Don’t Make These 10 Mistakes on Your Next Holland America Line Cruise!
If you’re planning to cruise with Holland America Line on ANY of their ships, then this one’s for you. This cruise line does some things a little differently to their competition, and there’s therefore some things that you really should think about in order to maximise on your cruise experience.
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Today, I’m sharing with you 10 mistakes that are so easy to make on any Holland America Line cruise, regardless of where in the world you’re cruising. I’m hoping that, by sharing these today, you won’t make any of these on your future cruises, and you’ll therefore get the most out of the experience.
Ok, let’s get started…
Planning to cruise with Holland America Line? Don’t worry - you won’t make these mistakes after reading this post today!
Mistake 1 - Forgetting to download the Holland America Line app before you head to the cruise port
When you cruise with Holland America Line, you really should download their app, which is available from all of the major App Stores. It’s called ‘Navigator’, and it really is your digital guide to life onboard.
You can use the app to view and book Shore Excursions 24-hours a day, view and book Speciality Dining and other on-ship experiences, and also browse the Daily Schedule of what’s happening onboard. You can also add to your personal calendar, making it really simple for you to organise yourself, which is particularly important for any sea days that you might have on your cruise.
Does your cruise feature a day ‘at sea’? There’s going to be lots going on around the ship - you can view everything on the App!
Two other aspects that are REALLY useful about the Navigator app are:
Having the ability to view restaurant menus each day of the cruise. These are updated daily, and will allow you to look forward to your meals throughout the day.
Live Chat - you’re able to instant message with any of your travelling companions, or anyone that you meet and share your details with, while you’re onboard. Once you’re connected to the ship’s wifi, this feature will be available without purchasing an internet connection!
A final point on the app - it’s really crucial that you download this before you head to the cruise port, particularly if you’re cruising somewhere far away from home, or at a busy cruise port. If you’re travelling overseas to reach your ship, you might need to use large amounts of mobile data to download from the port (if you’re able to connect, at all!). If it’s a busy port that you’re cruising from, you’re potentially going to fighting against 15,000+ people on neighbouring cruise ships to secure a cell phone signal - good luck with that…
In short, head to your device’s App Store and download the Navigator App - it’s totally free of charge and only takes a few seconds! Once you download it, you’ll just need to log in with your booking details, and then you can get started with making plans!
Be sure to download the Navigator App before you head to the port!
Mistake 2 - Forgetting to book shore and ship experiences before your cruise!
This one’s simple - so many people forget to book the things that they’re planning to do either on the ship, or while docked in port, before the cruise. Once you’ve booked the cruise and your booking has been confirmed, you’ll be able to log into the Holland America Line website. There, you’ll be able to add things like drinks packages, wifi packages, shore excursions and so much more.
My general advice is that it’s almost always cheaper to book all of these things before the cruise. Cruise lines will usually offer a saving of at least 10% - 15% to those booking in advance, with a premium being charged once your onboard. Think about it - once you’re on the ship, you’re a captive audience - of course they won’t offer special discounts after you embark.
Not booking things like excursions or speciality dining doesn’t just have financial consequences - there can also be issues with availability. If you’re hoping to book a specific restaurant for a certain night of the cruise, it’s always best to book as soon as you can. The same applies to things like excursions - there are only so many places available to certain attractions largely due to the transport from the ship to take you there.
If you don’t book in advance, don’t be too surprised when you board the ship to learn that the excursion you’ve been looking forward to has sold out.
Got a specific excursion in mind? Book it in advance - don’t leave it until the last minute!
Some excursions will have very limited capacities for various reasons, and will book up long before the cruise is scheduled to depart.
Mistake 3 - Not researching the specific ship that you’re planning to cruise on - Holland America Line operate with a very wide variety of ships in their fleet…
At the point of writing this post, Holland America Line operates a fleet of 11 cruise ships. These 11 ships are from 4 different classes, meaning (in very simple terms) that the overall build of their 11 ships come from 4 different templates.
The fleet consists of Pinnacle Class, Signature Class, Vista Class and also R Class ships, all of which are very different to each other. Perhaps the most notable difference is between classes like the Pinnacle and R Classes, with the Pinnacle Class ships accommodating around 2,600 passengers, and the R Class ships accommodating just 1,400 passengers.
This allows the R Class ships to offer passengers a much more intimate cruising experience, often to cruise ports that the Pinnacle Class vessels won’t be able to sail into. On the other hand, the larger ships will typically offer you more choice when it comes to things like evening venues, restaurants, bars, and so much more. They’re usually a bit more lively, too!
Do your research to understand which class of ship you’re booking - Holland America Line operates a highly diverse fleet of ships!
Like the Grand Dutch Cafe? You won’t find this venue on all of the ships in the fleet…
Don’t worry - the difference between the ship classes within the Holland America Line fleet is nowhere near as extreme as what you’ll see in fleets from the likes of Royal Caribbean International. With that cruise line, you’ll find that the huge Oasis and Icon Class ships have the hugely Instagram-worthy attractions (yes, we’re talking zip lines, aqua theatres, sky diving and more), and the smaller Radiance Class ships will offer a much more ‘traditional’ experience.
In short, figure out what you want from your cruise ship, and then be sure to book the correct one to suit your needs!
Although the fleet features different ships, the differences aren’t as extreme as what you’ll find with the likes of Royal Caribbean.
Mistake 4 - Booking a cruise with Holland America Line and expecting an ‘adult only’ experience.
This one’s really important. When I first started to research cruising with this cruise line, I assumed that it was going to be a largely ‘adult only’ experience. I knew the ships wouldn’t be without younger passengers, but I didn’t expect to see as many of them as there were.
Generally speaking, Holland America Line do a very good job of accommodating all ages, and offer a number of different kids clubs and facilities across their fleet. This means that they’re a great choice for families looking to cruise, as they offer lots of what the competition do, but without the added elements like water parks, theme park-style attractions etc.
This element wasn’t a ‘negative’ on my cruise at all, but I’d imagine that it could negatively impact the cruise experience for some. You don’t need to take any real action here - just be aware of the fact that younger passengers are probably going to be sharing the ship with you.
If you’re looking for an adult only environment, you’ll probably want to explore specific cruise lines that offer that option, either by choosing an adult-exclusive line, or a mainstream line that operates adult-exclusive ships.
Looking for adult only? This isn’t the case on Holland America Line, although careful itinerary planning can help you due to school holidays/term dates etc!
Mistake 5 - Missing Afternoon Tea, which is served between lunch and dinner.
Ok, you’re probably not going to be starving at any point during your cruise, especially not in the short time period between lunch and dinner. During this time, you’re able to head to the onboard buffet to enjoy what is essentially an Afternoon Tea service but, better still, this will also be served in the Main Dining Room.
I’ve been surprised by the emphasis put on Afternoon Tea on all of my Holland America cruises - it’s fantastic! Each time you go for tea, the overall theme will change - I’ve seen a standard Afternoon Tea, a British Afternoon Tea, a Dutch Afternoon Tea and even a Balinese Afternoon Tea (I didn’t actually know that the latter was a thing!).
This is a fantastic way to whittle away some time during a sea day - making yourself comfortable at a table in the Main Dining Room, ideally by a window looking at the ocean, and watching the water rolling past.
If you’re having the British Afternoon Tea, the only concern you’re going to have during this time is whether you’re putting your cream or jam on first…
Don’t miss Afternoon Tea when you cruise with Holland America Line - it’s a great addition to your cruise schedule!
At this event, you can expect sandwiches, cakes and other sweet treats - enjoy!
Mistake 6 - Not moving around the ship in the evening, and instead opting to settle in one place.
My advice here is a little different to what it would be with so many other cruise lines. With lots of the competing lines, I’d suggest finding your favourite bar, and then retreating there after dinner to enjoy an evening onboard. However, on a Holland America Line cruise, I’d be doing an injustice to the entertainment team by offering you that advice.
Instead, make plans to move around the ship throughout the night, and try to experience as many different venues as you can. You never know - you might be like me, and find that your favourite venue is a genre that you’d never expect to love.
Among the venues that you must explore while onboard are the BB Kings Blues Club, the Rolling Stone Rock Lounge and the Onboard Billboard piano bar. Of course, going back to an earlier point, your ship choice will impact what venues you have available to you, so check this as part of your planning.
Holland America Line offers some really unique venues on their ships. Billboard Onboard, the duelling piano venue, is one of my favourites!
As you can see, this venue’s incredible popular onboard Holland America Line ships!
On the newer ships, you’ll find that many of these venues are integrated really well together, with them taking it in turns to perform. On the slightly older ships, the venues are more ‘stand alone’, making it even more important to move around, otherwise you end up spending time relaxing in a venue while the entertainers are enjoying a break. Instead, go elsewhere and enjoy some more live music!
Of all of my cruises (I’ve taken more than 50!), the live music offered onboard Holland America Line ships is among the best - well worth exploring throughout your cruise!
Venues like the Rolling Stone Lounge offer a very different experience to what you’ll find on so many other cruise ships out there - go and give it a try!
Mistake 7 - Missing the Regional performances in the Theatre
During most Holland America cruises, you’re going to find guest entertainers, who will join the ship at some point during the cruise to perform some local entertainment for guests.
An example of this would be that many Caribbean cruises offer steel drum bands, which is a really unique entertainment option on a cruise ship. The best thing about these acts is that they’re genuine local acts that live where you’re cruising to - it’s such a great way for the cruise line to really bring the destination onboard, through offering you something really quite unique. Additionally, bringing on guest entertainers means that the line are helping the local economy to an additional degree too, which is never a bad thing!
At the point of writing this post, all of my Holland America cruise experience has been around the Caribbean. If you’ve travelled elsewhere, I’m sure you have other examples of regional entertainment. For me, I’ll need to wait and find out about them as I head elsewhere on Holland’s ships - stay tuned…!
You’ll find impressive theatre venues onboard these cruise ships, and they’re often home to local or regional entertainment at points during a cruise.
Mistake 8 - Not considering booking accommodation for before or after your cruise through Holland America
Until a few weeks ago, I would never have recommended exploring this option for a cruise. I didn’t know that cruise lines were able to offer you accommodation options before, or after, your cruise. I’d have assumed that, even if they could, the prices would be really high and therefore not worth thinking about.
I recently logged into my online account to add a few packages to my next cruise, and I was intrigued as to what would be in the section entitled ‘Hotel & Travel Packages’ - would the cruise line offer accommodation and travel to the ship?
I was so surprised to find that the answer to that question was YES! For before or after the cruise, I can book accommodation that includes transfers to/from the ship, porter services and also access to a bespoke representative.
I was so impressed by this, as it must make the task of finding and booking accommodation for either side of your cruise SO much easier. From a pricing point of view, I was also surprised to see that it was pretty decent, and the hotels seemed good quality. It would seem that the accommodation prices are more ‘fixed’ than what you’ll often find on hotel booking sites, presumably due to the fact that Holland America have agreed set rates for their passengers with the providers.
My next cruise is from Fort Lauderdale, meaning that I’m subject to the usually very unpredictable Miami or Fort Lauderdale hotel prices - this seems to be a good option to secure a good hotel at a decent price!
You’ll often find that booking accommodation through the cruise line will result in less price fluctuations, as the line will often have agreed set prices with accommodation providers.
Looking for a hotel in a city with very high demand? If so, then an accommodation package through the cruise line could be for you!
Mistake 9 - Taking dirty laundry home with you at the end of the cruise
If you’re anything like me, you hate returning home from a cruise and dealing with a suitcase of dirty laundry. Going home’s a difficult enough pill to swallow without adding in the chore of laundry, right?!
Some cruise lines offer self-service laundry rooms, where passengers can go to use washing machines, tumble dryers and ironing boards at their leisure. These are sometimes free of charge (for example, on P&O Cruises or Cunard ships), and sometimes chargeable (for example, on Carnival Cruise Line ships).
Some cruise ships offer passenger laundry rooms, but you won’t find these on Holland America Line ships.
Holland America don’t offer guest laundry facilities for them to operate themselves, but they do operate laundry packages. Of course, you can pay ‘per item’ that you’d like to have laundered, but it’s much more cost-effective to consider a package. For a set price, you’re able to have unlimited volumes of laundry processed during your cruise. The key word there: UNLIMITED!
The price for a 7-night cruise unlimited laundry package on a Holland America cruise ship is, at the point of writing this post (November 2025) $73.50 (US), with the price for a 120-night cruise being $120 (US). That might sound expensive, but remember that’s for unlimited laundry, and it’s a ‘per cabin’ cost, not a ‘per person’ cost.
Think about using the laundry service onboard. Don’t pay ‘per item’ though - this is usually much more expensive than a laundry bundle or package!
Mistake 10 - Not adding the ‘Have it All’ package when you really should, or adding the ‘Have it All’ package when you don’t need it!
If you’re new to Holland America Line, you’re maybe wondering about adding ‘Have it all’ to your cruise booking. If you do, you’ll unlock things like Shore Excursion credits, Speciality Dining, drinks and some wifi.
On the point of drinks, it’s important to think about how much (and what) you’re going to be drinking during your cruise. The package allows cruisers to enjoy up to 15 drinks per day, but this also includes non alcoholic drinks, too. For example, if you’re hoping to take some cans of water back to your stateroom to keep in your own fridge, then these will count towards your limit!
Remember: ALL drinks - even water and coffee - county towards your ‘15 per day’ allowance with the Have it All package!
This is quite a large topic to unpick, and so let me tell you more over in a YouTube video. I’ll be able to share the information that you need much easier in a video than what I will be able to here. Click into the video below to find out more on the ‘Have it All’ package!
I really hope that you’ve enjoyed this post today. If you’ve found it useful, then please do check out more of the posts on my website. I’m constantly working to evolve the site, in the hope that I can help as many people as possible to plan to have their best possible cruise.
Thanks so much for exploring this post with me today - I’ll hopefully see you in another!