New luxury small ship line, Haimark

[Memsahib27]

Hello all - we will board the St Laurent tomorrow in Montreal - disembarking in Portland on 30th. I am sure I noted somewhere that there is a small area where smoking is permitted. (We don't smoke so were glad that it is mostly smoke free!) I will confirm that as and when internet connection allows. Will also post other info and happy to answer any questions after the cruise. Cheers Viv :)

[lilpfef]

According to several travel intermediaries (e.g. *************), smoking is prohibited on all Haimark ships. However, it's been our experience that most (but not all) cruise lines allows some very limited smoking in a small, confined area on an upper, open deck. So Haimark might in fact be more lenient for trips to / from Cuba to allow passengers to enjoy local cigars. I know of no cruise lines that allow smoking in staterooms, dining rooms or other public areas. Your best bet is to call Haimark directly and ask for the policy for St Laurent and the specific itinerary.

Edited October 20, 2015 by lilpfef

[bri0417]

I suggest the extreme caution when dealing with this cruise line! They just cancelled our cruise slightly more than 60 days out. They, of course, have no options for us on another cruise with the same accomodations. They don't seem very concerned and told us the reason for the cancellation was lack of interest; however, they still have the cruise and cruise dates posted on their website. I think there is a good possibility we have been victims of bait and switch. Do business with Haimark at your own peril.

[LHT28]

Hello all - we will board the St Laurent tomorrow in Montreal - disembarking in Portland on 30th. Cheers Viv :)

Enjoy the cruise

Looking forward to your review

 

 

[dfb]

For those of you who have cruised on the St. Laurant, what is the smoking policy? I can find nothing on the Haimark website about whether or not they allow smoking.

 

However, they apparently are booking Cuba cruises for next year through Road Scholar, and its website says smoking is allowed.

 

Charlotte

 

Hi,

 

Yes, thanks Lyn we are still in Europe river cruising, but I just checked in. Yes, St. Laurent did have a smoking area on the aft section of the top sun deck. This doesn't sound like much, but in reality it included about half of the sun deck area and it was nicely furnished with some areas under sun shades. There was an aft outdoor bar/restaurant that may have had a smoking section as well but I can't recall for sure. We don't smoke and although there were a number of smokers, we don't remember it being a problem at all.

 

Debbie

[CruiserFromMaine]

The St. Laurent was supposed to leave Portland yesterday for a cruise to the Bahamas but it didn't leave Halifax NS until today. It *might* be arriving this evening but it will at least be a day behind schedule.

 

Here's a thread on Tripadvisor. http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1-i10703-k8868107-o20-Saint_Laurent_Haimark_Line_Montreal_to_Portland_Maine-Cruises.html

 

It seems like weather caused problems. I have no idea what their plan for making up lost time is.

[Memsahib27]

Having been one of the passengers on the Montreal to Portland cruise ( have also posted on TA) I can confirm that extremely bad weather was predicted and passengers were given the option of staying with the ship, which may be 48 hours or longer late into Portland and very rough sailing conditions - or be coached to Portland. As we had forward plans we, along with 90% of passengers aborted the cruise in Halifax. Some flew home from there - most took the coaches provided by Haimark Line. ( ALL other expenses to be covered by passengers with advice to contact our insurers!) Only 10 stayed with the ship. 12 hours later we arrived in Portland to be told that the onward cruise from Portland had BEEN CANCELLED. This was confirmed by Haimark Travel HO who explained that they had not responded to our emails because they had been busy contacting everyone booked from Portland onwards to inform them of the cancellation. I feel for all the people let down by Haimark Line. We travelled from Australia for this dream cruise which obviously should never have been scheduled so late in the season. Bad weather meant the itinerary was changed several times and although we were given alternative ports disappointed that the only compensation offered is a $500 cruise voucher that expires Dec 2016. Will we trust this company again? Probably not. River cruises affected by weather, flooding or insufficient water can also cause problems but as far as I have heard, all expenses in hotels, on buses etc are met by the company. There are many comments on TA. I will also give a full report on conditions on the ship when we were sailing when more time available - both here and TA.

[Memsahib27]

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g1-i10703-k8868107-o40-Saint_Laurent_Haimark_Line_Montreal_to_Portland_Maine-Cruises.html#70510602

 

You will see many suggestions, complaints and news about possible bankruptcy!

 

My personal report will be here soon.

[bbpacker]

We just returned from a cruise in the Canadian Maritimes on Haimark's MS St. Laurent. The cruise was cut short by one day and we were not able to go to 4 of the ports. Haimark is legally not obligated to reimburse us for any of this, but since this is their first year sailing in these parts it would have been a nice gesture. Haimark filed bankruptcy just now. Here is what I recently posted on Trip Advisor:

 

As you are probably aware, many of us on that cruise were upset that Haimark did not offer to pay for our hotel stay in Portland or for food during the trip from Halifax to Portland. This seemed cheap and short-sighted to us, even though we understand that the terms and conditions of the contract do not require it. You did not offer credit for the missed pre-paid excursions or the pre-paid port charges for ports we never went to. The $500 credit is not sufficient compensation, since few would use it. I know for certain that we will never sail with Haimark again.

 

This was billed as a luxury cruise, and in some ways, it was. The cabin was comfortable and nicely furnished. It was small, but that is to be expected on a small ship. We enjoyed the talks by Mr. White and the efforts by Ken and his staff to find other ports and excursions for us.

 

However, the food was far from luxury. Where I live, no decent restaurant would ever serve canned fruit cocktail, canned peaches and pears and none would allow their bread and tea sandwiches to go stale. It was clear to us that Haimark was cutting costs in the wrong places. This was especially obvious in the dining room where the wait staff was seriously overworked and undertrained due to Haimark’s decision not to hire assistant waiters.

 

Also, there did not seem to be enough crew to keep the hallways clear and deck 4 was always dirty. I walked many miles around that deck for my exercise and never once saw a crew member there to see if things were in order or if a passenger might need something. On one occasion, a door to the equipment room was swinging open in a dangerous way. Eventually, I closed it.

 

When you invite travel agents to your new ship, I would expect you would have tried harder to impress. Haimark failed in so many ways.

 

Having said that, we are glad that the captain made the right decisions and we are home safe and sound.

 

As to the $500 credit, in a Chap. 11 bankruptcy, we would be on the bottom of the list of creditors and would most likely never see a dime. Ask your lawyers about that.

[LHT28]

sorry to read about the bad cruises

I thought it looked promising as a small cruise line

 

glad you are all safe it was very bad time to do that itinerary in such a small ship even the larger ships can get beaten up

at this time of yr

[lilpfef]

Hopefully this is good news for those of us with bookings on St Laurent.

 

http://www.travelpulse.com/news/cruise/haimark-hopes-to-cancel-bankruptcy-filing-by-weeks-end.html

[Ed11703]

I have family members who were booked on the St Laurent for a 10 day cruise through the Caribbean leaving Nassau on the 11/10/15. The cruise was cancelled for some reason and the ship is "stopped" in Freeport. Anyone know the reason for the cancellation? I have a hunch it had to do with the accident repairs made last summer from the hull damage in the St Lawrence Seaway.

[lilpfef]

As you can read in a few of the previous posts, Haimark Line Ltd filed Chapter 11 recently because of outstanding claims from 3 debtors including the owner of the ship. However, it was anticipated that the bankruptcy filing was going to be resolved quickly so as not to impact scheduled cruises. There may be other reasons for the stoppage in Nassau, but this could be one of them.

[Ed11703]

Co went bankrupt!

[Pumpette]

They are refunding and crediting but staying in business. They did the right thing by us.

[3rdGenCunarder]

But are they staying in business? The ship seems to be stuck in Freeport, and I can't find anything about Haimark coming out of Chapter 11. The Cuba itinerary sounds good, but I'm leery of booking a cruise with a company that may go out of business or cancel 10 min before we're due to sail.

 

Has anyone booked a Cuba cruise?

[lilpfef]

Haimark told me that they could not refund my deposit while they are in Chapter 11. pumpette, did you actually receive a credit from them recently or did they promise one post bankruptcy? Thanks for your response in advance.

[DaveinCharlotte]

But are they staying in business? The ship seems to be stuck in Freeport, and I can't find anything about Haimark coming out of Chapter 11. The Cuba itinerary sounds good, but I'm leery of booking a cruise with a company that may go out of business or cancel 10 min before we're due to sail.

 

Has anyone booked a Cuba cruise?

 

Several months ago we booked a Nov 2016 Cuba cruise on this ship through Road Scholar. Their official position is "cruises are still on until we find out otherwise." RS also offered two Cuba cruises in March 2016; these are still shown on their website as being available. I notice, though, that another company (Vantage) that charters the St Laurent now shows "All Sold Out" for their 2016 (and 2017!) St Laurent trips, so obviously they've stopped taking reservations.

 

As of today, ship appears to still be holed up in Freeport. I'll be keeping a close eye on what Road Scholar continues to say about those March cruises -- that's not far off.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Several months ago we booked a Nov 2016 Cuba cruise on this ship through Road Scholar. Their official position is "cruises are still on until we find out otherwise." RS also offered two Cuba cruises in March 2016; these are still shown on their website as being available. I notice, though, that another company (Vantage) that charters the St Laurent now shows "All Sold Out" for their 2016 (and 2017!) St Laurent trips, so obviously they've stopped taking reservations.

 

As of today, ship appears to still be holed up in Freeport. I'll be keeping a close eye on what Road Scholar continues to say about those March cruises -- that's not far off.

 

Thanks for the update. I really want to do a Cuba cruise, but there is so much incertainty about them. Fathom is the most reliable, with Carnival Corp's backing, but their itinerary isn't as good as Haimark's or Pearl's.

 

I don't have a lot of faith in Haimark. The whole business of one company owning the ship but multiple companies chartering/operating makes me uneasy. These small companies go in and out of business too often. It's difficult to know who's going to be reliable and who's going to fold with no warning.

 

One note of caution. I just checked TravelGuard insurance and they've got Haimark on their alert list, which means they will still insure your trip but the insurance will not cover default of the company.

[stan vermeers]

We are interested in a Vantage cruise using a Haimark ship. Because of the Haimark ship we are leery. Several good reviews posted on river cruise section. Will continue to monitor.

Suggestions/thoughts?

Stan

[Memsahib27]

I would be very wary of using Haimark Line - they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Colorado on 30th October, the day our cruise was supposed to arrive in Portland - instead they blamed the weather for missing four scheduled ports on our itinerary (Montreal-Portland) and again blamed weather for delaying the trip from Halifax to Portland which meant 90% of passengers opted for a 12 hour coach trip so they could meet the next part of their booked and paid-for plans. They must have known about their financial problems well before they sailed from Montreal - a company doesn't decide it is having a problem and file for Chapter 11 in a couple of days. They must have been preparing the request before we even sailed on 21st October. By blaming bad weather, they didn't have to refund us but it also means we can get very little from our insurance companies. There was remnants of Hurricane Patricia and we did have one bad day at sea when we were supposed to be in port, but otherwise the weather was as one would expect at that time of year. The standard of food and service also deteriorated as the cruise continued - obviously trying to reduce costs. Haimark Ltd,the owners of which are partners in and the major creditor of Haimark Line, has had a good reputation in Asia but obviously couldn't translate the river cruise experience to an ocean going small ship. A pity, the cruise promised much and the ports of call that we did make were fun and very interesting. The St Laurent was beautifully refurbished and the concept excellent - and possibly would have been a success if they hadn't crashed into a lock on the St Lawrence Seaway in July and had problems with their insurance company to pay for the damages and cancelled cruises. Perhaps they should have had more money in the kitty for emergencies? They may sort out the insurance and reorganise their business but I think it will be a long time before their brand recovers. There is a long discussion on TripAdvisor.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I would be very wary of using Haimark Line - they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Colorado on 30th October, the day our cruise was supposed to arrive in Portland - instead they blamed the weather for missing four scheduled ports on our itinerary (Montreal-Portland) and again blamed weather for delaying the trip from Halifax to Portland which meant 90% of passengers opted for a 12 hour coach trip so they could meet the next part of their booked and paid-for plans. They must have known about their financial problems well before they sailed from Montreal - a company doesn't decide it is having a problem and file for Chapter 11 in a couple of days. They must have been preparing the request before we even sailed on 21st October. By blaming bad weather, they didn't have to refund us but it also means we can get very little from our insurance companies. There was remnants of Hurricane Patricia and we did have one bad day at sea when we were supposed to be in port, but otherwise the weather was as one would expect at that time of year. The standard of food and service also deteriorated as the cruise continued - obviously trying to reduce costs. Haimark Ltd,the owners of which are partners in and the major creditor of Haimark Line, has had a good reputation in Asia but obviously couldn't translate the river cruise experience to an ocean going small ship. A pity, the cruise promised much and the ports of call that we did make were fun and very interesting. The St Laurent was beautifully refurbished and the concept excellent - and possibly would have been a success if they hadn't crashed into a lock on the St Lawrence Seaway in July and had problems with their insurance company to pay for the damages and cancelled cruises. Perhaps they should have had more money in the kitty for emergencies? They may sort out the insurance and reorganise their business but I think it will be a long time before their brand recovers. There is a long discussion on TripAdvisor.

 

(bold is mine) That's my take on this, too. If the parent company is in good shape, I wonder why they didn't do more to bail out this one-ship subsidiary. Seems like they just shrugged and let it go.

Edited January 8, 2016 by 3rdGenCunarder

[stan vermeers]

Memsahib,

Thanks for your thoughts. Considering Vantage Amazon tour in fall 16.

I assume Vantage would have some responsibility if Haimark goes under. ??

Will continue to follow threads.

 

Stan

[PCruzer]

We are booked on the Feb 20th sailing of the St. Laurent to Cuba through Vantage. Right now, I'm not sure if I hope the trip goes as scheduled or is cancelled! As much as I would like to do this cruise, I really don't want to get stuck somewhere in Cuba if the company goes under. :eek:

[3rdGenCunarder]

We are booked on the Feb 20th sailing of the St. Laurent to Cuba through Vantage. Right now, I'm not sure if I hope the trip goes as scheduled or is cancelled! As much as I would like to do this cruise, I really don't want to get stuck somewhere in Cuba if the company goes under. :eek:

 

What is Vantage saying?

 

I'd be worried, too. The ship is still in Freeport, and I can't find any information on the web about the company getting out of bankruptcy.

 

It could be worse, you could be trying to get to your cruise during tomorrow's storm.