Dear Travel Partner,
I hope this finds you safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. All of us at Holland America Line are looking forward to the future when we will once again be able to deliver exceptional service and experiences to our loyal guests around the world.
During this pause in our business, we have continued to closely monitor the progression of COVID-19, global travel and port restrictions, and guidance from public health authorities. We have come to the conclusion that we will not be able to return to sailing as soon as we had hoped and have made the difficult decision to extend our pause of cruise operations to voyages departing through December 15, 2020. Regretfully, this means we must cancel your clients’ upcoming voyages on affected sailings.
Although we know this is the right path to take, we all share in the disappointment that this announcement may bring. As the safety and security of our guests and crew are of the utmost importance, our team is taking a measured approach and ensuring we are well-prepared to support all public health and regulatory requirements prior to resuming service. As we look toward resuming operations, we are focusing on implementing new operational protocols that will roll out across the fleet as travel and commerce continue to recover.
As compensation for this change to their travel plans, we are offering your clients bonus Future Cruise Credits, which provide tremendous value for them to plan another trip of their choice.
If their booking is not yet paid in full, they will receive double the amount deposited (up to the base cruise fare amount) as a Future Cruise Credit (FCC). The minimum bonus FCC amount is $100. For example, if they paid $200 per person, each person will receive a Future Cruise Credit equal to the amount paid plus a bonus FCC of $200. If they booked under one of our special low deposit deals and paid less than $100 per person, they will receive a Future Cruise Credit of the amount paid plus $100 per person bonus FCC. This credit will waive the required deposit on their next booking on a voyage up to 29 days in length.
If their booking has been paid in full, your clients will receive a future cruise credit for 125% of the base cruise fare paid. These credits may be applied to the cruise fare of a new booking.
In either case, non-cruise fare purchases from Holland America Line can be transferred to a new booking or will be refunded to the method of payment used for the original purchase. The future cruise credits are valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may be used to book sailings departing through December 31, 2022.
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.
New booking numbers and confirmation will be available within 4 to 6 weeks. 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.
Should you have clients who prefer to decline the bonus future cruise credit and receive a lower-value refund, they may request a refund of all monies paid to Holland America Line by completing the Cancellation Preferences form before September 15, 2020. 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.
We encourage you to follow up with your clients whose cruises have been affected. All guests with a cancelled sailing have received a separate communication from Holland America Line so they are also aware of our options.
Holland America Line Commission Protection
We understand and value the role our travel partners play in our success. We will protect your commission on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full. For bookings not paid in full, standard commission policies apply.
In addition, all Future Cruise Credits will be commissionable when your clients rebook.
Please note that due to the unprecedented volume of bookings impacted by cancellations, we ask for patience in affording us the time to work through processing the refunds and FCCs. We are working hard to make sure every booking is handled accurately and efficiently. Once FCCs are applied to your clients’ account you will be able to view them in POLAR Online at GoHAL.com.
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, 5:00am – 6:00pm PT.
Saturday – Sunday 7:00am – 4:00pm PT.
Southampton Office (GBP currency):
Contact us at 0344 338 8605.
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 – 6:00pm.
For Netherlands contact us on 0800 724 5425.
We are available Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm.
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 this cancellation. Please know that we truly appreciate the understanding of these exceptional circumstances. We hope we have the opportunity to welcome your clients aboard one of our ships in the near future.
Warm Regards,
Gus Antorcha
President, Holland America Line
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