We enjoyed the cruise itself. The problem arose after the cruise. We have been on cruises with many different cruise lines, and never had an issue with transportation to the airport. Not every cruise has been perfect, but on the rare occasion when there has been an issue, it was addressed without us having to ask.
We would not cruise with Holland America again.
We went on a Holland America cruise to the British Isles. This was our first and LAST time cruising with them. The cruise itself was enjoyable, but the problems arose after the cruise when we were left at the cruise terminal waiting for a bus to take us to the airport. We paid for transfers to and from the ship. We waited on the platform for 1½ hours, along with a mass of other passengers, but no one from Holland America was there to provide information or assistance. Later, a Holland America employee did arrive, but he was there for boarding passengers for the next cruise, not for those of us who were waiting for transportation to the airport. He asked one of the bus drivers when more buses would be coming, but the driver did not know. Consequently, we were left standing there with our luggage and concerned about missing our flight home. Holland America knew what time our flight was departing when we made our cruise reservations, but made no effort to ensure that there would be adequate transportation to the airport. A number of other waiting passengers who were concerned about the lack of buses, hired cabs. We continued to wait, but had to choose between paying for a cab to the airport or missing our flight. We got a cab at a cost of 200 euros and submitted the receipt to HA for reimbursement. We called HA Guest Relations and sent multiple emails to them. HA did finally issue a credit for the one-way transfer fares. They only offered us a free upgraded dinner on our next cruise, but refused our refund request for the cab fare. We even contacted the president of HA, Gus Antorcha, and told him about what happened and stated that the right thing for HA to do would be to reimburse our cab fare. He never responded. Considering the inconvenience this caused, reimbursement is the least that HA could do. We have been on cruises with many different cruise lines, and never had an issue like this. Not every cruise has been perfect, but on the rare occasion when there has been an issue, it was addressed without us having to ask. Holland America could have prevented this situation completely by arranging for adequate bus transportation and having a representative on the platform providing us with necessary information about the buses. My guess is that not having anyone there gives HA a way out of doing the right thing. After this cruise I would suggest that Holland America’s motto of "Savor the journey” should be changed to: "Savor the journey, because we don't care about you when you get to the port."
What a great itinerary. So sorry it was such a fiasco at the end. Good the cab got you to your flight home, but that was expensive. I read about that family that got left behind by a bus on a different cruise. Don’t remember the line. They had to stay overnight in a strange place and no passports and a real problem flying them all home. But I understand that the cruise line did eventually pay for all of that.
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