Cruisers Charged Hundreds for Shore Excursion They Didn’t Take
A simple miscommunication resulted in a couple being charged $800 for a shore excursion they never even participated in.
In January of 2025, a cruise guest, named Gabriele, and their partner embarked on a Holland America Line sailing to Baja California (Mexico). As part of their voyage, they hoped to partake in a popular whale watching shore excursion.
This activity costs $400 per person – and despite the high price tag – already had a waiting list by the time the couple was looking to reserve their spot.
They joined the list and remained hopeful that they would receive word of spots opening up – and were told they would be given three days to authorize the final purchase if that happened.
“Holland America confirmed our spot on the waiting list and told us that if spots opened up, it would notify us by email ‘on how to complete the purchase,’ giving us 72 hours to do so,” Gabriele told “The New York Times.”
But as the sailing approached, Gabriele and her partner had heard nothing from the Carnival-owned cruise line and chose to book their own whale watching adventure through a private vendor instead.
Now, imagine the couple’s surprise when they discovered an $800 charge on their credit card and found a note on their stateroom door telling them that they had indeed been added to the excursion soon after embarking.
By this point, it was likely too late for the cruisers to cancel their other excursion and get their money back – so this was no longer welcomed news. Unfortunately, the shore excursions desk was not available to assist urgently.
“We went immediately, but the desk was closed. We returned the next morning, only to be told we had apparently missed a 48-hour post-purchase deadline to cancel,” Gabriele explained.
“But the notice did not mention any deadline — and more outrageously, we had never agreed to the purchase in the first place! Appealing to the manager did not help, nor did a 53-minute call to guest relations after the cruise,” the cruiser continued.
The couple assumed this would be a simple fix with the cruise line – especially because the couple either didn’t see or receive the notification that spots opened up on the excursion – but the guest services team initially refused to refund the $800.
A Change In Policy
This charge was understandably quite frustrating – especially because the couple never actually authorized the payment in the end and did try to reach out for help from the crew members sooner than they were able to receive it.
As the couple was unsuccessful on their own, “The New York Times” reached out to Holland America Line on their behalf – and was able to secure a full refund for the couple.
“This was our error, and we apologize for the mistake,” Jeanine Takala, a cruise line spokeswoman, told the outlet.
Per Takala, the protocol for notifying guests of new information changes once onboard – with communication happening through the Navigator App and physical letters in staterooms instead of emails.
However, the couple was unaware of this – and only Gabriele’s partner used the app while onboard. If they received a notification, they didn’t see it or didn’t understand what it was.
Read Also: 10 Worst Cruise Fails You Can Prepare For
Additionally, Takala added that Holland America Line has also implemented a new policy for wait-listed shore excursions as of May 17, 2025 – which is important for all future guests to be aware of.
Instead of having up to 72 hours to respond to offers to join wait-listed shore excursions, guests may have only 24 hours to decide if they still want to join.
“As of this week, when excursion spots open up after the ship has set sail, wait-listed passengers will be notified and given a short period (often 24 hours, depending on when the excursion is scheduled) in which to accept the spot, or they lose it and won’t be charged,” Takala wrote in a subsequent email to the news outlet.
But even with switching to a shorter response time, guests still have the right to refuse or authorize the purchase – which is a key step that got skipped here.
The normal default should be that cruisers who don’t provide an affirmative response within the set time period are then skipped and the opportunity is given to the next party on the waitlist – which is true of the new policy.
Cruisers Charged Hundreds for Shore Excursion They Didn’t Take