Holland America Line is managing staffing shortages: Travel Weekly

Staffing shortages are causing Holland America Line to shuffle crew between ships.

Michael Smith, senior vice president of guest experience, said that crew members from ships with lowerOccupancy are being moved to ships with higherOccupancy.

We are able to juggle with 11 ships. Smith said that they have that luxury.

The galley is the most affected area. Smith said that staff shortages could lead to restaurants closing for an evening when reservations are low. He said that hiring challenges have not bled into customer experiences.

Smith made the comments during a seven-day voyage from Amsterdam to Rotterdam. This sailing has 1,600 guests and the crew-guest ratio is 1-to-2. The previous sailing carried just over 2,000 guests.

The ratios appear favorable and above normal, but the general manager of the hotel expects the ship to reach near capacity in July. The ship has 2,680 passengers.

Holland America is in the middle of a hiring spree to fill crew gaps. Oorschot said that the recruitment efforts are currently centered in Asia, with plans to recruit next in Eastern Europe.

Smith said that long wait times for visa appointments have hampered the hiring of people to work on ships.

Holland America is not the only line that is struggling to staff its ships. Some of the dining service staff from Princess Cruises have been lent by some of the HAL ships.