Club hal

[caltnl]

We are taking our 7 and 5 year old grandsons along with their parents on the 26 of july amsterdam to alaska.

 

Nana and mom are interested in knowing if the boys can be left with club hal if we are off the ship?

 

Have not seen anything about this subject.

 

Thanks for everyone's help,

[YXU AC*SE]

Did you check out HAL's website? This should answer most of your questions I think? http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Activities.action?tabName=Youth and click on "Youth Programs" in the left hand menu. Short answer is yes.

 

Scott.

[RuthC]

By "we", do you mean all the adults? At the same time? You can, but are you sure it's a good idea? There's so much for them to enjoy off the ship---a whole new experience for them. And there's still plenty of time left for them to enjoy new friends at Club HAL.

What if something happens and you can't get back to the ship on time? Do you want them left alone? What if one of them were to have an accident while you were ashore?

Please think about this long and hard.

[suse]

Don't forget that these are strangers whom you will be leaving your most precious possesions with...............and why wouldn't you want to be with them? I like kids. Alot. I would never, ever leave my kids or grandkids (someday) with stranger so I could wander off the ship without them. Those guys are young. I'd keep a close eye.

Ok, call me crazy. It's just me. Young lives depend on you. Be careful.

[MalNZ]

Hi, We were on an Alaska Cruise last May - the Veendam with our two grand daughters, who were 6 and 7.

There were only 5 kids on board, all girls. They loved the kids club, did not want to spend too much time on shore, but we saw our first bear in Juneau.

 

We found that the cruise kids staff seemed sort of reluctant to look after your kids on port days, being only 5 of them, and one of the girls was the Chief Engineers daughter. We were happy to give them a break anyway, as it was good for the girls to see Alaska.

 

We did not go on any ship excursions, as they were sooooooooooo expensive, and with the USD/NZD rate, it was double.

 

We had a great time just walking around the town and in Juneau we took the local bus to the Glacier and that only cost us $7.00 each return. That is where we saw the bear.

 

Since there were not so many kids on board, they had a chance to see the bridge, engine room, meet the performers - they had a fantastic time.

 

We are on the Noordam on the 24th April, doing the Southern Caribbean and the girls can not wait.

 

They definitely look after your kids well - not sure if I would leave them all day if we were not on the ship.

 

Mal NZ

[LAnn]

We went on a 14 day Alaskan cruise with our then four year old daughter and did constantly take her with us at the port stops -- we did a great deal of hiking -- Alaska is gorgeous -- and always had a jogging stroller she could ride in when she got tired.

 

However, we signed her up for day care in the kids' club one afternoon so we could go kayaking in Ketchikan. She was the only one in the club that afternoon, and we were surprised when we went to pick her up and she told us all about the wonderful time she'd had; she and the counselor had done a multitude of fun activities. I was quite impressed. The Club Hal counselors are among the best we've encountered on cruise ships.

 

I'm trying to understand why it would be unsafe to leave a child in the kids club during the day -- the people who watch your kids during port stops are the same ones that watch them when the ship is at sea. If your child can be away from you while at school during the day, why not for a few hours during a port stop? In Alaska, we're just as reachable by cell phone as we'd be at home. We were on a ship-sponsored excursion so it was highly unlikely we'd miss the ship. Perhaps I'm overlooking something?

 

Lee Ann

[LSEA]

I'm trying to understand why it would be unsafe to leave a child in the kids club during the day -- the people who watch your kids during port stops are the same ones that watch them when the ship is at sea. If your child can be away from you while at school during the day, why not for a few hours during a port stop? In Alaska, we're just as reachable by cell phone as we'd be at home. We were on a ship-sponsored excursion so it was highly unlikely we'd miss the ship. Perhaps I'm overlooking something?

 

Lee Ann

 

I see what you are saying Lee Ann and you make some good points. I guess though the difference for me is that when my child is away from me at school my dh and myself are not together. So, if something happened to me, dh could get to the school / home to care for the kids. Or vice versa. Another scenario would be if for some reason my dh and I were together and something happened to us. We have (as many people do) "backup" - friends, neighbors, relatives who could go to the school / our home in the event we were delayed / injured. Those scenarios don't hold up for us on a cruise or any other type of family vacation.

 

I would be very uncomfortable leaving the ship w/out my kids. Only the OP can make that choice for their kids/grandkids - just be aware of some of the possible problems and decide what plans need to be made.

[Destin Mom]

I am in the minority here but we had no problem at all leaving the kids on the ship while we went on shore. Club HAL is a well run program. The kids participate in a host of activities- none of which involve rappelling off the side of the ship. We felt as if the kids were safer on the ship than on the excursions.

 

There is a risk with you missing the ship. I suggest making sure you bring the section from the daily newsletter that includes the local port contact info and a GSM phone with you. We had id bracelets made for the kids that had our contact info on them. Also, plan to arrive several hours before departure so you have a good time buffer, and don't take non HAL excursions that could put you at risk to miss the ship. If you were to miss the ship, I don't think they throw the kids overboard. I suspect you would have a hefty babysitting bill though.

 

One of our all time travel highlights was hiking from Fira to the end of Oia in Santorini, Greece on a HAL port day. It was a very long hike and not something the kids could have done. They were thrilled to stay on the ship, and we were thrilled to be able to experience the hike as a couple. It is one of our most memorable travel experiences. We love that the cruise ship allows us to do activities as a family and also as a couple- in port and at sea.

 

Bottom line, do what you are comfortable doing and plan ahead. Have a great trip.

[snyderc635]

I always wonder why some people will try to make you feel guilty when you want to take a little time away from your children. As someone who cruised to Alaska just last summer, I can tell you that Alaska is not in the middle of nowhere, and that if you were needed in an emergency situation, you could be reached. What does this attitude say about those of us who choose to travel the entire length of a cruise without our children? Adults need their time away from the little ones, and the children will probably enjoy time in Club HAL more than they would most of the shore excursions in Alaska. The staff have been well trained and most are experts in child care. So I say enjoy your time away and do so without guilt!!!

[LSEA]

What does this attitude say about those of us who choose to travel the entire length of a cruise without our children?

 

My feelings about leaving the ship without my kids are not at all the same as choosing to travel the entire length of a cruise without them. To me those are different topics. I often travel without my kids - guilt free! When I do that they are in the care of other family members, with additional family members and family friends to act as "backup" should an emergency arise with their primary caregivers. Again, all should do what they are comfortable with, just consider all the possibilities.

[RuthC]

Perhaps I'm overlooking something?

You're overlooking the other side of the equation---that something happens to the adults touring off the ship.

I've been on, and read about, too many excursions where someone is injured and has to be taken for emergency medical treatment. This would be severe enough when on a HAL excursion and there's an escort who can notify the ship and help make arrangements. Frequently there's no HAL escort.

It would be even worse if the adults were touring on their own. It's possible that neither adult would be in a position to notify the ship.

 

What are the odds that something tragic will happen? Very low, I'm sure. But it is something to consider.

[snyderc635]

If a rare disaster were to occur, the ship staff would be able to handle the children until other caretakers could be found. None of us would travel if all we did was sit around and talk about all the bad things that COULD happen.