WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT HAL WILL SAIL IN 2021 or WILL IT BE 2022

[Storylady]

12 hours ago, Indianadaytripper said:

We’ve cruised Holland starting 2014 after years with other lines. No problems until now. Booked on the 2021-23 WC. Booked the now cancelled Westerdam April -May back to back cruises.Took the 125% for the shortened 2020 WC. These credits alone should have paid for the 2022 WC since the 2021 WC was cancelled. With some left over. But they haven’t. TA( from largest group onboard the WC) in Jan. told me Holland was requiring $7000 in deposits for the 2023 WC to be paid by Feb. 2, I hesitated but paid In Jan. My accounts haven’t been upgraded to show any of this activity. Since then I’ve contacted two other friends booked on the 2023 and they were required to pay $2000. I’m now going dwell deeper into this with my TA seniors if not resolved with my issues, then onto Holland directly if no answers.. I do feel for single cruisers and there different cruising travel issues.

If you are booked on the 2022 and are booking the 2023, the down payment for the 2023 is $2000 for a couple. If you are only booked just the 2022, the down payment is $7000. Your agent needs to talk to HAL as it is not visible on her screen. This has been discussed in the roll call..

Edited February 8, 2021 by Storylady

[mcrcruiser]

On a positive note ,we are hearing that more   & more americans are getting the vaccine shots . Thus ,perhaps ,we will see some form of cruises by the 3rd  quarter from  US ports   even though the protocols could be severe like all pax & crew must have been vaccinated  & test negative  before boarding .just hope no mask requirements

[Indianadaytripper]

1 minute ago, Storylady said:

If you are booked on the 2022 and are booking the 2023, the down payment for the 2023 is $2000 for a couple. If you are only booked just the 2022, the down payment is $7000. Your agent needs to talk to HAL as it is not visible on her screen. This has been discussed in the tollcall.

We do this cruise yearly. TA contacted Holland this morning. TA says they will be getting all the problems fixed. When that happens I don’t know, but their on it. Not sure what happened with the cruise credits or the down payment issue.  
  Right now we’re looking at more road trips than cruising. Don’t see anything like a world cruise leaving even next winter.thats my opinion.

[JeffElizabeth]

We are booked on the Rotterdam for an October sailing. We will have our vaccine by then. The trip is from Amsterdam to Ft. Lauderdale.  We are still guessing it at a 50-50 chance of actually happening. 

[rocksteady27]

I just booked a Dec 21 trip, 5 day Key West and Bahamas on the Eurodam.

 

I also have a 2022 trip booked to the Greek Isles, rescheduled from 2020.

 

I would love to cruise again and I’m hoping things improve soon.  I’m on the last list for vaccinations (40s).

[iancal]

I would not be concerned as to where you are on the vaccination list as it were.  I doubt whether much will open up before the percentages of those vaccinated is quite high.

 

We are in our late 60's,in good health, and in no particular rush to get the vaccine...whichever one.  Our preference is to see more time go by with others being vaccinated and an increase in the knowledge base of covid varients.  These could positively impact slight changes in the vaccine.  If we were in poor health or at risk we would of course feel differently.

[prescottbob]

I enjoy the optimism. It’s always pleasant to see with HAL folks & other cruise line roll calls, dare I say, cheer leaders.

 

The current “science”, regardless of the worldwide proclamations, expanded upon by our “leaders”, gives me, for one, pause.

 

My guess / crystal ball speculation see’s 2022 at best for a reoriented health-wise cruising (perhaps short ‘bubble cruises’ prior would keep some folks happy). This is a very, very optimistic speculation.

Whether the cruise lines can support their ‘finances’ until launching a ship or two, regardless of embarkation point, remains to be seen.

 

Without further ‘real time’ good / positive news I’d certainly be hesitant to make any sort of deposit on a upcoming cruise. JMHO.

 

Please remain to be well.

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Tiggerwudz]

On 2/6/2021 at 4:23 PM, srpilo said:

I can't imagen many people will want to fly to Europe to take cruise, and not be able to get of the ship and explore independently. It's one thing right now for the ships that are sailing in Europe with locals only, it's another thing to fly half way around the world to end up being a prisoner on a cruise ship and not being able to leave the ship unsupervised.  IMO not very enticing under any circumstances 

*Additionally on a typical 12 day Med itinerary, a couple will now be expected to pay upwards of a couple of thousand dollars additional for obligatory tours just for the opportunity to leave the ship in ports.

 

Yikes

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t agree more, we have a European cruise booked for August and the whole travel and cruise experience is not very enticing.

[Indianadaytripper]

5 hours ago, prescottbob said:

I enjoy the optimism. It’s always pleasant to see with HAL folks & other cruise line roll calls, dare I say, cheer leaders.

 

The current “science”, regardless of the worldwide proclamations, expanded upon by our “leaders”, gives me, for one, pause.

 

My guess / crystal ball speculation see’s 2022 at best for a reoriented health-wise cruising (perhaps short ‘bubble cruises’ prior would keep some folks happy). This is a very, very optimistic speculation.

Whether the cruise lines can support their ‘finances’ until launching a ship or two, regardless of embarkation point, remains to be seen.

 

Without further ‘real time’ good / positive news I’d certainly be hesitant to make any sort of deposit on a upcoming cruise. JMHO.

 

Please remain to be well.

Bob

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Point well taken, I too think it unwise to put much into deposits. On the other many of us have cruise credits many with large amount  of credits. With these their are time limits. As I see it the bare minimum you can lay out is for taxes and port fees. Which can add up to be quite a sum in some cases. It’s a catch 22 situation in my view. As I’ve said before I don’t see anything like the world cruise going as scheduled in the winter of 2022, I hope I’m wrong.

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, Indianadaytripper said:

Point well taken, I too think it unwise to put much into deposits. On the other many of us have cruise credits many with large amount  of credits. With these their are time limits. As I see it the bare minimum you can lay out is for taxes and port fees. Which can add up to be quite a sum in some cases. It’s a catch 22 situation in my view. As I’ve said before I don’t see anything like the world cruise going as scheduled in the winter of 2022, I hope I’m wrong.

Hopefully you mean winter of 2021 or the 2022 WC which starts in January of 2022.  

[Indianadaytripper]

15 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

Hopefully you mean winter of 2021 or the 2022 WC which starts in January of 2022.  

I mean the 2022 WC as scheduled itinerary.

[mame42]

1 minute ago, Indianadaytripper said:

I mean the 2022 WC as scheduled itinerary.

Agree.  I wish HAL would bite the bullet and cancel 2022 GWV, letting us all, and our substantial FCCs, move on.

[KirkNC]

15 minutes ago, Indianadaytripper said:

I mean the 2022 WC as scheduled itinerary.

I agree, I think it maybe in doubt.  The WC is the most complicated of cruises because of the length and the lessor known ports of call.  I can’t imagine that vaccinations will have occurred in some ports of call on the itinerary.

[KirkNC]

17 minutes ago, mame42 said:

Agree.  I wish HAL would bite the bullet and cancel 2022 GWV, letting us all, and our substantial FCCs, move on.

I am starting to worry about those FCC and their expiration date.  We are using our 2020 WC FCC for 75 days of Hawaii/South Pacific cruises in Jan-April of 2022 and if they don’t go (or sail with significant restrictions which means we will cancel), we will be hard pressed to use those FCC in 2022.  Don’t know if HAL will extend the expiration or not.

Edited February 10, 2021 by KirkNC

[iancal]

We came home from our winter trip in late March.  By April May we had decided not to give any travel vendor a dime of our money.   Fortunately because of how we travel we did not have any deposits-refundable or otherwise.

 

We have no plans to buy any travel product until we know with certainty that we can use it.  Not just use it, but enjoy it. 

 

We have been getting incredible email offers for travel products in many countries.  Sixty, seventy percent discounts.  Hotels, tours, whatever.  Not interested.  For a start we do not know what companies will survive.

 

  We also do not buy the noise of buy now because the prices will zoom up post covid.  That is an old gag that many different types of sellers have used over the years.   Demand and supply will set the price.     So for now, our wallets are firmly closed....notwithstanding any incentives.

Edited February 10, 2021 by iancal

[KirkNC]

In our case, the FCC originated as compensation for the interrupted WC.  Everyone got 50% of their fare back in FCC and had the option of getting another 50% back in either cash (which we did) or FCC. (Times 125% I think).  This obviously was not a small number and that’s the only FCC we have.  We have not given HAL any $$$ since other then some small amount for port fees for our planned 2022 cruises.

[drowelf]

I would believe that HAL would have to extend the FCCs if most of 2021 goes belly up. To not do it would really piss off a large percentage of their customer base. We were quite fortunate in that we did not have a large amount of $$ tied up in cancelled cruises for 2020. Just some FCDs which got converted to FCCs. We cancelled or had them cancelled out from under us, all our 2021 ones. 

 

I really feel for those folks who potentially have large amounts of $$ hanging out. I know how I would feel.  

[Indianadaytripper]

38 minutes ago, drowelf said:

I would believe that HAL would have to extend the FCCs if most of 2021 goes belly up. To not do it would really piss off a large percentage of their customer base. We were quite fortunate in that we did not have a large amount of $$ tied up in cancelled cruises for 2020. Just some FCDs which got converted to FCCs. We cancelled or had them cancelled out from under us, all our 2021 ones. 

 

I really feel for those folks who potentially have large amounts of $$ hanging out. I know how I would feel.  

Anyone on the 2020 WC that remembers the first letter given us from Holland president Orlando says the credits are good for any future cruise.

[iancal]

Anyone who has even the most basic sales training will remember one key basic.   Create a sense of urgency.  The price is going up, the product will be sold out, the sale will soon end.  On and on....because you do not want to miss out on this price or this product.

 

This should sound familiar to cruisers because it seems that this is the message cruise lines are sending to potential customers and to those holding credits from cancelled cruises.  Sorry, no sale at our end.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by iancal

[Hlitner]

We recently had a situation when our 2021 Noordam Asian cruise was cancelled,  That booking used a FCC given to us when the 2020 Westerdam Asian cruise was cancelled.  We were up against a deadline to use that FCC and I gave HAL call to discuss the issue.  The HAL rep told me there would be no problem extending the deadline on that old FCC (it turned out we did not need an extension since we soon booked a 2022 cruise).   I only mention this because that was the attitude last month and will hopefully be the attitude going forward.  Then again, we are in the age of COVID when nothing seems certain :(.

 

Hank

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

On 2/8/2021 at 6:40 PM, mcrcruiser said:

On a positive note ,we are hearing that more   & more americans are getting the vaccine shots . Thus ,perhaps ,we will see some form of cruises by the 3rd  quarter from  US ports   even though the protocols could be severe like all pax & crew must have been vaccinated  & test negative  before boarding .just hope no mask requirements

I hope you are correct ..

[KirkNC]

On 2/11/2021 at 6:07 PM, Hlitner said:

We recently had a situation when our 2021 Noordam Asian cruise was cancelled,  That booking used a FCC given to us when the 2020 Westerdam Asian cruise was cancelled.  We were up against a deadline to use that FCC and I gave HAL call to discuss the issue.  The HAL rep told me there would be no problem extending the deadline on that old FCC (it turned out we did not need an extension since we soon booked a 2022 cruise).   I only mention this because that was the attitude last month and will hopefully be the attitude going forward.  Then again, we are in the age of COVID when nothing seems certain :(.

 

Hank

That’s encouraging though past behavior is no guarantee of future behavior.