SEATTLE, June 14 (Our Washington Times) — Washington travelers pricing a Holland America Line cruise now need to account for an automatic daily charge of $18 per person for most staterooms and $20 per person for suites, according to the company’s official FAQ pages.
Times Media Service reviewed two Holland America FAQ pages labeled as last updated June 9 and June 14. The company says its “Crew Appreciation” is “a daily gratuity automatically added to your onboard account” and is meant “to recognize the many Holland America Line team members who make your cruise feel effortless.”
Holland America’s onboard FAQ says the charge “appears as a daily charge on your onboard account” and is pooled to support workers across the ship, including staff guests see and others “working quietly in the background.” A separate booking FAQ lists the same current rates: $18 a day for non-suite staterooms and $20 a day for suites.
For travelers comparing total trip cost, that means a seven-night sailing adds $126 per person in a non-suite room and $140 per person in a suite. For two travelers, that comes to $252 and $280, before any other onboard purchases.
Holland America’s booking FAQ also says the rates are subject to change. Fox News reported, citing Holland America materials, that the current $18 and $20 rates took effect June 1. The official FAQ text reviewed by Times Media Service confirms the current amounts, but the text available for review did not itself list an effective date or the prior rates.
Fox News also reported that guests may adjust the daily gratuity amount while onboard. That detail was not included in the official Holland America FAQ excerpts reviewed for this story. In the same report, a Holland America spokesperson told Fox News that “100% goes directly to our shipboard team” and said the charge is “in line with the cruise industry competitive standards.”
The materials reviewed for this story did not include Washington-specific consumer complaint records, a state regulatory action or port authority documents tied to Holland America’s Crew Appreciation charge. What the company’s current posted records do show is an automatic daily fee of $18 for non-suite guests and $20 for suite guests.
