How I Booked My “Free” Holland America Cruise to Alaska!

Background:

I just got back from a “free” Holland America cruise by taking part in a promotion that Holland America was having. Frequent Miler was highlighting the Holland America Players Club Match earlier this year, and I decided to try to partake in it!

Holland America Players Club Match:

So, Holland America Cruise Line is offering a promotion where your “Loyalty and offers from other casinos could earn you a free cruise”. All you have to do is submit casino status and/or competing cruise line offers and possibly get a free cruise. The offer is still active, and at the time of posting, valid for sailings until the end of the year but they could possibly extend it.

Note that online reports state that if you’ve been on a Carnival family cruise (Carnival, Princess, Holland America) and didn’t gamble a lot, they could target you for a lower offer like “$200 in free play”. Thankfully, I don’t cruise much and have never been on Carnival, so that didn’t happen to me!

I submitted my information online, attached my MGM Gold Players Card, and in two days I got an email from a partnership marketing representative for:

HALMatch 1: Complimentary Interior Cabin + $100 Freeplay with Drinks for two (2) while playing in the casino
Offer Description: Valid on eligible sailings to Alaska, Mexico, Caribbean, Coastal, and Canada/New England on 2023 sailings (blackout dates may apply)

Woo hoo! The email stated that also this offer was eligible for 60 days to be redeemed. My dad did the same thing I did, and he also received the offer.

Booking:

We decided to take an Alaska Cruise and found a newer boat, the Koningsdam, departing from Vancouver for a 7 Night Inside Passage. I had never been to Alaska before, so I was excited to try it out.

To book, you have to call in. Essentially, you can book any inside cabin (even ones that are pricier due to their location on the boat). I chose an inside cabin that was midship, and larger than your standard inside cabin. I would just be on the hook for taxes, fees, and port expenses which came out to $245 per passenger. The inside cabin I reserved was selling for about $650 per person (before taxes, fees, and port expenses). Quite a good deal!

My dad ended up upgrading his cabin to an obstructed balcony, so he had to pay the cash difference from the inside cabin to the obstructed balcony. For our voyage, it was $840 to upgrade (total for 2 people), plus the $245 per passenger in port expenses.

As with most cruise lines, gratuities are not included. In Holland America, gratuities are $16 per person per day.

Also just a random disclaimer, the Holland America website is kinda janky for logging in and checking your reservations. You’ll have to be patient with it, but I’m honestly kind of surprised such a large cruise line has such a horrible website.

Visiting The Casino on Board:

We weren’t the luckiest in the casino, but the $100 free play was loaded up in our room key/cards so that provided some fun. I did lose additional funds on top of that too sadly…but had a good time. If you want the free drinks you’ll have to get a sticker on your room key from the casino so they won’t charge your room.

For some fun news, I was mildly addicted to the deal or no-deal scratch-offs they were selling. Overall, I didn’t win on the scratch-offs per se, but there was a second chance drawing where you could spin a wheel and win up to $200 if you were one of the 3 selected. To my delight, I was chosen and spun the wheel and won $30, which helped me recoup most of my scratch-off losses… That was fun!

The Verdict:

Overall, I had fun trying out the free Holland America cruise offer aboard the Koningsdam. I’ll be posting more about the cruise itself, so stay tuned if you’re interested in reading more about the Koningsdam itself. I’m not quite sure if I am a cruise person, but overall I had an enjoyable trip to Alaska.

Have you booked a free Holland America cruise before? How was your experience? Comment below!

Cheers,

Ty

Holland America Koningsdam Cruise Report:

Check out my Koningsdam Cruise Report below

• How I booked my “free” Holland America Cruise to Alaska
• Room Review: Holland America Koningsdam Inside Cabin and Obstructed Verandah
• Alaska Inside Passage Ports on Holland America’s Koningsdam
• Holland America Koningsdam Dining and Entertainment

Have any questions? I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays, cruises or planning trips. Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!