The tides sure do change often here in the cruise industry.
It’s becoming increasingly common for cruisers to take voyages to Alaska – and there’s really no surprise in my mind why. It’s gorgeous, there’s lots of wildlife and rural towns, and it can offer a welcome escape from the sweltering heat of summer.
Holland America is especially seeing this growing demand for cruises to Alaska, and have therefore made an unexpected decision about their Mediterranean-based ship, ms Oosterdam. It’s currently scheduled to sail the Mediterranean as per usual next summer, but the cruise line has announced they’re pulling it from Europe, and moving it to Alaska.
The decision also comes as demand for Mediterranean sailings has been weaker this year, especially the eastern area, with all of the problems in some of the regions such as the terrorist attacks in Turkey and France. With the addition of Oosterdam in Alaska, this means that Holland America will have a whopping seven ships sailing there next summer. For Alaska, that’s a lot!
Booked guests and their travel agents have been notified of the decision, and the cruise line will be protecting the price for guests who rebook on another Europe or transatlantic cruise. When searching for Mediterranean cruises for July on Holland America’s website, only ms Westerdam shows up now.
Holland America isn’t the only one lessening their presence in the Mediterranean right now. Earlier this year, Celebrity Cruises announced that they were moving Celebrity Equinox to the Caribbean for year-round deployment next year.
As always, as soon as news happens concerning the cruise lines in the Mediterranean Sea, we will let you know.
Information: Travel Weekly
