SEATTLE, June 14 (Our Washington Times) — Washington travelers planning a Holland America Line cruise now face an automatic daily charge of $18 per person in non-suite staterooms and $20 per person in suites, according to the company’s public FAQ pages. Over a seven-night sailing, that adds $126 per guest in most cabins and $140 per guest in suites before any other onboard spending.
Holland America’s own records describe the fee as a gratuity, not an optional line item shown only at the end of a trip. In an onboard FAQ updated June 9, 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.” The same FAQ says the money 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.”
A separate booking FAQ updated June 14 lists the same daily amounts: $18 for non-suite guests and $20 for suite guests. That page also says the rates are subject to change.
The company’s FAQ pages in the records reviewed for this story confirm the current amounts, but they do not, in the supplied text, say when the higher rates began or spell out the prior rates. An earlier cruise tipping roundup published Feb. 3 by travel site The Points Guy listed Holland America’s automatic gratuity at $17 per day for most cabins and $19 for suites. Fox News reported June 13, citing company materials, that the new $18 and $20 rates took effect June 1.
If that timeline is correct, the increase is $1 per person, per day. For two people sharing a non-suite cabin on a weeklong cruise, the automatic charge would total $252. For two suite guests, it would total $280.
Fox News also reported, citing company policy, that guests may adjust the daily gratuity amount while onboard. A Holland America spokesperson told Fox News that “100% goes directly to our shipboard team” and that the charge is “in line with the cruise industry competitive standards.”
For travelers trying to compare cruise costs across brands, the practical issue is that these fees are charged per person, not per room. The Points Guy said in its February roundup that automatic cruise gratuities at some lines can reach $25 per person per day. That places Holland America below the high end of the published range in that roundup, while still making the daily charge a meaningful part of the total trip cost.
Some travel coverage has also described higher automatic service charges on onboard purchases such as drinks, specialty dining and spa services. But the Holland America FAQ pages reviewed for this story do not confirm that change in the supplied text. The available records also do not include Washington-specific complaint totals, passenger interviews or action by a state regulator tied to the company’s tipping policy.
What the company’s own public records do show is narrower but clear: Holland America is currently posting automatic Crew Appreciation charges of $18 a day for non-suite guests and $20 a day for suite guests, and the company says those rates can change.
