

Not true, Kryos. Greg, you are correct. They had such a bad outbreak of NLV on Amsterstam they cancelled the Thanksgiving cruise.

 

I remember seeing that on the news...

[sail7seas]

We knew two couples who were booked on the Amsterdam cruise and they were so disappointed to miss Thanksgiving at sea. There wasn't all the much notice. There couldn't be. They kept trying the super-sanitation to rid the ship of the virus for the two previous cruises but they finally had to pull her out of service. I'm sure the fact she was scheduled to do World Cruise was a factor. It was ten days the ship sat in FLL getting scrubbed and sanitized. When we boarded, that ship sparkled.

 

[RuthC]

The current Rotterdam was late in her delivery. Wasn't her inaugural and another cruise delayed because of that?

 

Was the Zuiderdam also delayed?

[sail7seas]

I think you might be right, Ruth, that Zuiderdam missed a few cruises as she was delivered late. I'm vague about it though. Don't clearly remember. I remember her Dedication was in FLL on the dock before her first voyage with guests.

 

 

 

[constructiondude]

I'm interested in cruises that are cancelled for any reason: charters, repairs, weather, illness....whatever. And in particular, how did HAL compensate the passengers.

[whogo]

Cruisejunkie.com lists the following for the period 1/1/02 to the present:

March 11, 2003, Osterdam: The first two voyages originally planned have been cancelled because the ship's delivery will be delayed. The maiden voyage will now depart August 3 (instead of July 10)

 

August 1, 2002, Ryndam: Cruise canceled because of two successive cruises with gastrointestinal illness from Norwalk-like virus.

 

August 4, 2002, Staatendam: Five tug boats called to tow the ship back to Vancouver after a small fire in the ship's generator rooms knocked out four generator and the ship's two main propulsion motors. One generator continued to operate, so there were lights but no A/C.

 

August 11, 2002, Staatendam: Announced on August 7, that the August 11 cruise was canceled because repairs to the electrical generation system was taking longer than expected.

 

November 21, 2002, Amsterdam: Cruise cancelled for thorough cleaning of ship.

[gizmo]

I was on the first cruise after the Amsterdam sat in Ft. Lauderdale for 10 days being sanitized.

 

I had a cruise cancelled do to 911. The cruise was for late the following year and was the only Caribbean cruise Hal cancelled. We received ship board credit if we rebooked. The amount was based on cabin category. At the moment I don't remember what the amount was.

[tomc]

I was to be on one of the Volendam's very first cruises, NE/C, and it was cancelled due to its "pregnancy" lasting longer than expected. The Maasdam covered the trip, but it was a definite cancellation.

[Tinknock50]

Cruisejunkie.com lists the following for the period 1/1/02 to the present:

March 11, 2003, Osterdam: The first two voyages originally planned have been cancelled because the ship's delivery will be delayed. The maiden voyage will now depart August 3 (instead of July 10)

 

August 1, 2002, Ryndam: Cruise canceled because of two successive cruises with gastrointestinal illness from Norwalk-like virus.

 

August 4, 2002, Staatendam: Five tug boats called to tow the ship back to Vancouver after a small fire in the ship's generator rooms knocked out four generator and the ship's two main propulsion motors. One generator continued to operate, so there were lights but no A/C.

 

August 11, 2002, Staatendam: Announced on August 7, that the August 11 cruise was canceled because repairs to the electrical generation system was taking longer than expected.

 

November 21, 2002, Amsterdam: Cruise cancelled for thorough cleaning of ship.

 

Thanks for doing the search......I remembered the Ryndam being canceled. Probably stuck in my mind because I pay attention more to Alaska cruises.

 

Definitely 2002 was a bad year for HAL.

[sail7seas]

Compensation, compensation, compensation......

 

I hate that word.

 

Sorry.......

 

JMHO ......

 

[KAKcruiser]

The Westerdam sailing of November 11, 2007 was just cancelled for a charter and HAL has not yet contacted passengers.

[bepsf]

The Westerdam sailing of November 11, 2007 was just cancelled for a charter and HAL has not yet contacted passengers.

 

How do you know this?

Are you booked on this cruise?

What type of compensation do you think is appropriate for nearly 12 months notice?

[joanskid]

I do not know who KAKcruiser is or how they got their information, but it is correct.

 

I am (was) booked on this cruise. KAKcruiser posted a message on my roll call, which I read last night. I called HAL this morning, and they confirmed that the cruise had been cancelled for a charter. I asked when they were planning on notifying booked guests, and was told that she was "sure they would call sometime". Needless to say, I will call my TA tomorrow.

 

I am very dissapointed in this cancellation. I booked it several months ago, because it seemed like it was created just for me. First of all was the fact that the itinerary was so unique, and exactly what we wanted. Second, my birthday just happened to be during the sailing. But most importantly, Aruba was the one and only major vacation that my parents ever took, so seeing this advertised so soon after my Mother's death earlier this year, it seemed like it was a sign to book it. But I guess it was not meant to be.

 

I'm sure my opinion is just one insignificant one, but I don't think this is a very good customer relations decision. I realize that chartering a cruise to some deep-pocket corporation is a good financial decision, but it doesn't show much concern for the avarage customer. Since they were only doing this itinerary four times this year, why did they advertise it to the general public in the first place? Why didn't they just promote it to the big companies that they apparently prefer?

 

I never say never, but...HAL will certainly not be my first choice when cruise shopping in the future. We may get "nearly 12 months notice" (eventually), but that doesn't diminish our personal dissapointment. And I must say that having to find out on a message board, instead of directly from HAL, doesn't help.

 

Please ignore the count down clock in my signature...it obviously doesn't apply anymore...