Dear Travel Partner,
I hope this finds you safe and healthy.
All of us at Holland America Line are thrilled to see cruising begin again and are excited for our previously announced return to service sailings in Alaska and Greece. As we continue to work with governments and port authorities in correlation with the phased resumption of cruising, we have made the difficult decision to cancel additional Rotterdam departures through September 19, 2021. The first guest sailing on Rotterdam will now begin on September 26, 2021. Plans for Rotterdam’s naming ceremony are being finalized along with a future, undetermined Premiere voyage.
For your clients’ affected bookings on the cancelled voyages, we will be sending system-generated notifications later tonight to provide you with your specific client booking information per voyage. Please note that these notifications are generated by our reservation system and will be emailed to the address associated with your travel agency profile.
We encourage you to reach out to your clients today to advise them of the cancellation of their cruise, as we know the news will spread quickly. We have heard your feedback and we are waiting until tomorrow (Friday) at 2:00 PM PT to send an email notification to your clients in order to give you time to contact them.
We are offering your clients several options regarding their bookings, including the opportunity to transfer to the equivalent 2022 cruise at their 2021 per-day fare. Please click here to see a list of the 2021 voyages being cancelled and the equivalent 2022 voyage and please be aware that this offer is only for the matched cruise. Of course, if there is a different voyage that your clients would prefer, our team will be happy to help you transfer the funds on their current booking. Non-cruise-fare purchases, such as shore excursions, specialty dining, spa, or gifts will be refunded to the original form of payment. Taxes, fees and port expenses will be recalculated based on your clients’ new voyage.
Our future sailings are seeing strong demand as our guests look forward to once again traveling. As a result, fares are likely to increase as availability becomes more limited. Protecting their pricing represents a significant benefit to your clients, and we hope that when you communicate with them you will encourage them to take advantage of this opportunity.
Alternatively, guests can choose to receive bonus Future Cruise Credits (FCC), which provide tremendous value for them to plan another trip of their choice. They will receive 110% of the amount deposited (up to the base cruise fare amount) as a Future Cruise Credit. For guests not paid in full, the credit when applied to the cruise fare will waive any deposit requirement for their next booking (up to 29 days in length). Please note that if they elect to receive bonus Future Cruise Credits we will not protect their 2021 rate should they later choose to book the equivalent cruise in 2022.
Any previously issued Future Cruise Credits that were used on the booking will be transferred to their new booking or returned to their Mariner account; these credits will now be valid for sailings booked by and departing through December 31, 2022 to give your clients maximum flexibility to use these FCCs.
To advise us of their choice, all guests should complete the Cancellation Preferences Form before July 15, 2021. The form will give them the option to transfer to the equivalent 2022 cruise at 2021 pricing, receive bonus Future Cruise Credits, or request a full refund of all monies paid. The full Future Cruise Credit Terms & Conditions can also be found there. Refunds will be reimbursed to the original form of payment and will include all non-cruise fare purchases through Holland America Line.
Holland America Line understands and values the role our travel partners play in our success. Commission paid on 2021 paid-in-full bookings will not be recalled at this time regardless of whether your client chooses to rebook or cancel via the webform. Please be aware that if your clients elect to transfer their booking to 2022, standard commission policies will apply to that booking thereafter. Additionally, please note that the total amount of the Future Cruise Credits are commissionable when your clients rebook.
If any portion of your clients’ travel was not booked through Holland America Line, other booking and cancellation conditions and policies may apply. Most airlines and other travel-related services such as hotels, transportation, and tours are allowing refunds or waiving change fees due to COVID-19; please work directly with those operators regarding their charges. The above terms are not applicable to guests booked on charter sailings.
Please note that due to the significant volume of bookings impacted by these changes, we ask for your patience in affording us the time to work through processing these voyages. We are working hard to make sure every booking is handled accurately and efficiently. Should you have any questions, please reach out to us at the appropriate office:
Seattle Office (USD/CAD currency):
Contact us at 1-800-577-1728 or 206-626-7395.
We are available Monday – Friday, 6:00am – 6:00pm PT.
Saturday – Sunday 7:00am – 4:00pm PT.
Southampton Office (GBP currency):
Contact us at 0344 338 8600.
We are available Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm.
Rotterdam Office (EUR currency):
Contact us on 00800 1873 1873.
We are available Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm.
For Netherlands contact us on 0800 724 5425.
We are available Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm.
Sydney Office (AUD currency):
Contact us at 1300 987 321.
We are available Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 7:00pm.
Again, we extend our most sincere apologies for any disappointment this may cause. Please know that we value your partnership and truly appreciate your understanding.
We know your clients, like us, are excited to see cruising begin again soon, and we very much hope to welcome your clients on board another Holland America Line cruise in the near future.
Warm Regards,
Gus Antorcha
President, Holland America Line
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