Early August wasn’t the best of times for Holland America Line or
its passengers and their travel agents as three Alaska cruises were
canceled.
The Aug. 1 Ryndam cruise was canceled due to an onboard illness,
and the Aug. 4 and Aug. 11 departures of the Statendam were
canceled by problems with the ship’s electrical generation
system.
“We are keenly aware that our guests will be disappointed by
this turn of events, and we sincerely apologize for this
inconvenience,” said David A. Giersdorf, senior vice president of
marketing and sales.
The Aug. 1 Ryndam cruise was canceled because a number of
passengers and crew reported gastrointestinal distress blamed on
the Norwalk-like Virus.
The virus was reported on other ships and on land in British
Columbia and Alaska this season, but Holland America elected to
cancel the cruise.
“The ship was scrubbed top to bottom with a chlorine solution,”
said a Holland America spokesman. “We worked closely with Health
Canada.”
The company said NLV is most likely spread by person-to-person
contact.
A few days after that situation, a diesel generator
malfunctioned on the Statendam, causing it to lose power shortly
after departure from Vancouver.
“At no time was the ship, its passengers or its crew in any
danger,” the company said in a statement.
There was no fire onboard, although some smoke was reported.
The Aug. 4 cruise was canceled so repairs could be made, but
they were not completed by Aug. 7, when the company elected to also
cancel the Aug. 11 departure.
Guests on all canceled cruises were offered full refunds, plus a
future travel credit equal to 25% of the fare paid. Or, the
affected passengers could choose a future discount equal to 150% of
the cruise fare paid.
Holland America said it would reimburse verifiable costs of
transportation to and from Vancouver. The line said travel agent
commissions will be protected.
