Holland America canceled my cruise because of a pricing error. Can it do that? 

After Holland America discovers a pricing error on a last-minute cruise, it cancels Cindy Woodring’s ticket and asks for twice her original fare if she wants to keep her plans. She wants the cruise line to honor its original deal. Who’s right?

Question

My husband and I are loyal Holland America Line customers. Since we live in South Florida, we often look for last-minute deals. 

A few months ago, I saw a 10-day cruise on the Zuiderdam posted on its website. The prices were changing as I watched, but I managed to book an ocean-view room for $479 per person. The total came to $958. 

We applied a $200 cruise credit and paid the remaining $758 in full. I received an email confirmation showing our booking was paid.

Three days later, I received a new confirmation from Holland America indicating we now owed an additional $1,530. I immediately called our personal cruise consultant, who was completely unhelpful. She told me the original price was a pricing error. When I asked to speak with a supervisor, she refused.

I followed the advice on your site and emailed guest relations managers. I even sent screenshots of the pricing I saw online. Holland America wouldn’t budge. We felt this was a bait-and-switch. We ended up canceling for a full refund because we weren’t going to pay double the price. But we really wanted to take this cruise to see crew members we know. Is there any way Holland America can be held to the original price it advertised and accepted?

— Cindy Woodring, Coral Springs, Fla. 

Answer

Holland America should have honored the price it published on its website. When a company displays a price, accepts your payment, and sends a “paid in full” confirmation, it should be a done deal. The only exception is when the company made an obvious fare error—for example, moving a decimal point and charging $9.58 instead of $958.

The cruise line pointed to Section 2 of its cruise contract, which it says lets it off the hook for pricing errors. I didn’t see anything in Section 2 about pricing errors, but in several places on its site, Holland America gives itself the right to cancel a cruise for any “lawful” reason.

 In supplemental pricing terms, the company says, “Holland America Line reserves the right not to honor any published prices that it determines were erroneous due to printing, electronic or clerical error. Holland America Line shall have the right to refuse or cancel any bookings made at an incorrect price whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged.”

But was this an obvious error? I think $47 a day on a luxury cruise, with all meals included, is almost too good to be true. But for a last-minute deal during the off-season? Maybe not.

You did the right thing by taking screenshots and keeping a paper trail. You also tried to escalate the issue within the company.  When a front-line agent refuses to let you talk to a supervisor, it’s time to stop calling and start writing. You can find the names and email addresses of the Holland America executives on my advocacy site, Elliott.org. 

I reached out to Holland America on your behalf. 

“We regret that a pricing error briefly appeared for this voyage and apologize for the confusion this caused,” a representative told me. “Once the issue was identified, we promptly notified affected agents and guests.”

Holland America says it won’t honor the incorrect fare, but it has offered complimentary stateroom upgrades to anyone who chooses to continue with their voyage.” That “goodwill” upgrade required you to pay the extra $1,530 first. 

This is a disappointing result, especially considering your loyalty status. When a cruise line makes a mistake on its own website, it should own it—not ask its best customers to pay for the glitch. Next time, consider keeping your booking while you escalate your complaint to the executives. Once you hit “cancel,” your leverage disappears faster than the shrimp buffet on formal night.

I’m writing this column as a public service for the rest of us. I’m not happy about the resolution, but now you know: Even if you paid for everything, your cruise line can withdraw its offer and ask you to pay more.

Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter.