Questions and Answers

Documentation

Guests arriving at embarkation without proper documentation may not join the voyage and will not be entitled to a refund.

The following documents are required for U.S. and Canadian citizens:

Alaska, Mexico, Hawaii or New England cruises:

1) A valid passport OR
2) A U.S. or Canadian government-issued picture identification; plus an original or certified copy of a United States birth certificate, Canadian birth certificate, U.S. Naturalization Certificate, or Canadian Naturalization Certificate.

All other cruises: A passport valid for six months beyond the duration of the cruise and necessary visas. Expired passports are not acceptable.

Please note: Although passports are not required for some cruises, we highly recommend that you carry one while traveling. The unforseen possibility of a medical disembarkation or early cruise termination may require that you have a valid passport to enable you to continue travel.

Non-U.S./non-Canadian citizens: must have a valid passport and any necessary visas. Please carefully verify the existing identification requirements for your particular travel situation. In addition, non-U.S. citizens who have previously been admitted to the United States for permanent residence must carry their Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551), commonly known as a Green Card. Resident aliens not in possession of this must obtain one at the nearest office of the U.S. Immigration Service.

Visas: Some countries require that you obtain official authorization (called a visa), before entering their country. Usually, there is a fee required. You are responsible for obtaining any necessary visas. If your itinerary requires a visa prior to boarding, Holland America Line will send a visa information kit to your travel agent. The visa kit will have information for U.S. and Canadian citizens. Citizens of other countries should contact the nearest representative embassies or consulates for the proper information. All guests should keep themselves advised of changes in government requirements. If you have questions about visa requirements, call Zierer Visa Service at 866-788-1100 or 954-791-1530. You may also choose to send an E-mail message to: hollandvisainfo@zvs.com
 

The right clothing can make a big difference in the enjoyment of your cruise. First and foremost, dress for comfort. Daily life aboard ship and in ports of call is laid-back and casual. We encourage you to wear whatever makes you feel most comfortable-sportswear, shorts, sundresses, slacks, and so on. Warmer climates call for clothing made of lightweight, breathable fabrics. For cooler climates we suggest casual clothes that can be layered easily and possibly a raincoat and waterproof hat or umbrella and gloves. Bring a swimsuit-all of our ships have pools and whirlpools. You may wish to bring more than one outfit for the water, if you'll be spending much time in and around it. We ask that you wear shoes and a cover-up over a bathing suit when walking through the interior of the ship.

If you'd like to jog on deck or work out in the fitness center, bring workout gear. Footwear should include comfortable walking shoes for visits ashore and sandals or rubber-soled shoes for strolling on deck.

Evening dress falls into three distinct categories. Each night a daily program will be delivered to your stateroom announcing the suggested dress for the following evening. Comfortable, relaxed clothing is fine for evenings designated as casual; however, T-shirts, jeans, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the dining room, Lido restaurant, or public areas during the evening hours. During informal nights, dresses or pantsuits for women and jackets (tie optional) for men are standard.

On festive formal evenings, women usually wear cocktail dresses or gowns and men usually wear business suits or tuxedos. There are approximately two formal nights per week. (Gentlemen: Although business suits or tuxedos are suggested attire for formal evenings, they are certainly not required. You are welcome to wear a jacket and tie on formal nights.) Formalwear for ladies and gentlemen can be pre-ordered for your use for the duration of your cruise. Just call Cruise Line Formalwear at 800-551-5091 to reserve and it will be ready in your stateroom when you board.

 

Your stateroom is furnished with a ship-to-shore telephone which enables you to easily call anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day (prices are found in your stateroom directory).

You'll also find ample closet and drawer space, individually-controlled air conditioning, a television for viewing CNN, movies and on board features.
All staterooms are equipped with standard 110 AC and 220 AC outlets. If your shaver operates on standard 110 AC, by all means bring it (guests with pre- or post-cruise hotel packages may want to bring converters and/or adapters for their hotel stay). You may wish to bring a travel alarm clock as they are not available in staterooms. Hairdryers are available in staterooms on all ships.

There are no ironing facilities or self laundry facilities onboard. However, there are full laundry and dry-cleaning service available.

Children Activities

Club Hal® Youth Program
Holland America has a youth program for kids and teens age 5-17. Each ship is staffed with a professional Club HAL Director dedicated to making sure children have a great time. Some of the fun-filled activities include bingo for prizes, arts & crafts, special parties and much more. Each participant also receives a Club HAL t-shirt. An activity schedule for each age group will be delivered to your stateroom each evening.

Activities are offered for kids (ages 5-8), 'tweens (9-12) and teens (13-17). The program has an open door policy, which means participants may come and go as they please. All activities are supervised; however, the Club HAL Director is not responsible for any child if he/she chooses to leave the activity. Children under five years of age are welcome to participate in the program, provided an adult accompanies them.

Our cashless society is designed to make your life on board as simple as possible. When you board the ship, your account has already been activated and you may make purchases by simply showing your guest identification card and signing a receipt. On embarkation day, you will need to register your credit or debit card (Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express®, Discover®) in order to use your onboard account for shipboard purchases.

Gratuities

Exceptional service is part of the Holland America cruise experience. Because you are our guest, it is our goal to make sure you receive the finest service possible. And we have made it easy for you to reward excellent service onboard.

A gratuity of $10 per guest per day for dining and stateroom services will be automatically added to your shipboard account on a daily basis. We are confident that you will find the service onboard exemplary and, should you wish to make adjustments, you may do so at the end of the cruise by contacting the front desk. A 15% service charge will be

Shore excursions will help you make the most of your time in port and provide you with the best transportation and guide services available. Options may include sightseeing, flightseeing and adventure tours. A shore excursion brochure has been enclosed with your travel documents so you may familiarize yourself with the tours prior to embarkation. Check your Daily Program for shore excursion and port lecture times.

Advance shore excursion bookings may be made online approximately 60 days prior to your scheduled cruise departure date. Changes or cancellations may be made up to 10 days prior to your scheduled cruise departure date. Vouchers will be delivered to your stateroom on the day of embarkation. You will also be able to request tours on the ship at the Shore Excursion Office. Please note that requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. As several tours have limited availability, advance booking is highly recommended to avoid disappointment. Requests for excursions which are fully booked are placed on a waiting list.