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Princess, HAL, Seabourn cancel voyages to/from Canada ports, hold hope for some Alaska options

Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Seabourn canceled 2021 voyages that start or end in Canadian ports, but Princess and HAL left the door open for the possibility of Alaska cruises from Seattle.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

February 24, 2021

3 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Princess canceled Alaska sailings between Vancouver, BC, and Whittier, Pacific coastal voyages that start or end in Vancouver and a Canada cruise round-trip from Southampton.

For HAL, the cancellations include several Alaska cruises, three Canada/New England sailings and two Pacific coastal cruises, along with all Land+Sea Journeys.

Seattle cruises not canceled

At this time, HAL's Alaska cruises departing from mid-May and sailing round-trip Seattle are not impacted. The line said discussions are under way with Canadian and US authorities to try to find a path forward to preserve these sailings.

Travelers on impacted Alaska cruises and Land+Sea Journeys involving a Vancouver gateway may not move to round-trip Seattle cruises at this time, as these departures are not open for sale pending further announcements. 

Princess to offer Alaska land packages

Princess, too, said it is engaged with US and Canadian officials to try to preserve a portion of the Alaska and Canada/New England seasons. In the meantime, Princess has committed to operating the Kenai Princess Wilderness lodge along with McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali and Westmark Fairbanks Hotel this summer and is currently working on land package details that will be announced shortly.

Hoping for? 

Princess and HAL may be hoping for a temporary waiver to the US Passenger Vessel Services Act to be able to sail round-trip US without stopping at a Canadian port or for Canada to allow 'technical' stops with no disembarkation to satisfy US cabotage.

However, a PVSA waiver would require an act of Congress, and Transport Canada has told Seatrade Cruise News it will not condone 'technical' stops for ships carrying passengers

Seabourn

Seabourn's canceled Alaska/British Columbia departures impact 19 voyages on Seabourn Odyssey between Vancouver and Juneau, and one Pacific Coast voyage at the end of the season. 

Travelers will automatically be booked to a comparable 2022 voyage at the rate paid plus current amenities. Once Seabourn has completed the booking transfer, travelers may elect to request a full refund or transfer monies paid to a new booking.

Princess rebookings/FCCs/refunds

Princess passengers on a canceled voyage who have paid in full will be automatically rebooked to the same cruise or cruise-tour in 2022, at the 2021 fare. No action is required. Once Princess has completed the booking transfer, if travelers prefer an alternative, they may choose a future cruise credit equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional nonrefundable 10% bonus, or a full refund.

Customers not paid in full will automatically receive a refundable 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional nonrefundable 10% FCC. FCCs can be used for any cruises sailing by Dec. 31, 2022. Alternatively, travelers may request a full refund. Requests must be received by March 31, 2021, or customers who are not paid in full will automatically receive the FCC.

HAL rebookings/FCCs/refunds

Similarly, HAL is automatically rebooking fully-paid customers on Alaska and Canada/New England canceled departures to an equivalent cruise or Land+Sea Journey in 2022 at the 2021 rate, with all cash and FCC funds moved to the new booking. No other action is needed and the rebooked dates will be provided within 30 days.

HAL travelers who have not paid in full may elect to be moved to the same cruise type or Land+Sea Journey in 2022 at the fare paid for 2021.

Or, travelers may request a full refund, no later than March 31, 2021.

If travelers decide not to accept the 2022 rebooking by March 31, 2021, they automatically default to receive an FCC of 110% of any cash paid on the booking. They will retain any other FCC used for the canceled 2021 booking with all FCC amounts moved to their loyalty account for use toward a future cruise. For all bookings in 2022, standard cancellation policies will apply.

Due to the fact that there are no equivalent cruises in 2022, Pacific coastal travelers will receive the option for an FCC or full refund.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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