Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Holland America Line's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

close

Find a Location

Holland America Line has 2 locations, listed below.

*This company may be headquartered in or have additional locations in another country. Please click on the country abbreviation in the search box below to change to a different country location.

BBB accredited

Near

Country

USUnited States

Please enter a valid location.

Filter

• 

  Holland America Line

  450 3rd Ave W Seattle, WA 98119

• 

  Vancouver Shore Operations

  999 Canada Pl PO Box 45 Vancouver, BC V6C 3C1

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/03/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On June 2, 2022 I paid Holland America Cruise line $8,096.42 to complete the total cost of a Cruise Booking #XK2R4R beginning on Sep. 16-Sep. 28. Of this total cost $3666.42 was for round trip airfare. This airfare was booked through their ************** and was for seat category Premium Economy. What we ended up with was coach seating and the cost should have been $2,131.14. After the cruise completed and we were back home I started contacting Holland America about a refund for the difference as I did not want to pay for something I did not receive.So far, they have continued to ignore my phone calls and emails and this is the reason I am filing this complaint.The sad thing is that they have been my favorite cruise line having taken several cruises with them and have brought along other family members as well so this doesn't make any sense.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/03/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I left my wallet in the stateroom safe on Nieuw Amsterdam upon departing the ship. After I realized what I had done, I have spent numerous hours / days on the phone only to e sent from one their party companies department to a their party lost and found department. After doing this numerous times and waiting hours each time for a third part agent to answer the phone, I finally got someone sympathetic to y issue and was told to file a lost item report which I did. After this filing I received any email shortly thereafter saying my item had been found. At this time, they described it back to me, provided a Lost Item Report ID and replied that I would have to pay $153.35 USD to a third party to have it shipped to me. Once paid, I was provided a tracking number and delivery date which came and went last month with no package therefore I feel I have been ripped off. Although I was my fault I left the wallet on the ship, I feel it does not give them the right to charge me for returning my item that they have not returned to me. After spending additional numerous hours back on the phone a their party agent informed me that I would need to start the process over again, they provided a new Case and Lost ID report number and was told to refile a lost item repot. I am definitely not going to be ripped off again. A totally disappointing experience with their third party lost and found services, with the numerous phone calls, numerous online forms completed, I now find myself back at the beginning of a continuous loop. I would like the return of my wallet they said they located.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/02/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My wife and I had booked a 10-day Double Denali Cruise, departing May 8, 2022. The booking no. is XKMW7V. We had all necessary Covid info, but as we were boarding, my wife was detected with *****. We were promptly escorted to the local Sheraton, and were in isolation 10 days. I notified ********************, our consultant of the circumstances on May 11, our first contact with Holland. I hoped to rebook the same trip the next year. We didnt received the credits to rebook until after Nov. 3, (which we have done as of Nov. 11, Booking XG3W5P) departing June 4, 2023. I sent another email on Sept. 7, and still not received confirmation as of Nov. 28 that the credit for the new cruise had been applied. We were promised that all out-of-pocket at the hotel (room, meals, etc.) would be reimbursed. This was a separate issue. On, or around June 4, 2022, my wife submitted all expense documentation required (see attachments). This total comes to *******. We found out later that we had not received confirmation that they ever received the hotel/meals reimbursement we sent, so I had to resubmit the hotel/meal receipts again on Dec. 9, 2022 (nearly 3 months ago). We are now approaching, believably, 10 full months in this process! I sent another follow-up email on Dec. 20, and Feb. 2. We did not request refunds for the flights, nor the countless phone calls, nor the countless hours of being on hold (normally an hour at a time).I spoke to (***?) in Guest Relations, after ****** referred me there. Same story. We are working on it. We will expedite your request. I spoke to an EJ yesterday, and, receiving the same reply, Im submitting this complaint. I can honestly say that, in 69 years, this is absolutely the worstTHE WORST example of customer abuse that I have EVER experienced!! I would like to cancel this new booking with Holland if this is not resolve

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/28/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Around the end of September 2022, I booked a 13 day ********* cruise for myself and my husband. The cruise was booked on Holland America through Cruises.com and would be embarking from ********* on February 14, 2023. At the time of booking, covid restrictions were discussed with *********************** of Cruises.com. Given my husband was not vaccinated and had no plans of being vaccinated, I made it perfectly clear that if there were travel restrictions, then we would not be able to travel to those areas. The only restrictions that were discussed, and the only covid restrictions mentioned on Holland America's webpage were restrictions on entering *********, which is where the ship would be disembarking and returning. At no time from the date of purchasing the cruise and up until nine (9) days before we were to board a plane from ******* Metro to ***, to board another plane to *********, were restrictions concerning ********* ever mentioned or reflected on Holland America's website. The only way I was informed of an issue with entering ********* was via a voicemail from *** at Holland America, on February 2, 2023, which was 9 days before our flights, stating *********** restrictions had changed. After doing some research, on *********** government website and other informative sites, I learned that *********** covid policy had not changed. In fact, those restrictions were exactly the same as when the cruise was booked in September 2022! Because my husband has some very serious health issues, I purchased the ****************** Plan from Holland America. This plan included "cancel for any reason" with a 10% penalty. The cancellation plan for the 2 of us was $558. I also had Holland America book our round trip flights from *** to *********, which cost $5,254.52.To date, Holland America refuses to refund the insurance fee of $558 and the 10% penalty of the flight costs, $525.45. Total of $1,083.46 which should be returned to me given this oversight is totally Holland America's fault, which borders on complete incompetence and negligence. We did NOT cancel this cruise, we were unable to enter ********* because of covid restrictions which should have been made ******* clear on Holland America's website prior to booking, not 9 days before it was time to travel.To say we are disappointed is an understatement! If Holland America's website would have been updated in a timely manner, we would have been able to book another vacation. However, given the short timeframe in which we were notified, it was impossible to find another cruise at the last minute. As mentioned above, my husband has a terminal disease which required us to purchase the ****************** and also dictated that we not plan too far in advance. I find Holland America's stance on holding funds for something it had full control of, unconscionable. Given the mental anguish this predicament has caused us, in addition to Holland America refunding every cent given to it, it should also provide compensation.I look forward to hearing from you on this matter. In the meantime, appreciate whatever can be done to bring this matter to resolve.******** and *********************** ************ ******************* Cruise details: Holland America Line; Booking # XD8K6X; Embark Date: February 14, 2023 Cruises.com; ********************* *********** or ************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/26/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Reference Number: ********* Claim Number: 22HAL00977 In reply to your recent letter dated December 14, 2022, regarding either a refund or another date for our missed cruise in July 2022, please consider the following information.My wife **************************, who had applied for her passport in March 2022, had been told by ******** Passport and Immigration that the passport would be mailed out on June 7th, 2022. This date came and a week later we called Passport and Immigration to find out what the delay was. The Passport and Immigration telephone number was answered with an automated response stating that we would be contacted within three days; that did not happen. With the Passport either in transit or still in ******, my wife contacted Holland America not once, but three times, explaining the situation. However, instead of being told that we should consider postponing, or cancelling the cruise until the passport arrived, we were told that we didnt need a passport and that a drivers licence and birth certificate would qualify. We thought because the ship was leaving a ******** Port, Vancouver and if we did not get off in ******, a passport would not be required. This would be true for most Countries, except that U.S Customs and Immigration is on ******** soil in Vancouver, instead of being on American soil in ******.After being denied access to board the ship we spent five long hours waiting for Holland America to retrieve our luggage from the cabin on board the ship. During the five hours waiting around, we received absolutely no assistance in finding food, drinks, accommodation, or a way back to the Airport. We were unfamiliar with Vancouver having never been there before.We were humiliated, disappointed, and angry at the way we were treated, especially as my mother ********************************** highly recommended Holland America Cruises having been on several cruises with *** herself, and this would have been our first cruise with them.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/24/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my recent cruise ship trip on the Westerdam ship from December 20, 2022, to January 3, 2023. Specifically, I would like to bring to your attention the issue I encountered with my cabin (Booking #XC5VXJ).When I booked my trip, I specifically chose a cabin with an unobstructed view as I wanted to fully enjoy the beautiful scenery of the ocean. However, upon arrival at my cabin, I was extremely disappointed to discover that my view was more than half-obstructed by parts of the ship. This completely ruined my trip as I was unable to fully appreciate the scenery that I had paid for.I believe that this is a clear case of false advertising. I paid for a cabin with an unobstructed view, and that is not what I received. I understand that it may not be possible to guarantee a completely unobstructed view on a cruise ship, but I certainly did not expect my view to be so severely obstructed.Furthermore, I was also disappointed with the lack of assistance I received from the cruise staff when I brought this issue to their attention. They did not seem to take my complaint seriously and were unable to offer me any satisfactory solution.As a loyal Holland America customer, I expected better from your company. I believe that I have been unfairly treated and that my trip was not worth the money that I paid for it. Therefore, I am requesting a partial refund for my trip to compensate for the fact that I did not receive what I paid for.I hope that you will take this complaint seriously and take the necessary steps to ensure that this does not happen to any other passengers in the future.Thank you for your attention to this matter.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/08/2023

  
  
  
  March 8, 2023
  
  *****************************
  Email: ************************
  ***********************
  Email: *******************************
  
  BBB #******** (*************************)
  BBB #******** (*******************)
  BBB #******** (*******************)
  
  RE:  Case: 1-9556731877
          Bookings: XC5VXJ  & XC5V2G
  
  Dear ************ and ************:
  
  Thank you for your multiple emails regarding your sailing on ms ********** We are grateful that you have given us this opportunity to review your concerns and to express our regret for the disappointment you encountered.
  
  Please know your stateroom situation has already been addressed with your mother, Mrs. **** and father, ************* As previously written, you and your party were offered alternate staterooms which you chose to decline.
  
  It is also the policy of Holland America Line to afford equal opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, creed, color,religion, national origin, **** age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status or mental, sensory or physical disability. Each traveler has the right to avail themselves of all facilities and services our ships have to offer. We make every effort to provide the same high standard of service to each of our guests, and we sincerely regret if your experience was contrary to our goal. Please accept our heartfelt apologies for the displeasure and concern described; we will certainly do our best to remain true to our goal of overall excellence for each individual, at all times.
  
  Regarding the situation that transpired between other guests, we apologize if you feel it wasnt handled properly. Our staff must walk a fine line in these cases, taking into consideration the nature of the complaint and the sensitivity of all involved guests. While such concerns are infrequent, our shipboard Security and Guest Relations teams are trained to manage and monitor these situation during a voyage and we regret if you feel their efforts fell short.
  
  Lastly, we are unable to honor your request for a refund as we did provide you with compensation in the form of Future Cruise Credits (FCC)in the amount of $250.00 CAD per person for you and your sister, ******* and $500.00 CAD for each of your parents. We received an email from your mother requesting that your FCCs be moved over to your sister, ******** which we have done.
  
  Again, please accept our apologies for your disappointing holiday. We hope that despite the issues you encountered well have an opportunity to welcome you back on board.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************
  Special ****************** of the *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/23/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My wife and I took a Holland America from ******* to ****** leaving 5/21/22. Booking ID ******. The second day out I became ill. I informed the medical staff and they tested me for Covid and I tested negative. I believed I was suffering from a severe sinus attack brought on by constant air conditioning and also motion sickness. The medical staff insisted I come to their clinic for further tests and eventually I agreed. They ultimately concluded that I was suffering from severe sinus infection and motion sickness. I asked for a print out of the results and charges for this service and they admitted that their computer system was down and they would get it to me at some future date. At that point I was feeling so miserable that we concluded we would leave the ship at our next port which was *****, ******. Upon leaving we were informed we would be charged a fine of approximately $1746 under the **** law for early disembarkation. We were also charged $302 for the medical procedures that Holland America had insisted I have. We were informed by the US Customs officer in ***** that a refund of the fine would be forthcoming because i was obviously ill but it would take up to 6 months to process.In August 2022 I received a bill from HA for the $302. I immediately contacted them and explained the situation. I received an email back saying the account was "in support" and I would get further communication from them when they figured things out. I heard nothing.In January I once again contacted HA customer support and explained the situation once again. I was assured they would get right on it. I was assigned case #1-9222201959. I received an email from *********************, Special Asst to the President lamented their tardiness and promising to get right on it. Here we are in late February and nothing.I am requesting 2 things.Refund of the $1746 fine and a detailed report on the tests and procedures so I can submit it to my insurance. Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/23/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We contracted COVID on a Holland America cruise in August. We lost 9 days of the cruise. Holland America issued credit for the cruise days lost (after a few months), however, they have still not completed payment for the out of pocket expenses we incurred. Our ************** claim needed to be settled first and it was, on December 20th, at which point I went back to Holland America for coverage of the one remaining bill - the $2,200 hotel bill which trip insurance did not cover. It is now over two more months and they have not resolved this claim which originated in August. Our most recent interaction by email is attached below. ENOUGH waiting.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/22/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Took an ******* cruise July 27, 2022 through August 13, 2022. The last week of the cruise I contracted Covid. I was told I must quarantine for the remainder of the cruise and then, because we were disembarking in ******, I had to quarantine another 7 days. I was told that I would be reimbursed for the stay, even though I did not purchase travel insurance. I was given a form to fill out. I sent the form and required receipts to *** on Sept 27 via fax. I never received any type of confirmation from the company, so I emailed on Oct 29 to ask for verification of the fax. Never received a reply--until December 29 (approx). I was told I needed to email the information. I did. It is now March 22, and I have heard nothing and received nothing. Quite surprised that a company as large as *** would lack integrity and have such poor communication with their customers. I am hoping to find out IF I am getting reimbursed, and if I am, when.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/21/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Booked a cruise on Black Friday sale and then later had to reschedule the date was told that EVERYTHING was going to remain the same . Well it is discovered (after logging on to see excursions) that I do not have the gratuities included or the drink package all of which I had before and also it is 300 more expensive