Holland America Line has reached out to visitors booked aboard one among this spring’s 14-night Alaskan itineraries aboard Nieuw Amsterdam to inform them of an itinerary change.
One port of name is being swapped for one more and three different port visits are altering days, however the cruise line is adjusting shore excursions as essential to accommodate the modifications.
14-Night Alaskan Itinerary Changed
The May 7, 2023 crusing of Nieuw Amsterdam is not going to be the identical itinerary as marketed when visitors initially booked their cruise aboard the Signature-class ship. The cruise line reached out as we speak to inform visitors that there are a number of modifications to the cruise, together with one full port of name change and a number of other port visits being moved to completely different days.
The impacted voyage is a 14-night crusing, roundtrip from Vancouver, Canada, with a number of wonderful Alaskan ports of name and cruising by the majestic Glacier Bay, one of many prime must-visit websites within the Last Frontier.
“Please be advised that due to operational reasons, Nieuw Amsterdam will no longer call to Skagway, Alaska,” the e-mail defined. “[We] will instead call to Victoria, British Columbia.”
The go to to Skagway was to have been on Tuesday, May 16, whereas the brand new port go to to Victoria will probably be on Saturday, May 20. To accommodate this variation, the ship’s visits to Sitka, Ketchikan, and Prince Rupert will all be moved up by someday within the itinerary, and May 19 will now be a day at sea.
Ports of name earlier within the itinerary – Kodiak Island, Anchorage, Valdez, and Glacier Bay – are usually not impacted by the change. Likewise, the ship’s return to Vancouver is identical as initially deliberate.
Holland America Line is routinely refunding shore excursions for Skagway which were booked by the cruise line, and people refunds will probably be processed again to the unique type of cost.
Updated info for the remaining ports of name, in addition to excursions for the brand new go to to Victoria, British Columbia, will probably be obtainable on the cruise line’s web site inside two weeks.
What Operational Reasons Caused the Port Change?
No particulars have been supplied in regards to the “operational reasons” that make eradicating Skagway from the itinerary mandatory, however it’s doable the change is because of ongoing difficulties with rockslides alongside the dock at that well-liked port.
During the 2022 crusing season, a number of harmful rockslides induced injury to one of many essential cruise ship docks, and the dock was closed for a number of weeks as emergency repairs had been made. While further repairs have been deliberate, if these repairs are usually not full, it could imply extra cancellations or port modifications for different cruise ships.
Read Also: Popular Alaskan Port Seeking to Limit Cruise Ship Visits
This may very well be very true throughout the peak of the summer time season, when a number of ships every day could also be scheduled to go to Skagway. On May 16, 5 ships had been scheduled for the port.
Along with Nieuw Amsterdam, Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess and Grand Princess, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Solstice, and Holland America Line’s Koningsdam are all deliberate for Skagway that day.
In all of May 2023, there is just one different day when 5 ships are scheduled in Skagway – Thursday, May 25, when ships from Viking Cruises, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Holland America Line, and Disney Cruises are all scheduled.
Travelers planning an Alaskan cruise this 12 months ought to keep in contact with their cruise line if Skagway is on the itinerary, simply in case further changes are mandatory.