bobomonkeyrage

I can't comment specifically on the Koningsdam with kids (we have sailed her twice without kids), but in May we were on the Zaandam with our two girls 5 and 8. They LOVED their first cruise. We did 7 nights to Alaska. They went to club HAL only twice. Each time they said they enjoyed themselves but whenever we asked if they wanted to go back they preferred to stay with us. What made them love their time was the other passengers and especially the staff. With HAL being primarily an older clientele, my girls felt like they had a ship full of grandparents who all seemed genuinely delighted in them. They are both very social and outgoing, so that may not be as enjoyable for more reserved kids. The staff treated them both like royalty. Every meal, every show, every interaction, they were so, so incredibly kind and lovely to them both. We were especially impressed by how all the staff would talk directly to them instead of through their parents. They always gave them their full attention, which we find rare in everyday life. The MDR staff in particular were fantastic. We did fixed dining and they got to know both of them and by halfway through the cruise our wait staff was doing magic tricks and leaving origami creations for them. Towel animals are mostly a thing of the past on HAL, but we had at least one every day for the kids. I think it really comes down to what you and your family value. Club HAL gets good reviews, but is small and didn't work as well for us since we prefer to stick together. Dressy nights could go either way, for some families it would be onerous, but our girls loved dressing up and were the Belle's of the Ball. TLDR: Kids experience on HAL depends entirely on what they and your family enjoy.

They have been a highlight for me each cruise. Last time out I asked if they could do it as a Boulevardier instead and though I had to teach them the recipe, they happily obliged.

Just off the Zaandam and we were not able to have the sparkling wine changed for anything other than a bottle of water. We don't drink sparkling wine so we accepted. The Neptune Lunge concierge said it is at the discretion of the food and beverage manager on each ship.

Title sums up the main question, though I guess the next part would be: if yes, are those offers worse because they assume you're inclined to accept?

So in a previous thread I detailed a brief rollercoaster of finally accepting an upgrade offer. Now I face a minor dilemma: I had previously prepaid for unlimited laundry. Now after upgrading to a Neptune suite, I am wondering if there is any chance HAL will refund that purchase since Neptunes include that already. Not a big deal but would be the cherry on top of sundae if they would. Anyone have any experience with this?

there's a first time for everything!

And now for the great news! They called back and offered me an upgrade to a suite that can accommodate us all for just a few $ more. Having only ever cruised in inside cabins we will now be in a Neptune suite! Very excited to experience that.

Thanks for the info everyone. I did call this morning and it was exactly what i feared. The offer was only a charge for 2 people, but when they told me the cabin it would be I saw that it did not accommodate four people. When I pointed that out, the rep didn't understand why that would be a problem.... I'm glad I had a deck plan handy as it would have been a disaster to sort out once on board.

I just received an upgrade offer that I am considering. The email with the offer states "Rates apply to guest 1 & 2 only." Does this mean that the upgrade cost is calculated X2 or that because there are four of us in the room, we would be ineligible? I'd like to give HAL the benefit of the doubt that they'd know there were four people, but these things are automated and we all know that HAL and working, efficient technology are incompatible...

ask anyone who works in retail or customer service or as server and they will tell that this is absolutely not true. As someone who has worked in customer service and as a server, Boomers (certainly not all, but as a group) are far and away the most entitled and worst tippers.

preach!

I've only been on two cruises, both with HAL. One had 100s of kids on board. But this has absolutely been my experience as well. Occasionally I'd find myself looking around for a parent of a child that was being a bit too loud or energetic. But far more often we would have to shake our heads at the entitlement of someone in their 60s or 70s lambasting some poor staff member over something innocuous that the staff had little to no control over. I understand that cruising is expensive, but that doesn't entitle anyone to anything beyond what was promised in the sale. A child free experience is not, and has never been, part of HAL's promise. Kids are kids. Most could be better behaved, but they deserve to experience things too.

What would you have the Hotel Manager do? As a parent I absolutely agree that it is terrible to be letting your kids run around unsupervised, especially in a library or similar location. I'm not defending that. But the Hotel Manager and staff are in a no win situation. How exactly would they control that?

If you want to avoid kids so much, why not book on an adult only line instead of complaining about their existence on a line that encourages them to be there?

I absolutely see both sides of this. On one hand, it has to be frustrating to have more limited selection and even more frustrating to book a specific stateroom and not have it guaranteed. on the other hand, as someone who is only recently starting to cruise with my two daughters and has had a tough time finding availability of quad cabins because many are taken up by 2 people, I appreciate that it will be easier for me to book. And from HAL's perspective, it seems like a decent way to make a little more money without cutting back on quality or services overall.

I appreciate the tip about phoning my PCC. I will try that. I have never spoken with her and do everything online myself so we shall see. I get that the app isn't great before being on board, but the credit should show on the HAL website should it not?

I submitted and got my confirmation from Stock perks for my May 1 cruise. At first, the HAL app showed the onboard credit but that has since disappeared. Is that something I should be worried about? or is the email confirmation from Stockperks enough ammunition if the credit doesn't appear once I'm on board?

Thank you! I appreciate all the info - particularly the menus and activities

I honestly cannot fathom how any parent could leave their children on board and go ashore. Setting aside the safety issues, if you aren't wanting to spend time with them, then why bring them at all?

Great info. Thank you!

We will be taking our two children (girls, 8 and 5) with us on a 7 night trip to AK on the Zaandam on May first, and provided that goes well are considering bringing them on a 17 night South America/Panama Canal cruise in March of next year. I'm hoping folks with experience might lend me their thoughts and expertise. I know that Club HAL is mostly well regarded and the kids are excited to try it out. If they don't enjoy it, that's OK. They're generally well behaved and we tend to make our own fun. I have no concerns about them being bored. My understanding though, is that the hours listed online for Club HAL often don't line up with what is actually offered on board. Can anyone confirm that? My understanding is that length of sailing and number of kids on board tend to affect the hours. Particularly for the longer cruise, does that mean it's possible it won't be offered at all on certain days? Again, not even close to a deal breaker for us, but we like to be prepared. Any general HAL specific tips or tricks or insights anyone has for sailing as a family would also be welcome. I really want to make both cruises a great experience for everyone. TIA

We will be sailing from Vancouver on May 1 and will be driving to and from. Curious is anyone has any good tips for parking. There is a large group of us so staying at a hotel that offers parking and a shuttle is less convenient, but something we're considering. Does anyone know of decently priced parking within walking distance or something farther that offers a shuttle? TIA

that makes way more sense. thank you!

Looking at adding HIA to an upcoming sailing. I was surprised to see that it applied to all four of us including my two young children. Is that the norm? Can I not add it only for my wife and I? There is no way it's worth it to add for the kids.

makes sense