Holland America review
Updated September 30, 2026 · NomadCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Holland America suits families who want the ship, the flight and the hotel priced together, since cruise, packages and flights covers the whole trip. Weigh the onboard spend before you book, because fees of 18% service charge on optional onboard purchases sit outside the fare.
Key facts
- Best for
- A cruise booked together with flights, transfers, hotels and tours.
- Products
- Cruise, Packages, Flights, Transfers, Hotels, Tours↗
- Booking fees
- 18% service charge on optional onboard purchases↗
- Cancellation terms
- 20% of fare 46+ days before, rising to 100%↗
- Mobile app
- Yes↗
- Legal entity
- Holland America Line N.V.↗
- Headquarters
- United States↗
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Phone, Help-centre↗
- Official website
- hollandamerica.com
Facts checked September 30, 2026, 3 sources
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- Google Play
Pros and cons
Pros
- cruise, packages and flights puts the cruise, flights, transfers, hotels and tours in a single basket, so a family can price the whole trip at one checkout.
- Support runs on email, chat and phone, which covers a phone line and live chat for problems that surface mid-voyage.
- A mobile app is listed, so daily changes do not depend on email alone.
- Cruise-led coverage sets it apart from Emirates, whose flights, hotels and tours reaches flights and hotels without a ship.
Cons
- Fees of 18% service charge on optional onboard purchases sit outside the fare, so optional onboard purchases need their own budget line.
- Cancellation is punishing: 20% of fare 46+ days before, rising to 100%, which means a late change costs most of the fare on a trip with fixed sailing dates.
- The catalogue is narrower than Emirates, whose flights, hotels and tours extends to parking and lounges, and it omits the rail and ski that Čedok and Intrepid Travel list at flights, packages and tours and packages, tours and cruise.
- The contract sits with Holland America Line N.V. in the US, so the terms apply to a US company even when the sailing departs from Europe.
Ready to try Holland America?
Who it suits
- Families who want the ship, the flight and the hotel priced together, with cruise, packages and flights on a single booking.
- Travelers who want live help from email, chat and phone while the trip is already running.
- Anyone budgeting a long voyage, where fees of 18% service charge on optional onboard purchases need to be set aside before choosing a cabin.
Who should look elsewhere
- Emirates, for a trip built around the airport and the flight, since flights, hotels and tours includes parking and lounges.
- Čedok, for a winter trip, because flights, packages and tours lists ski.
- Intrepid Travel, for an overland trip, because packages, tours and cruise lists rail.
What you can book
Holland America sells cruise, packages and flights. Cruises lead, and packages build around them, with flights and transfers to reach the ship and hotels and tours for the days on either side. A mobile app is listed, which is the natural place to handle daily changes once sailing. The list stops short of what the neighbors offer: Emirates reaches parking and lounges at flights, hotels and tours, while the rail on packages, tours and cruise and the ski on flights, packages and tours are not part of a Holland America basket.
Fees and cancellation
The fare is not the whole cost. Fees of 18% service charge on optional onboard purchases sit outside it, so drinks, excursions and spa treatments on board need a separate line in your budget. Cancellation terms are steeper: 20% of fare 46+ days before, rising to 100%. Since the penalty climbs as the sailing date draws near and ship dates do not move, a change made late can cost most of what you paid. Put the onboard spend next to the fare before you weigh this against a package elsewhere on this page.
The company behind it
The contract is with Holland America Line N.V., a company headquartered in the US, and that same entity sets the onboard service charge and the cancellation scale. Support runs on email, chat and phone, so the same set of routes serves a question before you book and a question from the ship. For a group booking, everything you arrange runs through that single company rather than a chain of separate suppliers.
How Holland America compares
Where Holland America is available
- Available
- United States
Countries from the brand (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
What can I book on Holland America?+
Bookings cover cruise, packages and flights. The cruise is the core product, and packages wrap it with flights, transfers, hotels and tours, so a land day before boarding or after disembarking can sit in the same basket. There is no separate rail or ski line here.
Is there a mobile app for managing the trip?+
A mobile app is listed, which covers the practical gap between a booked trip and a trip under way. Day-to-day changes, from timings to onboard plans, do not have to go through email alone, and the same app pairs with the email, chat and phone options when a call is easier.
What extra charges should I expect on board?+
Budget for fees of 18% service charge on optional onboard purchases rather than assuming the fare covers everything on the ship. Because the charge applies to optional onboard purchases, the drinks, excursions and treatments that make up a large part of a sailing bill sit outside the price shown at booking.
What happens if I cancel a sailing?+
Cancellation terms are 20% of fare 46+ days before, rising to 100%. Because the penalty climbs as the sailing approaches, a change made late costs most of the fare, and ship dates follow a fixed schedule. Families sharing a cabin are advised to read those terms before paying rather than after.
Who am I contracting with?+
The contract is with Holland America Line N.V., a company headquartered in the US, and that entity sets both the onboard service charge and the cancellation scale. Anyone weighing a Holland America sailing against a land package elsewhere is comparing two different contract structures, not just two prices.
How do I reach someone before or during the trip?+
Support runs on email, chat and phone, so email, live chat, a phone line and a self-service help centre are all listed. That mix suits a group booking where the person handling the money and the person handling the cabin details are not the same, and a call is available when a written answer would slow things down.
Can the ship and the flight be booked together?+
Packages and flights both appear at cruise, packages and flights, so the flight to the embarkation port and the sailing can be arranged in a single basket. Transfers and pre- or post-cruise hotels sit in the same list, which removes the separate supplier search a self-built itinerary needs.
Is Holland America right for a winter or overland trip?+
The product list at cruise, packages and flights carries neither rail nor ski nor airport extras, so those trips are better served elsewhere. Emirates, at flights, hotels and tours, covers parking and lounges, and Čedok, at flights, packages and tours, covers ski, for anyone whose plan is built around those.
Sources
- hollandamerica.com/en/eu checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Mobile app, Products, Support channels
“Navigator Mobile App - Plan activities, purchase shore excursions, make reservations and more right from your phone while on board.”
- hollandamerica.com/en/eu/legal-privacy/cruise-contract checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Booking fees, Cancellation terms
“A non-refundable Service Charge of 18% of purchase will be automatically added to optional purchases of beverage packages, drinks, dining room and specialty dining”
- hollandamerica.com/en/eu/legal-privacy/website-terms-and-... checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Headquarters, Legal entity
“We control and operate the Site from our offices in Seattle, Washington, United States of America”
Compiled from 3 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
Holland America
A cruise booked together with flights, transfers, hotels and tours.