Prepare for Holland America Cruise

Passport books may be required for your sailing and are recommended even if they are not required. If your cruise starts from an international destination and you will be flying to that destination, then you will need a passport book for your trip. If your cruise starts and ends in different ports, passport books are required for your trip. Cruises that visit South America require a passport book. Some complicated family situations require that minors have passport books as well. Passport books are required for international flights which may arise during a medical emergency. Click the button below to learn more about passports, visas, and other accepted forms of ID for a Holland America cruise.  

Flights, hotels, and transfers may be needed for your cruise. Holland America makes this process easy. Flights, hotels, and transfers can be added to your cruise vacation in most cases with the balance due at final payment. In most cases, we recommend purchasing your flights directly from the airline. This gives you more control and more options when the airline changes your flights which happens often. If you are flying in the same day of the cruise, then we recommend booking flights with Holland America. Contact us if you have any questions.

There are lots of things to explore in each port and shore excursions are your ticket to exploration. There are essentially two options: book these with Holland America or book with a third-party. Holland America offers wonderful excursions and these can be booked from the Navigator app. If you prefer a small group or private excursion, a third-party may work better for you. We recommend Shore Excursions Group and Venture Ashore.

The Navigator App is Holland America's tool for your cruise. Manage your Holland America account, book shore excursions, retrieve your digital boarding pass,  and personalize your trip with the app. 

NavPass is your boarding pass for Holland America. You will obtain this on the Navigator App by completing check-in and completing the health assessment. We recommend going into the app as soon as your trip is booked to see what is available and to make selections. The health assessment will be available within three days of embarkation.