Kids on the Noordam??

[mrszuhwiggins]

Hi - I'm thinking about booking a cruise in November on the Noordam and have two kids - ages 8 and 9. We've sailed on Royal Carribean and Norwegian and the kids have always had a blast in the Kids Programs. I'm concerned that with the average age of passengers hovering around 50 + that the kids won't have any playmates. Anyone travel on the Noordam recently and can comment on the number of families/quality of the kids programs? Also if anyone can comment in general on the differences (good or bad) between a Royal Carribean/Norwegian cruise and Holland America, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!!

[mommybunny21]

I must join you with your concern about children on the Noordam. this much i can tell you-i have been posting questions re kids on the noordam for weeks now and have gotten NO replies!!?!I have booked the 2/17 cruise hoping many kids will be on as it is winter break here in NY. i'm assuming many kids will be on that ship.

[pattie623]

I have booked a cruise for Novemeber 15-25 with my 9 year old son and 12 year old daughter. I think this is the best time of year with Thanksgiving break for the kids. I really don't want ALOT of other kids cause then they might get lost in the shuffle. I heard that you can call to see what the count is for children on the ship. If you are plannig on that cruise, at least you know you will have some other kids! If you book it, we could let the kids e-mail and get to know each other before the cruise then they have something to look forward to.

Pattie, NJ

[middle-aged mom]

I must join you with your concern about children on the Noordam. this much i can tell you-i have been posting questions re kids on the noordam for weeks now and have gotten NO replies!!?!I have booked the 2/17 cruise hoping many kids will be on as it is winter break here in NY. i'm assuming many kids will be on that ship.

Mommybunny, I have previously replied to your request for info re kids on Noordam. Here is a link (http://www.hollandamerica.com/onboard/kids.do) to HAL's website regarding their children's programs.

The bottom line, as I've said before: you will not find the numbers of children on HAL cruises, nor will you find as many "bells and whistles", as you will on lines such as NCL, Carnival, Disney, and RCCL. However, during school vacation times there WILL be children/teens on board. Holland America DOES have dedicated areas onboard for teens and children, and DOES have dedicated staff onboard for just the Club HAL programs. The exception would be Prinsendam, which has limited facilities for children, due to its smaller size and its longer itineraries (fewer children on those cruises.)

I am taking my own daughters, ages 8 and 17 at time of travel, on two HAL cruises this year. There are plenty of other children onboard both these trips. I am not concerned that my children will be bored. There are also plenty of interesting shore excursions available at our various port stops. However, if your children need a lot of outside stimulation, computer games etc., and lots of social interaction with people their own age, then no, I would NOT recommend Holland America for them.

If you wish to verify the number of children on your cruise after you have booked, you can call HAL's Ship's Services at 1-800-541-1576, and ask the service reps how many youngsters will be on your cruise. They will give you the numbers, broken down by Club HAL age category: 3-7, 8-12, and 13-17.

Currently, Noordam is doing Mediterranean cruises with 600+ youngsters onboard, due to summer vacation for schools not only in North America, but also in Europe. (See Ekerr19's onboard review (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=389815&highlight=Noordamhttp://)of Noordam for verification of these numbers. See the bottom of her post #18.)

I wish both of you, Mrs. ZuhWiggins and Mrs. Mommybunny, a pleasant and enjoyable cruise no matter which line you pick:) Have a great time, and Bon Voyage!

[papadave]

Thanksgiving week will be the only time in November with a lot of kids on HAL. Their kids programs are adequate, but not the best in the industry. RCCL stood out as being more child friendly than the other ships I've taken my daughter on (HAL and NCL).

[smoothdancer]

I cant comment on the kids, we do not sail with kids, but Pattie..... We also have booked the same cruise as you.

[smoothdancer]

oops, wrong place!

[RuthC]

A Noordam cruise in the Winter is either 10 or 11 days. Consequently, there will be fewer children than on a 7-day cruise.
November isn't a school vacation week, so there will be fewer children than there would be during in such a week.

Some parents will take their children out of school for a few extra days, so during Christmas, Winter and Spring vacations there will be more kids.

[mrszuhwiggins]

I must join you with your concern about children on the Noordam. this much i can tell you-i have been posting questions re kids on the noordam for weeks now and have gotten NO replies!!?!I have booked the 2/17 cruise hoping many kids will be on as it is winter break here in NY. i'm assuming many kids will be on that ship.
Mommybunny21 - just wanted to let you know that after MUCH calling around at HAL, I WAS able to find out approximately how many children in each category were sailing on our ship. Definitely set my mind at ease. We booked the Noordam on 11/4. There were a fair amount of kids in my children's age ranges. I would imagine that with your cruise running over the Holiday, more children will be onboard. Have a great time. If I get a chance during the cruise - I'll e-mail and let you know how the Noordam is!

[barbels]

The pictures I have seen of the children's facilities on the Noordam ar wonderful. I'm sure your kids will have a great time.

[bcruiser]

We took our 7 and 8 year old on the Noordam. This was the 6 cruise for them. They liked the ship and the kids program better than Disney and Carnival.
This was a great trip for all of us. You will have a great time. Please let mn know should you have any questions.
Bryan

[mommybunny21]

Thank you Mrszuighinns-I'd appreciate your advice after you cruise.

Bcruiser-We're neighbors-i'm in Northport!! Were your children able to use the vidoe games in the older kids area? my 6 year old is concerned over this. our last cruise was filled with kids things including a kids pool so he's a liitle dissappointed that the Noordam is not more kid oriented. please advise..thanks

[jeb9860]

We will be on the Noordam for th 12/16 cruise with our 6 & 7 year old boys. They are seasoned cruisers now but this will be our first HAL cruise. The facilties look great and I am sure they will have a great time.

[capnjoe]

I too am on the Noordam 11/15 with two kids ages 15 & 16 Your kids will have a wonderfull time!

[Love Cruises]

Hi - I'm thinking about booking a cruise in November on the Noordam and have two kids - ages 8 and 9. We've sailed on Royal Carribean and Norwegian and the kids have always had a blast in the Kids Programs. I'm concerned that with the average age of passengers hovering around 50 + that the kids won't have any playmates. Anyone travel on the Noordam recently and can comment on the number of families/quality of the kids programs? Also if anyone can comment in general on the differences (good or bad) between a Royal Carribean/Norwegian cruise and Holland America, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!!
We were on the Noordam this past March. We didn't have children with us but saw a large group of them with the HAL Counselors. Each day they would parade into the LIDO in the mid afternoon and take their seats and the counselor would get them all ice cream. Some early evenings they were playing in the pool outside the LIDO. Other evenings, there was a magician and a ventriloguist as entertainers on that cruise and those nights the children were brought into the show room and seated up in the front row of the balcony to watch the performers. They were all so cute and well behaved.

[betonic]

I'm taking my almost 7 year old on the Noordam September 28th transatlantic. I don't imagine that there will be many children but I hope that he won't be the only child. My travel agent says that he can't get any info on how many children are booked. Does anyone have a local number (not 800) for ships services where I can ask?

Thanks in advance.

[middle-aged mom]

I'm taking my almost 7 year old on the Noordam September 28th transatlantic. I don't imagine that there will be many children but I hope that he won't be the only child. My travel agent says that he can't get any info on how many children are booked. Does anyone have a local number (not 800) for ships services where I can ask?

Thanks in advance.

Betonic:

I don't know if I can help, but I'll try. I also am a parent, and I'm taking my family on a Holland America cruise this year. Actually two.

I'm sorry, but I don't know where you live, nor what constitutes a "local" number for you. Holland America's headquarters are in Seattle, Washington, USA. Their service representatives are located there.

I live in the Seattle area myself, and still use the 800 number for ship's services. It's the only number I know of for HAL's ship's services. If you call the HAL ship services number (1-800-541-1576), you will be able to speak with a Holland America service representative who can give you the information you are seeking. I have done this to determine the number of children on our upcoming cruises on HAL.

Please see if this link (http://hollandamerica.com/contacts/cmpyList.do) is helpful to you. It is a Holland America company contact list. Virtually all the numbers are 800, though. The ones that aren't 800 are Seattle local numbers. There are also fax numbers on the contact list, if that's a better option for you.

Incidentally, there is a roll call for your cruise. It's quite large, and has been active for about nine months. It's right here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=254248

Good luck:)

[betonic]

Middle Aged Mom,

Thanks for the link. The problem is that I can't call an 800 number from here. I'm American but live in Cancun, Mexico.

I've been posting on the roll call for my cruise since I booked months ago but no one going has kids, not much of a surprise.

Saludos,
Nicole

[AlohaPride]

We will be on the Noordam for th 12/16 cruise with our 6 & 7 year old boys. They are seasoned cruisers now but this will be our first HAL cruise. The facilties look great and I am sure they will have a great time.

:eek: We are on this sailing! Please join our very small role call board at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=367675

[hammybee]

As posted elsewhere on this board, the number of kids aboard any low-mid priced cruise, is a factor of time of year and duration of cruise, regardless of ship or cruise line. There is nothing about the Noordam that would exempt it from this rule of thumb. Those who home school or choose to take their kids out of school to cruise, during the school term, are going to find substantially less kids on any cruise line.

There will be a surge of family travel around Thanksgiving but like Presidents' Week, many schools do not close for the entire week, so it's not going to be packed.

Given you have a school -aged child and will be sailing in late September, it is highly possible that there will be very few children aboard. I think Aloha Pride made the observation, earleir today, on a different thread, that if one finds themselves on a cruise without many kids, that's just the more time and attention the few that are cruising, will receive, from the staff.

Go and enjoy your cruise. Your child will, one day, be posting on this board that he/she first cruised with HAL at age 7 to the marvel of many new cruisers.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I must join you with your concern about children on the Noordam. this much i can tell you-i have been posting questions re kids on the noordam for weeks now and have gotten NO replies!!?!I have booked the 2/17 cruise hoping many kids will be on as it is winter break here in NY. i'm assuming many kids will be on that ship.

That's one helluva long winter break. Here is Philly my son usually has off 1 day, which is Presidents day.
That being said even with winter break, the cruise is 11 days long. Personally I wouldn't expect that many kids on a cruise that long.

Bill

[7x5090g]

Having read so much about kids programs on the other cruiseline, I am just as concerned when I booked a 11 nighter out of NY in Oct'06 (sailing Oct 14):confused:

However, since my kid is only turning 3 and I am travelling with both my parents and in-laws (both families are seniors well over 65), I figure this can't hurt. I was on NCL Jewel last Christmas with my then 2 yr old. Kids program was great but my son refused to use it.

Since I'm going before you, I'll probably have more info once I complete my cruise. I am staying a few more days after in the NY Boston area so I won't be posting anything until I get home. Stay tuned.

[CateW]

We just returned from the 7/30 sailing on the Noordam to the Mediterrean. There were 275 children on board - now this was the summer and high season in Europe. Since you are on Holiday cruise I'd say that you should have a fair amount of kids on your cruise.

[mrszuhwiggins]

Having read so much about kids programs on the other cruiseline, I am just as concerned when I booked a 11 nighter out of NY in Oct'06 (sailing Oct 14):confused:

However, since my kid is only turning 3 and I am travelling with both my parents and in-laws (both families are seniors well over 65), I figure this can't hurt. I was on NCL Jewel last Christmas with my then 2 yr old. Kids program was great but my son refused to use it.

Since I'm going before you, I'll probably have more info once I complete my cruise. I am staying a few more days after in the NY Boston area so I won't be posting anything until I get home. Stay tuned.
Wow - a lot of replies since the last time I checked! I would love to hear how your cruise went and how you liked the kids program. I would also love to hear from anyone else on our same sailing with children. We were also on an NCL ship (Dawn) last November and the kids loved it. I'm sure that they will have a great time on this ship as well.

[hammybee]

There is a state of thinking called "pre- school social cognition". Put two typical three year olds in a sand box together with some toys and while they are quite aware of each other, they rarely really play together. Instead they both engage in what's called parallel play, doing the same thing independent of each other. Their cognition has yet to evolve beyond the " it's all about me" stage. What most kids this age want/need the most, is someone to pay them attention and create something fun for them to do.

And this is where I think the HAL, or any cruise line kid program, is going to exceed your expectations more so when there are fewer kids aboard. That's when they will get what they crave the most and give you a little break at the same time.

Go enjoy your cruise and do not worry about if your child is going to have his /or her time of their life. In the end, it will be OK. Trust me on this one.

[mrszuhwiggins]

I completely agree with you Hammy Bee on the three year old age group, - I remember very well the parallel play age - however, my kids are 8 and 9 (actually my nine year old daughter will be turning 10 on the cruise!) so they are definitely into the "social" organized activities with other kids. But as you say - they will have the time of their life even if it's just the two of them....

[upstatecruiser]

we just booked today and I have a 2 children that will be sailing with us on the Noordam they will be 4 and 6. I am hoping there will be a few more.:)

[mrszuhwiggins]

we just booked today and I have a 2 children that will be sailing with us on the Noordam they will be 4 and 6. I am hoping there will be a few more.:)
Hi Upsate Cruiser,
What date did you book for? We're on the Nov 4 sailing out of NY. If you're on the same sailing, join our Roll Call!

[upstatecruiser]

thanks for the invite Mrszuhwiggins we are booked for the 2/17/07 cruise. Looking forward to it! I will be reading everyone's return messages so please when you get back write all about the Noordam. Include all info on the kids.:)

[mrszuhwiggins]

Will do. I'll try to check out what activities the younger age group is involved in as my kids are just a bit older than yours.

[letsgomets]

We are considering booking a mid-March 2007 11-day cruise on the Noordam out of NYC with our 3 and 6 year olds. Have been mulling over the whole issue of kid-friendliness on HAL. I presume that there will be some kids but not a huge number at that time since it falls between February and Easter/Passover breaks but some schools may have vacations or younger kids can be pulled out of school (as we will do with ours for K and Nursery). Disney was packed that same week this year. We'll be happy so long as there are a handful at each age. Don't need 100.

But can anyone speak from experience about little kids on the Noordam? Is the kids menu available in the main dining room? What other dining options are there for kids (or the grown-ups if we plan to have the kids with us at all meals)? Will we be uncomfortable in the main dining room if they serve on china and crystal? How are the facilities in general for kids besides just Club HAL? Our kids will probably spend most of their time with us and a little bit in the organized programs. We want to make sure that the pool area and other facilities are also inviting and fun for kids. Especially on an 11-day cruise from NYC that has 2 days at sea in each direction before and after the Caribbean.

Thanks for any guidance anyone can give us since we need to make a decision soon.

[7x5090g]

We are considering booking a mid-March 2007 11-day cruise on the Noordam out of NYC with our 3 and 6 year olds. Have been mulling over the whole issue of kid-friendliness on HAL. I presume that there will be some kids but not a huge number at that time since it falls between February and Easter/Passover breaks but some schools may have vacations or younger kids can be pulled out of school (as we will do with ours for K and Nursery). Disney was packed that same week this year. We'll be happy so long as there are a handful at each age. Don't need 100.

But can anyone speak from experience about little kids on the Noordam? Is the kids menu available in the main dining room? What other dining options are there for kids (or the grown-ups if we plan to have the kids with us at all meals)? Will we be uncomfortable in the main dining room if they serve on china and crystal? How are the facilities in general for kids besides just Club HAL? Our kids will probably spend most of their time with us and a little bit in the organized programs. We want to make sure that the pool area and other facilities are also inviting and fun for kids. Especially on an 11-day cruise from NYC that has 2 days at sea in each direction before and after the Caribbean.

Thanks for any guidance anyone can give us since we need to make a decision soon.

I am taking my 3 year old on the Noordam this Oct. I will let you know as soon as I return

[RuthC]

But can anyone speak from experience about little kids on the Noordam? Is the kids menu available in the main dining room? What other dining options are there for kids (or the grown-ups if we plan to have the kids with us at all meals)?
I can speak from experience that there is a children's menu in the dining room; I've ordered from it. It has such delicacies as mac & cheese, fingers and fries (I recommend highly;) ), hot dog, I think P,B, &J and fish sticks. I don't know that those items are available in the Lido.

The Lido is another place where your kids can have dinner, as is room service.

[7x5090g]

Just got back from my Oct 14 cruise on the Noordam. I have to admit, their Club HAL is fantastic. My 3 year old had a great time. The 2 club HAL Staff (Christina and Trisher) was fabolus and the kids had loads of fun filled activities. My son came back with a full case of art work, etc.

The food however was not as good, may be because my son is such a picky eater (e.g. he only likes McDonald's french fries (thin and crispy) and I don't think there is anywhere on board that I can get them).

[KofPShannon]

We're on the 10 day 12/6 sailing of the Noordam and will have 4 children with our party, ages 3, 6, 11 and 16. There has only been one response in our roll call about additional children, a 2 year old and a 4 year old. I e-mailed Holland America asking for an estimate on the number of children for this sailing and they responded that "they do not have the means to report this information." The 2 younger children in our party are generally pretty clingy, so it would be nice to have some companions to occupy them and give their parents a break.

[middle-aged mom]

......... I e-mailed Holland America asking for an estimate on the number of children for this sailing and they responded that "they do not have the means to report this information."

Try calling Ship's Services at 1-800-541-1576, and ask them to please give you the numbers of children on your cruise. I have done this on both our HAL cruises, and each time the service rep with whom I spoke was most accommodating. Don't let them tell you they "don't have the means to report this information". They do, and they can certainly give you the numbers. They'll even break them down for you by Club HAL age category: 3-7, 8-12, and 13-17. Here's wishing you and your family a wonderful cruise!

Karin

[KofPShannon]

I just called ship services. They were very pleasant and gave me the number of children as of yesterday's bookings within 2 minutes. There are 24 in the 3 - 7 group (2 are in my group), 12 in the 8 - 12 group and 10 in the 13 - 17 group. That's enough kids to keep them occupied but small enough to get them lots of attention. Thank you so much for the advice!

[middle-aged mom]

I just called ship services. They were very pleasant and gave me the number of children as of yesterday's bookings within 2 minutes. There are 24 in the 3 - 7 group (2 are in my group), 12 in the 8 - 12 group and 10 in the 13 - 17 group. That's enough kids to keep them occupied but small enough to get them lots of attention. Thank you so much for the advice!

Terrific, KofPShannon! Thanks for letting us know the outcome! Bon Voyage!

Karin

[AlohaPride]

I just called ship services. They were very pleasant and gave me the number of children as of yesterday's bookings within 2 minutes. There are 24 in the 3 - 7 group (2 are in my group), 12 in the 8 - 12 group and 10 in the 13 - 17 group. That's enough kids to keep them occupied but small enough to get them lots of attention. Thank you so much for the advice!
It sounds like you are going to have an AMAZING cruise!! All that individual attention, but just enough other kids for your children to play with!