HAL and kids......HELP!!

[Boatingmom]

I was booked onthe crown Princess 3/31 out of PR and just switched & booked the Noordam out of NY for easter break. Am I kidding myself? Is the kids program comparale to Princess? Are there things to do after 9:00pm? Will my children , who are NOT ALLOWED to run arround still have a good time? They have been on DIsney(not impressed), RCCL(liked it) and Princess(loved it). I was on a HAL ship in 1995 when everybody told me it was a cruise for "old people" and I loved it. Do you think I will still love it with kids?? I'm torn.

[MercedMike]

We just came back from a cruise on HAL Zuiderdam, and two of our cousins, girls age 13 and 15 were along. They had a GREAT cruise and loved the teen club.

[kochavilaw]

We were just on the 12 day Gems of Baltic on the Rotterdam. We have 2 8.5 yr. boys and 1 11 year old girl in our group. Club Hal was great! There were only about 20 kids on our cruise which made it possible for the Club Hal staff to actually do things with the kids rather than having to play policemen over a large group. The program started at 9:00 a.m. The kids from ages 8-12 are able to come and go as they please (if the parents sign a form) so the kids loved the freedom but had some structure as well. In the evenings the club opened again at 8 and the kids could not wait to get up to the Club Hal room. They were "home" by 10.

[kryos]

Not bashing HAL here ... because I looove HAL ... but, if they loved RCCL before, why not book on there? At least you know there's plenty for the kids to do on an RCCL ship.

Personally, I don't think HAL is very much geared to an active child. Yes, they have a children and teens program ... but it would seem to me that the facilities for active kids are far better on RCCL. Personally, I think a lot of the kids on HAL get dragged on because it is their parents, or grandparents, who love the line.

No, I don't have kids of my own ... this is just my opinion ...

Blue skies ...

--rita

[CCCM]

boatingmom, I too was wondering about Club HAL in preparation for Oct. 15 cruise. Everything I have read has been good to date. I don't think the hours are as long as other lines. I will be paying very close attention and will give an update upon my return (I know it is still two months away). I have 8 yr old DD.

[betonic]

I'm concerned about this too....

I'm talking my son who will be almost 7 on the Noordam transatlantic in September. I just found out that he will be one of 4 :eek: kids on this sailing. I knew when I booked this that there would very few children on but I was still shocked when I found out it was only 4.

I picked this cruise because of the route and I planned to have my son with me a lot of the time but I do hope that he enjoys the kids program. I've gotton lots of positive feedback about the HAL program and I hear that with such a small group the kids get lost of special attention.

Anyone experience with this????

Thanks,
Nicole

[BM64]

My kids loved the Zuiderdam, ages 6 and 11 at the time. Yes, there were less kids than on our Princess cruise but the kids got far more attention on HAL. The only time when the hours were shorter on our cruise was for the evening and they ran from 8-10pm instead of 7-10 like the other lines. HAL did offer after hours from 10-1am at a small charge but my kids were exhausted by then and ready for bed. Enjoy your cruises!!

[thomasale]

I'm concerned about this too....

I'm talking my son who will be almost 7 on the Noordam transatlantic in September. I just found out that he will be one of 4 :eek: kids on this sailing. I knew when I booked this that there would very few children on but I was still shocked when I found out it was only 4.

I picked this cruise because of the route and I planned to have my son with me a lot of the time but I do hope that he enjoys the kids program. I've gotton lots of positive feedback about the HAL program and I hear that with such a small group the kids get lost of special attention.

Anyone experience with this????

Thanks,
Nicole

Transatlantic with a child is a stretch...I cannot imagine it but to each their own

[torybruno]

Boatingmom...you didn't mention how old your kids were. I loved our HAL cruise, but my kids liked it the least out of all our cruises. The HAL program for kids was ok, and I'm sure because it is Easter week there will be lots of kids on board. I happened to think because it was our president week winter break there would be lots of kids on our cruise, and there was a total of 22. The staff did ok for them. My kids were probably 8 and 13 at the time, and I know my youngest liked it better. They loved having the movie theater with popcorn...but we did run into problems at the pool with the "older" crowd, who didn't seem to like the kids in the pool, but refused to use the "adults only" pool at the back of the ship.

We just booked the Carnival Glory for Easter week...I know my kids will have plenty to do....if they are happy...I'm happy!

Just my opinion, and I hope this helps.

[MercedMike]

Personally, I think a lot of the kids on HAL get dragged on because it is their parents, or grandparents, who love the line.

Now, this raises one of those interesting questions that pop up and drag a thread off into the wilds --

Do you, or should one, pick their cruise for the kid's entertainment, or can kids learn that adults have things they like to do and kids can enjoy that too, instead of doing "kid stuff" all the time? Is it that kids get dragged onto HAL because their grandparents love the line -- or is it that grandparents get dragged onto ... well, you know, THAT cruise line ... because their kids love it??

[mommybunny21]

People always ask us how we can travel first class all over the world and have our little boy be so well behaved. Any parent who enjoys travelling and wants to travel will tell you that there MUST be a compromise between what will please the parents and what will please the child. we've been successfully travelling in a first class capacity since my son's birth because we always consider what will make all of us happy . We are loyal to the Four Seasons for our comfort AND their children's program. When we do disney we stay at their luxury resort for our enjoyment...etc. If you compromise you can see the world and all be happy. So I can understand some parents concerns about HAL- that the compromise may not be met. Thats what these parents are trying to explain.

[Boatingmom]

Thanks for all the opinions. My children will be seven and nine at the time of our cruise. This will be their fourth cruise. We really don't use the childrens program during the day when cruising, as we do family excursions like beach, daysail, snorkel trip, etc. If at sea, we'll play bingo or shuffleboard or ping pong, swim or eat. We never really used the rock climbing or the ice skating offered on other lines. The chidren always eat dinner with us in the dining room at early seating. The only time we use the childrens program is in the evening so we can have some adult time and maybe go to a club or the casino. In the past, if they didn't like the program we didn't push the issue. I don't really NEED alone time for a week. I was just wondering,since HAL is now trying to promote a family ship with the Vista Class what does Club HAL offer? What are come of the activities offered?

[Namvet4]

Life is balance, grasshopper... :) When you travel as a family, I would expect that each and every family members enjoyment is considered and because life is full of compromises, you try to find the best.

(So much for my cliches ;) )

Link for Club HAL (http://www.hollandamerica.com/signatureofexcellence/clubhalyouth.do)

[CCCM]

How true that life is a balance. I can never tell if we are balanced enough, but we survive and manage to have fun here and there.

DD had her vacation choice (DisneyWorld) earlier this month. DD had his vacation (home to PA) in July. The cruise is my vacation choice, as is the cruiseline. They were asked to join me (if they had not, I would have asked DM). My goal is for Club HAL to help out on the two sea days and maybe two evenings until 10. The help out is providing her with something geared specifically towards her age range instead of her having to go to "The Couples Massage Seminar", a cooking demonstration or a spa treatment.

Wondering how we will be at the pool now that it is raised.....we have already spoken about our manners. She has learned not to splash others. That is always one rule that is enforced (from DM down to me and DS). She will of course be able to be more free with her actions when we are in the water at the various beaches.

On HAL, I more get worried that people will make judgements about her/us without seeing how well behaved she is.

I wish someone was showing reruns of Love Boat......

[hammybee]

My DD, now 18, grew up on cruise ships. When traveling at peak school break times, there are always a ton of kids on all low-mid priced cruises of 7 days for the obvious reasons. Kids love the clubs unless they have separation issues which sometimes occurs, dependent upon the child and this has nothing to do with which cruisline was chosen.

Over the years, HAL did a great job, as did all the others. I never once hesitated to book a HAL cruise during peak kid season ( and this was before HAL VISTA Class and the push for family travel) and my DD's enjoyment of the cruise/program was the same as it was on RCCL.

Easter is a fine time for family cruising.

BTW, Presidents Week is not a sure thing because the majority of areas in the U.S. do not give kids an entire week off. Again, this has nothing to do with HAL or any other cruise line. There will be fewer kids becasue there are fewer who have the time off of school.

[betonic]

Thomasale - Thanks for your very positive words.... After being couped up in our home with no power for two weeks after hurricane Wilma hit Cancun I think my son will be just fine for two weeks on a cruise ship!!!

[the2ofus]

I've been on a 14 day cruise to Hawaii where there were fewer than ten children. It seemed that kids were divided into two age groups and were getting a lot of individual attention from the Club HAL staff. They did scavenger hunts and participated as a group in the Rockin Roldies show, which they seemed to enjoy.

On a 14 day southern Caribbean trip there were only 3 children, all well-behaved, one a toddler. All the staff and pax seemed to love being around the toddler. The older children, 10-12 range, were often seen with the Club HAL staffer and were apparently enjoying themselves. These were home-schooled children who may have been more used to adult company and making their own fun.

I guess the key to cruising with a child is knowing your own child. Do they need to buddy up with several kids their own age or do they make friends easily and across age groups. Do they need a lot of supervision and planned projects to keep them constantly busy or are they creative and just need materials and ideas to get them started?

I imagine the cruise lines would be willing to send you some copies of their daily program for children's activities so you could judge for yourself whether it would be a good fit for your child.

[kryos]

Do you, or should one, pick their cruise for the kid's entertainment, or can kids learn that adults have things they like to do and kids can enjoy that too, instead of doing "kid stuff" all the time? Is it that kids get dragged onto HAL because their grandparents love the line -- or is it that grandparents get dragged onto ... well, you know, THAT cruise line ... because their kids love it??
This is just my personal opinion, but ... if say grandparents were gonna take the grandkids on a cruise, then yes ... I think the cruise line and itinerary should be picked out with the grandkids in mind. Not saying that you should necessarily go on a line that has nothing appealing for adults, but you should at least compromise. If you don't want to do that, then why not just leave the kids at home and go off and enjoy your cruise? Surely you can find someone to take them for a week or so ... either that or send them off to a fun summer camp for the week instead.

But to just drag the kids along on a cruise ... where you know there is gonna be little for them to do (a cruise during the school year where there will be few kids onboard and a limited kids program) ... or to take them on a line that really offers little to engage children ... I don't think that's right. After all, it's the kids' vacation too and in a case such as this, I'd be willing to bet they'd rather just spend it close to home with their friends.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[torybruno]

Boatingmom.....I dug my Club Hal papers out. I had one son in the 5-8 age group, there must have been a 9-12 age group, and my other son was in the 13-17 age group.

For the 5-8 age group, here's a sample of activities:

first night: 7:30 welcome aboard meeting
sea day: 10:00 meet your mates
10:45 off the wall grafitti
11:15 bead fun
12:00 - 2:00 was always closed. That seemed to be when my son came to eat lunch with us, and pool time.
2:00 catchphrase
2:30 funky frames
3:15 raid the arcade
4:00 sports of all sorts
4:30-5:00 silly stories
closed from 5:00-7:45
7:45-9:45 movie night

in port:
2:00 tiedye and flick
3:30 crazy cards
4:15-5:00 candy bingo
7:45-9:45 indoor olympics

another port day:
2:00 - 5:00 free play
7:45 - 9:45 camp night

sea day:
9:00 rise n shine party
10:30 twister time
11:15-noon surprise sports
2:00 ice cream contest
2:30 don't eat tommy
3:30 monopoly mania
4:30 snowball fight
7:45 -9:45 dance fever

Hope this helps. I'm sure with the age of your kids they will have a great time....