Has anyone been on a cruise with a young child?

[eviefaye]

My dad, stepmom, myself and my 5 yr old nephew are going to Alaska May 13. My nephew has never done anything except going to Disneyland and we live an hour and half away. So this whole trip is going to be an awesome experience for everyone. This is my second cruise, and my parents 4/5. Anybody know anything about Club HAL? my nephew does have mild special needs and we like to be aware of things before hand. Anyhelp would be great!!! Thanks.

[carolcp]

My older daughter cruised on Hal at age 2,3,9, 12 and 17, the younger daughter 4, 8 and 13. They loved club HAL and it has gotten even better with time. Club Hal provides age appropriate activities for the kids. And no, it was not just movies and fingerpainting. Also in Club Hal, they kids got their fix for soda's at no charge.

At 5 years old, an adult will need to sign the child in/out and with ID. I don't think one adult can drop off and another pick up. I might be wrong on that one since I always did that. Club Hal makes it possible for the kids to find friends on the ship and for mom and dad to have some adult time together. The evening activies always seemed to be when we had dinner (late seating) so we fed the kids at the lido before they went to Club Hal.

Carol

[COLandlocked]

We just returned from the ZUI on 4/1. Our son, 6, spent every available hour in Club Hal (his decision). He loved it. They did things from reading books to pj parties, scavenger hunts and everything else in between. We had to fight with him to stay with us and on shore days he couldn't wait to get back to go to the evening "party". The kids are broken up into groups to age 6 and 6 to 12, then teens. You need to sign them in and the first day you give them a password and a listing of who can drop off and pick up. Whoever picks up the child needs to know the password. So I could drop him off and my husband can pick him up.

He made a ton of friends that we saw all over the boat and even on some excursions. He still talks about it and keeps asking when we can go back.

You will need to go to the orientation meeting the first day and do all the paperwork to register. It is easy and quick. I am not sure about special needs, but I can tell you that they are very aware of the kids. The cruise we were one was not a big group (and it was over spring break). This age group has 2 leaders (the same ones every day so they know the kids). One day my son had a terrible sunburn and we asked them to keep him out of the sun. They helped him with lotion and found fun things for him to do. They really seem to care. I do remember one little girl who had special needs and she seemed to be having as much fun as everyone else.

If your nephew is anything like my son, he will have a blast.

Enjoy your cruise!

[fridayeyes]

We cruised when my son was 14 mos and 5 yrs. He loved it. He recently overheard me talking to my travel agent while I was booking the May voyage in my sig and he went and got his Power Ranger suitcase.

Mom: What are you doing, punkin?

Kid: Packing.

Mom: For what?

Kid: For the cruise!

So I had to explain that only Mama got to go on that trip. Oops! He's in kindergarten and just had his first spring break. As soon as he understood there would be no school for a week he said "Mom, that means we can go on a short boat ride'.

I think he's hooked. :D

You and your nephew will have a great time. :)

[ks&ks]

We are looking into cruising with our daughter. She never cruised with us before and I was hoping someone could give me more details on the types of activities that Club Hal offers. I haven't been able to find much information and I'm exicted to find people that have used Club Hal. My daughter will be 5 when we go.

Also, do they provide snacks or meals in Club Hal? My dd has dietary restrictions and we have to be extreamly careful.

I'm so glad to hear good things about Club Hal.:)