Holland America Line launches standby cruises for travelers who are extremely flexible and can depart last minute.
The prices are competitive and start with 69 euros per person per day for a state room (sea view or inside cabin). For 99 euros, travelers have a Verandah state room. The prices include taxes and apply to both double occupancy and solo travelers.
The standby concept gives guests maximum flexibility and helps Holland America Line fill the last cabins. “It’s a win-win situation,” Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line, who visited HAL’s European headquarters in Rotterdam on Wednesday, told TravMagazine.
In the standby program, travelers can choose from approximately 22 HAL cruises in 2024 for a period of two to three months before departure. They pay the fare in advance and receive confirmation two to seven days before the departure of their chosen cruise, subject to availability.
‘In case of cancellations a week before departure, it is difficult to sell the vacant cabins. In this way, this concept works both ways.’
Antorcha says it is not afraid that the new concept will cannibalize the regular cruise offer and that potential customers will wait to book. ‘As a customer, you have to have the flexibility to be able to leave within a few days. This new concept will actually expand our market.’
The good news is that the standby cruises can also be booked through travel agents, who receive the regular commission for doing so.
“We believe in partnerships. We have grown with that and we will continue to do so,” says Nico Bleichrodt, Vice President International Sales at HAL.
Figures
Holland America Line referred to the latest figures from cruise company CLIA on Wednesday. In 2023, there were 31.7 million cruise travelers worldwide. This is 6.8 percent more than in the pre-corona year of 2019, when 29.7 million cruise passengers were counted.
In the Netherlands, 120,000 cruise passengers were counted last year. This means that the number of Dutch cruise passengers is almost at the pre-corona level of 2019, when 123,000 Dutch people took a cruise.
Holland America Line has more departures from the Netherlands this year: 24, with a total of 62,616 beds. That number will go up again next year. For 2015, 28 departures from the Netherlands are planned, with 74,686 beds, all from Rotterdam.
“It shows that we are optimistic about the future,” says Bleichrodt. “More and more people are taking a cruise into consideration when choosing a holiday. We are also seeing a growth in the number of new cruise passengers. And more and more guests are opting for our Have it All package, which includes many items, such as drinks and Wi-Fi.’
More in TravMagazine soon.
Photo: Nico Bleichrodt and Gus Antorcha.
