Holland America Line Reviews 

Our third cruise with Holland America and we continue to love it. Overall experience is great, from the service, crew and a specially dining. It is not easy to choose appetizer or entree, when you would like to eat everything from the menu. The Polish chef was outstanding and his dishes are testimony to his talent. Great experience !

We booked an extended family Alaskan Cruise for $50K. The flights were part of the package. There were a total of 9 of us. There were approximately 6 flight changes made by them or the airlines during the time we booked until we left. When we got to the airport at 3:30am, two of us did not have airline tickets even though we had been receiving emails about the flights. After talking with 3 different people (once they showed up at 4:30am), we were told we had to book additional same day flights for those two people and file a claim with Holland America. It cost $1600!!! After spending a week preparing the documents for the claim, it was denied. I will NEVER cruise with them again and I highly recommend against anyone else taking the risk.

We are now on a 14 day cruise scandinavian and Baltic States. 2 ports klaipeda and Tallinn are cancelled, because too much wind they said. Don't they have tender boats? You look forward to see those places. It is a pity.
On the Rotterdam you have to wait Long time for your food and finding a table. Looks like McDonald's. Too many people on board compared with the size of the ship. What you paid for it, it is not what you get.
First time with the Hal and last time.

My mum travelled with them and got so sick on board that she was not able to get to the doctor in time before they closed. Asked for help on more than one occassion and was refused.
Was so sick the whole time and when she finally got off the ship and made it home, she found out she had a heart attack on board and needed to spent weeks in hospital to recover.

I can't believe they dont look after their guests onboard and if someone needs to see a doctor for something so serious, they do not help.

We sent a formal complaint which was followed up numerous times and no one bothered to reply.

I do not recommend this company and feel lucky my mother survived. The customer service and onboard duty of care is non-existant.

I am writing to express my deep disappointment and concern regarding a recent experience with your company involving a cruise booking from Greece to Florida.

A friend of mine, who had booked this cruise, realized it would be far more practical for him to board at the next port, just two days after the original departure. When he contacted your customer service line—spending an unreasonable 1 hour and 45 minutes on the phone—he was informed that this change would incur a €750 surcharge. After lengthy negotiations, this figure was eventually lowered to €250.

This raises several questions and serious concerns. What kind of reputable travel company imposes such an exorbitant and arbitrary fee for missing just two days of a cruise? How can a charge that starts at €750 be suddenly dropped to €250, if not to reveal that the original price was inflated or unfounded? Moreover, the excessive time and effort it took to reach this resolution is unacceptable and reflects poorly on the quality of your customer service.

As a frequent traveler who has explored the world with Holland America, I expected a far higher standard of fairness, transparency, and efficiency. This experience has severely impacted the trust and goodwill I previously associated with your brand. Going forward, I will seriously reconsider choosing your company again for any future travel plans.

I hope you take this feedback seriously and reevaluate the policies and customer support standards that led to this regrettable experience.

Sincerely,
P S Newson

We have cruised for about 30 years. I have never felt I needed/wanted to do a review until now.
We recently cruised with Holland America Line, Oosterdam,for the first time from San Antonio in Chile to Buenos Aires in Argentina. The cruise included most of the destinations we wanted to visit in the South
America region. It was not like any cruise company we had used before
I will start with the positives. Boarding was relatively straightforward. The cabin was comfortable, and the crew members we came across were friendly and helpful. The safety demonstration was easy. Watched an instruction video on the room TV, after which we went to our allocated muster station and had our room key checked. Sadly, from there, things were not so good. Before unpacking our cases, we had to clean the shelves and drawer bases before we could put our clothes in/on them.
We were told that on the previous cruise, some passengers had suffered from gastro intestinal issues and that prior to the cruise commencing, there had been a deep clean carried out. We were asked to regularly wash our hands and use sanitiser before entering restaurants, which we were happy with. I was laid up for 3 days, feeling quite unwell. That said, during the 14 days on board, I only twice saw a member of staff cleaning the hand rails on the stairways. On the cabin TV, there was a public health warning about consuming raw or undercooked meats, eggs and poultry. Every night, they supplied different cuts of beef. Every time, the meat was red with blood running out of it. Even a beef wellington had blood running out of it. Could that be a source of the gastrointestinal problems on the ship. The meat was that raw they could have tried the kiss of life to revive the animal.As we had a 2 week holiday built round the cruise, we did not pack dressy clothing for the dining room, so we ate in The Lido Market, which was buffet style food but served by the staff due to the gastrointestinal issues. I could not get a hot coffee, but I could get hot tea. I did not once get a hot meal while on the cruise. It was always barely warm. On the third last night, we got into the Dining Room. A much more leisurely experience. The soup was extremely hot. I had brisket as a main and was surprised that that was not hot, barely warm.
The tips for the staff were $17 per person per night. The cruise line described that as "their compensation"!!. What does that mean? Are the passengers on each cruise temporary crew employers? There are 1964 passengers. Potentially, the passengers create $467,432 in gratuities. There are 783 members of crew, but not all will get a share of the gratuities. If 650 are entitled to a share, they will receive about $719 per 14 night cruise, $1438 per month. That is not bad money unless they pay for board and food. Whether they receive payment from Holland America Line or not, that is a huge "compensation" One other thing, they hold $30 per person per day to cover your expenditure on the cruise, $420 each. I changed the account to be used when I arrived on the ship. It took 30 days !! to get it back in my bank account. I have emailed them several times and they don't have the courtesy to reply. NEVER AGAIN will I set foot on a Holland Ameria Line ship

In Feb 2024, booked cruise from Japan, leaving Mar 2026 . In April 2024, HAL cancelled stop in Hiroshima, replacing it with a sea day. On 17 March 2025, HAL cancelled stop to Jeju, South Korea and replaced with yet another sea day. On 5 March we paid for a HAL excursion on Jeju, with the money refunded on 19th March. The Pound/Dollar exchange rate meant less money refunded than actually paid. HAL's will not refund the loss or provide any compensation for cancellation of two main stops. HAL's own telephone operator state "only way of registering discontent is through online review" (hence this review). HAL's telephone operators cannot confirm that the remaining stops are under threat or not.

It is understandable that there can be operational difficulties and stops can be cancelled however two significant stops on the itinerary devalues the cruise (some might say, given the locations significantly). The advertised stops at the time of booking would seem to be exaggerated. HAL should be more careful since this mis-represents the actual cruise, particularly since the stop in Hiroshima was still showing in Feb and yet it was cancelled in April. It seems unlikely that HAL did not now this stop was likely to be cancelled. In other realms this would be mis-selling and breach of contract however HAL do not feel it necessary to even refund simple losses of money paid in good faith to them; lost because of HALs changes. HAL has had the benefit of the substantial deposit and yet do not see fit to refund the equivalent of $4. I leave it to the reader to make what they wish from this. Surely basic customer care would suggest something different?

There should be some way of registering discontent with the company directly so they can see if this is significant commercially.

The lack of any response from HAL may be in-common with other cruise lines, so be warned, no customer should expect to be treated any differently.

BEWARE losses will not be refunded even though their own website has a portal where these can be entered. This was tried and rejected, once again a false representation of reality.

Upon arrival to our suite on the Holland America Noordam, there was a massive leak outside our room soaking both the outside and inside of our stateroom.

After a miserable two days, they did eventually move us to a dry stateroom. But I don't understand why they didn't do that to begin with, considering this issue clearly occurred before embarkation.

Called Customer Service to help with Navigator app not allowing me to add features, says I must pay. I paid more than 24hrs ago. Customer service got stuck on can’t answer any financial questions. Would not confirm if that was the reason or not. Call travel agent for financial questions. I asked her to confirm if there is a financial issue. No answer only the same answer.

Just travelled on the westerndam from Sydney to Aukland,our first time with HAL,the service was first class,food was excellent,the staff went above and beyond,entertainment was great,I would highly recommend HAL.

My wife and I took a 7 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise on 1/18/25. The ship, Zaandam, is the oldest in their fleet. This cruise was the third on Holland America for us. It’s also our last. The food was horrible. The service was horrible, especially when compared to earlier cruises. The condition of the ship was horrible. We found out during the cruise that it was scheduled to be put into dry dock immediately following our cruise for much needed renovations. We saw lights falling out of the ceiling in multiple places. In addition, Holland America chose to do a fiber optic upgrade on our deck which took three days to complete. That’s close to half the cruise where we forced to step over debris in the hallways, walk around multiple ladders and ceiling panels in addition to rolls and rolls of cable. It was noisy. It was a huge distraction. When I brought this up to customer service along with many other guests doing the same, they absolutely could not care. Tough luck was all we got. If that wasn’t enough, my account was charged $38.00 a day for customer appreciation charges. That’s a fancy term for TIP. I again went by the customer service desk and told them to remove the charges That process requires paperwork to be filled out which I did The next day I was contacted and told they refused to remove the charges. I again went by customer service and was told if I didn't pay the charges i would not be allowed to sail on Holland America again. They actually threatened me if i didn't pay. A tip is optional. Anything else is a fee or a tax. My wife and I don't do excursions while in port. We prefer to do our own thing. We arrived at Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic. This is a private port owned by the cruise lines. We disembarked and went to get a taxi for the 8 mile ride to town. We were shocked to find the SET PRICE was $80.00. The drivers were abusive and laughed at us when we protested. I travel for a living. This was a scam. We found alternate transportation that was $8 each way. That’s the market rate for Puerto Plata. Thats about a 400% markup folks. I talked to some other drivers and was told the cruise lune sets the price since its a private port. Let that sink in. A 400% mark up brought to you by Holland America.

If you want old ships, below average food with horrible mean employees who yell at you, this cruise line is for you.

Good bye Holland America. Bon Voyage.

I made a booking for a 5-month cruise and the Future Cruise Consultant lied to me on two separate issues. First, he told me that the onboard credit would double to $700 because I was a solo guest. I ASKED MARIUS TO SHOW ME WHERE THAT WAS WRITTEN. He told me that I would see it on the confirmation that would be sent to me. That did not happen! The OBC on the written confirmation that I received after I left his desk was $600.
It took 2.5 hours with three telephone agents—none of whom would honor the verbal $700 that I had been promised.
Second, the Future Cruise Consultant told me that Holland America would match a lower price if I found one from a travel agent. When I found a lower fare and a $1200 onboard credit, I called Holland America. That’s when I was told that they do NOT match lower prices. That call took 2 hours.
When it comes to Holland America Future Cruise Consultants, don’t believe a word they say. Get their promises in writing BEFORE you leave their desk! Or you’ll spend 4.5 hours trying (and failing) to uncover their lies. Then, you’ll have a headache like the one I had!

We travelled on The Oosterdam in August 2024.

A member of our travel party has Coeliac Disease and cannot eat Gluten. We were assured when booking that they would not get a compromised dining experience and that every care would be taken. WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!

The GF meal options were minimal, the food labelling is almost non existent, and foods containing Gluten were left every evening in their cabin. We would ask staff for food choice guidance, and were never confident that their answers were correct. Sadly our party member must have eaten something that contained Gluten on the ship, as she was ill for two days.

We did complain on the ship, and were told to raise our complaint with our travel agent. We did, as soon as we returned home. They have been contacting HAL almost every other week and now almost 5 months later we are still waiting!

Why should passengers who cannot experience a full dining experience have to pay a full price fare?

More importantly I wanted to write this review so that other passengers considering HAL who have dietary allergies or requirements DO NOT GO NEAR THEM!!!

Back in Feb 2024 I had the pleasure of embarking on a 2-week cruise on board Westerdam, sailing from Yokohama to Hong Kong, and it was an unforgettable experience. From start to finish, the service was absolutely fantastic—every crew member went above and beyond with a warm smile and a genuine desire to make our cruise holiday memorable.

The food was another highlight. The variety and quality were incredible, but if I had to single out one standout, it would be Tamarind, the ship’s specialty restaurant. The dishes were bursting with flavour, and each bite was a true culinary delight. The service at Tamarind was impeccable as well, making it an unforgettable dining experience.

As for the stateroom, I was pleasantly surprised by how spacious and well-appointed it was. It felt like a cozy home away from home, with plenty of space to relax and unwind after a day of exploring.

Overall, the Westerdam exceeded my expectations in every way. I highly recommend this cruise to anyone looking for excellent service, top-notch cuisine, and a comfortable, luxurious journey. I can’t wait for my next cruise with Holland America!

We recently sailed with Holland America, expecting a premium experience, but we were deeply disappointed by the lack of care, poor communication, and unpreparedness for vegan travelers. This was supposed to be a special trip, but it turned into a frustrating ordeal.

Clam Shell Booking at Half Moon Cay
We pre-booked a clam shell for Half Moon Cay, but nowhere on the website was it mentioned that these are located exclusively in a small, overcrowded section of the beach. Upon arrival:

The information desk gave us the runaround, sending us to the water sports area.
Staff at the water sports desk were dismissive, barely acknowledging us, and vaguely gestured for us to find a clam shell on our own.
When we voiced our concerns, we were told the clam shells could only be used in the crowded area, which was never communicated beforehand.
We ended up purchasing an umbrella and sitting elsewhere. When we requested a refund for the clam shell back on the ship, customer service was unhelpful and directed us to Guest Services, which was closed. The issue was never resolved.

Dining Experience for Vegans – A Complete Disaster
Despite informing Holland America ahead of time that we were vegan, the dining experience was appalling:

Every meal took over 1.5 hours, even though we pre-ordered daily by marking our choices on a menu and submitting it in advance.
Orders were frequently wrong, missing, or delayed, forcing some of us to sit without food while others ate.
Basic vegan staples, like margarine and vegan bread, weren’t available in the dining room and had to be fetched from other locations, adding to delays.
Over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, things were particularly bad. On one occasion, two of us were left without any food for over an hour, and when it finally arrived, it was incorrect. Despite complaints to supervisors and the head manager, nothing improved.

Buffet Options for Vegans – Limited and Poorly Thought Out
The buffet offered virtually no vegan options, with only 1–2 marked vegan dishes available across seven days. Even vegetable dishes were often cooked in butter instead of oil or margarine, unnecessarily excluding vegans. Simple adjustments like using plant-based options for mashed potatoes or oatmeal could have made a big difference.

Overall Experience
The lack of communication, poor customer service, and failure to accommodate dietary restrictions were completely unacceptable for a cruise line advertising itself as vegan-friendly. These issues significantly impacted our holiday, and despite voicing concerns repeatedly, nothing was done to rectify the situation.

Final Thoughts
I cannot recommend Holland America based on this experience. From the mismanaged Half Moon Cay excursion to the disastrous dining and buffet experience, this trip was frustrating from start to finish. We will not be booking with Holland America again and will be sharing our experience with others to ensure they are aware of these shortcomings.

Holland America had the opportunity to make things right, but their failure to do so speaks volumes about their customer service and attention to detail. If you’re vegan or expecting top-notch service, look elsewhere.

Some of the food was terrible compared to a HAL cruise we took 20 years ago. We did a Canada-New England cruise and the ports weren't real exciting, although Quebec and Montreal were wonderful.
I feel that HAL should give an alert-BEFORE you book--with things/restrictions you should know about before booking a cruise. Not knowing about Canada's restrictions for allowing anyone with a DUI-even more than 10 years ago--added undue stress! After booking, we found out about this (not from HAL) and never knew if our son would be allowed to board until he actually had his passport scanned AT boarding; this was a family cruise for our 50th anniversary. HAL did nothing to help us, or allow us to change destinations.

We are currently on a holland American cruise 1-14-2025. We bought a unobstructed veranda but we sit here looking at a white wall! We can see if we're looking over the edge of the shop. Room 4005, then we are trying to sleep and the music and bass drumming from the theater is coming through the room. I wrote to them letting them know how disappointed I was. They asked that we see them at customer service. The lady asked what our problem is and I told her. She went to the back office came back and said we needed to call them when it starts up again and they will send someone to check it out. I said that they know of the problem with not just our room but many in that area and she said it didn't matter that they need to verify it. So I'm sitting here with the banging music going on looking at a white wall and thinking what is the point of calling them. They will just show me how stupid we are for booking on this cruise line. Sometimes our only choice is to decide who will get our vacation money. HAL will not receive it...

My wife and I did our first Holland America cruise in October 2024. It was an egalitarian experience where everybody in the common areas seemed to enjoy the same quality and level of service. Many seemed to appreciate the Lido Buffet area and fare. There were always many food choices, reasonable food quality, plenty of seating etc. And good company was all around us. There was a certain positive and friendly vibe to the Lido area.

We personally met many varied and interesting people at the Lido. It often was as simple as asking if we could join a couple at their table. Actually, we thought it was one of the best parts of our trip. The vibe continued and in many cases grew as we experienced the wonders of Alaska together. We liked this cruise so much that we booked a second HAL cruise to the Eastern Caribbean in early December 2024.

The second cruise started out much like the first one. Then things changed after a couple of days aboard. All of a sudden, curtains went up along one full side of the Lido pool deck area, reducing pool area seating and many scenic views greatly. We were told these cordoned areas were restricted and had up-charges for their usages. Shortly afterwards, "special dinner meal" areas, with more up-charges, also presented themselves in the Lido seating area. This meant that two very large areas at each end of the Lido were physically cordoned off.

This is the first time when Lido users literally had to search for a table. It was not uncommon to see sailors standing with dinner plates in hand waiting for a table vacancy. This was the first of two times when I had to clean my own table and stack used plates from my table to sit with many other used plates on a table across the aisle from where we settled. A paying client should not have to perform these tasks. It was also the first two or three times when we were asked to vacate our lunch table so that staff could start preparing tables for the up-charge dinner service that evening. So much for enjoying an unhurried drink and pleasant conversation with new sailing friends after lunch.

When I ran into my first up-charge dinner experience, the one and only server was trying his best to keep up with the action. He simply couldn't keep up. It was my distinct impression service focus had shifted to the up-charge areas and the Lido experience suffered accordingly. This was now a different cruising experience.

I felt this change enough that I approached a food services manager (based on his uniform) and expressed my feelings to him. I did preface my comments by saying that I understood HAL's had a right to alter services to improve their bottom line. I did stress however that I felt that things were clearly different from our first HAL cruise. Frankly, he seemed indifferent and defensive.

I could have related my sentiments more tactfully and gracefully to the manager. But I approached him on the spur of the moment. In hindsight, I should have walked away and pondered my feelings and responded in a more measured way. That is really my goal with this review.

By the way, I have absolutely no difficulty in HAL selling different and more discriminating cabin packages. These are personal choices with personal
amenities, priced accordingly. My comments are really geared to what I thought were the ship's common areas where all sailors were naturally intermingling, dining etc. And there seemed to be a conscious effort on the part of the crew to promote and nurture these interactions.

Let me remind HAL re: this ship, that when you start to alter things in many ways, there will be changes in the 'feel' of an operation. There will be fall-out. Of course, the risk you run is that you drive repeat clients away especially as they seek to find the enduring allure they thought they had found with HAL

For example, my wife and I have booked two other cruise since our December 2024 trip; one to the Panama Canal and one to the Caribbean. These dollars could have easily been put in HAL's register instead of going to a competitor. Does this mean that we wouldn't consider HAL for future cruises. No, not at all. But it would be fair to say that, at least, our expectations will be different. And by trying out competitive cruises, we may or may not book HAL again.

Let me conclude by saying that HAL can run its business in any way it sees fit. But I would stress if this re-engineering were to continue that they not lose sight of the ambience in the Lido area and work to maintain and sustain it. And, at the very least, they should work diligently to provide acceptable service levels and comfort in the Lido area. Finally, I would caution any future HAL sailors to be prepared for this new way of doing business, assuming the re-engineering continues, and make their spending and cruise line choices accordingly.

Es ist unglaublich, was hier in Bezug auf Preise und zusätzliche Zuschläge abläuft. Wir haben auf der Oosterdam im Pinnacle Grill, einem kostenpflichtigen Restaurant, gegessen. Pro Person hat es 54 Dollar gekostet, was wir bereit waren zu bezahlen. Doch als wir die Speisekarte erhielten, wurde uns mitgeteilt, dass die Steaks zusätzlich zwischen 8 und 25 Dollar kosten! Ein Glas Weißwein (1 dl) kostete weitere 25 Dollar.

Im bedienten Standardrestaurant kostet ein Filet mit Lobster zusätzlich 20 Dollar, was außerhalb der normalen Speisekarte noch akzeptabel ist. Aber die Preisgestaltung im Pinnacle Grill ist schlichtweg Abzocke – ich war sprachlos und extrem enttäuscht!

Tipp: Überlegt euch gut, ob eine solche Preisgestaltung gerechtfertigt ist. Wir werden diese Reederei definitiv nie wieder buchen.

It is unbelievable what is happening here in terms of prices and additional charges. We dined at the Pinnacle Grill, a specialty restaurant on the Oosterdam. The cost was $54 per person, which we were willing to pay. However, when we received the menu, we were informed that the steaks would cost an additional $8 to $25! On top of that, a glass of white wine (1 dl) was an extra $25.

In the main dining room, a filet with lobster costs an additional $20, which is acceptable as it is outside the regular menu. But the pricing at the Pinnacle Grill is pure rip-off – I was speechless.

Tip: Think carefully about whether such pricing is justified. We will never book with this cruise line again.

Worst cruise ever. Did 8 cruises earlier this year, all were far better. Aitcon not working, cold buffet, food poisoning.