Holland America Line/HAL’s ship ms Zaandam curtailed an Alaska cruise following a technical issue affecting one of the propulsion systems, resulting in the cancellation of the remaining scheduled ports of call.
The problem, identified while the ship was in Juneau, Alaska, limited the cruising speed.
The ship remained alongside in Juneau overnight after arriving on June 5th, rather than departing as originally planned. Repair efforts continued while the vessel remained in port, and although the issue did not affect the safety of guests or crew, it significantly reduced the ship’s ability to operate at normal speeds.
Guests were informed that the vessel would be unable to continue to the remaining Alaska destinations, with the company acknowledging that calls in the region are often the principal attraction of the voyage and expressing regret for the disruption caused to travel plans.
After temporarily departing the harbor area to accommodate arriving cruise traffic, Zaandam remained in the vicinity of Juneau before returning later to collect passengers who had chosen to spend additional time ashore.
The ship subsequently began its return voyage to Vancouver, British Columbia. As part of the revised itinerary, scheduled visits to Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan were canceled.
Guests participating in cruisetours due to embark in Skagway were transported to Juneau to join the vessel.
To compensate passengers for the shortened itinerary, HAL is providing a refund equivalent to 50% of the base cruise fare, together with a FCC/future cruise credit valued at 50% of the base fare.
MS Zaandam departed Vancouver on June 3rd and is expected to return to the Canadian port on its originally scheduled arrival date. Vessel tracking data indicated that the ship was proceeding southbound through Southeast Alaska while the situation continued to be assessed.
For more Zaandam incidents and accidents, see the ship's CruiseMinus page