Holland America Line has changed the itinerary for the Oosterdam Transatlantic crossing sailing on November 5 from Barcelona. Instead of sailing to Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, guests will now disembark the vessel in PortMiami.
Although guests still have a reasonable amount of time to make changes to their travel plans, the move from the Seattle-based cruise line does still inconvenience guests, especially those with independent travel plans.
Oosterdam to Sail to Miami, Not Fort Lauderdale
Seattle-based cruise line Holland America Line has sent a letter to guests informing them that their Transatlantic cruise from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale will not end in Port Everglades on November 19. Instead, the Oosterdam will be sailing to Port Miami.
Although the cruise line does not give a specific reason for the change, the reason is most likely the number of ships scheduled to arrive and sail from Fort Lauderdale on November 19. At least ten cruise ships will be using the port that day as an embarkation port, which means a hectic day at the port.
Two other Holland America Line ships are scheduled to be in Port Everglades on November 19, Nieuw Statendam and Volendam will still use the port as planned.
The letter sent to guests booked onboard the Oosterdam Translatlantic voyage states: “Please be advised that disembarkation for your upcoming Oosterdam voyage on Saturday, November 19, 2022, will now take place in Miami, Florida, rather than Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as previously advised.”
Oosterdam’s Transatlantic cruise will sail from Barcelona on November 5. The ship will make several port calls along the way, including Cartagena, Malaga, and Cadiz, in Spain. Other calls include Lisbon and Madeira before arriving in Miami.
Major Inconvenience for Guests
Planning a cruise is something that many make arrangements for well in advance. So when a cruise line changes an itinerary, it’s usually inconvenient. When the cruise line changes the debarkation port, it can be a real problem for guests booked on the cruise. This is a challenging situation for guests with independent travel arrangements.
Holland America Line informs guests in the letter that those with a Holland America Line post-cruise hotel package will be taken directly from the pier to their hotel or the airport.
However, those with independent arrangements will not be receiving help from Holland America and will need to rebook their flights or car rental arrangements themselves. To allow time for additional transfers, Oosterdam is arriving in Miami an hour earlier, 6 AM in Miami, where the vessel was scheduled for 7 AM in Fort Lauderdale.
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For guests with Holland America Line’s Flight Ease Air, the cruise line has made the necessary changes if needed, and guests will still fly from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Guests booked on the following cruise, a 31-night Panama Canal, Inca & South America voyage, will embark on Oosterdam in Miami instead of Fort Lauderdale.
It’s not the first time Holland America Line has been forced to change the debarkation and embarkation port for a cruise this year.
In July of this year, the Rotterdam was scheduled to sail from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, which the vessel could not reach due to low water levels. Instead, the cruise line made a last-minute change to sail from Rotterdam.
