Holland America Line has launched its Standby Program for cruises departing from the Netherlands, allowing last minute sailings at a steeply discounted price. This is ideal if you have the flexibility to book a cruise on short notice. Prices are as low as a fixed rate of €69 per day for an interior/ocean view cabin or €99 per day for a balcony cabin. To score these prices, you must book your cruise through the company’s hotline.
In some countries, like Germany, the promotion page is geo-blocked. If you don’t have a VPN, you can access it using this website. Sadly, the promotional site is only available in Dutch.
How Does the Standby Program work?
To participate, you have to choose one of the eligible cruises listed below and call Holland America to reserve a spot on the standby list. To do that, you can use one of these two numbers:
- Dutch hotline: 0800-7245425
- International hotline: 00800-18731873
A prepayment is required to secure your spot. To book your cruise you have two options: pay €99 per day per person for a Verandah (balcony cabin) or €69 per day per person for an ocean view or interior cabin. You must be at least 21 years old to book, but accompanying guests can be younger. If you choose Verandah and there is no availability, you can opt for an ocean view or interior cabin and receive a refund for the difference.
Seven to two days before departure, Holland America will notify you by phone or email whether you have a confirmed spot on the cruise. This requires flexibility on your part as you need to be able to travel to Ijmuiden (Amsterdam) or Rotterdam on short notice. If you don’t live nearby, you can consider booking a cheap flight to Amsterdam and a hotel with a free cancellation policy until the day before departure.
If your booking is not confirmed, you will receive a full refund. According to the Holland America website, refunds can take four to six weeks to process.
Thanks to our reader Martien who gave us notice via Report a Deal!
One advantage of this program is that there is no single supplement. This means solo travelers only need to pay €99 or €69 per day depending on their cabin preference. This is a fantastic opportunity to sail with Holland America, especially considering some Rotterdam itineraries have an 80% single supplement if booked the regular way.
If you can convince others to join you on this last-minute deal, the third and fourth passengers sail free! This brings the price down to an incredible €50 per person per day for a Verandah when traveling with four people.
Eligible Cruises
Here is the list of eligible cruises for the Holland America standby program, departing from the Netherlands:
Cruises from Rotterdam
| Date | Itinerary | Embark/Disembark | Ship | Trip Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-Apr-25 | 14-Day Canary Island Enchantment With Morocco & Portugal | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J538 |
| 20-Apr-25 | 28-Day Canary & British Isles: Morocco, Portugal & Belfast | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J538A |
| 26-Apr-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Scotland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y531 |
| 26-Apr-25 | 14-Day Norwegian Fjords With Scotland And Copenhagen | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y531A |
| 03-May-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Copenhagen | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y534 |
| 03-May-25 | 21-Day Fjords & Capitals: Copenhagen Lithuania & Latvia | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y534A |
| 04-May-25 | 14-Day Wild British Isles: Belfast Evening Stay | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J539 |
| 04-May-25 | 28-Day British Isles & Arctic Circle: Belfast & Edinburgh | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J539A |
| 10-May-25 | 14-Day Baltic & Scandinavian Capitals: Lithuania & Latvia | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y535 |
| 10-May-25 | 21-Day Capitals & Fjords: Lithuania, Latvia & Nordfjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y535A |
| 18-May-25 | 14-Day Arctic Circle Crossing: Edinburgh Evening Stay | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J542 |
| 18-May-25 | 28-Day Arctic Circle & British Isles: Edinburgh & Belfast | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J542A |
| 24-May-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Nordfjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y538 |
| 24-May-25 | 14-Day Norwegian Fjords With Nordfjord & Sognefjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y538A |
| 31-May-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Sognefjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y539 |
| 01-Jun-25 | 14-Day Wild British Isles: Belfast Evening Stay | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J543 |
| 01-Jun-25 | 28-Day British Isles & Arctic Circle: Belfast & Edinburgh | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J543A |
| 15-Jun-25 | 14-Day Arctic Circle Crossing: Edinburgh Evening Stay | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J546 |
| 15-Jun-25 | 42-Day Arctic Circle Crossing: Scotland, Greenland & Iceland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J546A |
| 21-Jun-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Scotland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y546 |
| 21-Jun-25 | 14-Day Norwegian Fjords With Scotland & Sognefjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y546A |
| 28-Jun-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Sognefjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y547 |
| 28-Jun-25 | 14-Day Norwegian Fjords With Sognefjord & Nordfjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y547A |
| 29-Jun-25 | 28-Day Arctic Circle Crossing: Greenland And Iceland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J547 |
| 29-Jun-25 | 42-Day Arctic Circle & British Isles: Iceland & Ireland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J547A |
| 05-Jul-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Nordfjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y550 |
| 05-Jul-25 | 14-Day Fjords Of Norway And Iceland With Nordfjord | Rotterdam/Reykjavik | Rotterdam | Y550A |
| 12-Jul-25 | 7-Day Fjords Of Norway And Iceland | Rotterdam/Reykjavik | Rotterdam | Y551 |
| 12-Jul-25 | 14-Day Fjords And Celtic Origins: Edinburgh | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y551A |
| 26-Jul-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Nordfjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y555 |
| 26-Jul-25 | 14-Day Norwegian Fjords With Nordfjord & Copenhagen | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y555A |
| 27-Jul-25 | 14-Day Wild British Isles: Ireland’s West Coast | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J550 |
| 27-Jul-25 | 28-Day British Isles & Viking Trails: Ireland & Reykjavik | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J550A |
| 02-Aug-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Copenhagen | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y558 |
| 02-Aug-25 | 14-Day Norwegian Fjords With Copenhagen And Scotland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y558A |
| 05-Aug-25 | 18-Day Voyage Of The Vikings | Rotterdam/Boston | Zuiderdam | U545B |
| 09-Aug-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Scotland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y559 |
| 09-Aug-25 | 21-Day Fjords & Capitals: Scotland & Stockholm Overnight | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y559A |
| 10-Aug-25 | 14-Day Viking Trails & Celtic Origins | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J551 |
| 10-Aug-25 | 28-Day Viking Trails & British Isles: Reykjavik & Waterford | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J551A |
| 16-Aug-25 | 14-Day Baltic & Scandinavian Capitals: Stockholm Overnight | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y562 |
| 16-Aug-25 | 21-Day Capitals & Fjords: Stockholm Overnight & Sognefjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y562A |
| 24-Aug-25 | 14-Day Wild British Isles: Waterford | Rotterdam/Amsterdam | Nieuw Statendam | J554 |
| 24-Aug-25 | 27-Day British Isles & Iberian Peninsula: Waterford | Rotterdam/Barcelona | Nieuw Statendam | J554A |
| 30-Aug-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Sognefjord | Rotterdam/Amsterdam | Rotterdam | Y563 |
| 30-Aug-25 | 14-Day Norwegian Fjords With Sognefjord And Nordfjord | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y563A |
| 06-Sep-25 | 14-Day Norwegian Fjords With Nordfjord & Copenhagen | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y566A |
| 13-Sep-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Copenhagen | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y567 |
| 13-Sep-25 | 21-Day Fjords & Capitals: Copenhagen & Stockholm Overnight | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y567A |
| 20-Sep-25 | 14-Day Baltic & Scandinavian Capitals: Stockholm Overnight | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y570 |
| 20-Sep-25 | 21-Day Capitals & Fjords: Stockholm Overnight & Scotland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y570A |
| 04-Oct-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Scotland | Rotterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y571 |
| 04-Oct-25 | 22-Day Norwegian Fjords Crossing: Scotland, Brugge & Paris | Rotterdam/Ft. Lauderdale | Rotterdam | Y571A |
| 11-Oct-25 | 15-Day Cultural Crossing With Brugge And Paris | Rotterdam/Ft. Lauderdale | Rotterdam | Y574 |
Cruises from Amsterdam
| Date | Itinerary | Embark/Disembark | Ship | Trip Number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-May-25 | 33-Day Grand Voyage: Pole to Pole Segment | Ijmuiden (Amsterdam)/Ft. Lauderdale | Volendam | V513G |
| 06-Sep-25 | 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Nordfjord | Amsterdam/Rotterdam | Rotterdam | Y566 |
| 07-Sep-25 | 13-Day Around The Iberian Peninsula | Amsterdam/Barcelona | Nieuw Statendam | J555 |
| 07-Sep-25 | 27-Day Iberia & Eastern Mediterranean: Egypt | Amsterdam/Piraeus (Athens) | Nieuw Statendam | J555A |
Example
Let’s say you managed to secure a spot on the MS Rotterdam for the 7-Day Norwegian Fjords With Scotland. Here’s a breakdown of the costs:
- One person: Interior/Oceanview €69 x 7 days = €483 or Verandah €99 x 7 days = €693
- Two to four people: Interior/Oceanview €69 x 2 x 7 days = €966 or Verandah €99 x 2 x 7 days = €1386
Bottom Line
If you have the flexibility and are ready to book a cruise on short notice, this is an excellent opportunity to sail with a premium cruise line at 20-25% off regular prices. It can also be a great option for families looking for a last-minute during summer school vacations.
Cover Picture: ©Holland America Line
Comment (1)
Illegal Geo blocking once agaIn. Already reported to the regulatory body.