Is this really going to happen?
I have started this blog a number of times and then the cruises are canceled and I am back to playing the waiting and hoping game.
Here is a post I made on a previous incarnation of this blog:
After having a cruise cancelled in the middle and my summer cruise cancelled, I was ready to sail again so I booked the 2021 HAL Grand World Voyage. Of course, it was canceled a month after I booked. So I was trying to decide how I would spend my future cruise credits. When the world cruise was canceled in March we were given the choice of getting 125% of our base fare as a future cruise credit or getting 50% back in cash and 50% as a future cruise credit. I chose the 125% so I had more than the cost of another world cruise.
When the 2021 world cruise was canceled the booking was transferred to the 2022. I still needed to decide on the way to spend the rest of the money. I prefer long cruises so I started looking at the Grand Africa voyage. It would cover many of the ports missed on this year's world voyage and go to some countries that I have not been to (I may finally get to see the lemurs in Madagascar which has been cancelled on two previous voyages!).
I decided that the easiest way to plan it was by taking the 2021 Grand Africa, then a Caribbean Holiday cruise (2 weeks) and then the 2022 World Voyage. That would mean less packing/unpacking, flights, and hotel stays.
I booked earlier this week and I will be on the same ship (ms Zaandam) from October 10, 2021 - May 12, 2022. First the Grand Africa for 71 days, then a two week Caribbean holiday cruise, and then the 128 day World cruise for a total of 214 days.
Of course, all that changed as well. The 2021 Grand Africa and the 2022 Grand World Voyage were both canceled. I was then rebooked on the 2022 Grand Africa and the 2023 GWV (with the holiday cruise in between) but then Holland America decided to switch the world cruise to a larger ship which meant I could not stay on the entire time. Oy vey!
So, here is how it stands now. I will be on Zaandam from October 10, 2022 - December 20, 2022. I will then have to schlep all my stuff (I do not travel light!) to a hotel for two nights and then get on the Zuiderdam from December 22, 2022 - May 12, 2023. When I originally booked this, I could not get the same cabin for the holiday cruise as I had for the world (yuck, another move), but a few weeks ago the cabin became available and I snatched it up, so now I will only have to unpack once when I get on Zuiderdam.
As it is now less than six months out, I am feeling more confident that it will really happen. I will update as things begin to happen (such as getting information from my travel agency about excursions, itinerary, etc.).
Keep your fingers crossed!
Smooth sailing until next time!
