20. More Spacious Staterooms – 25% larger than other ships in our class – Outside staterooms are 197 sq. ft. (compared to 147 sq. ft.) and come standard with bath and shower; Inside staterooms are 183 sq. ft. (compared to 135 sq. ft.) - Our verandah staterooms start at 285 sq. ft. (compared to others at 200 sq. ft. including the verandah.

19. Tipping Not Required Policy – Expect genuine, heart felt 5 Star Service where the only reward expected is your smile. You’ll never see an automatic 15% gratuity added to your bar bill or envelopes placed next to an expected tip guidelines in your stateroom.

18. Stylish, Spacious, Comfortable Ships that are designed to carry fewer passengers means more space per guest than any other cruise line in our class. Our ships carry from 1266 to 1440 guests and our newest, most intimate ship, the Prinsendam carries just 794 pampered guests.

17. Little Extras add up to a Big Difference in your cruise experience. Including: A basket of fresh fruit in your stateroom; A pleasant musical summons to dinner by our chime master; A chocolate medallion on your pillow each evening; Cloth finger towels in public restrooms – as opposed to paper-towels; Complementary signature canvas shopping bag; Our complementary make-your-own Ice Cream Sundae parlor (complete with liqueurs); Limited public room announcements ensuring a sophisticated, elegant environment.

16. Flowers, Flowers Everywhere – fresh, fragrant and can be found literally everywhere on board our ships from the dining room tables to the giant bouquets throughout the public rooms.

15. Extensive Museum Quality Collections of Fine Art and Antiques – Well over $1 million of original commissioned and collected art and antiques on each of our ship, many date back over 300 years adding to the sense of warmth and comfort onboard.

14. The Lido Restaurant – offering an elegant buffet for breakfast and lunch featuring the same wide variety of menu selection available in the dining room and much, much more. How about fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning with a made to order omelet, or Pizza, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Stir Fry, Pasta Bar, Chicken Bar, made to order Deli sandwiches and soup, all this in addition to the regular buffet line!

13. Traditional Dining with all the options – Traditional main and late seating dining with assigned service staff to ensure our premium service, allowing our staff to anticipate your every need. Alternative casual dining is available in the Lido Restaurant on most nights. Alternative, elegant dining in our Marco Polo or Odyssey Restaurants on the Zaandam, Volendam, Rotterdam, Prinsendam, Amsterdam and Zuiderdam – at NO CHARGE! Also available is a 24-hour room service with dining room menu ordering during meal times.

12. Elegant Dining with all the trimmings! Silver! Sparkling crystal glassware! Fine Rosenthal China! Starched linens! And of course, fresh flowers! With a 1:10 dining room steward to guest ratio we insure outstanding service at every table every day.

11. A Teak Promenade Deck that completely encircles the ship with dozens of complimentary teak deck chairs available.

10. Club HAL Children/Youth Activity Program staffed by dedicated counselors available on every ship and sailing date as well as exclusive “Just for Kids” shore excursions in many ports.

9. “Web Site” – Internet Café offering real-time Internet and e-mail to stay in touch with loved ones or the stock market.

8. Complimentary Hot and Cold Hors d’Oeuvres served in all lounges during the pre-dinner cocktail hour.

7. Complimentary espressos, lattes and cappuccinos in the dining rooms of all ships, in the Java Café (where available) as well as in the Explorers Lounge in the evening.

6. Feature Films shown in our Movie Theatre where we serve fresh-made popcorn at the entrance.

5. Flagship Forum Lectures and Guest Speakers to weave art, literature, politics, and natural history into portraits of places and people on most cruises of 10 days or more.

4. Our Ships Cruise the World – ten ships cruise the world. Alaska cruises & tours, Caribbean, Eastern Canada/New England, Hawaii, Mexico, Panama Canal, South America (including Antarctica), Europe, Asia/Pacific and our annual Grand World Voyage of 100+ days.

3. Renowned Indonesian and Filipino Crew who provide gracious, attentive service and remember your name, favorite drink and special requests…. and that’s just the beginning!

2. Fascinating Shore Excursions options to suit every activity level, rated by Porthole Magazine as the best!

1. WE ARE THE BEST VALUE IN CRUISING! Holland America has been rated the “Best Value” ten years in a row by World Ocean and Cruise Liner Society, an elite group of experienced cruise travelers.

Holland America Close to Home but Oceans Apart

Cruising with Holland America is one of the most pleasurable, relaxing vacations imaginable. Perhaps this is your very first cruise. Or perhaps it's your twenty-first.

In either case, you probably have a question or two about your upcoming voyage. To help you make the most of your adventure and in anticipation of any special concerns you may have, we've gathered all of the important information in the following sections.

Activities On Board
What will you do today? There are so many choices on your Holland America cruise. You may choose to participate in as many (or as few) activities as you wish.

Each day, you will receive a complete schedule of shipboard activities to help you plan your day. The choices are many. Our Passport to Fitness activity program combines fitness with fun and prizes, and is a great way to meet fellow guests. You can play bingo, board and card games or lip synch to the Oldies. Maybe you'd like to work out in the gym or participate in deck sports or pool activities, attend an art auction, theme party or a wacky golf tournament. You may wish to sunbathe, swim or simply find a quiet spot and do nothing at all.

In the evening, you'll find a wide variety of music and entertainment throughout the ship. From award-winning production shows to our headline entertainers or our string ensemble, there's never a dull moment. Other evening activities include dancing, casino gambling, crew shows and movies.

Shore Excursions
An extensive program of shore excursions has been carefully prepared to enhance your cruise experience. Holland America Line and agents along the route have spent much time in the selection of these programs ashore. Please be aware, however, that although every effort has been made to present you with the best available facilities in the countries we visit, many of these tours may not have amenities such as air-conditioning and toilets on buses.

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, flight seeing 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.

On Europe, Canada and New England, South America and Alaska cruises you may pre-request your tours by completing the form found in your shore excursion brochure or utilizing our online request form. On other cruises you can book your tours through the Shore Excursion Office once you are on board. Guests with physical limitations should review the “Which Tours are Best for You” section of the shore excursion brochure. You can choose the excursions that most interest you by using the icons as a general guide to the level of activity involved. Please note that wheelchair lift vehicles are not available in some ports; guests must be able to walk several steps to (dis)embark transportation. Please check with the Shore Excursion staff on board for the most accurate and up to date information.

Please note: No refund or allowance can be made to any guest who might, for any reason (including medical), cancel, deviate from, or otherwise not utilize all of the services scheduled to be provided by any excursion. Guests on any excursion, who elect to leave the automobiles or motor coaches in the shopping area, or elsewhere, must provide their own transportation, at their own expense, back to the port.

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.

Services On Board
Holland America Line ships have all the amenities and services you would expect to find in a fine resort-as our valued guests, we don't want you to lack for a thing!

Shipboard Meals
In addition to breakfast, lunch and a five-course dinner, you can enjoy: afternoon tea; an outdoor buffet bar featuring hamburgers and hot dogs; a taco bar, a stir fry or pasta buffet; an ice cream bar; hot hors d'oeuvres during the cocktail hours; an evening espresso or cappuccino; and the traditional late-night snack (one of which will be our Dutch Chocolate Extravaganza.) And, of course, complimentary room service is available 24 hours a day. Casual dining is available in the Lido Restaurant every night except the last night of the cruise.
Dining options in specialty restaurants are available on the ms Amsterdam, ms Rotterdam, ms Prinsendam, ms Volendam, ms Zaandam and ms Zuiderdam. Reservations can be made on board by contacting the restaurant manager. Suite guests have reservation preference.

"Tipping Not Required" Policy
Exceptional service is part of the Holland America Line cruise experience. Because you are our guest, it is our goal to make sure you receive the finest service possible. Our "tipping not required" policy ensures that the professional and gracious service you receive on board is truly sincere; that we are dedicated to providing the most relaxed cruise vacation, not simply providing service in return for tips. You are free, however, to extend monetary recognition if you wish-it's entirely up to you. (Company policy prohibits us from suggesting how much.)
Please remember that this "tipping not required" policy does not extend beyond the ship. In terminals, airports, ports of call and on special shore excursions, you should tip at your own discretion.