I hope this finds you all 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 assess the environment to determine when we can resume operations. While we are beginning to see some positive signs, the point at which we can begin sailing remains uncertain. As such, we have decided to extend our pause of cruise operations and cancel all Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England cruises for 2020. In addition, we will not operate the 79-day Grand Africa Voyage aboard Amsterdam that would have departed on October 3, 2020. Regretfully, this means we must cancel your clients’ upcoming voyage.
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 upmost 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 Credit, which provides tremendous value for them to plan another trip of their choice.
If their booking is not yet paid in full, your clients will receive double the amount deposited (up to the base cruise fare amount) as a Future Cruise Credit. 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. These credits may be used toward the deposit of a new booking, and the full Terms & Conditions can be found below.
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, and the full Terms & Conditions can be found below.
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. The above terms are not applicable to guests booked on a charter sailing.
Should you have clients that 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 June 15, 2020. Refunds will be reimbursed to the original form of payment and will include non-cruise fare purchases.
We encourage you to follow up with your clients whose cruises have been affected. All guests with a cancelled sailing will receive a separate communication from Holland America Line today so they will also be aware of their 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 continued 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. Additionally, 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 contact us at the appropriate office:
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