SEATTLE, June 14 (Our Washington Times) — Washington travelers pricing a Holland America Line cruise now have a higher automatic daily charge to add to the fare: the company’s published “Crew Appreciation” amount is US$18 per guest, per day for non-suite staterooms and US$20 per guest, per day for suites, according to Holland America’s official FAQ pages.
Times Media Service reviewed two Holland America FAQ pages that list those amounts. An onboard-experience FAQ page, shown as last updated June 9, describes Crew Appreciation as “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 separate booking FAQ page, shown as last updated June 14, repeats the US$18 and US$20 daily rates and says the amounts are subject to change.
The company’s own language shows the charge is not limited to the staff passengers see most often. Holland America says 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.”
For travelers trying to budget a trip, the math is straightforward because the charge is per guest, not per cabin. At the current rates, a couple on a seven-night sailing would pay US$252 in Crew Appreciation charges in a non-suite room and US$280 in a suite, before any separate onboard spending.
What the company FAQ pages reviewed for this article do not show is when the current rates replaced the earlier ones. Fox News reported June 13, citing Holland America materials, that the higher daily charges took effect June 1. Fox News also reported that guests may adjust the daily gratuity amount while onboard. Those details were not included in the Holland America FAQ excerpts reviewed by Times Media Service.
A Holland America spokesperson told Fox News that “100% goes directly to our shipboard team” and described the charge as “in line with the cruise industry competitive standards.” Times Media Service confirmed the current rates, the automatic posting of the charge and the company’s explanation of how it is pooled through Holland America’s own published FAQs.
The records reviewed for this article do not provide an independent industrywide data set for a full line-by-line comparison of cruise gratuity charges, and they do not independently confirm separate reports that some onboard purchase service charges also increased. But the company documents do establish the current baseline cost travelers should expect when pricing a Holland America cruise: US$18 per day for each non-suite guest and US$20 per day for each suite guest, automatically added to the onboard account, with rates subject to change.
