South American Cruise With Holland America Line (March - April, 2020)
My husband Wayne and I engaged the services of Alain Belzile, Travel Advisor, for a cruise to South America in March 2020. We found Alain to be professional, knowledgeable, and supremely accommodating in ensuring that all details of our planned vacation were exactly what we wanted. Alain conferred with us frequently throughout the process of making all the arrangements for our flights, transportation from the airport to our hotel, and overnight accommodation in Buenos Aires before embarking on the ship. He also communicated with Holland America Line to finalize all the cruise arrangements and even registered us with Global Affairs Canada before we left home. His pro-active approach to covering every aspect of the trip was exceptional, and the documentation he provided was clear, concise, and accurate in every detail.
Our cruise from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to San Antonio, Chile, was interrupted a week after it began because of port closures due to the Covid-19 outbreak. When this occurred, we were advised to arrange flights back to Canada as soon as possible. On the evening of Sunday, March 15, we requested that Alain make arrangements for us, and within a few hours, he emailed us details of confirmed flights and hotel accommodations (saving us the stress of trying to manage the complex arrangements via mobile phone from a ship in the Strait of Magellan!) The next day we were informed that we would not be permitted to disembark the ship to catch our flights, so we informed Alain, who immediately cancelled all arrangements made the day before. From that time, he communicated continually with both the airline and the hotel to secure reimbursement for our cancelled reservations.
Our cruise was scheduled to finish on Saturday, March 21, at San Antonio, Chile, so we were confirmed on a flight from Santiago to Toronto that evening; however, further complications onboard the ship made it impossible for us to reach the port, so again, Alain cancelled our flight arrangements and communicated with us regularly, prepared to undertake whatever other arrangements we might require, and volunteering to help with any personal matters that needed attention because of our extended absence.
We cannot say enough about the commitment Alain showed in arranging our wonderful trip at the outset, and to handling the many unforeseen circumstances that changed the plans in an atmosphere of uncertainty and urgency. We knew that he was monitoring our situation and was prepared to help us in any and every way. This was a great source of comfort and relief to us in our situation. He remains in contact with us while final reimbursements are working their way through the system.
Alain also arranged a trip for my sister and me to visit the German Christmas Markets in Quebec City in November 2019. The markets are marvelous (closely resembling those in Germany), and we were delighted with his selection of a heritage hotel a few minutes’ walk from the market site. (He also manages to find the best flight deals!!). Merci, Alain, you are a star!
Shirley And Wayne Carroll
April 23, 2020
