Rotterdam Nov 2008

[Seacruise]

I received a mailer last week that tweaked my interest.

 

The mailer is offering a 32 day cruise from Lisbon to San Diego.

I started to do some research and could not find this cruise on HAL website. Interesting I thought, maybe it is sold out. I did find two cruises one called 15-DAY NEW WORLD ADVENTURE and the other called 17-DAY FALL PANAMA CANAL. Now the kicker to all this is the first cruise arrives in FLL on Nov 19 2008 and the second cruise departs departs on Nov 20th 2008.

 

There is going to be a 1 day wet dock to change the ship over it appears. HAL is saying that yes we will be placed in a hotel and yes we will have to pack up ALL our stuff and take it with us to the hotel and then come back the following day and check-in again. This will be the case even if one has the same stateroom number. Yes the hotel will be on top of our cruise fare.

 

For what appeared to be a very attractive cruise has just taken a port side turn out to sea. No where in the fine print of the mailer does it even mention this.

 

My TA had just called as I was writing this and gone up the chain of command in HAL and all are puzzled about this cruise. They all agree the mailer says 32 day cruise Lisbon to San Diego but they offer no pricing for it.

 

Goes to show even the fine print doesn't have all the facts either.

 

Phil

[Seacruise]

My TA has just called me with more information on this whole matter.

 

The Rotterdam is in need of repair and will be done in the 24 hour period from one cruise to the next.

 

The cruise is no longer for sale and in fact was pulled from the res system before the mailers were received my customers.

 

HAL says ALL luggage has to be removed from the ship and transferred to the hotel. Fuel charges will not be just for one cruise but for two now.

 

The question is if the Rotterdam is in need of repair why are they waiting till November to complete it? I know schedules are tight but are they saying there is a problem right now but we are hoping the Rotterdam will make it to November?

 

Needless to say this cruise has just come off my list of possible cruises for the future.

 

Phil

[RuthC]

Pack up everything you need to have with you for two cruises of this length? :eek: That doesn't sound like any fun.

Bummer.

[sail7seas]

No way HAL would be sailing that ship for one hour if it was not safe. There are times when one engine needs work but the others can handle the load fine.....many other situations.

 

Safety is always first with HAL and presumably all cruise companies.

 

I wouldn't dream of booking that cruise under those terms. To have to pack everything up, check in a hotel for one day, go through the whole check in process the next day and unpack..... Nope, not moi!!!

 

PLEASE keep this thread updated as you hear more information. I sincerely hope someone thinks this through and finds a better way of handling this. I'm interested to hear what the final decision is.

 

Thanks for this thread. Interesting.

 

[bobpatj]

Oh my goodness! :eek: We'll be sailing on Rotterdam for 39 days to FLL. I sure hope the problem isn't serious and that we make it to all the ports on schedule! :eek: :eek: :eek:

[u4ea]

Ya’ll need not worry.:)

“Repairs” is too broad of a choice of word.

I was looking at this when I booked (having a pipe dream about a b2b;)), and saw it was obviously scheduled for an overnight wetdock for some reason. It’s “repairs” are likely the typical wet dock things like carpet, fixtures etc. They can invade the ship with a big crew of contractors, and do all the stuff fast. I’m sure it’s for preparation for the world cruise, and the mailer was a mess up by HAL. It's a big company....

This also gives me an excuse to trash the place when they drag me off in Ft Lauderdale.:eek::D

Mark….

[Seacruise]

Oh my goodness! :eek: We'll be sailing on Rotterdam for 39 days to FLL. I sure hope the problem isn't serious and that we make it to all the ports on schedule! :eek: :eek: :eek:

 

So are you on this cruise as well as the cruise prior to Lisbon?

 

Now for the others, I am not suggesting that the ship is unsafe. What I am suggesting is that there appears to be a problem and it needs to be fixed. Carpet and the likes can also be repaiered as a ship sails at night. I have seen this done many times including the Staendam last May on a cruise to Alaska.

 

This is more serious than Carpet.

 

Phil

[sail7seas]

We can speculate all night long as to what work is going to be done/needs to be done and whether it is cosmetic or mechanical or both.

 

I have no clue what specific work....does anyone know for sure what she is scheduled for that can be accomplished in one night?

 

[Modern_Viking]

So, this is only supposition, but I think the arrival of the Rotterdam at Port Everglades will be her first port call in the USA in several (3+) years. According to the CDC web site, the last health inspection for the Rotterdam was 3/20/2005 (she scored 98, by the way).

 

No doubt, the US Coast Guard, CDC, and other US government agencies will be on the pier in Pt. Everglades just waiting to perform a long list of inspections. I would guess that this would be planned purely due to the extended time away (inspections are usually performed every 6 to 12 months) even with zero indication of problems on board.

 

Of course, it is possible that there are other issues to repair. Perhaps HAL needs to redo all the US specific items that are required to pass muster. Maybe it is just routine maintenance.

 

Again, I am just taking a guess based on minimal information.

[RuthC]

Modern Viking, I think you're on to something here. It very well may have something to do with the return to the USA after being away so long.

 

Some of us were talking about this while on the Rotterdam last January, and we all agreed that we wouldn't want to be boarding the Rotterdam on her first day back in the US---it would be chaotic! And for the very reasons you mentioned. That ship is going to be invaded by people with badges and credentials from every agency you can think of. And probably some you can't.