Leaving the Caribbean?

[sail7seas]

With the announcement that in 2006 Zuiderdam will leave the Caribbean for Alaska, does that mean HAL will no longer have a ship in the Caribbean in summer months? There will be 8 Alaska ships but None in the Caribbean?

 

Westerdam is going to Alaska from Europe.

Amsterdam leaves Alaska and goes to cruise the Baltics.

Statendam goes to Australia and New Zealand in Winter 2006.

[jhannah]

I can't imagine HAL not having a presence in the Caribbean since it's such a popular destination. However, with the four B2B hurricanes this past year I guess it isn't such a stretch to picture them with minimal or few cruises during that time period. It will be interesting to see what the schedule reveals once it's finalized.

 

Your querry brings up another question. With 8 HAL ships in Alaska (along with Princess, Celebrity, and others in full force) at what point will that itinerary become over-saturated? There are times already that ports are log jammed with visitors.

[bepsf]

After all the screaming about Zuiderdam's delay getting back to Florida after the hurricanes last year, I'm kinda not surprised...

 

 

I'm sure that Alaska is a bigger money-maker for HAL during the summer months anyway.

 

Feeling better, Sail?

[sail7seas]

Thanks, Brian, for asking. Yes. I'm fully recovered. :)

 

 

We love to cruise the Caribbean in the summer and Alaska interests me not....I'll be disappointed if there are no HAL ships doing the islands.

[HeatherInFlorida]

If this is true, it's really no surprise. And I know someone is going to jump all over me for this. I could not believe the complaints from people even on these boards (most of whom I consider to be pretty savvy cruisers) about the delays for cruises, or shortened cruises, or changes of itineraries due to hurricane damage on some islands. Folks screaming "foul" and demanding refunds and everything else under the sun. Many lines ended up having to give back enormous amounts of credits and refunds on top of trying to fill ships for shortened itineraries. It doesn't surprise me that a cruiseline might say, "who needs this???"

I'm afraid there are many more people cruising on the sea than there are folks who truly understand how the weather affects the ability to sail the Caribbean (or anywhere else for that matter). So many people today just don't seem to get that a cruiseship is not a land based hotel unaffected by weather and rough seas. I even read about people complaining they had a day of rain and wanted a refund for that day!!!

"We reap as we sow."

[ekerr19]

I suppose I am not surprised - for all the reasons stated above. I have never cruised Alaska, we have friends that keep pestering us to go - but I'd rather cruise Canada/New England, from everything I've heard and read, Alaska just seems way too crowded in the summer months - and now HAL is adding the Zuiderdam?

 

Maybe the new Noordam will be the ship doing the Caribbean all year long, though I think HAL would be wise to leave the Zui schedule as it is.

[localady]

I believe the answer might be in the fact that venues other than the Caribbean generate larger per cabin revenues generally. I am always amazed by the prices of the cabins in the Caribbean as it allows us to "stay within budget" and enjoy a Suite. But that is JMHO:cool:

[KSCnCA]

Maybe they just want to get those poor polar bears (at the lido pool) out of the Caribbean heat and into the cooler weather where they belong! :D

[bepsf]

Maybe they just want to get those poor polar bears (at the lido pool) out of the Caribbean heat and into the cooler weather where they belong! :D

 

LOL!!! I'd often wondered why they would have polar bears on a ship meant for year-round Caribbean itineraries!

 

 

Ekerr - From the '06 schedule preview, it would seem that Noordam will be doing the Med in the summer and the remainder of the year in the Carib.

[obriendan]

According to the Ocean Cruise News I received today:

 

"The Noordam will sail 13 Caribbean cruises from its North American homeport (New York) beginning with the Noordam's inaugural cruise on February 22, 2006....The New York Caribbean cruises will feature 10 day Eastern Caribbean cruises...and 11 day Southern Caribbean cruises."

 

On the HAL website, the Noordam Caribbean cruises for Feb. 22 (10 days), Mar. 4 (11), Mar. 15 (10), Mar. 25 (11), and Apr. 5 (10) are already listed.

[DFD1]

I stand corrected, but I believe HAL already has the smallest schedule (with one ship) in the Caribbean in the summer anyway. Could it be that HAL is leaving that area to the other large cruise carriers and shifting to more profitable itineraries for the summer?

 

There was such clatter this year about the pros and cons of the Zuiderdam, maybe they feel the company would be better served to introduce her into a new market. I believe she has been in the Caribbean since she went into service, but again, I stand to be corrected about that.

[sail7seas]

According to the Ocean Cruise News I received today:

 

"The Noordam will sail 13 Caribbean cruises from its North American homeport (New York) beginning with the Noordam's inaugural cruise on February 22, 2006....The New York Caribbean cruises will feature 10 day Eastern Caribbean cruises...and 11 day Southern Caribbean cruises."

 

On the HAL website, the Noordam Caribbean cruises for Feb. 22 (10 days), Mar. 4 (11), Mar. 15 (10), Mar. 25 (11), and Apr. 5 (10) are already listed.

 

 

Yes. That was announced some time ago. I am talking about Summer 2006. Not winter/spring. Thank you.

[sail7seas]

I stand corrected, but I believe HAL already has the smallest schedule (with one ship) in the Caribbean in the summer anyway. Could it be that HAL is leaving that area to the other large cruise carriers and shifting to more profitable itineraries for the summer?

 

There was such clatter this year about the pros and cons of the Zuiderdam, maybe they feel the company would be better served to introduce her into a new market. I believe she has been in the Caribbean since she went into service, but again, I stand to be corrected about that.

 

 

You're correct. ZUDM has only done Caribbean cruises. Presumably, one of the reasons they introduced the larger sized Vista ships was to compete in the Caribbean against the mega-apartments at sea. Small ships could not compete for the market....according to the comments Captains have been making at recent Mariners' parties.

[Sierrachik]

With the announcement that in 2006 Zuiderdam will leave the Caribbean for Alaska, does that mean HAL will no longer have a ship in the Caribbean in summer months? There will be 8 Alaska ships but None in the Caribbean?

 

Westerdam is going to Alaska from Europe.

Amsterdam leaves Alaska and goes to cruise the Baltics.

Statendam goes to Australia and New Zealand in Winter 2006.

 

For what it's worth, I attended an On Stage Alaska presentation put on by our local TA this past weekend. My TA (also a friend) told me they normally have about 90-100 people attend, this time they had 160 pre-registered and lots of walk-ins on top of that, I'd say about 175 attended. The HAL rep that spoke said bookings are running 5 times ahead of where they were last year at this time. So to find out the Zuiderdam will switch to an Alaskan itinerary does not come as a huge surprise. It's a big ship and the Alaskan cruises are selling at a higher rate.

 

I know this doesn't answer the question about a ship in the Caribbean in the summer though, I cannot help with that question.

[kryos]

If this is true, it's really no surprise. And I know someone is going to jump all over me for this. I could not believe the complaints from people even on these boards (most of whom I consider to be pretty savvy cruisers) about the delays for cruises, or shortened cruises, or changes of itineraries due to hurricane damage on some islands.

I agree with you, Heather. When I saw HAL run the second half of my b2b cruise on the Zuiderdam last September with only about 650 passengers onboard ... I could not imagine how on earth they were making any money from the sailing. It was literally a ghost ship! There was like 2 crew members for each passenger onboard.

 

When you add that most of those passengers had received major credits for sailing a short itinerary (we didn't leave port until Monday night instead of Saturday), and about 100 of those 650 passengers were holdovers from the week before who had gotten their rooms dirt cheap to stay on ... I can well understand HAL saying "nuts on this hurricane thing" and switching to another itinerary for that time of the year.

 

It's probably just a saavy business decision.

 

Glad to hear Sail is feeling better ...

 

Blue skies!

 

--rita

[DFD1]

We've been pondering an Alaska cruise for this summer. Watching the number of ships and passenger bookings for this year increase in such a big way has kind of cooled our enthusiasm.

 

It's a tough call. Friends tell us that it is a really magnificent cruise, but that the ports are overrun with people.

 

I read where the Alaskan government is attempting to levy a $50.00 per passenger tax in order to bring the growth under control....and that the Cruise industry is resisting mightily.

[Without Tessa]

I personally wouldn't mind a bit of mixing up of the HAL ships. I have only been on two cruises (both with HAL) and both were on the Zuiderdam. It just happened there wasn't a lot of selection of itineraries for the Caribbean during the time we wanted to go (alas, we are not retired!). Even this year when we wanted to go "warm" again, the only ship running the Caribbean in May was, you guessed it, the Zuiderdam. As much as I love her, I would like to experience more of HAL's fleet. Hence why we are heading to Alaska aboard the Zaandam.

 

It was actually quite humourous when my DH and I were searching the itineraries, we were looking at May and my DH exclaims "where the heck are all the dam ships in May??!!". What d'ya know...they're in Alaska! lol!

[ekerr19]

Ekerr - From the '06 schedule preview, it would seem that Noordam will be doing the Med in the summer and the remainder of the year in the Carib.

 

Brian-

 

I got the Cruiser Planner 2006 yesterday from my TA... no HAL ships in the Caribbean during the summer months and I was quite surprised to see the Noordam in Mediterranean during the summer months.

 

There were also some very appealing new itineraries. Oh, what difficult choices lay ahead.

[sail7seas]

That's very disappointing for us.

 

I just got the 2006 Planner as well.

[ekerr19]

Sail-

 

From what I've heard, the summer Caribbean sailings have been booked solidly. I wonder why HAL chose to make this change?

 

Alaska contains a glut of ships and we really have no desire to cruise in that local, especially with all those crowds. In my mind, it would make the most sense to leave the Zui in the Caribbean. She has a solid following and many people are not bothered at all by the humidity.

 

This just doesn't add up.. or maybe it does. Alaska cruises appear to be pricier than Caribbean. I hope it's not just about dollars and cents - but I am probably being far too optimistic.

[DFD1]

I expect that the clatter about the Zuiderdam together with the costs surrounding the storms and the highly competitive rates in the Caribbean all helped bring about the withdrawal of HAL from the summer Caribean schedules.

 

They may also be withdrawing to benefit Carnival's more robust Caribbean presence.

 

I'm sorry to see them go.

[peaches from georgia]

Sail-

 

From what I've heard, the summer Caribbean sailings have been booked solidly. I wonder why HAL chose to make this change? .........

 

This just doesn't add up.. or maybe it does. Alaska cruises appear to be pricier than Caribbean. I hope it's not just about dollars and cents - but I am probably being far too optimistic.

 

Of course it's about dollars and cents. HAL is a corporate business and every decision reflects on what is good for their bottom line and the stockholders.

 

It may be that the summer fares in the Caribbean had to be so discounted that it will be more profitable to put the Zuiderdam in Alaska and leave the FLL-Caribbean routes to any other cruiseline that wants them. But whatever HAL does, you can be sure it has been studied down to the final nickel and that more profit is the reason.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I don't know if you're all aware of it, but Celebrity is leaving the Caribbean pretty high and dry in the summer, too. I still believe a lot of it has to do with the reasons I cited above.

 

Sure, it's all about money but the Caribbean has always been lucrative. But if you have to start giving back to unhappy passengers and sail with ships half full, you're going to get out.

The fact is that forecasters are predicting an increase in hurricanes in the Caribbean over the next 10 to 20 years. The cruiselines would be crazy not to listen. They got burned this year; they're not going against the odds again any time soon.

[robertmartha]

I was just going to make the same comment Heather did - about HAL following Celebrity and leaving the Caribbean during the summer. I guess the huricanes are influencing their decisions.

 

For those lucky enough to have the 06 planners - are there Canada/New England cruises in August out of NY on the wonderful Maasdam?

 

We are sailign Alaska this summer on the O but wondering just how crowded the ports will really be....seems to be Alaska is the summer port.

[AirGorilla]

This may be a situation where the parent company, Carnival Corporation, made a decision to service the Caribbean with just Princess and Carnival during the summer months. In addition, perhaps Royal Caribbean, Inc., decided the same with Celebrity and RCCL.