SEATTLE, June 14 (Our Washington Times) — For Washington travelers pricing a cruise, Holland America Line’s own records show a built-in daily charge that now runs as high as $20 per guest for suite bookings.
Two Holland America FAQ pages reviewed by Times Media Service list the line’s automatic “Crew Appreciation” charge at $18 per guest, per day for non-suite staterooms and $20 per guest, per day for suites. The company says the charge is added automatically to a guest’s onboard account.
That means the extra cost is charged per person, not per room. For two people in a non-suite cabin, the posted charge totals $36 a day. For two suite guests, it totals $40 a day.
Holland America describes the fee as a gratuity. In one official FAQ, the company says: “Crew Appreciation is a daily gratuity automatically added to your onboard account to recognize the many Holland America Line team members who make your cruise feel effortless.”
A second Holland America FAQ says the money is pooled across shipboard jobs, including work passengers may not see. “Crew Appreciation appears as a daily charge on your onboard account, and it is pooled to support team members across the ship who contribute to your experience, including roles you see every day, and those working quietly in the background,” the company says.
The current rates appear in an onboard-information FAQ shown as last updated June 9 and in a booking FAQ shown as last updated June 14. The booking FAQ also says the rates are subject to change.
Holland America’s official FAQs in the materials reviewed by Times Media Service confirm the current $18 and $20 charges, but they do not spell out the prior rates or the exact date the new amounts took effect. Fox News reported June 13, citing company materials, that the new rates began June 1. Fox News also reported that guests may adjust the daily gratuity amount while onboard.
In the same Fox News report, a Holland America spokesperson said “100% goes directly to our shipboard team” and called the charge “in line with the cruise industry competitive standards.” Times Media Service could not independently test that broader industry comparison from the source records provided, because the materials reviewed did not include a line-by-line public benchmark across major cruise operators.
The documents reviewed also did not include a Washington state regulator, court filing or consumer-protection record tied to Holland America’s crew-charge policy. What they do show is the company’s current posted structure: an automatic daily gratuity of $18 per guest for non-suite staterooms, $20 per guest for suites, added to onboard accounts and pooled across shipboard staff.
