Holland America Line Reviews 

I have booked cruise with them on May 2020,because of pandemic, I had to cancel my cruise. But they told me that I can't get my deposit money back, but they will keep it as my credit for furture booking. But now when I try to book a cruise, they told me that me deposit dredit is exoired. When I called them, they told me when I canceled my cruise at 2020, they provided me two options which I can get my refund but i didn't choose that option which is lie. They never told me that I can get my deposit refund. technically they just stealed my money. Don't ever deal with Holland America Line.

My recent experience with Holland America Cruise was nothing short of a disappointment. I feel compelled to leave a one-star review to warn others about the issues I encountered during my voyage.

One of the most frustrating aspects of my cruise was the exorbitant charge of over $400 USD for internet access. I expected to stay connected during my trip, especially in this digital age, but the reality was far from what I anticipated. The internet in our staterooms turned out to be utterly useless, despite the hefty fee we had paid for it.

After numerous complaints to the cruise staff, I was told that I shouldn't expect to have any internet access in our rooms, which, in this day and age, is incredibly inconvenient and unacceptable.

The internet speed test shows 0.17 Mbps download speed and a pitiful 0.1 Mbps upload speed. These speeds are practically unusable for any meaningful internet activities.

The icing on the cake was the unhelpful customer service. They were dismissive and failed to provide any viable solutions to the internet issues we faced. This lack of assistance left a sour taste in my mouth and made me question the overall quality of service provided by Holland America Cruise.

In conclusion, my experience with Holland America Cruise was marred by exorbitant fees for non-functional internet access, lackluster speeds, and unhelpful customer service. I cannot recommend this cruise line to anyone who relies on internet access during their travels, and I hope my review serves as a cautionary tale for others considering booking with them.

Mariners Society customer service gets 1 star.
Jessica, Rachel and Shannon are inexperienced reps. FU Holland America for allowing them to answer calls.

A big thankyou to Louise in customer services for helping me sort out the admin on my account. She was patient, polite and efficient. Looking forward to our next cruise in Oct.

I had an arctic air excursion while on the cruise that was cancelled because the flight did not get enough people. 2 weeks later I am still waiting for my refund. I spent 30 minutes of my time today speaking to Max from Holland America in guest relations department. I was told that she now has to check that my excursion was indeed cancelled and then she will initiate a refund. I am back to square A. When I asked Max for the name of her supervisor she stated that she has none and there is no one above her position . Once the conversation with Max was completed, I should have been transfered to take a survey about the call but Max made sure that I got disconnected. Extremely poor customer service. I will NOT be considering Holland America for my future cruises.

Trying to arrange for my Canadian husband to get off the Alaska cruise in Canada the last night was the pinnacle of incompetence. I’d rather STAY HOME than cruise again with these unprofessional amateurs.

I have now put in over 4 HOURS of phone time trying to accomplish the task of getting a Canadian off a ship - in Canada. Their Cust Srv Reps are now filling out the form - for the THIRD time. Each time - the Department that approves this - says to the next Rep “You filled out the form wrong so we did nothing - fill it out again.”

No one ever follows up with me. No-one ever gets back to me/emails me/calls me back. And you can’t actually speak to their Resolution team.

Anyone can make a mistake - but this is the THIRD time!!!!!! And not one offer of even a free anything for the HOURS of stress this has caused. N-E-V-E-R again!!!!

RUN - don’t walk - from this cruise line. I’m not kidding. I’m good with details - I deal with details for a living. If ANYTHING goes wrong with your booking - you are going to be S-O-L.

The last 2 cruises on the Rotterdam and New statendam, were zero compared to the 6 others made with them (before covid19).
Servers overwhelmed in the restaurants, only one more visit to the cabins, 13 days with the same sheets (cruise in the fjords) few staff, but numerous complaints, and never an answer to emails. you take a balcony cabin, they paint it again, 2 days later they wash the balconies (why take a balcony cabin to have to go outside.
Apologies, but especially not, a credit note or a special restaurant nothing.
Excuses are enough.
In short, we are leaving in October, but are resuming NCL cruises that we took in 2017 and 2019.
We will see, but the prices are much lower than Holland, with drinks, wifi special restaurants (for us 2 x2 restaurants), discount on excursions.
If that sucks too, we'll give up cruises, after having done 16.

We just came back our cruise with HAL on Rotterdam to Norwegian Fjords and it was fantastic! This was our first time cruising with HAL after our every first cruise a few years ago with Royal Caribbean. We wanted something that wasn't like a theme park and could relax more and this definitely did. If you like to relax with a drink and listen to rock or blues music then this is definitely for you. I really enjoyed the BB Kings Blues Club (main singer was excellent!) and the trivia quizzes. Some of the itineraries of events overlapped so you had to choose what you wanted to do more but I suppose this made people spread out more across the ship so it wasn't too busy, expect for in the Lido Market (buffet). We found it hard to find a seat sometimes but you could take your food elsewhere so we did this or even took some dessert back to our room to enjoy the views as we had a lovely balcony room. We had the 'have it all' package and would recommend this if you want to have alcohol frequently. I'm not sure of the other packages as we booked this through Iglu Cruises which came as a deal. I found all the staff onboard to be very friendly, helpful and well organised. The food was really good too. We didn't eat at the main dining room often expect for the 'dressy nights' (which is a lot less dressy than what we experienced with Royal Caribbean, they are more 'formal nights' with people in tuxedos/suits/long dress). I felt as though the food was very similar, if not the same as the main dining room to the buffet (suppose it's all the same kitchens), but you would go to the main dining room more for the experience. HAL has the stigma that it's for older people but we are both 30 and felt comfortable being here. A definite decrease in the amount of children onboard compared to Royal Caribbean which was nice to relax and we did see some other young couples too. The entertainment director (who was excellent!) did mention to us during a conversation that the next week had about 300 children on board so it will just depend on time of year etc but it will be far less compared to other cruise lines aimed at families.

No complaints at all and would definitely consider HAL again for my next cruise!

Wonderful cruise on Konigsdam to Alaska on 27th May this year. However I have query on my final bill for the cruise . I was charged for the Mini bar which we didn’t use! The amount was relatively small but I can get no response from HAL.
As a result I would be reluctant to recommend HAL and give it 5 stars.

I always compared other cruise lines to the gold standard of Holland.But not this time. I am a three star plus Marriner and I am on the last leg of my 14 plus 19 day Med cruise on The Oosterdam and very disappointed. I will probably not cruise with HAL again. I think they are marketing towards a different demographic. There were a lot of families on board who got the cruise for very reduced rate. Needless to say the kids were running rampant knocking you down in the Lido and jumping on you in the pool. I voiced many complaints to customer service but I got no satisfaction.They said children were welcome. I guess that means that baby boomers don’t matter anymore. There were also tons of free cruisers and casino players making the ship seemed definitely overcrowded. Even though HALwas never well known for its entertainment it’s gotten even worse the same things have been repeated five times in my 25 days so far. I chose longer cruises expecting there would be no children or at least only a few. But they broke the cruises down into 3 7day cruises. I was never made aware. I have asked for some kind of compensation maybe a day at the retreat which other cruises have been known to do but I’ve had no response. They said that so many others complaining about the same thing that Upper management isn’t probably going to do anything. This is not the kind of culture I want to give my money to. Their bottom line may look good now but I don’t think it will in the future they’re just going to become another Carnival. Although it was quite busy here their Tour Department did do a good job. And there were definitely a few staff that still went above and beyond.

We are just getting home from our first cruise to the Inside Passage of Alaska on Holland America's Volendam. We had the trip of a lifetime. I read a lot of reviews that made me hesitant about the ship, being that it was built 25 years ago. But I found the boat comfortable, incredibly clean, and charming. The service and staff were beyond attentive. They ALWAYS had a smile and seemed to anticipate our needs before we even knew what we wanted. Holland America offered a wide variety of entertainment and things to do on the ship during days at "sea". Our itinerary for ports was great, and we loved our excursions. I felt we had the perfect amount of time at each port. The time in Glacier Bay was MAGICAL! We were some of the youngest travelers on the ship, but we had an absolute blast. I have zero complaints!

It's been over a month and we are still trying to receive credit for excursions that were cancelled due to weather conditions in Alaska. Impossible to get a human on the telephone. Funny, because they have plenty of representatives to book new cruises! Was sick for two weeks afterwards. Food was nothing great. Only nice part was the room. Never again Holland, you've lost me as a paying customer.

I am still on the Zuiderdam at the tail end of a 21 days Rotterdam-Rotterdam Artic Circle cruise.

It's been the worst cruise experience I have had.
(I have sailed with half dozen other cruise liner brands before this with HAL)

And to top it off I have been locked out of my stateroom today.
I am told that the "battery for the electronic door lock is dead".
It has been 2hours since and nobody has come fix it.
The uncaring customer service is none committal on how long before someone will come fix it 😡🤬
Note:
the on board customer service is the worst of the lot when it comes to delivering satisfactory outcome for me in the few times I went seeking for their assistance.

I will post a full detailed review here on my dreadful cruise experience with the HAL Zuiderdam.

First off, the Holland America website is an absolute nightmare and impossible to navigate, even if you can actually get into it. It would take me a minimum of five tries, every time, to successfully log in. Once on board I never received my luggage and was faced with the prospect of having no clothes for the next two weeks. Many phone calls and multiple trips to customer service produced no results. I was finally able to track down my luggage to a room on the first floor where it had been "confiscated" because they thought they saw alcohol in my suitcase - it was, in fact, my bottle of shampoo. But at no point did anyone ever call and tell me my luggage had been confiscated.

The food is mediocre and the customer service is garbage. The wait staff, however, are very nice.

There are many cruise lines to choose from. Do not choose this one.

We've The just returned from a Norwegian Fjords Cruise on the Rotterdam ship which was beautiful and the majority of staff friendly but my goodness the service was so incredibly slow, 2.5 hrs for dinner!! Nearly 2 hours for breakfast! My first dinner was pork, a meat which must be cooked through, mine was dripping in blood and i couldn't eat it due to food poisoning risk with under-done pork. Nearly every time was like that for a week.
The fact we had to pre-pay a ridiculous amount in tips for this awful service was a joke.
Also, some people were so rude, plus we'd been queueing at the bars for ages and the bar staff just served the next customers who pushed in line.

Day trip prices were extortionate.

The evening shows were ok but nothing amazing, Marella do full on proper stage shows with sets, we simply had dancers on a blank stage dancing to music.
I won't be using HA again.

I am very frustrated with HA, so I have decided to write this review. I was just on the phone - for over 2 hours trying to figure out why our friends received an awesome casino offer and we did not. We (two couples) cruised in March of this year. Both our husbands played in the casino. My friends husband did play a bit longer BUT he ended up winning! (Good for him!). My husband, on the other hand lost! By the time you did the math, we probably ended up giving HA MORE OF OUR MONEY then our friends, yet they got the "promo" code. There is NO ONE at HA willing to help me. I was connected to 4 different people with the same result. They can't help me as the casino promotions are done through a third party called Ocean Players Club. Really? They don't have a phone number for them either! Why would HA leave this company to be responsible for this credit, and hold them hostage? This makes for some very upset and angry HA cruisers. How can Holland America not be capable of handling this situation? I think its because they don't want to deal with it, and just pass the buck. VERY VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THE ENTIRE SITUATION

This was my 4th time going to Alaska's inside passage (other times on a different line). Was disappointed with HAL. The amount of time allotted at the ports were very short, you either walked around and shopped or you did an excursion, did not have time for both. The food on the Lido deck was a little better then cafeteria food. The room Stewart's were very good and our waiters for dinner were great. The food in the complintary diner was good but think it could have been larger portions. We went to breakfast twice at the diner and both times we had a very long wait to get our food. (Once was a little over an hour). We had a balcony room on the 8th floor and I thought it was a little small. They took away the soft serve ice cream machines (I know petty but that was one of the things I was looking forward to).

In December 2022 I ordered a bottle of Prosecco from Holland America Ship Services to be delivered to the stateroom of a friend who was sailing on the Volendam with her family, departing on December 27th. My Visa credit card was charged immediately in the amount of $41.30, for which I have written confirmation. Upon my friend's return from her cruise, I asked her if she had received the Prosecco, and she told me that she did not...on her birthday as I had arranged or at any other time while she was aboard the ship. Accordingly, I submitted an online request for a refund using the form provided by HA on their website. Subsequently, after several weeks of not hearing from HA either by phone or email--and not receiving a refund--I started calling their Customer Service number. During one attempt, I remained on hold for more than two hours without success. Eventually, I miraculously connected with one agent who apologized and told me she would process my request right away. Then weeks went by, and I did not receive any further contact from HA--or any refund. Again I called multiple times, endured long waits, and finally connected with another agent who issued me a case number and promised me he would resolve the issue. Now, more than five months later, I still have never been contacted by anyone from HA, and I still have not received a refund. At this point, however, it's not about the money, but rather, it's about being the victim of poor customer service.

Case 1-9655575059 booking XT7J2D

I am a regular cruiser but I am using this line for the first time.
Been on 10+ cruises.

Yes they are definitely limited on entertainment but I was cruising for some rest and peace and quiet.
So it really depends on what you want.

I found the food excellent, healthy and great options and not just cans and packets but they took the time to actually cook and please their customers. Low sugar no sugar veg options the works.
The staff plain excellent!
Best I’ve seen on any cruise ship and I’ve done about 5 different cruise lines including princess royal carribean Cunard and HAl.

Now why am I giving them such poor marks?

I settled my bill and disembarked a day early.

After I had left they charged me AGAIN in absentia for an even larger amount on the same credit card.

Mistakes happen fair enough.

BUT

Since them I have written six emails not including separate stressful emails to my credit card Amex as they have made me go over my limit and are presently ruining my credit.

They send me responses showing they have no clue of what I’m talking about and cannot simply take the trouble to check that they have charged me TWICE once on the 21april and again on the 22april.
How difficult can that be ?and anyway how can you authorise my card without my signature.

HAL Kindly refund my money with an apology and adequate compensation for the gross inconvenience.

Not good enough!

Just returned from an Alaskan cruise on Koningsdam,where to start ?Getting through the boarding routine was absolutely horrendous,with other ship’s passengers mixing together causing utter confusion.The food in The Dining Room was always cold,served on cold plates. Lost count of times we complained and sent food back. Suffered several upset stomachs.Friends purchased a drinks package only to be told on the first night that the wine they wanted had run out causing great upset and disappointment.Not to mention the problem they had cancelling the package.Smoking was aloud in the Casino which made the surrounding areas smell like an old ashtray,smoking was aloud in other areas as well so it was difficult to get away from the smell. Towards the end of the week other things started running out which was unacceptable. Had a conversation with another passenger who said they had been on an excursion which returned at 21.00 only to find the restaurants had finished serving and the only food available was a pizza.Disgusting.Some of the staff tried to be helpful without success,but the cabin boys couldn’t do enough for you and went above and beyond whenever asked.At one port we called at we encountered a protest against the cruise liners stopping at the ports going up to Alaska as the majority of the shops are owned by the shipping companies which take business away from locals causing the hardships in the winter months.To sum it up all the Holland America ships are money making machines. I’m sure they would charge you for the air we breathe if they could. Will not be recommending them to anyone let alone travelling with them again.