SEATTLE, June 14 (Our Washington Times) — Washington travelers pricing out a Holland America Line cruise now need to account for an automatic daily charge of $18 per guest in non-suite staterooms and $20 per guest in suites, according to the company’s current FAQ pages.
Holland America describes the fee as “Crew Appreciation.” In its onboard FAQ, the company says it is “a daily gratuity automatically added to your onboard account” and says it is meant “to recognize the many Holland America Line team members who make your cruise feel effortless.”
The same FAQ says the money is pooled across shipboard jobs, including employees guests see and workers “quietly in the background.” Holland America’s booking FAQ also lists the same current rates: $18 a day for non-suite staterooms and $20 a day for suites.
Those amounts matter because the charge is assessed per guest, per day, not per cabin. For a two-person suite booking, that means $40 a day in automatic crew charges before any other onboard spending.
Holland America’s own records reviewed for this story confirm the current rates, but not the changeover date. Fox News reported the higher charges took effect June 1. In comments reported by Fox News, a Holland America spokesperson said “100% goes directly to our shipboard team” and described the charge as “in line with the cruise industry competitive standards.”
Fox News also reported that guests may adjust the daily gratuity while onboard. That detail did not appear in the Holland America FAQ excerpts reviewed by Times Media Service.
The company’s public FAQs do show one other limit for travelers trying to lock in the cost: Holland America says Crew Appreciation rates are subject to change. As of the company FAQ pages reviewed in mid-June, the listed daily rates were $18 for non-suite guests and $20 for suite guests.
