Holland America Line Cruise Line Has a Bold Offer

The cruise line does not advertise nearly as much as Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Disney so it's trying something different.

Author:
Jeffrey Quiggle
Publish date:
Nov 16, 2022 2:25 PM EST

Thanksgiving is fast upon us. For many, that means spending time with family and other loved ones while over-indulging on food and drink.

For those in any business that sells products and services to customers, Thanksgiving week marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. That means Black Friday deals, Cyber Monday deals and even week-long sales or more.

As companies attempt to out-duel each other to provide customers with best buys, they are also in a race to instill them with brand-loyalty and to move their profits for the year out of negative territory and into the black.

For years before the 2000s, it was common for many retailers to open their doors at 6 a.m., but soon that changed to stores opening at 4 a.m or 5 a.m.

By the 2010s, many stores were opening as early as 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and then extending hours on Black Friday until late at night. Episodes of confrontations among customers competing for places in line or for products sometimes led to violence. These episodes were heavily reported by the media.

For many, the madness was too much to handle and potential customers would stay away.

These rapidly escalating events coincided, many would say thankfully, with the rise in popularity of e-commerce. Consumers could purchase goods and services online and escape the craziness of retail shopping on Black Friday.

So businesses began promoting Cyber Monday, either extending sales from the Friday after Thanksgiving through online deals on the Monday after Thanksgiving, or simply adding online shopping deals on Cyber Monday exclusively.

This practice extended early holiday shopping sales beyond the retail sector to other businesses that did not have brick-and-mortar stores.

Holland America Line Lead JS 111622 — KOEN VAN WEEL/ANP/AFP via Getty Images

A Cruise Ship Company Offers Black Friday Deals

This year, Holland America Line is offering a 10-day "Black Friday" sale, Nov. 17 to Nov. 27. The company requires that a purchase must be made during these days, but the sailings can occur any time between the end of 2022 to 2024.

The deals involve up to 40% off cruise fares and other amenities such as prepaid gratuities, called crew appreciation. The company says that by combining a Black Friday deal with another of its promotions, a passenger can get deals on perks such as shore excursions, beverage packages, specialty dining and Wi-Fi.

"Black Friday is all about the best deals of the season, and including crew appreciation can add up to significant savings, especially when you also factor in reduced cruise fares," said Beth Bodensteiner, chief commercial officer for Holland America Line, in a press release. "If you want to enhance the value of your cruise even more, combine the Black Friday Offer with our Have It All premium package. Now is the time to book that dream cruise."