Q – My husband and I are booked on an Eastern Caribbean cruise on Holland America. We are not scheduled to sail until late March but we are wondering what our options might be given the effects on the islands of the hurricanes? Given all the destruction, can we assume that prices will be coming down and how do we apply for those reductions?
A – Prices will likely not be coming down. The islands that were hit heaviest are in no position to host cruise passengers. There will be a major realignment of scheduled east coast cruises to new, western itineraries. The Caribbean cruises were already heavily booked for the fourth quarter so we would anticipate that many ships will sail full. You are also going to see fuel increases generated by the destruction of many of the oil refineries on the islands. You should, of course, ask your travel agent about re-pricing once your proposal for your revised itinerary arrives in their office. You may find that HAL has made you an attractive offer to remain booked. You do not need to do anything. Your agent will take care of these details and will re-invoice you with the new pricing after discussing options. By the way, we hope that someone told you that ships in the Caribbean during the last week in March are likely to be sailing with children at maximum capacity. You are traveling during Spring Break Week so don’t trip over the kiddies on the dance floor.
