Holland America Pauses Alaska Operations through June

The prospects for a 2021 Alaska cruise season took another blow this week when Holland America Line announced that it was canceling all of its Alaska operations roundtrip from Seattle in June 2021.  

Holland America, in its announcement, said that while six sailings scheduled to operate on Eurodam and Oosterdam are now canceled, it is still working toward saving some Alaska 2021 sailings and those beyond June remain on the schedule.  

“We continue to stay actively engaged in dialogue with authorities in Canada and the United States to understand what cruise opportunities may still exist in Alaska, knowing how important this market is not only to our brand but to the communities and individuals who depend on our business,” said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line.

“We share with our guests the disappointment of canceling these voyages, and we remain hopeful that we can operate some of the Alaska cruise season.”

All guests on the canceled sailings will be automatically moved to an equivalent 2022 sailing at the same 2021 price, including any FCCs that were attached to the bookings. Guests will have the option to reject the booking and then receive an FCC of 1110% for any cash paid or opt for a full refund instead.

Since the decision by Transport Canada to ban cruise ships to February 2022 was announced last month, there have been pushes from both cruise lines and from U.S. government officials to find some solution to the ban.

In a statement published late last month, President and CEO of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) Zane Kerby called Transport Canada’s decision “the most recent example” of government action devastating the travel industry.

“Government action – here and abroad – has played a key role in the decimation of our industry, the most recent example being the Canadian government’s announcement that it is closing its ports to cruise ships through early 2022,” Kerby said.