By Our Correspondent
The itinerary for Holland America’s cruise ship, the NIEUW AMSTERDAM was altered due to propulsion problems that limited the ship’s speed, according to FleetMon.

It stated: “The safety of the ship and its guests is not at risk, and they have been compensated for any inconvenience.
“The 7-night cruise, scheduled to sail from Fort Lauderdale on February 12, 2023, was affected. The itinerary change involves a swap of ports, with the guests being notified of the change through email. The guests were informed that the ship would be calling at ORANJESTAD, Aruba, instead of KRALENDIJK, Bonaire, on February 15th, 2023.
“The email explained that the Azipod thrusters were causing the ship to sail at reduced speeds, which led to the port swap. Guests whose itineraries were altered will be provided with a non-refundable credit of USD 50, which will be deposited into their onboard accounts for the said cruise. In addition, all activities booked through the cruise line in the skipped port of Bonaire will be fully refunded. Once onboard, guests will have the option to book excursion options for the replacement port in Aruba.

“This is the second change in the itinerary of NIEUW AMSTERDAM. The 14-night itinerary scheduled for May 7, 2023, was altered to include a port swap, with the dates of the port calls being altered as well. These changes were attributed to “operational changes,” with no mention of engine issues. It is expected that the engine problems will be corrected before the ship repositions to Alaska for the sail.”