What happens when Holland America changes my port?

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By Christopher Elliott

When Holland America changes the port for a Chilean cruise, Robert Houston and his wife have to scramble to change their tickets. Should the cruise line help them, or are they on their own?

Question

If Holland America changes the port to my scheduled cruise, shouldn’t the HAL pay for my transportation to the new location?

My wife and I are booked on a confirmed, prepaid Holland America Antarctic cruise from Chile to Buenos Aires in December, which was advertised as leaving from Valparaiso. Recently Holland America sent us a letter announcing that for “operational reasons,” the cruise line changed the port of embarkation to San Antonio, Chile, some 90 miles away.

Wanting to visit Chile for a few days before embarking, we made nonreimbursable hotel reservations in both Santiago, where our flight from the U.S. arrives three days before sailing day, and Valparaiso. Both our travel agent and we have contacted Holland America, pointing out that their plan to transport passengers directly from the Santiago airport to the new departure point on sailing day will not work for us, since our airline reservations cannot be changed, and will result in our losing the funds we have paid for our hotels, not to mention our lost few days in Chile.

Holland America’s response has been, “Sorry, if you read the fine print we’re within our rights. Holland America can change the port and make itinerary changes.” I could understand if weather conditions or such made a port change necessary, but “operational reasons” doesn’t have much validity.

We would be satisfied if Holland America offered to make arrangements for, or at least offered to pay for, transportation from Valparaiso to the new, distant departure port, versus just say, “Tough luck,” and wash their hands of the matter. Cruise lines should be responsible for their arbitrary decisions, or acknowledge they’ve advertised falsely. — Robert Houston, Tucson, Ariz.

Answer

You’re right, if Holland America changes the port it should help you get to your new port of embarkation. It’s the right thing to do.

This is a case where Holland America appeared to be violating its own ticket contract, the legal agreement between you and the cruise line. If a schedule change is within the cruise line’s control, and the scheduled port of embarkation is changed, “Carrier shall arrange transportation to it from the originally scheduled port.” It doesn’t say “take it or leave it” — it says “shall arrange.” (Related: How to get a refund or credit when a cruise line changes your port.)

Generali Global Assistance has been a leading provider of travel insurance and other assistance services for more than 25 years. We offer a full suite of innovative, vertically integrated travel insurance and emergency services. Generali Global Assistance is part of The Europ Assistance (EA) Group, who pioneered the travel assistance industry in 1963 and continues to be the leader in providing real-time assistance anywhere in the world, delivering on our motto – You Live, We Care.

Holland America port changes

Interestingly, Holland America addresses the potential loss of your hotel rooms: “Under no circumstances shall the Carrier be or become liable for consequential or other damages of any kind sustained by any Guest except as expressly provided herein.” So it seems the company’s attitude was, “We’ll transport you to the new port on our terms, and you can take us up on the offer, or not.”

This isn’t the first complaint I have received about Holland America. I find that attitude frustrating. To fix this, you could have sent a brief, polite email to one of the customer service executives at Holland America. I list them on my consumer advocacy site.

(This isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you on a Holland America cruise. You could have overflowing sewage in your cabin.)

I contacted Holland America on your behalf. The company agreed to provide you with either the cost of the transfer or an onboard credit.

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Panamá City.

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