SEATTLE, June 14 (Our Washington Times) — A review of Holland America Line’s current customer FAQ pages shows that travelers booking the cruise line now need to budget for automatic daily “Crew Appreciation” charges of $18 per guest for non-suite staterooms and $20 per guest for suites.
Holland America says the charge is a daily gratuity that is automatically added to a guest’s onboard account. For a seven-day cruise, that equals $126 per person in a non-suite room and $140 per person in a suite. For two people sharing a cabin, the automatic charge would total $252 in a non-suite room or $280 in a suite before other onboard purchases.
In its onboard FAQ, Holland America says: “Crew Appreciation is a daily gratuity automatically added to your onboard account to recognize the many Holland America Line team members who make your cruise feel effortless.” The same page says the money is pooled “to support team members across the ship who contribute to your experience, including roles you see every day, and those working quietly in the background.”
The company’s booking FAQ lists the same $18 and $20 rates and says those rates are subject to change. The onboard FAQ reviewed for this story was marked last updated June 9, and the booking FAQ carrying the same rates was marked last updated June 14.
Fox News reported June 13, citing Holland America materials, that the current rates took effect June 1 and amounted to a $1 per person, per day increase from the line’s earlier charges of $17 for most cabins and $19 for suites. Fox News also reported that guests may adjust the daily gratuity amount while onboard.
A Holland America spokesperson told Fox News that “100% goes directly to our shipboard team” and that the charge is “in line with the cruise industry competitive standards.”
Times Media Service independently confirmed the current $18 and $20 daily rates, the automatic billing of the charge and Holland America’s description of how the money is distributed by reviewing the company’s own FAQ pages. The Holland America records reviewed for this story did not independently confirm separate travel-industry reports that the line also raised automatic service charges on some onboard purchases such as bar, spa or specialty-dining transactions.
For Washington travelers comparing cruise prices, the practical takeaway is that Holland America’s advertised fare is not the full day-by-day onboard cost. The company’s Crew Appreciation charge is assessed per guest, per day and added automatically to the onboard account, according to Holland America’s own booking and onboard records.
