Holland America Line is a travel service provider, so “returns” are handled as cruise reservation cancellations, refunds, and cancellation fees. The applicable terms are set by the booking’s fare rules and the cruise contract, and they can vary by voyage length, destination, and special categories (for example, longer voyages or certain itineraries may have different timelines). The most important timing concept is the number of days before sailing when the cancellation is effective, because that timing determines whether a refund is available and whether the deposit or a portion of the total cruise price is forfeited.
For many standard voyages, the key cutoff for a full refund is commonly 90 days or more before departure. After that point, cancellation fees typically increase as departure approaches. A common structure is: 90+ days prior may allow a full refund; 83–89 days prior may result in forfeiture of the deposit; 46–82 days prior may result in a 50% cancellation fee; and 0–45 days prior may result in a 100% cancellation fee (no refund of the cruise price). For longer voyages (often 14 days or more), the full-refund window may extend to 120+ days prior, with deposit forfeiture and higher fee tiers starting earlier (for example, 0–75 days prior may be non-refundable). Some special voyage categories can also have distinct schedules.
Refunds, when due, are generally issued back to the original form of payment (or routed through the travel advisor if the booking was made through an advisor). Cancellation requests should be made through the same channel used to book: direct bookings should be canceled with Holland America Line, while third-party or travel-advisor bookings are typically handled by that seller. Any seller-imposed service fees are separate from the cruise line’s cancellation fees and may be non-refundable.
Other trip components can follow different refund rules than the base cruise price. Items such as airfare, hotels, transfers, shore excursions, gratuities, travel protection, and onboard packages may have their own cancellation terms, and some fees may be non-refundable. Promotional fares can also be more restrictive (for example, reduced deposits, final-payment-due-at-booking offers, or explicitly non-refundable fare conditions). For that reason, the booking confirmation and fare terms should be reviewed before canceling, especially if the reservation is close to final payment or within a penalty window.
When a cancellation occurs inside a penalty window, a cash refund may be reduced or unavailable; in some circumstances, a credit (such as a future cruise credit) may be offered depending on the fare rules and any applicable programs. To avoid surprises, the most actionable approach is to (1) confirm the sailing date and count the days prior to departure, (2) identify whether the voyage is in a standard or special category (including length-based rules), (3) check whether the fare is refundable or deposit is non-refundable, and (4) cancel promptly through the booking channel so the effective cancellation date is recorded correctly.
