Eurodam and kids program and facilities

[Fblack]

I have a friend who may want to take their 9 and 11 year old kids on a 7 day Xmas Eurodam Caribbean cruise. Does any one know how it is for kids? What can they expect in the way of kids for the Holidays?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Since the Eurodam just debuted in July she has not done a Christmas cruise.

But for the holidays you can be certain that there will be lots of activities for the children.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On Holland America ships, we provide a wide variety of exciting youth- and teen- friendly activities and facilities for guests ages 3 to 17. With supervised fun for our younger guests, the entire family can have the cruise vacation of their dreams.
Safe and Managed Supervision
You can feel at ease knowing that your child's on board experience is safe and well-managed. All Club HAL® activities are supervised by permanent, full-time staff, and are designed to be kid friendly and age appropriate. Youth Staff hold degrees in education, childhood development, recreation, leisure studies or related fields.
Programs Available
Club HAL® - Kids*: Children, ages 3-7, can participate in such activities as story telling, fabric painting, indoor games, arts and crafts, drawing contests, ice-cream sundae parties, puzzles, bingo, pirate treasure hunts or a farewell pizza party. Children in the Kid's age group must be toilet trained. Children in pull-ups or diapers are not allowed in the youth facilities, due to mandates from US Public Health. Exceptions to this rule cannot be made.
Club HAL® - Tweens*: Tweens, ages 8-12 might learn golf putting, have disco parties and theme parties, participate in the award-winning National Park Service Jr. Ranger Program on Alaska cruises, compete in on-deck sports events, compete in scavenger hunts or simply play Ping-Pong with a friend.
The Loft and The Oasis*: Teens, ages 13-17 will especially enjoy the teen disco, karaoke sessions, video games, teen sports tournaments, card games, trivia contests, bingo, movies and videos. When there are more than 100 children on board, a HAL Talent Show is offered. (The Oasis is not available on all Vista-class ships)
*On the Prinsendam, youth activities are offered for ages 5-17. All other ships offer youth activities for ages 3-17.
Daily Programs
Times vary based on age group, number of children on board and staffing:
Sea Day - Morning, Afternoon and Evening Activities
Port Day - Morning, Afternoon and Evening Activities
Extended Hours
Club HAL® After Hours is available on all ships (except the ms Prinsendam) from 10:00pm - 12:00am. The fee is $5 per child, per hour. Parents must pick up their children on time or a late fee is charged. For babysitting outside of the hours offered in Club HAL, guests may check at the Front Office to schedule this service provided by staff on a voluntary basis only.
Kids & Teens Culinary Arts Center Program
HAL Kids Culinary Workshops now offer children a unique and fun learning experience. Kids will learn basic cooking techniques, kitchen safety, new ingredients and how to follow recipe instructions. Aside from the fun involved, cooking encourages kids to think about numbers and measuring, cleanliness, safety, and time management. All the workshops are hands-on where questions are encouraged and having fun is a must!
HAL Kids Culinary Workshops are geared toward two age groups; ages three to seven and ages eight and up. Teenagers 15 and up may participate in the adult classes.
The menus range from simple to teen gourmet
Classes are usually limited to fifteen students unless otherwise noted
All classes are hands-on
Each student receives copies of the recipes prepared in class
All classes are complimentary and last approximately one hour
Additional Family Services
Holland America Line is dedicated to making your family's cruise vacation memorable and happy for each member of your family. We serve a wide variety of kid-pleasing food, including special sandwiches, tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza. Baby food, high chairs and booster seats may be requested in advance of boarding. Baby-sitting services are available for a small surcharge. Special-kid friendly birthday parties can also be arranged with advance notice.
Special Needs
HAL Youth Programs recognize that some children may have special needs. Special needs children are invited to attend activities based on their chronological age. HAL Youth Programs have many staff trained to work with special needs children. Guests should make HAL aware of this when booking their reservation.
Important Notes
A limited number of high chairs, booster seats and cribs are available at no charge. These must be reserved in advance at the time of booking. An international children's menu is offered at dinner and includes a variety of appetizers, salads and soups, and standard items such as hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and chicken, plus chef's specials like beef tacos, grilled cheese, fish and chips or spaghetti.

[Travalerie]

Thanks for the above information! I had no idea they had culinary classes for kids that young. I am sitting here with my 4 year old and told her she could do a cooking class and she is really excited! I have a future CC member on my hands!

[taxman1]

My family just came off of the Eurodam - Transatlantic cruise. We have an 11 year old son who absolutely loved the Club Hal counselors -- Kate, Lauren, Shannon and Suzanne. Plenty of activities and a very nice group of children on this cruise. We have heard of the "special" activities for the children during the holiday cruises, however, did not get to participate in any during our Veendam cruise in December 2007. Albeit, our Veendam cruise ended just before the holidays (disembarked December 23rd). First and foremost the counselors make or break the program -- big thumbs up on the Eurodam. Secondly, the children make-up on the ship can have a dramatic impact on the program. For example, on our Transatlantic crossing there were only 15 children participating in the 8-12 age group; most of which were well behaved. On our Noordam cruise in July 2006 there were over 50 children in his age group, most of which appeared to be dropped off by the parents as a "babysitting'" service. Our son did not want to participate as the programs were not very creative due to the large number of children. From personal experience Club Hal is a hit or a miss. Considering you are sailing on the Eurodam you will thoroughly enjoy the counselors.