Holland America Extends Flexible Cancellation Policy through September

Holland American Line is joining a growing fray of cruise lines that are extending their flexible cancellation policies deeper into 2022.

The cruise line announced on Wednesday that its Flexible Cancellation Plan is being extended to Sept. 30, 2022.

Holland America will allow its guests to cancel bookings made by March 31, for sailing departing on or before Sept. 30 and receive a Future Cruise Credit in the amount of any cancellation fees that would normally be applied.

At the same time, Holland America is cutting the final payment deadline for cruises through May 31, 2022, making it 60 days instead of 75 or 90. It is also extending its vaccination and testing requirements for guests, which will continue to require guests to be tested prior to getting onboard.

According to the cruise line’s president Gus Anorcha, the move was made in order to allow guests “to feel confident when they book a cruise.”

“We’ve seen so much excitement from guests who have cruised with us since our return. We want everyone who is looking forward to that next adventure to feel comfortable making those plans,” he said.

With the move, Holland America, which its newest ship launched Rotterdam last year, joins Seabourn, which extended its Book with Confidence policy this week, and Princess Cruises, which did the same, in remaining flexible well into 2022.

Consumers and advisors can expect more from this trend as COVID-19 continues to impact travel in the New Year. Advisors recently speaking to TMR said that clients are still “jittery” about booking cruises with just how contagious Omicron has proven to be. The variant, according to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, could be peaking in the U.S. right now.