what do you wish you had known prior ... alaska cruise on eurodam with preschoolers

thanks for all the feedback - it is appreciated!

 

a few suggested the salmon hatcheries - is the one in juneau better than sitka?

 

@styles27 - thanks for the details! your personal review on your cruise has helped me get excited as i'm not a lifelong cruiser- ha! we went to the caribbean when i was expecting the kids and i thought our balcony there was a slider, so i assumed others were similar - but at this point, that could even be a false memory - ha!

i'm glad to hear about the 'crow's nest' as i'm unsure that the kids will want to go to the kids club at night ... thanks for the shuttle info for juneau and sitka - i hope we can make both work :)

 

@MandyGirl - i will have to look up nugget falls ...

 

looking forward to your review, @jasperkerri - have a great time!

 

our kids would love a library visit - thanks for adding that, @TheCalicoCat

 

appreciate the dinner suggestions - we have pretty much told them that their grandparents are being very generous and part of the trip includes sit-down dinners (we have fixed seating for the first time slot) ... they are good eaters and i think they will enjoy trying different foods and even the bonus dessert :) i have been gathering some maze books and seek and find books to help in desperate times - ha!

 

great picture, @Sequim88! i think they would love to touch a crab! definitely looking into a shuttle to a hatchery :)

 

and yes, in addition to social etiquette, i'm excited to get them dressed up, too! they aren't much for that, most of the time - ha!

 

that would be so unfortunate if your little is sick, @Mamascott :( ... i would be so excited if we get a window table assignment!

 

@pengu!n, our kids are 4.5 ... appreciate your thoughts for keeping them busy! i think they will handle dinner pretty ok ... unless one of us is at work, we make it a very regular habit to sit and eat together every night so we are going to try to stick with that here ... i have heard the dining room can be easier for parents as they don't have to stress about finding a seat or gathering food from multiple stations for multiple people - not ideal for vacation!

 

even though they keep asking if the ship will sink :o, i think they are going to enjoy the cruise! i do worry a little that they will just be so busy and overstimulated that they won't get enough sleep ... they don't really nap unless they are sleepy and in the car more than 20 minutes ... *sigh* ... at least i think i read that there are black-out shades/blinds in the rooms?

 

thanks again and if anyone has other thoughts, i will keep checking :)

 

another quick curiosity - was there anything missing, snack-wise, that would be recommended for an in-room stash? i may bring some fruit snacks as they can be helpful bribes, or trail mix, but if something else would be helpful, we can bring that, too - esp as we are driving to seattle ... thx!

You're so welcome, I'm happy you found it helpful!

I love your comment about your children being good eaters and trying new foods.

It reminded me of the first cruise we took our two kids on when they were 5 and 6 yrs old.

My son, the 5 yr old ordered "fileTT miGnon" and "esCARGOT" (emphasis on the capitol letters when he ordered lol) and we never thought he would eat the escargot, but he did and he loved them.

Cruising was always a great family vacation for us when they were young! They loved the kid's clubs on all of the lines we took them on and as they got older and the Internet came to life they would stay connected with some of the other kids they met from all over the country.

In fact they are 27 and 29 now and they still stay in touch through FB with some of those kids.

I hope you guys will have the same positive experience that we did!

We sailed to Alaska on the Westerdam. My son was 5 and my daughter was 3. We sailed with my sister and her husband who have kids the same age. Here are some nuggets of information:

- Our kids have been on several cruise lines (Royal, MSC and Carnival in addition to Holland) and they love kids clubs (they sometimes beg to go). But for some reason that we couldn't quite pinpoint, we couldn't get them to go to Club HAL. They just didn't want to go. The staff was very nice and welcoming, but the facilities weren't that great.

- Dinner on HAL seems to be more adult oriented and slower paced than on other cruise lines that we've sailed on. Great for the adults but no so much for our little kids. The dining staff, while wonderful and very professional, seemed a bit out of touch with smaller children. Once again, the staff was excellent, and they made dinner a memorable experience, but it seems like their focus is somewhat different than on more family friendly cruise lines.

- Because our children were so young when we sailed, we limited our activities to things that were fairly easy for the family.

- In Sitka we walked from the tender pier through the Sitka National Forest to the Alaska Raptor Center. It's a very easy walk with pretty views. The trails are flat enough to allow kids to ride an umbrella stroller. At the Raptor Center we saw several birds, including up close looks at Bald Eagles.

- In Ketchikan we took the Ketchikan Duck Tour (the only tour that we booked through the cruise line). A fun way to explore Ketchikan by land and sea.

- In Juneau we went to Mendenhall Glacier. We booked the express shuttle in advance. A very affordable and easy way to get the Mendenhall but do know that the shuttles tend to be packed.

- In Victoria we just took a cab to the waterfront where we walked around and had dinner.

Overall, we had a fantastic time on this Alaska cruise, and we truly enjoyed experiencing what Holland America has to offer. However, we will most likely shy away from this cruise line for some years to come, at least until our kids are older simply because of the stage we are in our lives, raising a young and energetic family.

I have read that HAL is improving and expanding their offerings and activities for families, specially on the newer ships, but I feel that their main target continues to be an older, more sedated clientele. We will probably stick with more family friendly cruise lines for the time being but we do not discard sailing on Holland America again in the future.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

.......... but I feel that their main target continues to be an older, more sedated clientele......

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Oh dear, a ship full of seniors with RX drug problems? :cool:

Oh dear, a ship full of seniors with RX drug problems? :cool:

Not quite. [emoji23] But I will admit that one of the things that I was expecting was for the clientele to be considerably older on HAL (like one foot in the grave old). However the passenger mix, while indeed a bit older, wasn't anywhere near what I had envisioned. We met people of all ages and demographics. Young, old, singles, married couples, families, friends traveling together, some first timers as well as seasoned cruisers.

In the most part, fellow cruisers were indeed more "sedated" but in a good way. No obnoxious loudmouths or poorly behaved fellow cruisers. No excessive drinking or crazy antics. Overall, people seemed to be enjoying their time and appreciating the beauty of Alaska. We did as well! [emoji3]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Not quite. [emoji23] But I will admit that one of the things that I was expecting was for the clientele to be considerably older on HAL (like one foot in the grave old). However the passenger mix, while indeed a bit older, wasn't anywhere near what I had envisioned. We met people of all ages and demographics. Young, old, singles, married couples, families, friends traveling together, some first timers as well as seasoned cruisers.

 

In the most part, fellow cruisers were indeed more "sedated" but in a good way. No obnoxious loudmouths or poorly behaved fellow cruisers. No excessive drinking or crazy antics. Overall, people seemed to be enjoying their time and appreciating the beauty of Alaska. We did as well! [emoji3]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Assumed it was a funny typo ... for HAL having more "sedate" passengers.

Assumed it was a funny typo ... for HAL having more "sedate" passengers.

It was. [emoji23] With English being my third language, I'm surprised that I don't commit more grammatical offenses.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

It was. [emoji23] With English being my third language, I'm surprised that I don't commit more grammatical offenses.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Over-medication of seniors in the US is a current hot topic, so your "typo" caught my eye. No offense intended, just what I thought was an innocent riff. But you raise a good issue - online communications can be riddled with unintended miscommunications. I regret if my response caused offense.

I regret if my response caused offense.

No offense, but I greatly appreciate your comment. Have a wonderful day! [emoji3]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums