Rotterdam

Stop by the professionally staffed Fitness Centre equipped with the latest cardio and weight machines. Try one of our classes on indoor cycling, Pilates and more or work out at your own pace. You can also head out for fresh air and exercise on deck, where you'll find basketball and volleyball courts, and two refreshing pools (available on select ships). Some classes may have a nominal fee.

Guests who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

To help maximise the cruise experience for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing, Holland America Line has made the following items available:

• Stateroom kits that include a visual and tactile alert for someone knocking at the door, the phone ringing, or an alarm.
• Stateroom televisions capable of showing closed captioning (some satellite feeds do not transmit with captioning, so this feature is available only when the signal the ship receives has captioning).
• Telephones with amplified sound for staterooms.
• Assistive Listening Systems with portable receivers in the show lounges to assist guests who are hard of hearing to hear the shows.
• Written safety information and a copy of the lifeboat drill safety speech.

Guests who are Blind or have Low Vision
To help maximise the cruise experience for our guests who are blind or have low vision, Holland America Line has made the following items available:

• Screen reader computer software in the Explorations Café that allows guests to navigate the web by listening to the text.
• Downloadable daily activities, news, and menus for guests with laptops with screen reader programs. These items may also be downloaded to the screen reader-enabled computer in the Explorations Café.
• With 45 days notice, large print or Braille menus describing the inspired cuisine offered across a myriad of venues, from the elegant Dining Room to the casual Lido Market.
• A familiarisation tour of the vessel upon arrival.

Cruising for Children with Special Needs
At Holland America Line we do not discriminate against individuals on the basis of disability. We seek to the extent feasible to accommodate the needs of all individuals with disabilities, including children. However, due to the sensitivity of caring for any child, with or without a disability, we must first determine what the child's specific needs are so we may properly evaluate and determine the best and safest way to meet the child's needs. We encourage families to contact our Guest Accessibility Department prior to their cruise, to evaluate and determine what the child's specific needs will be and how best to accommodate those needs. Club HAL is unable to accommodate children requiring one-on-one care into programming. Special needs participants who meet eligibility requirements and require one-on-one care must have a parent or guardian present.

Personal Mobility Equipment
For the safety of all guests and crew and to enhance accessibility, Holland America Line strongly recommends that all personal electric mobility equipment meets the following criteria:

• Width: 23" maximum in order to be accommodated in a standard stateroom, unless collapsible to a width of 23" or less
• Weight: 100 lbs. maximum without battery
• Batteries: Must be Gel or Dry Cell or AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) only

They recognise that for some people, a larger scooter may be essential. If you believe you need a larger scooter, please contact the Access & Compliance Department so that you can discuss your requirements.

Guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or chaperone that is at least 21 years old; one adult chaperone is required for every five people under the age of 21. Infants must be at least 6 months of age at the time of embarkation in order to sail. Children must be at least 12 months of age at the time of embarkation to sail on trans-ocean crossings and remote itineraries, where there are more than 2 consecutive sea days.

Guests must be 21 years of age or over to purchase or consume alcohol onboard. For voyages that depart from and return to Australia and/or New Zealand, Europe, China, Hong Kong, Singapore or Taiwan, this policy applies to guests 18 years and older. For Voyages that depart from and return to Japan, this policy applies to guests 20 years and older.

Minors under the age of 18 traveling to foreign countries must be accompanied by both parents or have a notarised letter of consent signed by the parent(s) not traveling. If the other parent is deceased or the child has only one legal parent, a notarised statement must be obtained as proof.

All minors under the age of 18 must travel with all proper identification documents in addition to the signed letter of authorisation. Minors who are U.S. citizens should have an original, photocopy or certified original of their government-issued birth certificate or another form of proof of citizenship. Children 16 or older are also required to have a photo ID. If traveling outside of the Western Hemisphere, a passport is required for guests of any age. Your travel advisor can provide additional information about this requirement.

Please Note: In an effort to prevent international child abduction, many governments have initiated procedures at entry and exit points. These often include requiring documentary evidence of relationship and permission for the child’s travel from the parent(s) or legal guardian if not present. Having such documentation on hand, even if not required, may facilitate entry or departure. For specific information regarding the country to which you are traveling, please visit U.S. State Department website for country-by-country information.

Parents, guardians and chaperones are responsible for overseeing the conduct of minors in their care. As such, minors may not be left unsupervised on board the ship. Minors should receive the same oversight that would be provided when visiting locations such as a large resort or theme park. A parent or legal guardian MUST accompany all children under the age of 18 on all tours for safety and liability reasons. For activities and programs for children age 3-17, please refer to the CLUB HAL YOUTH PROGRAM section.

Minors Going Ashore

Parents and guardians are responsible for deciding whether or not minors under age 16 are allowed to go ashore without adult supervision. If you want to permit a minor traveling with you to go ashore without an adult companion, please discuss this in advance with the ship's Security Officer so that they can make a notation of this in our gangway control system software. Absent this approval, our security personnel will generally prohibit minors from leaving the ship without an adult companion although we cannot provide absolute assurances in this regard. It is ultimately the responsibility of parents and guardians to ensure that minors traveling with them act in accordance with their instructions.

Q: Is there a Dress Code?

A: Yes. Shirts/cover-ups and footwear are always required indoors. We also have several levels of suggested attire in the evenings

• When suggested attire is Casual smart casual attire is appropriate. Shorts, pool/beachwear, distressed jeans and men’s tank tops are best left to the daytime and are not permitted in table service restaurants.
• When suggested attire is Dressy we take it up a notch and recommend slacks, skirts, dresses, blouses, collared shirts and jackets.

Q: Why the change from “Gala Attire” To “Dressy”?

A: To many, the term Gala was either confusing or misleading, implying a specific type of dress (black tie or tuxedo) which has never been a requirement. We felt the term Dressy was a bit less stuffy and a bit more festive, which is what a dressy evening should be: a chance to get dressed up and enjoy the evening while still being comfortable.

Q: What about ladies’ dressy attire?

A: Dressy attire is appropriate. Dresses, skirts, and slacks are all acceptable.

Q: Are a jacket and tie required for men?

A: A jacket and tie is the preferred attire in all fine dining restaurants on Dressy nights, though this is not required. Guests without a jacket and tie have always been allowed in fine dining restaurants, so this is not a policy change.

Q: Are jeans allowed?

A: Jeans without holes, tears or embroidery are welcome on most evenings in all restaurants, but on Dressy nights jeans are only allowed in casual dining restaurants.

Q: Can I wear shorts in the main dining room?

A: Not at dinner. The dining room is considered a fine dining restaurant and shorts are not permitted.

Q: Is the dress code the same on Grand Voyages?

A: Yes. The policy applies to all Holland America Line voyages. On Grand Voyages we also add an occasional Formal night where suits and dresses are recommended.

Internet Access

Guests can purchase and connect to satellite internet 24 hours a day on each ship in the Holland America Line fleet, either by accessing our wireless network or utilising the workstations located in the Explorations Café. Internet Plans vary in price to accommodate individual needs and are interchangeable between the workstations in the Explorations Café and your wireless device.

Note that satellite connections may be adversely impacted by physical obstacles such as fjords and inclement weather and the speed is notably slower than shoreside connections.

Wireless Internet Service

Each Holland America Line vessel offers wireless access throughout the ship. Guests may use their laptop computer or other wireless internet enabled device to purchase and connect to the wireless internet service on board.

Connect:

1. Put your device in airplane mode.
2. Turn Wi-Fi “on” and connect to your ship’s network.
3. Open your web browser and type “Login.com”.
4. Within Holland America Line Navigator™, choose “Connect to Paid Internet” from the selection options.

Available Internet Packages:

• Surf (most popular): $24.99. (Surf your favourite sites including e-mail, news, sports and more. May not allow for audio/video calling and streaming.)
• Premium: $29.99 (From e-mail to streaming, receive the highest volume of data. Supports audio/video calling and streaming where coverage allows.)

Keep in Mind:

• Satellite transmissions are inherently slower than shore-side connections.
• You’ll find a select number of free sites under “Complimentary Browsing.”
• For more information please see the Frequently Asked Questions or one of our Guest Relations team members.
• Each package comes with a daily volume of data for a superior experience. Volumes vary by package and subject to change. For a current listing of the daily volume soft caps, see the Internet Plan Selection page.

Powered by The New York Times

The Explorations Café, powered by The New York Times offers a comfortable, coffee house environment where you can purchase and connect to the internet using provided workstations or by using your own wireless internet device, such as a laptop computer, iPad or mobile phone.

AT&T Mobile Packages

Guests with AT&T service may choose from a selection of packages offering discounted rates for international calls, texts and data while on board. Choose from options for calling only, calling and messaging or calling, messaging and data. 

Mobile Phone Service

Holland America, through an agreement with Wireless Maritime Service, proudly offers an advanced roaming network onboard all Holland America ships allowing you to make and receive calls, send and receive text messages and access emails and surf the web while at sea using your own mobile phone and telephone number.

The Wireless Maritime Service system is available for use when the ship is in international waters. When user’s phones pick the shipboard signal, their phone will usually display “cellular at sea”, “Ship Roam”or “901-18”. Depending on the handset and the carrier the user may be required to select “Roam” on the handset.

For questions about your service or about billing, please contact your home network customer service.

Webcams

Holland America Line does not publish webcam information online.

Holland America Line only permits service animals on board, defined as those animals that are individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. We do not permit our guests to bring pets, therapy/companion animals, and other animals that do not meet the definition of service animals. If you have any questions about whether the animal you wish to bring on board is, in fact, a service animal, you may contact our Guest Accessibility Department.

Your itinerary may include ports of call that have very specific and strict requirements that need to be met prior to your service animal being allowed off of the ship. Please be sure you understand the requirements for a service animal to disembark in each port of call. The best places to obtain specific information on required documentation and immunisations for your service animal are the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website, local customs offices in the specific ports, and from your service animal's veterinarian. All documentation and immunisation requirements are established by government authorities and not by Holland America Line. Should you need assistance in locating this information, please contact our Guest Accessibility Department.

To board the ship, your service animal must have current vaccinations. Records confirming the vaccination status should be provided to our Guest Accessibility Department prior to your departure. We also recommend that you carry the immunisation records with you in case they are required at any port of call. If you do not have the proper documentation and proof of vaccinations for your service animal required at a port of call, or if there are local quarantine requirements, your service animal will be denied the right to leave the ship. If your service animal is denied the right to leave the ship in a specific port of call, the staff and crew will work with you to determine what actions may be possible to allow you to visit the port without your service animal. Please note that in your absence, you will need to provide for the care and supervision of your service animal. Except in those circumstances where your service animal has been denied disembarkation, you may not leave your service animal unattended on the vessel or in your stateroom at any time.

Important Information for Service Animals on Australian Cruises

The Australian quarantine authorities have changed their approach regarding service dogs on-board cruise ships. Unfortunately, their new approach makes it practically impossible for us to accept service animals on domestic or roundtrip cruises from Australia. The Department of Agriculture now considers these cruises to be akin to an international voyage and therefore under ‘biosecurity control’. As a company, we are incredibly disappointed with the Department’s new approach, and we have written to the Federal Minister to ask for a return to their previous way of doing things. At this time guests will not be able to travel with service animals on voyages that end in Australia or call upon a port in Australia after visiting a foreign country. Guests sailing on voyages that begin in Australia will be able to sail with their service animal provided the voyage does not return to Australia after visiting a foreign port. Should you have further questions please contact our Guest Accessibility Department via email at GuestAccessibility@HollandAmerica.com