If you book Holland America for 2027 and beyond, you’ll want to know about this one before you click “reserve.” The line has rolled out a new cancellation schedule for bookings made on or after September 29, 2026, and it’s a noticeable change for anyone who likes to keep their options open. It also looks like part of a bigger trend across Carnival Corporation, but more on that below.
Final Payment Is Now Due 120 Days Before Sailing
For all cruises except Grand World and Grand Voyages, final payment is now due 120 days before departure. That includes sailings of 13 nights or fewer, which used to have a 90 day deadline. Here’s how the new cancellation schedule works:
- Final payment is due 120 days before departure.
- Cancel 119 to 91 days before sailing: 75% refund, which means a 25% penalty.
- Cancel 90 to 61 days before sailing: 50% refund.
- Cancel 60 days or fewer before sailing: no refund.
Under the current schedule, most cruises of 13 nights or fewer let you cancel for a full refund up until 90 days before departure, and the no refund window didn’t begin until 45 days out. So the new terms push final payment 30 days earlier and start the no refund period 15 days earlier.
The good news is that existing reservations keep the terms shown on their booking confirmation. Holland America also has separate transition rules for certain previously opened Caribbean, Europe, transatlantic and Alaska itineraries, so if you’ve already booked one of those, check your paperwork.
This hits the shorter Caribbean sailings hardest, the kind many Holland America regulars book out of Fort Lauderdale. You’ll now need to commit your full payment four months ahead, and if your plans change, you could lose 25% of the total cruise price during a stretch that used to carry no standard penalty at all.
There’s one nuance worth mentioning. The new unified schedule isn’t harsher at every stage for longer cruises. Some bookings of 14 nights or longer actually keep partial refunds closer to departure than they did under the old rules. So if you’re a longer itinerary cruiser, the picture is more mixed.
Princess Did Something Similar Earlier This Month
If this sounds familiar, it should. Princess Cruises, another Carnival Corporation brand, made a very similar move on September 2, 2026, which we covered in our article Princess Changes Booking, Deposit & Cancellation Rules for 2027. For new bookings on cruises departing January 1, 2027 or later, Princess also moved final payment to 120 days before sailing for all cruise lengths, up from 90 days on most sailings of 13 nights or fewer.
Princess went a step further in a few ways. It raised its standard deposits, and its penalty schedule for cruises up to 44 days is steeper than Holland America’s. Cancel 91 to 112 days out and you’ll pay a 50% penalty. Cancel 61 to 90 days out and it jumps to 75%. Inside 60 days, it’s a full 100% penalty. By comparison, Holland America’s 90 to 61 day window carries a 50% penalty, not 75%.
Princess also made nonrefundable deposits the standard option for most new bookings back in October 2025, so the lower fare you see advertised may put your deposit at risk right away. Holland America’s announcement doesn’t change anything about that, but it’s a good reminder to read the fine print on whichever fare you pick.
Two lines under the same parent company adopting nearly identical 120 day final payment deadlines within a month of each other doesn’t feel like a coincidence. If you sail Carnival Corporation brands regularly, it’s smart to assume this could spread, and to check the payment terms on every new booking rather than relying on what you remember from your last cruise.
If you’re booking a shorter 2027 sailing on either line, think a little harder about travel insurance and about how firm your dates really are. Four months out is a long way to look ahead, and life doesn’t always cooperate. If you’re considering coverage, look into it soon after you make your first deposit, since some policies have purchase deadlines that start from that date.
