What Did My FREE Holland America Cruise Really Cost? (Casino Status Match Jackpot Comp)
I have had some interesting discussions on whether or not I should be saying that these comped cruises are free. If you know me at all, you know that I am very careful about word choice and I maintain that this is accurate because the cruise fare (for two!) is comped so a comped cruise = free. And even better for someone like me that travels solo often, these casino cruises don’t incur a solo supplement fee.
One of the reasons why I am so transparent about my trips is to show what my true costs and savings look like so you can make truly informed decisions. As there are other costs associated with these comped cruises and they can add up. So let’s dive in deeper and see what I ended up spending on my Holland America (HAL) comped cruise (plus some additional info on HAL comped cruises).
Confused and/or wondering how I got comped cruises in the first place? Here’s the overview for how I got my Casino Status Match Jackpot.
If you want to know specifically how I booked my HAL comped cruise, check out this post. Here’s the overview of the cruise.
HAL COMPED CRUISE
Casino comped cruise details
- Cruise Line: Holland America Line (HAL)
- Ship: Nieuw Statendam
- Cruise: Iceland & Greenland Passage – 11 Nights/12 Days
- Dates: June 29 – July 10, 2024
- Included in comped cruise offer:
- $100 free play
- Free drinks for two while playing in the casino
What is the minimum my “free” cruise would have cost?
Cruise fare (for two/no solo supplement is charged*) for a guaranteed interior stateroom is comped by HAL.
For this sailing, the taxes and port fees were $208 and I was also responsible for an additional $17 for what HAL terms as daily Crew Appreciation AKA daily staff gratuities ($187 for the 11 days).
TOTAL: $395
What I ended up paying for my comped cruise:
I upgraded to HAL’s ‘Have It All’ (HIA) package for a few reasons: Wi-fi alone would have been $179.99 for the duration of the cruise, I also received $200 in excursion credits and the Premium drink package. Since this itinerary had a lot of sea days, I knew that I would be able to get great value with the wi-fi and drinks package (even as I continue to rarely have alcoholic drinks). Plus I was having a difficult time finding any excursions for the two Greenland ports so saving $200 through HAL helped seal my decision. And the specialty dining dinners were just an added bonus. $55/day – $605/total for HIA.
TOTAL: Spend $808.01- including additional tips to staff ($130/stateroom attendants + $1-10/other staff)
Where my savings came from
- $730: TOTAL SAVINGS
- $50: AARP – HAL Gift Card (10% /$50 off $500 Gift Card)
- $300: AMEX Offer (See offer above)
- $200: Gratis stateroom upgrade
- $180: Wifi {Note: Have It All components were accounted for up to $650 (the amount I paid for the package) but if I had tracked and accounted for all of the drinks on board including espresso drinks, smoothies, sparkling waters, the overall savings would have been greater.}
Can you upgrade your cabin on a comped cruise?
Yes, you are able to when you book your cruise, what that will cost will be varies from cruise to cruise (you need to call in for offers through the casino departments). For those traveling alone, a solo supplement charge would be assessed if you upgrade.
Note: HAL casino comps are for guaranteed rooms meaning that specific staterooms are not assigned until close in to sailing date if an upgrade isn’t purchased at booking.
Additionally, you may also receive offers close to your sailing date based on ship occupancy. I received my first upgrade offer about 1 month out (top photo), two weeks later (bottom left) and the final offer, a few days days after the second offer (bottom right). *I wasn’t interesting in upgrading so I never called in. Now I wish that I would have to check on offer details with sailing solo ie would I pay 2x the upgrade price or would it be more with the solo supplement charge?
Some other things to know/consider
I didn’t dive into learning about the Club Orange Package once I found out that adding it will trigger the solo supplement fee. FYI this is used by people to get a room assigned as you become eligible for the best of your room type which includes the largest stateroom in the category (which can vary dramatically even for an interior) and preferred ship location so it might be worthwhile for some.
Anything (upgrades, packages) added/prepaid (gratuities) on a casino offer are non-refundable if you have to cancel at ANY time after booking so I waited until a couple days before my vacation started to pay for the HIA package and gratuities.
The Have It All package can be added on board but it is an additional $10/day so total of $65/day.
For those purchasing a single trip travel insurance, adding in packages will increase the cost of your cruise so your insurance would likewise increase. I have an annual plan so this wasn’t applicable to me but Allianz single trip insurance covers missed ports according to one of the Facebook groups I am in (people said that they were reimbursed $150/missed port – I can’t remember if there was a cap on how many missed ports will be reimbursed or if $450 was given because our sailing missed three ports)
I was not able to split payment types (ie use my AMEX and remaining GC balance) for the HIA package and gratuities either online or with a representative.
Personally my room was not assigned until one day before sailing – that was a little stressful with horror stories going around of those with guaranteed rooms being denied boarding on sold out cruises (and of course about two weeks before sailing, this cruise sold out!)
Final Thoughts
In summary, I think of a comped cruise offer like booking a hotel room on points, it takes care of lodging for X # of nights and some meals but I know that there will be additional costs like other meals and activities. And in that vein, I have found the comped cruises to be very cost effective for me.
Take for example this cruise and how I was able to spend less than $2,000 TOTAL to some notoriously expensive locations in the world! Coming up is an overview of my trip.
What do you think about saying the cruise is free? Have you done any comped Holland America cruises?
