SEATTLE, June 14 (Our Washington Times) — For Washington travelers comparing cruise prices, Holland America Line’s own records show an added daily cost that can change the final bill: the company now lists automatic “Crew Appreciation” charges of $18 per guest, per day for non-suite staterooms and $20 per guest, per day for suites.
Those amounts appear in Holland America Line booking and onboard FAQ pages reviewed by Times Media Service. At those rates, a seven-night sailing adds $126 per person in a non-suite cabin and $140 per person in a suite. For two guests, that is $252 or $280 on top of the fare before other onboard spending.
Holland America’s onboard FAQ 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.” The same FAQ says the charge “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’s booking FAQ lists the same $18 and $20 rates and says they are subject to change. In the records reviewed by Times Media Service, the official FAQ text confirms the current amounts but does not, in the provided excerpts, state when the higher rates began.
Fox News reported June 13, citing company policy, that the new rates took effect June 1. Fox News also reported that guests may adjust the daily gratuity amount while onboard.
In a statement quoted by Fox News, a Holland America spokesperson said “100% goes directly to our shipboard team” and called the charge “in line with the cruise industry competitive standards.”
The company materials reviewed for this article establish the current charge, how it is applied and how Holland America describes its purpose. They do not include an independent industry comparison, a public breakdown showing how the pooled money is divided among shipboard jobs, or a company notice in the provided records comparing the fee with rival cruise lines.
What the records do show is the effect on trip pricing. Because the charge is assessed per guest rather than per room, the total rises with party size. Four guests booked at the non-suite rate would see $72 added each day, or $504 over a seven-night sailing. Four suite guests would see $80 added each day, or $560 over seven nights.
For travelers pricing a cruise, that makes the charge part of the core cost shown in company records, not a small end-of-trip extra. Holland America’s own FAQs say it appears as a daily line item on the onboard account, and the booking FAQ says the rates can change.
No Washington regulator, port authority or consumer-protection record was included in the materials reviewed for this article, and the source set did not include independently documented passenger complaints or survey data about the policy. The clearest documented finding in the records reviewed is Holland America’s current pricing language: $18 per day for non-suite guests and $20 per day for suite guests, automatically added to onboard accounts, with rates subject to change.
