Disabled Facilities

Service Animals

Holland America Line only permits service animals onboard, defined as those animals that are individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability. They do not permit 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 the Access & Compliance Department.

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 guests who are blind or have low vision, Holland America Line has made the following items available:

• Window-Eyes 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 Window-Eyes 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 Restaurant.
• Familiarisation tour of the vessel upon arrival.

Cruising for Children with Special Needs
At Holland America Line they do not discriminate against individuals on the basis of disability. They 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, they must first determine what the child's specific needs are so they may properly evaluate and determine the best and safest way to meet the child's needs. They encourage families to contact the Access & Compliance Department prior to their cruise, to evaluate and determine what the child's specific needs will be and how best to accommodate those needs.

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.

Special Dietary Requirements

For guests with food intolerances or allergies that are not life-threatening, please contact the Ship Services Department. For guests with life-threatening food allergies, Holland America Line asks that guests provide detailed information to the Access & Compliance Department by completing a Special Requirements Information (SRI) Form. Guests should indicate on this form which foods may potentially cause a severe reaction.

Guests with a variety of severe food allergies sail with Holland America Line regularly. Their galley staff on board is accustomed to and experienced in dealing with these types of needs. The galley itself has many different areas of food preparation, which can help reduce the possibility of cross-contamination. It is important to note, however, that meals are prepared in mass quantities on board, thus there is always the possibility of some cross-contamination. As such, Holland America Line cannot guarantee that a guest will not come in contact with those items. Although the Access & Compliance Department will provide the ship with an advance notice of all food allergies detailed on an SRI submitted to them, it is recommended that guests also contact the Dining Room Manager upon boarding to review the details of these special dietary needs.

Age Restrictions

Guests under 21 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or chaperone who is at least 21 years old; one adult chaperone is required for every five people under the age of 21 (25 years of age or older in the case of persons serving as chaperones for approved organised student/youth groups). Alcoholic beverages will not be served to guests under age 21. Due to limited medical facilities on the ships, they will not accept reservations for infants under 6 months old at time of sailing. For trans-ocean crossings, or other itineraries which the Medical Department feel present a significant risk, infants must be a minimum of 12 months of age at embarkation. Guest under the age of 16 are not allowed in the Greenhouse Spa & Salon.

Minors under age 18 traveling to certain 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 age 18 must travel with all proper identification requirements in addition to the signed letter of authorisation. Minors who are U.S. citizens should have a certified copy of their 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. Your travel agent can provide additional information about this requirement.

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. A parent or legal guardian MUST accompany all children under the age of 18 on all tours for safety and liability reasons.

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 the gangway control system software. Absent this approval, the security personnel will generally prohibit minors from leaving the ship without an adult companion although the line 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.

Dress Code

The right clothing can make a big difference in the enjoyment of your cruise. First and foremost, dress for comfort. Daily life aboard ship and in ports of call is relaxed and casual. Warmer climates call for clothing made of lightweight, breathable fabrics. For cooler climates, the line suggests casual clothes that can be layered easily and possibly a raincoat and waterproof hat or umbrella and gloves. Certain shore excursions may require particular attention to clothing. For example, certain churches or other places of worship may not allow tank tops or short pants. Bring a swimsuit as all ships have pools and whirlpools. You may wish to bring more than one outfit for the water. They ask that you wear shoes and a cover-up over a bathing suit when walking through the interior of the ship. If you would like to jog on the sports deck or work out in the fitness centre, bring workout gear. Footwear should include comfortable walking shoes for visits ashore and sandals or rubber-soled shoes for strolling on deck.

Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: Formal or Smart Casual. Smart Casual can be defined as slacks and collared shirts for men and casual dresses, slacks and informal evening wear for women. T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours. On festive Formal evenings, ladies may wear a suit, cocktail dress, gown or fancy blouse/top with slacks and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week.

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening.

E-Cigarette Policy

Electronic cigarettes are permitted in staterooms but not in other public areas of the ship other than on outside decks designated as smoking areas.