Key Aspects:
- Repairs are wrapping up for Zaandam in Vancouver after the ship faced major propulsion issues.
- Because of the delayed start, the June 10 sailing has been significantly altered.
- Holland America Line compensated passengers with a 50% refund and a future cruise credit.
After propulsion issues derailed Zaandam’s June 3 voyage and delayed the subsequent June 10 sailing, the Holland America Line ship is gearing up to return to Alaska.
With repairs nearly complete, the cruise line estimated that the 61,396-gross ton vessel would depart from Vancouver, Canada, shortly after midnight on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
“Thank you for your patience while we have managed the repairs to our propulsion system,” Holland America Line wrote in a letter on June 10, which was obtained by Cruise Hive.
“We currently estimate departure from Vancouver shortly after midnight on Thursday, June 11,” the cruise line updated.
But as of the time of this writing at 11 a.m. PDT on June 11, cruise tracking data shows that the ship is still docked in Vancouver.
This means that there may have been another propulsion-related delay or perhaps the cruise line meant to say that departure would be overnight on June 11, going into the early morning of Friday, June 12.
Either way, this is a significant delay from when the 1,432-guest ship was supposed to depart Vancouver at 4 p.m. on June 10. At this point, itinerary changes were simply inevitable.
Zaandam’s Revised Itinerary
Originally, Zaandam was supposed to operate a 7-night sailing to Alaska that included Endicott Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay, and Ketchikan.
But as things stand now, the only port to remain on the revised itinerary is Ketchikan. The calls to Juneau, Skagway, and the scenic cruising in Endicott Arm and Glacier Bay have been cancelled.
“Your revised Alaska sailing includes a visit to Wrangell, Alaska on Sunday, June 14, known for its quiet charm and rich history. Our call to Ketchikan remains on Monday, June 15,” Holland America Line confirmed.
“We will also conduct scenic cruising when available, and will return to Vancouver as scheduled on Wednesday, June 17,” the cruise line added.
The new itinerary includes scenic cruising of British Columbia’s coast on June 13, Wrangell, Alaska, on June 14, Ketchikan on June 15, and scenic cruising in Alaska’s famous Inside Passage on June 16.
The 2000-launched ship will then return to Vancouver for debarkation on June 17, as was originally planned.
Impacted Guests Compensated
Because of the extended delay and the dramatic itinerary changes, Holland America Line will be compensating guests for the disruption to their vacation.
Passengers will receive a 50% refund of their cruise fare, as well as a future cruise credit that is equal to 65% of their cruise fare to put toward a new Holland America Line sailing.
This is in line with what guests of the derailed June 3 sailing received. Cruise Hive reported that the previous round of passengers were also given a 50% refund and a 50% future cruise credit based on the amount of their cruise fare.
As is standard in these types of situations, all Holland America shore excursions that were booked for Juneau and Skagway will be automatically cancelled and refunded. New tours will be made available for Wrangell shortly.
This should hopefully be the second and final voyage to be impacted by Zaandam’s propulsion issues, with the Rotterdam-class ship scheduled to continue operating 7-night Alaska itineraries through September 2026.
