What My FREE Holland America Cruise Was Really Like (and how I spent ONLY $89/day for this 22 day vacation through the pricey Nordics)

Most Recently Updated June 8, 2025

Originally Published May 9, 2025

As if getting comp cruises through my Casino Status Match Jackpot wasn’t enough – I decided to really stretch the value by booking two side to side European cruises as things seemed to be falling perfectly into place with the comp cruise offers. Typically, the two biggest expenses for a trip are flights, especially if they are international and lodging so this plan would save on having to fly across the Atlantic multiple times and the comp cruises would take care of accommodations for a more than half the nights whilst traveling to some very pricey locales.

First up in this month-long adventure is my Iceland & Greenland Passage cruise on Holland America! Note that this post is still a work in progress as it serves as an anchor page for all other related posts and will be updated with notes and links as those are written!

^{Want to learn more about how to travel for cheaper, better and/or more often?: Intro to Travel Hacking and my 8 Top Tips For Travel Hacking}

Before I dive in, here’s some related HAL Nieuw Statendam posts. Note: that post is a work in progress as I write up about the trip. This is an anchor post that will cover the itinerary with links to any related posts ie port stops/flight/hotel reviews.

• Wanna learn more about how I got this comp cruise in the first place? Read about my casino status match jackpot here and here’s where you’ll find my haul. For how I specifically obtained this Holland America comp cruise
• Since there’s always a debate about if this type of travel is really “free”, read what my free HAL comp cruise cost to see what my true costs of this comp cruises was
• HAL Nieuw Statendam trip report deep dive into the cash, miles and points spending and all of the savings (and sources)
• Here’s what I wish I knew about HAL comp cruises before booking
• Upcoming posts: HAL Nieuw Statendam ship review and my thoughts on Holland America

Welp I had chosen this cruise specifically for the itinerary and the chance to explore Greenland…but some pesky icebergs in the water lead to the (very prudent) but disappointing decision that the ship could not safely travel there. Luckily Holland America made the necessary arrangements to alter our itinerary significantly rather than keeping the itinerary and hoping that conditions would improve as that course of action would have resulted only in more sea days!

The old Itinerary for the cruise is displayed first with changed port information following as applicable.

Days 1-2: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

DEN-BOS (United Airlines Economy)

Might as well make the most out of this trip and start by flying in and spending a day and half in Boston. Early morning flights are my go to for two reasons: they allow me to maximize my time in a place and as importantly, travel delays are less common and less likely to be as severe vs if I am flying later in the day.

Hyatt Place HP Boston/Seaport

Chose this hotel for two reasons – it’s location vs that of the Hyatt Regency Boston and the rooftop terrace – my initial reasoning proved to be sound as it was such a great base for exploring Boston!

BOS-ZRH (SWISS Business)

To read what my SWISS business class flight experience was like, click here – this covers the Lufthansa lounge at BOS, the flight and also the SWISS arrivals lounge at ZRH. It really was a mixed bag for this experience – this was probably the worst business class flight I have take but I was able to sleep a little and most importantly, my knee was not angry at me for being on a plane for seven hours. This and the Arrivals lounge ensured that I would be in great shape to be able to explore Zürich.

Day 3: Zürich, Switzerland (then late flight to CPH) 

Loving that my strategizing and the little bit of planning that I did for the trip keeps paying off: Zürich is such an ideal city to have a long layover in!

ZRH-CPH (SAS Plus)

And here’s why my short SAS Plus flight was unexpectedly great!

Days 3-6: Malmö, Sweden

Story Hotel Studio Malmö

I had chosen to stay in Malmö because there was a Hyatt property there (bookable on points and looked very cute) – did not expect to be so charmed by the boutique hotel nor the city…but the sweetest surprise would be meeting some peeps on a walking tour and one that would turn into a great friend!

Day 7: Copenhagen, Denmark

Residence Inn Copenhagen

One of the benefits to have points with different loyalty programs is flexibility: this ended up being an ideal location to stay the night before the cruise left Copenhagen.

Day 8: Copenhagen, Denmark: Embark HAL Nieuw Statendam

_{Beautiful tip: Using Viator is a pro move – here’s why I use it to book shore excursions whenever possible.}

After a quick embarkation, I am confronted with two disappointments. First is my stateroom – debatable if this could be considered an upgrade as whilst it’s an oceanview, it is tiny – the smallest of the solo cabins. Secondly it’s in a terrible position on the ship: low floor and at the front of the ship (while I am not prone to seasickness, I have been suffering from migraines lately and this will compound them). But that takes a back seat as I am greeted with even worse news, that my fears were confirmed and there is a dramatic itinerary change and we will not be heading to Greenland =(

But there is nothing to be done now and guess I need to learn to make the best of it now – as I am walking around the ship, I discover the library – here’s more on what the Nieuw Statendam had to offer in ways to entertain yourself including the library

Day 9: at Sea

Day recap

Day 10: Ålesund, Norway

I spent the port day tackling the 418 stairs up Mount Aksla and then took a walking tour – here’s what my day and that tour was like. Decided to write a general port stop guide for Ålesund with links to the tours/activities and what my port days were like – let me know what you think of it!

Cruise day 3 recap can be found here.

Day 11: at Sea

Every cruise line is unique and this sea day showcases what makes Holland America.

Day 12: Husavik, Iceland -> Runavik, Faroe Islands

Day 13: Ísafjörður, Iceland -> at Sea

Day 14: at Sea -> Djúpivogur, Iceland

Day 15: Nanortalik, Greenland -> Akureyri, Iceland

Day 8 of the cruise recap including BTS look during A City on the Sea showing on the World Stage, Port overview talk/info with cruise and travel director + scenic cruising + highlights of what I did in Akureyri.

Here’s my guide for Forest Lagoon

Day 16: Qaqortoq, Greenland -> Akureyri, Iceland

Here’s where you will find detailed info on what I did in Akureyri

Day 9 of the cruise recap including highlights from port day + back on the ship: amazing surprise + hidden gem aboard the Nieuw Statendam

Day 17: at Sea -> Ísafjörður, Iceland

Here’s where you will find detailed info on what I did in Ísafjörður

Day 10 of the cruise recap including highlights from port day + back on the ship

Day 18: at Sea -> Reykjavík, Iceland

Day 19: Reykjavík, Iceland: Disembark HAL Nieuw Statendam

Days 20-21: Reykjavík, Iceland

Hilton Reykjavík Nordica

Spend 120K points + $209.08 ($26* Housekeeping tip) / Savings from upgraded room type: Exec level ocean-view & $60 AMEX Hilton Business quarterly credit (also included in other sections for savings:complimentary breakfast & executive lounge access & comp spa access)

Days 20-21: Reykjavík, Iceland / Travel Day to Athens for my Virgin Comped Cruise

_{Beautiful tip: my award bookings allow me to save money especially as I am so apt to change travel plans}

This trip illustrates my impulsive nature and why award bookings save me so much money in so many ways – especially with changing my flight to Athens three times!

_{Please note: this post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something following a link on this page, I may get a small commission. There is no additional cost to you and helps reduce the ever-increasing costs of keeping this site active}. _{Thanks for supporting my blog (AKA feeding my ice cream addiction around the world!) Rosemary}