Cruise and Stay

While you’re on board, everything is paid for using your cruise card and charged to your room, so there’s no need to pay for things in cash on the ship.

Silversea, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas and Star Clippers include all tips and gratuities in the price of the cruise. Holland America Line has a fixed amount for gratuities, which you can pre-pay through your Trusted Adviser. 

Your Trusted Adviser will be able to talk through the various options with you. If you’re prone to seasickness, you might prefer a cabin on a lower deck, towards the middle of the ship. Like to get up early for a morning swim? Go for a cabin on a higher deck, so you’re closer to the pool. For the best views from your balcony or veranda, we’d recommend a cabin or suite on the port side of the ship. 

There are advantages to both. Smaller ships are a little more intimate in atmosphere, and can get you into some of the smaller ports and more unusual destinations. Larger ships, meanwhile, have a lot more in the way of facilities and activities, so they’re perfect if you like lots to do.

Docking times vary from place to place and from cruise to cruise. Often, you’ll arrive early in the morning and depart late afternoon, but sometimes ships will just stay in port for a few hours, or will arrive later in the day to allow passengers to enjoy an evening ashore. Your Trusted Adviser will be able to give you the exact timings for each port of call on your itinerary. 

If you know what you’d like to do in a particular port, we’d recommend booking in advance – just give your Trusted Adviser a call and they’ll make sure you’re booked on.

If not, you can book once you’re on board the ship, but we’d suggest booking sooner rather than later, as some of the more popular excursions can get booked up quickly.

In some destinations, ships are unable to dock, so you’ll be taken to shore by a tender boat instead of being able to walk off the ship. Tenders run back and forth between the ship and shore frequently. Your Trusted Adviser will be able to let you know if any of your ports of call are tender ports.