My brother said Holland America has twice the crews working compared to customers on board?

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Kristina L

I'm in the under 40 crowd and Holland America is my cruise line of choice. The service is incrediable. How can they make a profit? Here is how:

They are not owned by an American company therefore they do not have to follow US standards of employment. They hire folks in low income countries with a good work ethic. They pay them very low, but they get tips too, which tend to be very good. The wages in US terms are pretty low, but the these jobs are sought after in many other counties.

It works out well. They can hire more people and it keeps their manpower costs lower.

Also, keep in mind that the higher levels of the ship costs a lot more. Your friends may be paying $600 a person but people in the larger suites are pay twice or three times that. The presidential suite costs a few thousand per person. They are bringing in quite a bit of money on those. And the larger suites probably need more than one person to catar to them

Also keep in mind, that the cruise line could probably run the ship on what they make in alcohol and casinos alone. People go to party and the markup on alcohol is high and many people walk out of the casino empty handed.

Hope that answers your question a bit.

Tivogal

i personally dont' think the ratio of crew to passengers is that high on holland america.
but my experience was very positive when i sailed on their ships.
hollandamerica.com
(cc)

Rock question

They dont make a ton of money, they are supported by their master company Carnival.

Andy

It's the other way around: the ratio is approximately 1crew member for 2 passengers. But remember that the majority of crew members have no interaction with the passengers. Nonetheless, the service is remarkable, and contrary to one poster, there are MANY people under 50 who sail with Holland America.

Mary L

I believe your brother is mistaken on the crew-to-passenger ratios. By the way, you can check those ratios for just about any ship via the cruise line web sites.

I really enjoy Holland America! The reputation is one of being for "older passengers", and while it is true that the average age is higher than a few others, there are actually people of all ages on board almost every cruise -- a bit more sedate, perhaps, and not party-hardy with a bunch of heavy drinkers.

About the food -- it is excellent! I almost feel a bit disloyal to Cunard in saying this, but Holland America's food is even a bit better than the food on the QE2, especially their breads, chilled soups, and steaks.

dlc

Holland America tends to cater to more established older customers who expect a higher level of service. Good part is that helps with comfort, flip-side of it is you may be one of the younger people on board if you are under 50. On our Panama Canal trip a couple years ago, Holland did an excellent job.

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