Holland America Line does not enforce a strict numerical baggage limit or charge per-bag luggage fees on cruise-only itineraries. The line officially advises guests to bring no more than two checked bags (recommended up to 50 lbs or 23 kg each) plus one carry-on bag to fit cabin storage. Alaska Cruisetour land segments strictly cap luggage at one tour bag per guest.
Holland America Baggage Rules at a Glance
Holland America Line charges no checked baggage fees on standard cruises and advises bringing two checked bags per person. Stricter single-bag limits apply to Alaska Cruisetour land legs, and heating appliances are strictly barred from all ships.
What can change: Cruisetour itineraries include strict motorcoach and rail allowances. Commercial flights taken before or after the cruise remain subject to individual airline baggage rules and fees.
Official Source Verification
Baggage rules can vary by itinerary, vessel class, port authority regulations, and land-tour package. BaggageBase separates confirmed maritime policies from operational advice.
How Baggage Works on Holland America Line
Cruising with Holland America Line involves a baggage system completely different from commercial airline flights or regional rail services. The cruise line does not check bags behind an airport counter, nor does it charge fees for each bag you bring aboard.
Instead, luggage handling on Holland America Line relies on a shared maritime system:
- Guests drop large bags with terminal longshoremen curbside before entering the terminal.
- Bags undergo security screening in the terminal's staging areas.
- Shipboard crew members deliver suitcases directly to stateroom doors during the afternoon and evening.
- Guests carry a separate small boarding bag containing travel documents, medications, and valuable electronics.
Understanding this sequence prevents the common mistake of handing over critical identity documents or daily prescriptions to curbside porters hours before accessing your stateroom.
Holland America Checked Baggage Allowances
Holland America Line does not enforce a rigid numeric limit on luggage for standard cruise itineraries. However, shipboard staterooms have structural boundaries, and maritime safety regulations forbid placing excess luggage in ship corridors.
Cruise-Only Itineraries
For standard ocean sailings, Holland America officially recommends bringing no more than two checked bags per guest, alongside a small carry-on bag or day pack.
The reasons for this recommendation include:
- Cabin Storage Capacity: All luggage must fit inside your assigned stateroom closets, shelving units, or beneath the bed frame.
- Corridor Clearances: Leaving bags in public corridors, elevator landings, or emergency stairwells is strictly prohibited under International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations.
- Porthole and Transfer Handling: Excessive quantities of luggage slow down the embarkation workflow and can lead to delivery delays on sailing day.
Luggage Weight Limits
Holland America Line does not place passenger suitcases on a scale at the cruise terminal. There are no overweight baggage fees charged by the cruise line.
Even without fees, travelers should keep individual suitcases at or below 50 lbs (23 kg). Terminal porters and stateroom stewards manually handle thousands of bags within a five-hour embarkation window. Suitcases that are too heavy risk physical handling injury and rougher transport.
Furthermore, if your cruise vacation includes commercial flights, domestic and international airlines will enforce their own baggage weight restrictions and fees independently of the cruise line.
Embarkation Day: Curbside Drop-Off and Cabin Delivery
Embarkation day involves two distinct luggage paths: items checked curbside with porters and items you carry through the terminal yourself.
1. Curbside Porter Drop-Off
When you arrive at the cruise terminal by shuttle, car, or ride-share:
- Shore-side longshoremen (porters) meet you outside the terminal building to receive large bags.
- Every checked bag must have an official Holland America Line luggage tag attached before it is handed over.
- Porters load the bags into large rolling metal cargo cages for terminal X-ray screening and crane loading onto the ship.
- Tipping curbside porters is customary at North American ports, usually between $2 and $5 per bag, though it is not a cruise line fee.
2. Baggage Screening Behind the Scenes
After drop-off, your checked luggage passes through industrial security X-ray scanners operated by terminal security and port authorities. These scanners screen for prohibited items, weapons, flammable liquids, open heating elements, and non-permitted alcohol. If an unapproved device is detected, the bag is held aside in the ship’s security locker, and the passenger is paged to unlock and inspect the bag in person.
3. Stateroom Delivery Timeline
Once cleared, shipboard luggage teams organize bags by deck and cabin number:
- Bags begin arriving outside staterooms shortly after cabins open to guests, usually around 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
- Deliveries continue progressively through the afternoon. In busy turn-around ports, final bags can arrive as late as 7:00 PM or 8:00 PM.
- Because bags arrive in waves, one travel partner’s suitcase may arrive hours ahead of another’s, even if both were checked together at the curb.
Embarkation Carry-On Bag Guidelines
Your carry-on bag stays with you from the moment you step into the cruise terminal until you enter your stateroom. Because cabins are often not accessible until early afternoon, your carry-on must be easy to handle while you visit the Lido Market or explore open decks.
Carry-On Size and Terminal Scanners
Carry-on bags must fit through standard passenger screening X-ray machines inside the cruise terminal.
- Most cruise terminal security scanners accept carry-on luggage up to roughly 24 inches wide by 16 inches high (61 cm x 41 cm), similar to standard airport security screening.
- Oversized garment bags or massive rolling bags that cannot pass through the security tunnel must be handed to curbside porters for processing through the main cargo screening lines.
Critical Items to Keep in Your Carry-On
Never place essential personal items in luggage handed to curbside porters. Always keep the following in your carry-on bag:
- Identification & Travel Paperwork: Passports, government photo identification, visas, and printed boarding passes.
- Medications: All daily prescription drugs, over-the-counter necessities, and medical apparatus (such as CPAP supplies), with at least a seven-day buffer.
- Valuables: Fine jewelry, cash, credit cards, watches, laptops, tablets, and expensive camera gear.
- First-Day Essentials: A change of clothes for dinner, a swimsuit, sunglasses, and essential grooming items in case your checked bags arrive after dinner seatings begin.
- Permitted Beverages: Any allowable personal wine or champagne bottles must be carried by hand through passenger security checkpoints.
Printing and Attaching Holland America Luggage Tags
Before leaving home, every guest must generate and print their customized Holland America luggage tags. These tags feature the ship name, sailing date, passenger name, deck level, and stateroom number.
How to Access Luggage Tags
- Log in to your booking on the Holland America Line website or access the Holland America Line Navigator app.
- Complete all required online check-in steps, including passenger contact details, passport verification, and onboard payment registration.
- Once check-in is complete and your cabin number is assigned, open the travel documents tab to download the printable PDF luggage tag sheet.
Assembling and Protecting Paper Tags
- Folding Process: Print the tag on standard paper, then fold it lengthwise and crosswise along the marked guide lines to build a durable, layered strip.
- Attachment: Loop the strip securely around your suitcase handle and staple or tape the indicated ends together.
- Plastic Tag Sleeves: Many travelers insert the paper into clear, reusable PVC cruise tag holders. These plastic sleeves seal with a zip enclosure and fasten with steel wire loops, keeping the paper tags from ripping off in transit or getting ruined by rain.
- Guarantee (GTY) Cabins: If you booked an unassigned guarantee stateroom and do not have an assigned cabin number before leaving home, print your tags showing "GTY." Pier porters have master manifests on embarkation morning and will write your newly assigned cabin number on heavy-duty blank tags at the curb.
Stateroom Storage & Bed Clearance
Holland America vessels feature well-planned staterooms, but open floor space is limited. Keeping suitcases organized and out of the way makes the cabin much more comfortable.
Under-Bed Storage Space
The best place to store empty luggage during your sailing is flat underneath the stateroom bed:
- Vertical Clearance: Holland America stateroom bed frames offer approximately 7 to 9 inches (18 to 23 cm) of vertical clearance above the carpet.
- Suitcase Fit: Standard rolling luggage up to 28 inches long fits underneath the bed without difficulty when laid flat.
- Nesting Technique: If you bring multiple bags, unpack them into the wardrobes and slide smaller carry-on suitcases inside larger checked bags before sliding them under the mattress frame.
- Thick Hard-Shell Bags: If an extra-deep hard-shell suitcase will not clear the metal frame edge, slightly lift the edge of the mattress to slide the bag under, or open the suitcase like a book and slide the two halves flat beneath the bed.
Closet and Wardrobe Features
Staterooms across the Holland America fleet feature built-in wardrobes equipped with clothing rods, adjustable shelving sections, full-length mirrors, and electronic wall safes. Wire and wooden hangers are provided by your stateroom steward, who can provide additional hangers upon request.
Holland America Alcohol, Wine & Beverage Rules
Holland America Line enforces specific rules regarding outside beverages brought on board. Items outside these rules will be confiscated during embarkation security checks.
Wine and Champagne Policy
Guests of legal drinking age (21 years or older for cruises departing North American ports) may bring personal bottles of wine or champagne on board during initial embarkation, subject to the following rules:
- Bottle Size: Bottles must be standard 750 ml containers. Large 1.5-liter magnums or boxed wines are not allowed.
- Carry-On Requirement: All wine and champagne must be packed inside your carry-on luggage. Never pack glass bottles in checked bags, where they can shatter under the weight of other luggage.
- Corkage Fees: A standard corkage fee of $20.00 USD per 750 ml bottle generally applies. Holland America charges this fee when bottles are brought to shipboard dining venues, specialty restaurants, or public lounges. Bottles brought aboard beyond published allowances are assessed the $20 fee regardless of where they are consumed.
Prohibited Alcoholic Beverages
- Hard Liquor & Spirits: Distilled spirits, rum, whiskey, vodka, liqueurs, and prepared mixed cocktails are strictly barred from passenger luggage.
- Beer: Bringing beer on board is not permitted.
- Confiscation Protocol: Any hard liquor or beer discovered during terminal screening is confiscated by security, inventoried with your name and stateroom number, and returned to you on the final morning of the cruise.
Non-Alcoholic Drinks and Plastic Bottle Policies
- Single-Use Plastics: To reduce environmental waste, Holland America Line prohibits guests from carrying cases of single-use plastic water bottles onto the ship.
- Canned Beverages: Guests may bring a small personal quantity of non-alcoholic drinks-such as sodas, seltzers, canned water, or juice cartons-in their carry-on baggage. This is generally limited to a maximum of 6 to 12 small containers per stateroom.
Prohibited Items & Stateroom Safety Rules
International maritime fire regulations strictly prohibit passengers from bringing appliances with exposed heating elements or items that can overload the ship's electrical grid.
Forbidden Appliances and Electronics
- Clothes Irons & Garment Steamers: Electric irons and clothing steamers are strictly forbidden due to fire risks. Holland America offers professional shipboard pressing and laundry services for a fee. Several ships also feature self-service passenger launderettes with complimentary irons and ironing boards.
- Surge-Protected Power Strips: Standard household surge protectors can fail on a ship’s ungrounded electrical wiring, causing dangerous electrical shorts. Only cruise-approved, non-surge multi-plug outlet taps without cords are permitted.
- Heating Pads & Electric Blankets: Prohibited unless approved through Guest Accessibility for documented medical reasons.
- Candles and Incense: All open-flame items, incense burners, and tea lights are strictly barred.
Banned Substances and Weapons
- Cannabis and CBD Products: All forms of marijuana-including medicinal cannabis, THC concentrates, CBD gummies, and vape cartridges-are strictly illegal under federal maritime law. Possession of cannabis at the terminal or on board will result in denied boarding, confiscation, and reporting to law enforcement.
- Weapons: Firearms, realistic replica guns, ammunition, switchblades, diving knives with blades over 2.5 inches, martial arts gear, and fireworks are completely prohibited.
Permitted Medical Devices and Drones
- CPAP / BiPAP Equipment: Medical breathing apparatuses are welcomed on board and do not count toward your baggage limits. Bring a manufacturer-approved, non-surge extension cord, or request an extension cord and distilled water directly from your stateroom steward on your first day.
- Drones: Recreational drones may be brought aboard for use on land only, subject to local destination laws. Drones cannot be operated from the ship at any time, whether at sea or docked at the pier, and must stay stored in your cabin while on the ship.
Alaska and Yukon Cruisetour Baggage Rules
Holland America Line’s Alaska Cruisetours combine an ocean cruise with an inland land tour through Denali National Park, Anchorage, Fairbanks, or the Yukon. If your booking includes a land tour, standard cruise baggage guidelines do not apply to the land portions.
Because passengers travel aboard luxury motorcoaches, McKinley Explorer domed rail cars, and small transfer shuttles, land segments enforce strict baggage restrictions.
The Mandatory One-Bag Rule for Land Tours
On the land segment of any Cruisetour, every traveler is strictly limited to:
- One piece of checked luggage (maximum 50 lbs / 23 kg). This primary bag moves between your hotels and wilderness lodges daily.
- One small day bag or backpack containing daily items, cameras, outer jackets, and medications that you keep with you on the train or motorcoach.
The "Join On Board" (JOB) Luggage Solution
To help guests who need cruise attire and formal wear on the ship without hauling it through the interior of Alaska, Holland America uses a luggage split process:
- Specialized Tagging: At the start of your tour, you receive color-coded tags distinguishing your "Travel Tour Bag" from your cruise-only luggage.
- "Join On Board" Bags: Pack evening wear, extra cruise shoes, and non-essential gear into a secondary bag and label it as "Join On Board" (JOB).
- Separate Transport: Holland America transports your "Join On Board" bag directly to your cruise stateroom. It will be waiting in your stateroom when you board the vessel, eliminating the need to haul heavy cruise bags across Alaska's interior.
Disembarkation Baggage Procedures
Disembarkation morning requires sorting and moving thousands of bags off the ship within a few hours. Holland America offers two primary ways to disembark with your bags.
1. Traditional Luggage Collection (Night Before)
- Tag Delivery: On the second-to-last day of your voyage, your stateroom attendant provides numbered and color-coded luggage tags.
- Hallway Placement: Pack your large suitcases, affix the colored tags, and place the bags in the hallway outside your stateroom door between 8:00 PM and 11:00 PM on the final evening.
- Overnight Transfer: The ship’s baggage crew collects all hallway bags overnight, moves them to the ship's hold, and unloads them onto terminal conveyor belts or carousels the following morning.
- Terminal Baggage Claim: You leave the ship carrying only your small day bag, enter the terminal baggage hall, locate your color-coded zone, grab your luggage, and proceed through customs screening.
2. Silent Debark / Self-Assist Express Walk-Off
- The Process: Guests who prefer not to leave their bags outside the night before can choose the Self-Assist option.
- Rules: You keep all your luggage inside your cabin on the final night. When the local port authority clears the ship (typically between 7:00 AM and 7:45 AM), Self-Assist guests are the very first group permitted to leave.
- Physical Requirement: You must be able to carry, lift, and roll all of your suitcases, carry-ons, and bags unassisted across gangways and through the terminal without crew help.
Holland America Luggage Direct (Select Homeports)
At select major turnaround ports (such as Fort Lauderdale and Seattle) with participating domestic airlines, Holland America offers Luggage Direct:
- For a per-passenger service fee (plus standard airline baggage fees), your bags are picked up from the stateroom hallway on the final night, checked onto your airline flight, and sent directly to your home airport carousel.
- You receive airline boarding passes in your stateroom and head straight to airport security without claiming bags at the cruise pier. Inquire at Guest Relations early in your cruise to check eligibility and flight departure cut-offs.
Cruise Line Baggage Comparison
Comparing policies across major lines highlights how Holland America’s rules compare to other operators:
| Cruise Line | Luggage Fee | Standard Bag Advice | Carry-On Screen Limit | Alcohol Carry-On Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holland America Line | $0 | 2 checked bags per guest (1-bag cap on land tours) | Must fit terminal X-ray scanner (~24" x 16") | 750 ml wine/champagne allowed ($20 corkage fee applies) |
| Carnival Cruise Line baggage rules | $0 | 2 checked bags per guest recommended (50 lbs max) | Max 24" x 16" through scanner | One 750 ml bottle wine/champagne per adult in carry-on |
| Royal Caribbean luggage policy | $0 | 2 checked bags per guest recommended | Must fit terminal X-ray scanner | Up to two 750 ml bottles of wine per stateroom |
| Norwegian Cruise Line luggage rules | $0 | 2 checked bags per guest recommended (50 lbs max) | Must fit terminal X-ray scanner | Wine/champagne permitted with corkage fee per bottle |
Holland America Embarkation Luggage Checklist
Use this packing checklist before heading to your embarkation port to prevent baggage delays and confiscations.
- Print luggage tags before leaving home. Download tags via the Navigator app or website check-in, fold them along the guides, and fasten them with clear plastic tag sleeves.
- Keep all travel documents in your carry-on bag. Never pack passports, visas, or boarding passes into luggage handed to curbside porters.
- Pack daily medications with a seven-day buffer. Keep all essential prescriptions and medical devices with you in case cabin delivery is delayed.
- Remove prohibited heating appliances and surge protectors. Leave clothes irons, garment steamers, candles, and standard extension cords at home to avoid security holds.
- Pack permitted wine bottles in your carry-on luggage. Ensure bottles are standard 750 ml containers; avoid packing glass inside checked suitcases where it can shatter.
- Separate your bags for Alaska Cruisetours. Tag your primary suitcase for the land expedition and clearly label secondary luggage as "Join On Board" for direct ship delivery.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many suitcases can I bring on a Holland America cruise?
Holland America Line does not enforce a rigid numeric limit on cruise-only sailings, but recommends bringing no more than two checked bags per guest plus a small carry-on bag. This keeps your luggage manageable and ensures that all bags fit comfortably within stateroom wardrobes or under-bed storage areas.
Does Holland America weigh your bags at check-in?
No, Holland America Line does not weigh checked baggage at the terminal curb or check-in counters. However, keeping suitcases under 50 lbs (23 kg) is strongly advised for safe handling by terminal porters and to avoid airline overweight fees if you fly before or after your cruise.
Can I carry all my own luggage onto the ship myself?
Yes, guests may choose to carry their own luggage onto the ship instead of checking it with curbside porters. However, any luggage carried through the terminal must fit through standard passenger X-ray scanners (roughly 24 inches wide by 16 inches high), and you must be able to manage all bags yourself across the gangway.
Are clothes steamers or travel irons allowed on Holland America?
No, clothes irons and garment steamers are fire hazards and are strictly prohibited on all Holland America ships. If detected during terminal screening, they will be confiscated and returned upon disembarkation. Many ships feature self-service passenger launderettes with complimentary irons and ironing boards, and professional pressing services are available fleet-wide.
How do I print luggage tags for a Holland America cruise?
Luggage tags are generated electronically after completing online check-in on the Holland America Line website or mobile Navigator app. Download the PDF file, print the tags at home, fold them according to the instructions, and staple or secure them into clear luggage tag holders on your suitcase handles before arriving at the terminal.
Can I bring my own wine or champagne on board?
Yes, guests of legal drinking age may bring 750 ml bottles of wine or champagne on board during embarkation, provided they are packed in your carry-on bag. A standard corkage fee of $20.00 USD per bottle applies when consumed in public dining rooms or lounges, or on bottles brought beyond published complimentary limits.
Can I bring a power strip or extension cord?
Standard household surge-protected power strips and household extension cords are strictly prohibited because they create fire risks on maritime electrical grids. You may bring multi-plug outlet adapters that lack surge suppression and do not have power cords. Extension cords for medical equipment, such as CPAP machines, can be provided by your stateroom steward.
Baggage allowances, terminal handling rules, and beverage policies can change based on port location, itinerary, and local maritime regulations. Always review your official Holland America Line cruise contract and pre-cruise documentation before departure, as the cruise line's official terms prevail.
