Holland America Line Reviews 

I have been on Royal and Carnival, the best experiences ever. Holland was awful, when checking in to get on the boat, they lost my booking and it took over an hour for them to find me in the system. This seem to be the trend because there was quite a few people standing there at the desk while they were trying to find theirs also. We did not have air conditioning in our room for the first couple of days, when we asked about getting another room we were told that they were booked to capacity-no where to move us, no one ever fixed the air in the room. After my roommate’s face swelled up and her eye swelled shut and one of our group members finding upper management we were finally moved to another room. During this time we had talked to guest services everyday, he was aware that my roommate is a 70 yr old woman with health issues and I am disabled with health issues. From the room being so hot, my whole body swelled up and I was hardly able to move during this trip without hurting. While speaking with the guest service manager, he told me he would not charge my credit card on file for onboard expenses to compensate for this situation. I spoke with the guest service manager again the night before we were going to port in the morning to make sure we were still on the same page about this situation, he reassured me that he had it all noted and he would take care of it himself. So that was December 22, 2022, today is May 19, 2023 and I am still trying to get the management to rectify the situation like they said they would. So far, they have been nothing but rude when I can get them to respond and when they do respond they tell me they sent us flowers 😂 and have us a $65 on board credit for the next cruise. Also, I was told things happen and basically deal with it- that they were not going to reimburse me. Others on board was not able to flush their toilets because of plumbing issues, other issues the water was brown and nasty. Disabled people were put in regular rooms that they could not even get their wheel chairs in and people without disabilities were given disability rooms. Throughout the cruise, people were very upset with this cruise, talking about how awful the conditions were and that they were going to talk to their travel agents. The food, entertainment, staff and over all experience was awful, not up to par at all. I would not even give them a 1 rating in any of their categories!!!

Diarrhea, vomiting and Covid..,,we hit the trifecta on our May 2023 Baltic cruise ….the ship was a floating Petri dish of virus….this was our second cruise on HAL that Covid was an issue….we self isolated with our sickness and did not contact the ship doctor….we are 3 star and should be 4 star by the end of the cruise….would not recommend HAL, but are stuck with them because of our Mariner status…in addition they were not flexible with our “have it all package “when we could not experience the two Pinnacle dinners due to our illnesses …we needed a doctors note for a credit…so to spread the “viral love” we are going to the Tamarind the last night….the HAL service desk supervisor is a moron, why she would not issue a credit because of illness is a mystery. She is must be part of the HAL sales prevention team.

Holland America's entertainment for our Alaskan cruise on the Eurodam was BORING. They need more entertainment options!!! Also, my wallet was taken out of my room the day before the cruise ended. All my credit cards, money and drivers license, gone. Thank God I had a passport with me. Guest services didn't blink an eye when i reported it. I enjoyed the places we went and Glacier bay was breathtaking. The staff tagged us well, aside from the stolen wallet. I would recommend finding a different cruise line that goes to glacier bay and book that.

My husband and I just returned from an Alaskan cruise with Holland America on the Eurodam and it was fantastic. The food was delicious and the staff helpful and friendly. The entertainment was great, we especially enjoyed the BB King jazz show. Ivan and Holil were the two men that cleaned and stocked our stateroom, they were friendly, always smiling and did a great job. We liked them so much we asked to take their picture. We highly recommend Holland America and will definitely use them for our next cruise. Thank you Holland America for a memorable experience.

I have reached out to the cruise line on numerous occasions to ask why they only had gluten free food on the ship for 1 day and my trip was 7 days. I asked prior to booking if they could accommodate my allergy to gluten. I informed them that I have Celiac Disease and I had to have gluten free options. I was informed that they were able to accommodate me. When I did see a few options I was told they had none, even though the box of products was displayed in the buffet. I told them it was our 25 th anniversary and they sent us cupcakes that were not gluten free. Luckily I called down to ask and they said NO. I asked what they thought I was going to eat for the other 6 days. We were on Nieuw Amsterdam 7 day Western Caribbean. I was offered $50.00 as compensation. We took our trip in November and kept trying to get a resolution till February.

What went wrong nearly everything how can they improve ?

Our cruise was awful. There were so many hidden charges, the food was awful and it was so boring. We got stuck at sea for an extra day and the private island stop was cancelled, with a pool capacity of 15 it didn’t allow for much swimming or much to do. The food was so bland and dining room food was the same as the cafeteria food only difference is they waited on you. It was a waste of money and we could hardly wait to get off.

Sailed on the brand new Rotterdam. I'll keep it simple and sour: Staff seemed overworked and unpleasant the first 3 days. They then warmed up, but still had the majority as unpleasant to minority-very pleasant. Never an above and beyond experience. Food was mediocre. Dining room at the end of the ship, rocking about. Purchased watches which led to the most horrible and violating experience between ship staff and Florida Customs Officers. It was essentially a scam between the cruise and Customs Agents which led to a fine of over $800 for 2 watches priced at $2200 and $900 respectively. Rooms were exceptionally small, even for a cruise, though very modern and stylish. Too bad the dispensers were broken in the bathroom. Do not take Holland America; you have been warned.

Mindboggling how poor customer service is. I have send in 4 times a request for a call back and I receive an automated email that it can take up to 4(!) weeks before an employee calls me back. Today our cruise would start in Civitavecchia but we did not go and will loose the funds. We did not want to board before some normal questions were answered. Never again a booking at HAL, that is for sure.

Guest relations before and after the cruise are horrible. Conflicting and flat out wrong information, unhelpful. I almost canceled the cruise several times before leaving. It was that bad. Now I have been double charged for the same excursion which I have been trying to get fixed for two months. Last comment was they were waiting to hear from the ship. Since it was the excursion from the ship to the airport so how would the ship know? I provided dates, confirmation numbers.... everything they needed... should take five minutes to figure out. No more HAL cruises for me. Might only be an excursion this time but I see this is common for lots more money in many reviews provided. Sad ...as the on board experience was mostly good and we had lots of cruises planned for both us and family and friends.... not any more with HAL Not worth the hassle when there are so many other cruise lines

Currently on board the Nieuw Amsterdam approaching Freeport, Bahamas. Pluses? Pinnacle Grill is excellent as are our two cabin stewards, Madee and Rosa. That's where it ends. Food is at best mediocre, buffet selection is terrible, buffet hours are pathetic! 24 hour dining options? Non existent short of room service which has a very meager selection. Entertainment? Nothing like we were promised. We booked Holland America for the more immersive experience of enrichment lectures, the Lincoln Center for classical music, etc...forget about either one! Lincoln Center is closed! Why? It's been replaced by the "Dance Company" at the main stage...otherwise known as the standard evening shows. One has nothing to do with the other!! Enrichment lectures have been one talk about "Life under the Surface" and another about rum...that's it!. We feel completely ripped off, having spent over 6k for what amounts to a boring boat ride for a week we could have enjoyed on a real vacation elsewhere. Heck, we would have had a much better week staying home! Don't waste your money or time. Needless to say my wife and I are very angry at this pathetic cruise and deserve a refund. We’ve talked to many others who feel the same. I normally write balanced reviews with but it's hard to when the positives are so, so few.

Regretting my decision to book with Holland America. I have been on the phone for over an hour to get the address to our hotel upon arrival... no one can provide this information. Sad. Customer service is poorly trained all the way around. Terrible service. You know that gut feeling when you call the first time and get poor service (first impression), listen to your gut it's usually right. Wish I could cancel this upcoming trip.

Holland America was the worst cruise line I have ever been on, I definitely do not recommend this cruise for any human on this planet including young people. Very unpleasant atmosphere and the staff are extremely unwelcoming and intimidating. Once you have left the port and your at sea, their attitudes start to change and they all start acting like thugs. I was shocked by the amount of unprofessionalism, but I guess people who have secure jobs on a major cruise line can treat their guests like crap and get away with it trip after trip. These losers are too immature and inhospitable for any human to enjoy their, “accommodations” and perhaps they should consider making a cruise line for wild zoo animals instead, because that’s how they treat their guests. Never again with Holland America!

The worst cruise company. Just don’t care and driven by pure greed. Hygiene poor and serving tongues left on food so cross contamination. Covid on board and many cases on board including our next door cabin had people confined to the room with Covid/19, which us hardly surprising.

Overcharged several times for wine package we had paid for. And charged us again on diverse occasions.

Although we booked many locations to visit, many cancelled en route and also pre-departure. Thefts from our cabin, expensive items stolen. Attempted unlawful withdrawals from our debit card in excess of 3700 usd.

Driven by greed. Dumped in many isolated areas and 60-79% we had to travel by tender. Many people suffering from disabilities could not use the tenders. Dumped in a rat invested town on one occasion. Having waited to board the tender for 2hrs, 40min travel in the sweat box, waited for coach 30mins with 40min travel to nearest town. Once there found the street could not be used dave for the roads and the Market was infested with rats. Thus typified many of the places we were dumped during the cruise.

Truly the worst company ever for a cruise. Customer service appalling leaving me now to sue the agent for this 33 day disastrous cruise.

The cruise should carry a Heakth warning relating to theft from cabin, unlawful transfers from customers account, not suitable for anyone suffering from disabilities. Covid friendly as the hygiene is appalling. Drinks over priced a typical bottle of beer 7 usd plus 18% service charge.

Staff hard working and food ok apart from hygiene snd coss contamination of food leading to the possible spread of Covid-19 virus

Totally disgusted. Dave your time and money, choose snd book with a good company such as Cunard, Celebrity, Pz&O but not this uncaring company designed to discriminate against those with disabilities

There is much to write.It would take pages and time to say.They don't care about customer satisfaction.I waited 6 months for a reply.
Very unhappy with the answer I received from them.
I will take my customer elsewhere.The one thing I can say the on board staff, cleaners, kitchen and food service you couldn't fault.They work hard.and always very helpful.

Cruise date 2-11-23
Extremely dissatisfied with Holland America Cruise Line not being straight forward about Turks and Caicos horrific vaccination policy.
The vaccination policy for Turks and Caicos should be clearly printed on the advertised destination! After refusing to let us disembark in Turks, Holland America informed us we could find their vaccination policy hidden in “frequently asked questions”. Beware, Holland America is deceptive in their advertising of cruises .
Currently, we are stuck on this boat not being allowed to visit Turks. The destination is why we booked this cruise. We might just be one unhappy customer because we didn’t lie when asked if we were vaccinated before boarding the ship, but I can guarantee Holland America has thousands of visitors who did lie and were not required to show vaccination cards.
Holland America, Turks and Caicos policy is complete BS!!!
The cruise line doesn’t advertise the policy of Turks and you’re not required proof of vaccination when boarding the ship . All You need to do is just lie , say you’re vaccinated and then you can disembark in Turks. It’s just smoke and mirrors. If cruise lines advertised that Turks required a vaccination, the island’s economy would collapse and the cruise lines would loose a popular destination.
If you’re a believer in freedom of medical choice, boycott Holland America and Turks!!!!

They charge me for two people when I travel solo - pure greed, selfish and low life.

Wonderful cruise with ms volendam departing in ft.lauderdale 3/1 till buenos aires on 12/2 special thanks to James and Wayan who wonderfull serviced our stateroom 6169 .
And special thanks to Rian and Mint from the main dining room table 156 for the very good service!!
The cruise was a wonderful experience !!
Regards William (wilhelmus)and monique from the netherlands.

My wife and I sailed on a trans-Atlantic cruise from Fort Lauderdale in April 2022. Thought we had to endure a second Covid-19 test before boarding, that was the last problem that we encountered during our 21-day cruise. The veranda cabin on the cruise was comfortable and the shower very good. The food was first-class and the tours excellent, with only one exception. The trans-Atlantic portion of the cruise was one of the most pleasurable experiences I have ever had and the staff were memorable. I have read several of these reviews and I wonder whether they were actually on Holland America ships or their expectations ridiculously high. This is a fine, well-established cruise line and I would definitely recommend it.

We had two cruises with HAL in 2022. They were great. Good food, great service. Nice smaller ships. We are sailing with them again in 2024. On the first we did not get HIA as it was a 7 day Alaska cruise. On the second we did as it was a 14 day Panama canal cruise. We felt that we had good value for the money.