The Saturday, December 14, 2019 cruise aboard Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam has been canceled, the cruise line announced on Facebook.
The ship, scheduled to sail a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise, did not leave the dock at Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on Saturday. This afternoon, Sunday December 15, passengers were notified that the cruise was canceled due to issues with one of the ship’s Azipod propellers.
“While the ship can safely sail with one Azipod, to do so requires approval from several regulatory authorities which is still in progress. Given the impact of the delay on delivering a satisfactory itinerary for guests, a decision was made to cancel the cruise,” the line said on Facebook
Passengers will receive a full refund of their cruise fare, reimbursement for any air change fees, in addition to a 100% future cruise credit. Some passengers were able to re-book on Holland America Line’s Koningsdam and Niuew Statendam, also sailing from Port Everglades on Sunday.
Cruise Radio spoke with a passenger scheduled to sail, who said “[It] was handled professionally. Most passengers were upbeat. We received a letter and a lot of communication from staff. Our friends were able to get rooms on the sister ship that was next to us. We were not.”
On Facebook, Holland America Line wrote “It is not known at this time what impact there may be on upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam sailings. For the cruise scheduled to depart on Dec. 21, booked guests and their travel advisors will be notified no later than Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 3 p.m. ET if any adjustments are required.”
The Signature-class Niuew Amsterdam, launched in 2010, sails with 2,106 passengers and 929 crew.
