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Update: 2/11/2020 12:03am Pacific Time

We are aware of the reports regarding the status of Westerdam’s call to Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand.We are actively working this matter and will provide an update when we are able. We know this is confusing for our guests and their families and we greatly appreciate their patience. We have no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board the ship despite media reports.

Update: 2/10/2020 12:45am Pacific Time

Westerdam is sailing for Laem Chabang (Bangkok), Thailand, where the current cruise that departed Feb. 1 will end on Thursday, February 13. Guests will be disembarking in Laem Chabang and transfer to Bangkok for their forward travel home. This new schedule has been communicated to guests on board. The cruise was previously scheduled to disembark Feb. 15 in Yokohama, Japan.

All guests will receive a 100% refund for the 14-day sailing, as well as a 100% Future Cruise Credit.

Following the disembarkation of guests, Westerdam will depart Laem Chabang. The Feb. 15 cruise scheduled to embark in Yokohama has been cancelled. No cancellations for cruises with departure dates beyond February 15 have been announced at this time. However, we are assessing the impact of current port restrictions in Asia on cruises departing Feb. 29 or later. We will communicate details as they become finalized in the next few days. The latest information will continue to be posted under the News & Travel Advisory section of hollandamerica.com.
Again, we sincerely thank our guests and the crew on Westerdam — and their loved ones — for their patience during this extraordinary time.

Update: 2/7/2020 1:00pm Pacific Time

Westerdam is currently sailing on a southwesterly course off the coast of Taiwan to best position the ship to access potential port locations where we can disembark our guests. We are evaluating several options and working with different governments for a swift resolution.

Guests on board continue to be safe and well cared for. The ship is not in quarantine and we have no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board despite media reports. The ship has sufficient fuel and food provisions to last until the end of the voyage. We are providing free internet and phone access for guests and crew to stay in contact with their loved ones. Guests have been provided a full refund and a future cruise credit.

This is a very dynamic situation as we continue to manage around evolving and changing restrictions in the region. We sincerely thank our guests and crew on Westerdam — and their loved ones — for their patience during this extraordinary time.

The latest information will continue to be posted under the News & Travel Advisory section of our website at hollandamerica.com.

The Westerdam’s Feb. 15 cruise has been cancelled and guests have been notified. No cancellations beyond Feb. 15 have been announced at this time. However, we are assessing the impact of current port restrictions in Asia on cruises departing Feb. 29 or later. We will communicate details as they become finalized.

For all of our cruises, we continue to monitor the evolving situation with respect to the coronavirus that originated in mainland China, and our medical experts are coordinating closely with global health authorities to implement enhanced screening, prevention and control measures for our ships globally.

Measures we are implementing include:

· Guests who have traveled from or through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau, or had contact with a suspected or confirmed case of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or a person who is under monitoring for coronavirus in the last 14 days prior to sailing, will not be permitted to board the ship.

· Pre-boarding medical evaluations, including temperature checks, for persons who, for any reason, appear or identify as symptomatic (respiratory or fever symptoms).

· For all guests, our standard pre-boarding health form advising of their obligation to report any illness or symptoms of an illness.

· Medical screening for coronavirus of all guests who visit our onboard Medical Center with symptoms of any respiratory illness.

· Reporting to local and national health authorities of all cases of fever or respiratory illness, and any patients with suspected coronavirus infection.

· Crew members from mainland China will be delayed from joining any ship until further notice. Crew members from other regions of the world who may have been scheduled to connect on flights through China have been rerouted.

· Additional environmental disinfection on board will be performed in addition to our regular stringent cleaning and sanitation protocols.

The above is subject to change at any time based on the interests of health and safety of our guests and crew as well as any other requirements that may be imposed by local authorities.

Westerdam is on a 14-day Taiwan & Japan cruise that departed Hong Kong Feb.1. and was scheduled to end at Yokohama Feb. 15. There are 1,455 guests and 802 crew onboard, of which 687 guests continued on the Feb. 1 sailing from the previous voyage.

Update: 2/6/2020 10 PM Pacific Time:

Guests on board Westerdam continue to be fully safe and secure. The ship is currently in a holding pattern off the coast of Japan, southeast of Okinawa, while we are working to finalize a new port of disembarkation. Please be assured that the ship is not in quarantine and we have no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board despite media reports. The ship has sufficient fuel and food provisions to last until the end of the voyage. We are providing free internet and phone access for our guests and crew so they can contact loved ones at home, though internet access in general has been challenging in the area. We are making regular announcements on board.

We want to thank everyone on board Westerdam for their patience and understanding during this extraordinary situation.

We also announced earlier today the cancellation of the Feb. 15 Westerdam cruise. Guests and their travel advisors have been notified. We truly regret having to disappoint our guests.

No additional cancellations of cruises beyond Feb. 15 have been announced at this time. However, we are assessing the impact of current port restrictions in Asia on Westerdam cruises departing Feb. 29 or later. We know booked guests are anxious to understand how their booked cruise may be impacted and we will communicate as soon as new details become finalized.
The latest information will continue to be posted under the Travel Advisory section of our website at: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/news/coronavirus-travel-advisory.html

Update 2/6/2020 10 AM Pacific Time:

Holland America Line has been notified that the Japanese Government will not permit Westerdam to call in Japanese ports. The ship had been scheduled to call to Ishigaki Island, Naha, Okinawa, Nagasaki and Fukuoka (Hakata), before its scheduled turn in Yokohama on Feb. 15, where the next cruise was scheduled to embark. The ship is not in quarantine and there are no known cases of coronavirus on board.

We are quickly working to develop alternate plans and are keeping guests updated on board as information becomes available. As well, the latest updates will be posted under the Travel Advisory section on our website as soon as they are known. The next cruise that was scheduled to embark in Yokohama on Feb. 15 has been cancelled. Booked guests and their travel advisors will be notified.

We are closely monitoring the evolving situation with respect to coronavirus that originated in mainland China and our medical experts are coordinating closely with global health authorities to implement enhanced screening, prevention and control measures for our ships globally.

Measures we are implementing include:

• Guests who have traveled from or through mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau, or had contact with a suspected or confirmed case of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or a person who is under monitoring for coronavirus in the last 14 days prior to sailing will not be permitted to board the ship.
• Pre-Boarding medical evaluations, including temperature checks, for persons whom, for any reason, appear or identify as symptomatic (respiratory or fever symptoms); and
• For all guests, our standard pre-boarding health reporting advising of their reporting obligations for any illness or symptoms of an illness.
• Medical screening for Coronavirus on all guests who visit our onboard Medical Center with symptoms of any respiratory illness.
• Reporting to local and national health authorities of all cases of fever and respiratory illness, and any patients with suspected Coronavirus infection.
• Crew members from mainland China will be delayed from joining any ship until further notice. Crew members from other regions of the world who may have been scheduled to connect on flights through China have been rerouted.
• Additional environmental disinfection onboard will be performed in addition to our regular stringent cleaning and sanitation protocols.

The above is subject to change at any time based on the interests of health and safety of our guests and crew as well as any other requirements that may be imposed by local authorities.

Westerdam is on a 14-day Taiwan & Japan cruise that departed Hong Kong on Feb. 1. There are 1,455 guests and 802 crew on board, of which 687 guests were continuing on the Feb. 1 sailing from the previous voyage.