Seventy-two hours. That's the whole clock. And it starts the minute your booking was created, not when you found the lower fare.
If you're reading this within that window, move fast. If you're reading this because you missed the window and are trying to understand what went wrong — there's still a section below for you, but the options are limited and honest about it. For the wider strategy, see our complete guide to Holland America price drops and fare monitoring.
Before You Touch the Form: Four Checks That Determine Whether This Is Worth Doing
1. Is the window still open?
Your booking confirmation shows the creation date and time. Add 72 hours. If that moment has passed, close this tab and read the after-the-window article instead. The form won't be accepted, and there's no exception pathway.
2. Is the lower fare on HollandAmerica.com?
Expedia doesn't count. Costco Travel doesn't count. Your agent's exclusive client rate doesn't count. A lower fare emailed to you as a promotion doesn't count unless it's also visible on HAL's public website right now. It has to be on hollandamerica.com, available to the public, bookable today.
3. Is the total value actually better?
This is the check people skip. HAL's Best Price Guarantee math compares cruise fares only — but you should compare everything before submitting.
The specific scenario that catches passengers: current booking has Have It All EBB (Elite Beverage, streaming Wi-Fi, prepaid gratuities). Lower fare carries only standard Have It All. The fare difference is $150 per person. On a 7-night sailing for two, the EBB premium is roughly $382 to $504 per stateroom. The total outcome of accepting the lower fare is negative. Submit the BPG claim, receive $360 in OBC, lose $400+ in package value. Net: you're worse off.
Write out the comparison. Current fare plus current inclusions on one side. New fare plus new inclusions on the other. If the new booking wins clearly, proceed. (This is why the Have It All package tier decides most HAL comparisons.)
4. Do you have a screenshot of the lower fare?
HAL's pricing moves. The fare that exists right now may not exist when the review team processes your claim. Documentation with a timestamp is your evidence. Take it before you do anything else.
Step 1: Capture the Documentation
Go to hollandamerica.com. Search your exact sailing — same ship, same departure date. Navigate to the specific stateroom category you booked. Find the current fare.
Screenshot the page showing: fare per person, sailing details, departure date, stateroom category. Then — this part matters — screenshot whatever package terms are attached to that lower fare. Have It All standard? EBB? Nothing? You need to know this for the comparison in check #3 above, and HAL may ask for it.
Timestamping: most devices automatically record the date and time a screenshot was taken. If yours doesn't, take a screenshot that includes a visible clock or browser address bar with a datestamp. Belt-and-suspenders documentation costs you nothing and protects you if the fare recovers.
Track your Holland America cruise price and get an alert when there's a fare drop — CruiseAlert.com
Step 2: Decide What You're Asking For
This trips people. There are two different outcomes available and they're not the same thing.
Option A — Receive 120% OBC, keep current booking terms. This is what the BPG form produces. Your booking stays at its original fare with its original package. You receive OBC equal to 120% of the fare difference. Your Have It All EBB, your promotional OBC from the original booking, your cabin assignment — all preserved.
Option B — Full reprice to the lower fare. Different request, different call or form. Your booking converts to the lower fare and its terms. New promotional package applies. Your original package may not survive.
For most passengers with EBB or a strong original promotional package, Option A is the right choice. The OBC plus intact original package is worth more than the lower fare with weaker terms.
For passengers whose lower fare carries the same or better package, Option B might make sense. But it's a separate decision.
Know which you're asking for before you call or submit.
Step 3: Submit the Form
Navigate to hollandamerica.com/en/us/cruise-deals/best-price-guarantee.
You'll need: booking confirmation number, lower fare details (sailing, category, fare per person), and your screenshot documentation.
If you booked through a travel agent, contact the agent with your documentation and ask them to submit on your behalf. Either you or the agent can file — eligibility is based on the booking, not who submits.
Timing inside the window: don't leave it to the final hour. The form submission plus review process has some processing time. Starting with 90 minutes left in the 72-hour window creates unnecessary risk. Check the fare on day one after booking and again on day two. Don't assume nothing changed.
Step 4: Verify What You Got
HAL applies the OBC to your booking folio. It doesn't always appear immediately — processing takes some time. If you don't see it reflected within a few business days of receiving an approval confirmation, follow up.
Verify:
OBC amount matches what was approved
Booking fare and package terms are unchanged (if you requested Option A)
Cabin assignment is unchanged
The OBC shows in your Sail & Sign account at embarkation. Usable from day one against shore excursions, beverages, specialty dining, spa, retail.
If the Claim Is Denied
Read the denial reason carefully. Most common causes: fare is no longer available when HAL reviewed the claim (timing — the fare recovered), the booking doesn't qualify (residency, currency, fare type), or the located fare isn't a match on ship/date/category.
If you believe the denial is wrong, contact HAL with your documentation. The timestamped screenshot of the lower fare at submission time is your argument that the fare existed when you filed.
After the Window: What's Left
If the 72 hours passed unchecked, you're in discretionary territory now. No form to submit. No formal mechanism — here's what you can actually do after the window closes.
The options that sometimes work:
A meaningful fare drop — $100+ per person — in the 6-to-10-week window before final payment, on a sailing with remaining inventory, contacted through an experienced HAL travel agent rather than a direct consumer call. That combination produces courtesy adjustments often enough to be worth the ask. Not reliably. Worth one attempt through the right channel.
The shore excursion BPG is the thing people consistently forget. No time restriction. Book a HAL excursion, find the same tour cheaper through Viator or a local operator, contact HAL, receive 110% OBC. Every port call on every Alaska or European sailing is worth a five-minute check.
What We've Seen
The most common failure isn't technical — it's behavioral. Passengers book on a Saturday afternoon, close the laptop, and don't think about the fare again until the following Thursday when someone on a cruise forum mentions a lower price. The window expired Monday at 3pm.
Checking the fare twice in the 72 hours after booking is the single highest-return action available to a HAL passenger. Most passengers skip it entirely. That's the gap.
Don't let the 72-hour window expire unchecked. CruiseAlert watches your exact HAL sailing and alerts you the moment a qualifying drop appears — so you can file the BPG claim while the lower fare is still live. Set a free price alert →
Common Questions
What if the lower fare disappeared before HAL reviewed my claim?
Your documentation — timestamped screenshot — is your evidence it existed at submission. Claims with clear documentation have better outcomes than claims without. No guarantee, but it helps.
Can I submit outside the US?
The BPG is for US and Canadian residents only. International bookings are not eligible under standard program terms.
Does submitting the BPG claim affect my Have It All package?
Not if you're receiving the OBC only (Option A). Your booking terms are unchanged. If you request a full reprice to the lower fare (Option B), the new fare's terms apply and may change your package.