This spring Holland America Line announced Holland America Evolution, a $500-million multiyear bow-to-stern fleet update for six of the line's ships.
One of the more noteworthy bullet points on the list of improvements: 30 new purpose-built “Solo Verandah” staterooms aboard Oosterdam, a ship that currently offers no dedicated solo accommodations.
At the moment, Holland America's fleet includes three ships that have solo cabins—Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, and Rotterdam—each with 12 ocean-view solo staterooms lacking balconies.
The Oosterdam upgrade will raise that inventory significantly and will make this the first Holland America ship to feature solo balconies (or verandahs, in Holland America parlance).
And these are real balconies, we should specify—not those big TV screens that some lines put in select windowless cabins to tease exterior views you were too cheap to spring for.
“More travelers are opting to go it alone, yet cruising has traditionally lagged due to limited inventory,” reads a Holland America statement shared with Frommer’s.
“As Holland America Line has seen an increase in single passengers every year post-COVID, these new staterooms are designed to close that gap, offering 200 square feet of thoughtfully appointed space with a private balcony, dedicated workspace, and glass-walled shower at a competitive price point.”
It’s a nice move in an industry that has spent the last decade talking a big game about expanding solo cruise options while often taking only limited steps in that direction. (One notable exception: Riviera Travel’s river cruise ship MS George Eliot, debuting solo-exclusive voyages next year).
Several other cruise lines have solo cabins nowadays, but single-occupancy staterooms with balconies remain relatively rare.
Holland America's upgraded Oosterdam will join Royal Caribbean, P&O Cruises, Saga, and Oceania in the solo-balcony club. And Celebrity Cruises, too, if you count its “Infinite Verandas” (maybe for the sternum up?)
Holland America hasn’t announced pricing for the new Solo Verandah category. A representative told Frommer’s that “while we expect demand to be strong, we believe they will still be a better value for solo travelers than the current options available.”
Traditionally, cruise cabins have been sold on the assumption of double occupancy, and solo passengers have had to pay a “single supplement” to help make up for the revenue the line might lose from having one fewer person to charge for drinks, onboard upgrades, and upsells.
This charge for solo travelers can run as high as 200% of the per-person cruise fare, essentially making solo cruisers compensate lines for a phantom roommate's missed impulse purchases.
Solo cabins, on the other hand, are priced without those painful multipliers. And, as a result, "solo cabins on our Pinnacle Class ships have proved extremely popular,” as Holland America told us.
The new solo cabins with balconies are some ointment for the wound of Holland America killing one of the best deals in solo cruising last year by adding a 200% single supplement to the line's previously supplement-free Standby program.
Itineraries aboard the Oosterdam go on sale May 7 for voyages sailing in fall 2027.