Holland America Line has announced major changes to its popular Baltic Sea cruises MS Rotterdam, which debuted earlier this week. The announcement was sent by email to guests explaining the reasons and new changes to the itinerary.
MS Rotterdam Faced with Multiple Change of Process
The guests are boarding MS Rotterdam, who set sail on June 3 from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is facing a very different journey than he expected. Holland America Line has informed passengers that due to the lack of a ship to Russia, several ports have been changed, and the timings of some ports have been changed.
As mentioned in an email sent to guests, the cruise states: “Please be advised that due to port closures from political events, we will no longer be calling in St. Petersburg, Russia, on June 11 & 12, 2023. Our call in Tallinn, Estonia, has now been moved to Monday, June 12, starting at 11:00 AM until 8:00 PM.”
The link also mentions the addition of two new ports to the cruise: “As a result, we have rescheduled the tour and added calls in Visby, Gotland, Sweden on Saturday, June 10 from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Riga, Latvia on Sunday, June 11 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. :00 PM .”
Arrival times in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden, have also been adjusted to accommodate these changes. While the layover in Helsinki will be shortened by an hour, the layover in Stockholm, which is world-renowned for its excellent navigation, has been extended by an hour.
MS RotterdamThe 99,935 gross tons, Pinnacle-class cruise ship, will operate in Northern and Western Europe until October 7. Itineraries go to the Baltic Sea, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Iceland.
Following the Baltic cruise, which ends on June 17, the 2,668 visitors MS Rotterdam will travel to Norway for an in-depth exploration of the Norwegian Fjords, including calls to Eidfjord, Alesund, Geiranger, Bergen, Oslo, Kristiansand, Ulvik, and Flam.
Balancing Expectations
In the past, Baltic cruises have been known for days spent in the beautiful city of St. Petersburg. However, from February 2022, cruises have decided to call everyone Russian ports will not happen.
It has caused seas to change hundreds of times, making it difficult for cruises to find good ports, which are not always possible.
While most, if not all, tourists will understand the decision from the cruise lines not to go to Russian ports, the new ports offered are not always tourist-friendly. Especially if a cruise to St. Petersburg was booked before the uprising in Ukraine, and the port was the main reason for the booking.
In general, cruises reserve the right to change their itineraries due to safety, weather, political instability, or other reasons. If a port is canceled or changed, guests cannot cancel their trip without penalty unless the ship cancels the entire trip.
Some cruise lines may offer compensation such as travel credits or discounts on future cruises when major changes are made.
Looking for travel insurance that offers ‘cancellation for any reason’ is always a smart move, especially when you book long before your departure date. This type of policy usually allows you to cancel and receive a portion of your money, regardless of the reason for the failure.
As for port fees included in cruises, cruises usually refund guests when ports are canceled, and no other changes are offered. In areas where ports have been changed, port charges will apply to the newly added ports.
