Veendam 9/29/2014 Canceled

[billfromtulsa]

This is the post that really set me off:

 

 

 

Roy

 

Understood, Roy. It rubbed me the wrong way also. Good cruising!

 

Bill

[sail7seas]

Captain Albert is on board the Veendam doing training and has been doing his blog about what is going on…THEY only know minute by minute what is happening and therefore can't keep telling future passengers "If we get this by this time, and if we can do this, and if we can get that done, and if the weather is OK we'll have your cruise on the 4th oK…" They are trying as hard as they can to keep all the cruises at this point working…but they can't keep calling/texting, etc. everyone on the lists! Give them a break! How would you like to get info that an hour later is changed and an hour later is changed again? That's what some people are asking here…the impossible! Yes, it's dreadfully inconvenient, but HAL workers are also inconvenienced too…they have to sort out getting people to and fro…I'm sure they are putting in long nights working on it. It's dreadful what has happened, but it's one of those things that can occur. Better that it happened at a port than out in the rough seas that were forecasted. (Yes, they moved the ship to be out of the way of other ships and to be in a more calm area for divers….per Capt. Albert)

 

 

 

For anyone who missed the link to Captain Albert's Blog but wants it, here it is:

 

http://www.hollandamericablog.com/albert/#more-3164

 

[jakkojakko]

The relevant blog of Captain Albert has been removed, also deleted from the archives. This is very strange since it in no way reflects badly on HAL.

 

Courtesy of Lizzie68 the following is the deleted blog:

 

29 September 2014; Quebec, 4th day.

 

Posted: 30 Sep 2014 04:26 PM PDT

 

And then the captain came on the tannoy late in the evening, advising us that we were not going anywhere. The small technical issue turned out to be a major technical issue that affected the correct operation of one of the propellers. All the regulatory agencies had come on board in the evening and after due consideration had shaken their wise heads. Thus the decision was made that the cruise had to be cancelled and all guests would have to go home tomorrow or in the coming days, depending on what travel arrangements could be made in due course.

 

I must applaud my company here as it did not stint on compensation. As a result there was hardly any negative buzzing going on at all in the ship. I just feel sorry for the Front Office who will now have to face the burden of dealing with 1200 travel arrangements or offering support to those who make their own arrangements. Apart from that, the guests have to get to Montreal airport, Quebec airport or Boston airport and that means lots of shuttle buses. I think somewhere a coach company is going to be very HAPPY.

 

On the other side the Seattle Technical has to gear up very quickly now to get labor and material in place to repair the propeller issue.

 

By means of pipes with oil under hydraulic pressure running through the hollow shafts a pump changes the setting of the blades the setting

By means of pipes with oil under hydraulic pressure running through the hollow shafts a pump changes the setting of the blades the setting

 

We have Pitch Propellers, which means that we change the scoop, the setting of the blades to go faster, slower or astern. Something is wrong with the blades not following the orders given on the bridge console and it is inside the propeller housing. Thus divers have to be flown in by charter plane with all their equipment and they will remove the Hub

 

The conical end, the hub, protects the connection between the blades and the shaft. (Both images from the internet, courtesy submarineboat)

The conical end, the hub, protects the connection between the blades and the shaft. (Both images from the internet, courtesy submarineboat)

 

(that is the conical end of the shaft to which the propeller blades are connected) and look inside to see what the matter is. Parts are on the way as well and hopefully by tomorrow they can work on it.

 

This evening the ship was moved, partly by using the other propeller and thrusters and partly by the aid of two strong tugboats to the side harbor. I was docked there with the Maasdam 10 days ago. For the guests it is not a great place to be, as explained before, but for the ship it is good. Especially now with the need for diving operations. The side harbor is out of the main current of the river and that is needed as otherwise diving would not be possible. There is still tide of course but there is no flow through of water. In the same way as when you fill a bucket of water. The water rushes of out the hose but as soon as it enters the bucket, only the level rises and there is no more flow.

 

It will depend on the time the repair takes when we will leave Quebec. We need to get back to Boston on time for the next cruise and that means leaving as early as possible. The sooner we go the less speed we have to make and the smoother the ride as it is still very wobbly out there. So wobbly that the deck department was on station for most of the day as the wind blew in over the St. Lawrence with 50 knots at times. Mostly it pushed us against the dock but the angle moved once in a while, putting a lot of strain on the mooring ropes.

 

So tomorrow we will still be in Quebec and we have to keep our fingers crossed and hope the repairs will go well. 04 October is still some days away but we have to sail all the way around Nova Scotia to get there, a distance for which we normally have several nights available.

 

The weather for tomorrow is bad, turning to horrible with rain and strong winds. I will be staying a week longer now to finish the Lifeboat Assistant Classes, as the ports where we had planned the practicals, have all been cancelled so I have to wait for next cruise. I will fill that time with extra trainings and a lot of review work for the Captain.

[sunnydaze]

I'd really appreciate it if somebody could give me a good link to a "Live" ship

 

map that shows where the Veendam is sailing (or not).

 

I used to have a link saved on my desk top, but it seems to have disappeared.

 

Thank you!

[InTheWASide]

I'd really appreciate it if somebody could give me a good link to a "Live" ship

 

map that shows where the Veendam is sailing (or not).

 

I used to have a link saved on my desk top, but it seems to have disappeared.

 

Thank you!

 

Here you go

 

http://www.sailwx.info/shiptrack/cruiseships.phtml

[Lizzie68]

The relevant blog of Captain Albert has been removed, also deleted from the archives. This is very strange since it in no way reflects badly on HAL.

 

Courtesy of Lizzie68 the following is the deleted blog:

 

 

Thank you for re-posting it. I cannot help but wonder why they have removed this update once again. It was factual, and nothing - as you said - reflected badly on HAL. It seems they simply do not want to share information! Boy oh boy, they sure need to brush up on their communication skills.:rolleyes:

(By "they" I refer, of course to HAL HQ).

[billfromtulsa]

Well, that didn't take long. Pam and I are now booked on the Westerdam leaving on the 10th out of San Diego. Hope you all get taken care of, and get to enjoy a cruise soon!

 

Bill

[sail7seas]

Well, that didn't take long. Pam and I are now booked on the Westerdam leaving on the 10th out of San Diego. Hope you all get taken care of, and get to enjoy a cruise soon!

 

Bill

 

Well done. Happy you found a substitute cruise.

[flowerpots]

We were on the 27th cruise that never left the dock and in the letter we got from the Captain it states we get 100% refund for this one and a future cruise credit equal to the cruise fare we paid for the cancelled one, also will be reimbursed for any out of pocket travel arrangements made to get back home. I thought a very generous offer !! Does anyone know if we must use our future cruise credit within a certain time frame?

Edited October 2, 2014 by flowerpots

[sunnydaze]

Thank you Inthewaside!

 

Good for you Billfromtulsa - rock on, and don't miss a beat!

[julesy13]

Sad, but determined!!!! to do something vacationy this week.

[StartrainDD]

Well, that didn't take long. Pam and I are now booked on the Westerdam leaving on the 10th out of San Diego. Hope you all get taken care of, and get to enjoy a cruise soon!

 

Bill

 

Come over to our very quiet roll call and stir it up a bit. Any interest in private tours? We have some open. See you in a week!

[cbr663]

Seems CCL is having a bad couple of weeks. Princess has also suddenly cancelled another cruise in Australia. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/travel/travel-news/cruise-ship-crisis-another-sea-princess-cruise-cancelled-leaving-holidaymakers-stranded/story-fnjjv9zk-1227074416588?nk=5d911517a58f6d2f19ca11a144d13667.

 

Interestingly, Princess is offering this compensation package:

 

"David Jones from parent company Carnival Australia said all guests would receive a full refund of their cruise fare, air costs, taxes, fees and port expenses.

 

“Each guest will also receive a 100 per cent future cruise credit equal to the cruise fare paid for this voyage,” Mr Jones said."

 

Don't know if the air costs refer to a complete refund of air travel costs or just the costs incurred to change any air tickets?

Edited October 2, 2014 by cbr663
Added to comment

[lhamilton]

We were on the Veendam a few years ago on a Panama Canal cruise when it lost all power to the engines in the middle of the ocean. We were stuck for most of a day before they got the propellers working again. Although the ship retained lighting and electricity, the experience was very scary! We'd never cruise on the Veendam again.

 

Linda

[lbkjj]

Totally agree, is like being in a communist country where HAL controls the media output. The blog report was the only piece of factual information we received all week

[Host Walt]

Posts in this thread that pertain to the cancellation of the October 4 sailing only have been moved to this thread:

 

Veendam 10/4/14 Cancelled

[cbr663]

We were on the Veendam a few years ago on a Panama Canal cruise when it lost all power to the engines in the middle of the ocean. We were stuck for most of a day before they got the propellers working again. Although the ship retained lighting and electricity, the experience was very scary! We'd never cruise on the Veendam again.

 

Linda

 

Thanks for sharing this. I wondered whether there was a history of propeller problems with this ship.

[billfromtulsa]

Come over to our very quiet roll call and stir it up a bit. Any interest in private tours? We have some open. See you in a week!

 

Already been there and waiting for a response. We are indeed interested in private tours.

 

Bill

[KruzPrincess]

I'm prefacing this by saying that I'm sure everyone's experience was different. For me, I went to the front desk and asked if there would be a bus to Montreal. The worker first told me there would be many, many cabs and to take one if that was easier and that HAL would pay for everything. I told him it would be easier to take a bus. I asked him a lot of times to confirm there would be a bus. He said yes every time. He said there would be specific announcements in the am. I booked my flight and went back to ask to be put on a list. They told me no list yet, but to listen for announcements. They naturally couldn't book busses in the middle of the night. In the am, they made the announcement and said to come to the desk to be put on the list for Montreal. I did so. It worked great for me.

[sail7seas]

I'm prefacing this by saying that I'm sure everyone's experience was different. For me, I went to the front desk and asked if there would be a bus to Montreal. The worker first told me there would be many, many cabs and to take one if that was easier and that HAL would pay for everything. I told him it would be easier to take a bus. I asked him a lot of times to confirm there would be a bus. He said yes every time. He said there would be specific announcements in the am. I booked my flight and went back to ask to be put on a list. They told me no list yet, but to listen for announcements. They naturally couldn't book busses in the middle of the night. In the am, they made the announcement and said to come to the desk to be put on the list for Montreal. I did so. It worked great for me.

 

 

 

I'm sorry to read you had to ask to be put on the list so many times but happy it worked out for you.

 

Would you mind saying how long a ride it was from Quebec City to Montreal airport? (if that is where you were transported.)

Thanks.

[InTheWASide]

I'm sorry to read you had to ask to be put on the list so many times but happy it worked out for you.

 

Would you mind saying how long a ride it was from Quebec City to Montreal airport? (if that is where you were transported.)

Thanks.

 

Google maps says 2 hours 45 minutes. Possibly more based on traffic.

[aliaschief]

Thanks for sharing this. I wondered whether there was a history of propeller problems with this ship.

 

Spent 20 wonderful days on Her in January 2013 in South America/Antartica. No problems. Booked again on MS Veendam.

 

Machines break; just pray that it won't ever effect us.

Had to be a huge hassle and disappointment and my thoughts to all who were effected by these unfortunate cancellations.

[sail7seas]

Originally Posted by KruzPrincess View Post

I'm prefacing this by saying that I'm sure everyone's experience was different. For me, I went to the front desk and asked if there would be a bus to Montreal. The worker first told me there would be many, many cabs and to take one if that was easier and that HAL would pay for everything. I told him it would be easier to take a bus. I asked him a lot of times to confirm there would be a bus. He said yes every time. He said there would be specific announcements in the am. I booked my flight and went back to ask to be put on a list. They told me no list yet, but to listen for announcements. They naturally couldn't book busses in the middle of the night. In the am, they made the announcement and said to come to the desk to be put on the list for Montreal. I did so. It worked great for me.

 

 

 

 

Google maps says 2 hours 45 minutes. Possibly more based on traffic.

 

That's what I thought........

 

And the staff in the front office on the ship suggested there would be lots of taxis to drive people and HAL would pay for all those taxis?

Very generous of the company.

 

Edited October 3, 2014 by sail7seas

[KruzPrincess]

It took us three hours plus to get to Montreal due to bad weather.

 

As for asking several times to be put on the list, I actually only had to ask once to be put on the list once they made the announcement. I asked several times if there would be a bus just to make sure that they kept giving me the same answer and there was no misunderstanding. All in all, it went very smoothly for me. I was home in less than 24 hours. Part of that, though, I contribute to being a little aggressive and making my own plans. A lot of people were still on the ship waiting for someone to help them. I think you need to be a savvy traveler as well as lucky. As a sidenote, the people who booked their travel arrangements through Holland America were given assistance with their change plans. They were told to wait in their cabins for their change plans to be delivered to them. I booked my own air, so It was up to me to make my own changes.

 

As for the taxi, I'm not sure if they would've paid for that. The letter did not say transportation costs. It said it would cover change cost and hotel. We also got a letter that said if costs were going to be over $500 that we needed to get preapproval. Someone on my bus, said they hired a car to get to Quebec City pre-cruise and it cost $700. Also, there were not a lot of taxis there. There weren't any taxis when I went out to get on the bus. I'm not sure any taxi would have taken you for a 3 hour drive because they'd never be able to get a fare back. That's why I wanted to be sure they would be having a bus.

[Sue from Canada]

Probably because no one wants the veendam.

 

Can we keep the Ryndam and send the Veendam to Australia instead:D