Holland America Line Reviews 

Watchout for cruises to Faroe, avoid if possible. In Faroe is the Grindadrap, without warning (there is no set schedule), you will witness the beach based slaughter of whales, turing the sea blue. The locals are very protective and can become agressive if questioned

The cruise itself food , service and accommodation were all exceptional.....why the low score you may ask, ...well it all boils down to poor post cruise customer service and difficulty in being reimbursed for on shore excursions that were cancelled.We were on a Vancouver Ito Alaska cruise in September this year.We (possibly naively) pre booked some on shore excursions and were charged in full some 6 months before the trip.A couple of these were cancelled due to poor weather as on one occasion we were unable to dock , and the on board customer care team announced that the pre paid monies would be reimbursed to our registered credit card within 7-14 days .We left the ship $1021 in credit.
needless to say the funds were not reimbursed , several emails we sent were simply ignored ,phoning customer services is a fruitless and expensive activity.HAL claimed they tried to credit our card , but our card provider say that there is no record of this.They (HAL)then suggested they send a cheque(totally unacceptable as how can I (a UK resident) cash a cheque in US dollars) .Our travel company were excellent and eventually some 7 weeks after disembarkation, through some quite convoluted dance with HSBC we received our money.
What should have been a very simple transaction was made very difficult .All in all although the cruise and staff were fine ,I would never use Holland America again as they are simply light years behind in basic customer service .
They seem ,to perhaps work on the principle ,that if they do nothing you will lose interest in recovering what you are owed .Be in no doubt, they are super, super quick in getting your money off you, not so keen to reimburse it.
In case you've only skim read this , Take home message , there are loads of better companies out there , avoid HAL

Oosterdam cruise from hell.
Even before we boarded they could not get simple details like our names correct.
8 people on cruise. Started long delay to board, address labels on luggage cut off label holders ruined.
Covid was affecting a lot of passengers but not much safety applied. Medical treatment farcical and very expensive. Vouchers ,that we could not use, we have not been refunded, even some we had paid for only an offer of same year replacement, this was no use. Air con not working properly,only american electrical adaptors. Some entertainment of low standard. Our emails were ignored, even at CEO level. They could not care less. Will never travel with them again

On my cruise to Alaska on 28 Sept 2024 I was given a credit of $22.43 (taxes, fees and port adjustments expenses) because we did not stop Skagway. It is not a lot of money but it's the principle that counts.

The pdf statement on my account says it has refunded my card (no card details) on 5 oct 2024 but refund has not happened.

On 8 oct 2024 I emailed onboardbilling@ hollandamerica.com case receipt: 539821044662 - no reply. I emailed them again on 21 oct 2024 case receipt: 564815070546 - no reply.

I then rang customer services several times, left on hold for ages and was cut off every time I was connected & spoke to the US operator.

On 5 Nov I filled in refund form on Navigator app....still no reply. I then sent an email to guestrelations@ hollandamerica.com on 10 Nov 2024 receipt : 590033617552 - no reply.

They have kept my money, under pretext of having sent a refund to my card and
refused to communicate with me.

I have never come across such appalling dishonesty and customer service.

Warning : anyone on a cruise if you have a credit on your account withdraw the money before you leave the ship.
‐---------
Reply to my email to: Gus Antorcha
officeofthepresident@ hollandamerica.com

At Holland America Line, the security and privacy of our guests and employees are of the utmost importance. We are committed to protecting personal data and continuously seek innovative ways to enhance our financial safeguards. Recently, we partnered with a new software vendor for onboard financial transactions. Due to this change, automatic billing refunds cannot be processed if no original charges were assessed to the registered card while onboard. Instead, our shoreside accounting team manages these refunds individually.

While we anticipated minimal impact on our valued customers, unforeseen factors have caused significant delays during this fleetwide initiative. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, as we understand this is not the level of service you expect from us.

Please allow this correspondence to serve as confirmation that your refund of $22.43 USD (17.08 GBP) has been submitted to our accounting department for expedited processing.

I had pictures taken on board and then they lost them for me to purchase. They said that they would diliver them to me by printing them again and leaving them at my door the night before we docked to go home. But I had to pay them first which I did I NEVER got them.....I tried to get them to reimburse me, but they would not because they said it was left outside my door and somebody problbly took them....WTF. So they said they would NOT reimburse me and the loss is on me.

Well still waiting for money to be paid back into my account,I had to cancel a cruise due to illness,
Not a penny received,
If you are thinking of booking a cruise with this company, don,t you will strongly regret it,they are a bunch of thieves,

We are currently coming to an end of a 14 day cruise ending in HK.
I have to give my views and I state, these are my views.
Firstly the food is fantastic and the staff can not do enough for you, very pleasant and polite. I can not fault any of them or their efforts.
Cons:
I would also like to apply for a position on the entertainment team as I believe that has to be the easiest job in the world as they don't do anything. The entertainment is very very poor to non existent. The days activities includes such as Line dancing! Origami paper folding and colouring in for adults..... I won't say anything more but would suggest they rename the ship to "ms one foot in the grave". The bars close at 11.30 and in my opinion the rolling stones theatre needs to close we even had an elderly lady 85, also moment on the very poor and lack of entertainment as she wants to party, bless her 🤣
From Day one our AC doesn't work, but is very loud, the TV channels are always "Not available at this time" we have complained a number of times and all they say is they are working on it, although we can watch the movie collection.
Our toilet is not working and sounds like it is in mid flush all the time. Customer services says they are aware but have fixed it now.
If you want a no frills, subdued cruise for the eldery this is ideal IF they can fix the issues. If you are under the age of 70 I would suggest this ain't for you.
We loved the itinerary and destinations..... but please do your research before booking with HAL.

The cruise was run well. However not everything was up to standard. The carpet in our cabin was worn. Room service never produced what was asked for. Due to weather number of excursions we're cancelled. 4 weeks after the cruise HAL has still not refunded those costs or responded to emails noting discrepancies in the final account or asking why the delay. HAL are very quick to take payments.
If they don't pay up I will claim the payments back from my credit card company as each payment was over £100. Has always worked before. Works in the UK.

We did the Alaska land / cruise tour.
Generally had a good time. Very efficiently run. Absolutely no problem with service on board the ship. Food good. Disappointed with Pinnacle Grill - maybe because we could only get in at 8:30 on the very last night. Service slow. Steak good but the food in the dining room just as good and you do not have to pay extra or wait as long.
Weather cancelled one port visit (Skagway) and curtained another meaning our only shore excursion was cancelled. Still awaiting the balance from the cancelled tour to be refunded - have emailed twice, initially receiving an automated case # but no further contact. The rating would be much higher but for this. Why Holland America (HA) have not resolved this or even had the courtesy to respond is beyond me. I have written the money off but I can say I will not be booking with HA, or any company part of the same group, again. A quick look at reviews on Trust Pilot indicates I am not alone in experiencing this problem. So what advice can I give my fellow travelers to avoid the same situation 1. Don't book shore excursions; 2. If you are in credit towards the end of the cruise (even if it is only because HA cancelled a tour) spend it on the ship! HA will be very quick to debit anything they are owed on the day of disembarkation.

We went on the Koningsdam cruise liner from Vancouver to Alaska from 31 Aug to 7 Sept 24. You have to give over a credit card number, you have no choice. We had mostly coffees and booked one excursion with them on the Skagway railway at 119 dollars each. We also had one mobile phone connection to the internet. When we received our credit card bill they have taken £711.84. You don't receive a statement showing the breakdown, we believe they do this to everyone and must make alot of money on the interest. I have sent numerous emails, I only ever receive back an automated email. When you try to ring you get pushed from one department to another.
Dreadful customer service, DO NOT USE THEM

Two couples took the Alaska cruise between21 - 28 sept
Excursions were cancelled as we didnt visit one of the ports we had excursions booked for .
We were assured that we would have our credit cards refunded upon completing the cruise
No funds received & we were told flyer contacting 4 times that HAL tried to refund our two separate card company;s but they both refused the recredit !
Furthermore the policy is to now send a cheque in US$ for the $1000+ amounts owed!!
This is unacceptable & will take weeks for us to see any value as they will need to be sent off for collection/ negotiation back too the USA & will cost me considerable charges
I cannot speak to the accounts dept ,nor , of course the complaints dept
We paid HAl several thousand pounds for this cruise .
Their customer service is non existent

At the end of the cruise took $728 when our bill showed $218. Bill then wiped to zero and do not answer despite numerous attempts for an explanation. My advice take a screenshot of your bill before disembarking. It’s no longer the money that bothers me but complete lack of an answer what a way to look after customers!

I’m not a person that likes to leave bad reviews. I try to be as honest as I possibly can. I have traveled with multiple different cruise lines and I’m actually a diamond member with one. There are particular complaints that need to be escalated and fixed immediately for example separating family all day and Putting them in different hotels for more than half the trip. And also when there are medical concerns. We took the trip and land portion of the 10 day cruise for my wife and myself 20 year anniversary. We planned this trip and made sure that all of our extra rooms for the cruise and land portion We’re tied to the same reservation. Every day we spent hours standing in line resolving issues every day we were promised this would be fixed. We were told the right a letter we never received a phone call back then we were told to put it on the review that comes a few weeks later we did and still no phone call back.
The lack of any form of empathy for their customers is a massive concern. That is the reason why Holland has earned himself a one star review because if you do have a concern and something does not work, they don’t care. They’ve already got their money. After multiple calls and three letters, they have not even still returned the call or emails. Today is October 22 we have been waiting since July for an apology. Not to mention One of their personnel threw my daughter’s insulin away, and I had to spend thousands more to fly to another town to get her insulin and miss the entire day from family. Still no apology. Eagle family Alaska ruined..

The new Pinnacle HAL ships are grand, Just booked again on the Statendam and Rotterdam and added Club Orange since we really enjoyed the private dining area. If you need roller coasters and climbing walls to be entertained then HAL is not for you, If you like phenomenal service and excellent food options then HAL is the way to go.

There were 10 in our group. Each person had a different problem to contend with. Holland America cancelled one of the shore excursions and promised that the refund would be given the following day. Then we were told it would be given on disembarkation. Our tour continued with Holland America by coach. We were left with a different representative at each stop. We asked about the refund and were told that it would be given. The representatives only stayed for a few hours then we were left alone. It is now over 2 months and still no refund. There is no one to speak to once you disembark. Except for guest services who are not interested. I won't be using them again as apart from the refusal to provide a refund, we had to pay for the internet despite having the elite package which includes the internet. Our reserved table for dinner was given to someone else. When our shore excursion was cancelled, we were left waiting. I'll have to find a different cruise line for my travels.

Westerdam Alaskan cruise (July 14-21, 2024) “The most UNFUN cruise experience!!!” This is my 7th cruise to date. My husband’s family decided to pick H. America cruise coz they claimed it was
“5-star rated”. First off, they had NO MUSIC by the Lido deck. NONE. When I mentioned it to different crew members (including customer service), I was diverted to “but we have a music in the lounge area…”. Once, a crew member finally put the music on (coz he probably got sick of me reminding him) but then the music was immediately turned off after about 10 minutes of playing. The staff told me that a lady sitting by the speaker said “it bothered her hearing aid!” so instead of asking her to move, the rest of us were deprived of fun. Second, the decor is outdated and had wallpaper looking like the Titanic. The carpets by certain areas had a funky smell to them (moldy/damp smell) My allergies were triggered by the fibers of their old carpeting and I had coughing fits at night. My husband was shocked to find out that the ship was relatively new, it was built in 2004! I think they deliberately made the interior look antiquated to cater to the senior population (I am NOT an ageist as I am old myself). Thirdly, we had 3 emergencies during the cruise, one of them was a helicopter evacuation. I find it so crass for the captain to announce “although this is an ‘exciting’ thing to witness, we ask that you steer clear of the emergency exits”. I would be disheartened to hear such a callous announcement if I was a relative of the evacuee. Fourth, PLEASE TIP IN CASH!!! The service was great, as with other cruise lines I’ve been in - the servers were on top of their game. But later on we found out that the tips you write on the tab for drinks/food DO NOT go to them. My overall experience was mediocre. A woman saw us at the airport with our Alaska shirts on and asked which cruise ship we sailed with (she sailed with Princess) and said “ohhh I’m sorry” - we all just chuckled coz I couldn’t agree with her more!!!

Abdullah was our guide for half day private Istanbul tour. He was knowledgeable, courteous, and considerate of our needs. He made the excursion a pleasant event. Don and Abbie Treichler

Any suggestions on getting some satisfaction, would be gratefully received,this email amongst others did not even get a reply.
How rude and customer hating of Holland and America do not book with them!
Hello,
All of the guests in our party of 8 contracted covid while onboard the Oosterdam, we, my wife and myself were unable to partake of many of the activities onboard and ashore excursions.
Including the celebration 50th wedding anniversary of our friends at the Pinnacle restaurant for which we had a voucher and the excursions to Ancient Olympia & the village 1st July 2024 and Dubrovnik 3rd July 2024.
We paid £6,858.00 for our voyage.
We in fact paid some money for both excursions $59.80 twice.
So ,at least 3 excursions and meetings we did not attend plus we were isolating in our cabin 5112 for many days ill in bed.
We want to have a cash refund for these unused excursions and facilities, not a same year reissue of the vouchers, they would be of no use to us.
We were also charged 70 Dollars for our medical records. Which according to H&A is a nominal amount?
Would you also please send this and a copy of our full account ,as your IT systems will not now let me view them.
If you are unable to deal, please pass my email onto CEO Gus Antorcha as he would want to know.
Please confirm the action you are taking over this
Thank you

Holland America still owes me a refund for a cancelled excursion (over $400 and I’ve been home from my cruise over 2 months). I have contacted them numerous times and finally made a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Every time I contact them they keep me on hold for 1 1/2 hours and give me the run around. Very disappointed in HAL. :(

2000 wildfires were burning in Alaska this Summer. That's normal. They let them burn themselves out. One ravaged the entrance to & near the rail access to Denali. The Cruise companies still took passengers there for all 13 days the park was closed. The electricity blew at their resort hotels. Then only did they move people. Imagine the noxious poisons people & the staff breathed in. Complaints are being referred to their travel insurance policies. If you book a land tour. They will wake you at 0400hrs as you leave Denali & expect you to put your suitcases with toiletries outside your door at 0430hrs. The Westmark Anchorage is v old. Hundreds of homeless people live in downtown open spaces like parks. They will scream all night right outside your hotel. If you book a visit to a glacier with a guided walk from a park ranger & that person dosen't show they will say sorry but that's all you will get from any complaint. Their luggage damage processes & the cruise is top notch tho.