Going to try a Holland America cruise

[NickCDN]

We are a young family of 4 with 2 daughters who are thinking of booking a Holland America cruise late this fall. It will be Eastern Carib on the Eurodam. We are previous cruisers of Carnival and NCL, but are looking for a more relaxed environment and are hoping HAL would fit the bill. Kids wont go to kids club and this is a family vacation, so the kids will be with us all day.

 

Are we crazy for trying HAL?

 

Thanks

Nick

[velvetred]

How old are your daughters? If your kids don't go to the kids club that basically leaves the pool, movies in the screening room, cards or board games in the explorations cafe, walking/sitting on the promenade deck, theater entertainment and shows, and of course hanging out with mom and dad in the cabin or other areas of the ship on sea days and after returning from ports. I think you will find little to complain about in the food department with kids (pizza at Slice and a hamburger grill on the pool deck along with lots of choices in the Lido buffet, Canaletto, and main dining room plus options for specialty dining in the Tamarind and Pinnacle Grill). A stop at Half Moon Cay for the day is wonderful for all ages. So, if this sounds good to you then why not HAL?

[NickCDN]

Thanks for the reply. Our kids are 3 and 1. Yes they are young, but the oldest has already been on two cruises and both have been on many flights and are well behaved. I doubt our oldest would go to kids club, but we are fine hanging out with them. This is a vacation for us to spend time together, so I dont really want her to go to kids club. We like the fact this is a 4 stop cruise allowing us to explore off the boat.

 

Nick

[velvetred]

Well, enjoy your cruise whatever line you choose. The demographics on HAL skew to the elderly but the Eurodam is one of the largest HAL ships so you will see lots of families on board. The number of families and small children on board will be affected by the time of year - when school is in session all lines skew to an older demographic (although perhaps not quite as old as HAL). I cruised the Eurodam over Thanksgiving in 2009 - my dh and I had a wonderful trip - the main negative for us was the crowding on the pool deck from the addition of the cabanas (these are not on older HAL ships). If you like Asian fusion don't miss the Tamarind. I also recommend the complimentary Canaletto in the evening with your kids - one of the choices was spaghetti - most kids love spaghetti - plus they finish up the meal with cotton candy service.

 

The only time I have seen other cruisers get annoyed with young children on HAL was when a youngster was screaming and throwing a tantrum at the dining room table and the parents did not remove the child from the dining area. I can understand at first trying to calm the child down but if that is not working the parents really should have consideration for fellow diners IMHO and take the child somewhere else (applies at the movie theater, too). If you are looking for a relaxing cruise then I think you will love HAL (less excitement, fewer announcements, and less goings on in general). I have been on multiple lines so I am not a rabid cheerleader for HAL - in fact, I have cruises on Princess (Southern Caribbean), HAL (Alaska), and NCL (Mediterranean) booked for the coming year - I just have to keep working to pay for them all - lol.

[Diane Rose]

Since you are not really looking for a lot of other children or a kid's program, HAL is definitely a relaxing cruise environment. Never been on NCL, but you will see a definite difference from Carnival.

 

Relax and enjoy!

 

Diane

[Harry1954]

we raised five children, so we have experience in vacationing with kids of all ages. it sounds as though you vacation the way we use to - it is a family thing until they become teenagers when they will loathe to be seen with you. thus, i dont know what type of room you are considering, but I would strongly urge you to consider a deluxe suite as you would find it to have the right amount of space for those sea days ... further, the concierge service will be helpful in doing your legwork for you .. and lastly, the Neptune lounge has cookies and candies in the afternoon, a favorite of children .. and cappuccino, latte, and espresso for the adults all the time - my favorite.

Additionally, the Caribbean cruises, which we do once a year on HAL, are laid back and quite relaxing - even towing the kids.

I would suggest the s-class ships to avoid large crowds that you will find on the bigger ships - thus avoiding waiting in lines with the kids to get off for instance.

have a great time ..

harry

[matondo]

I think you will enjoy HAL since you are looking for a relaxing family time together. The crew LOVE children. If the children aren't up to formal dining some evening you can either eat in the Lido or have room service. There is a small basketball/ volleyball court where you can play ball with the kids, even if it is just rolling it back and forth. There is shuffleboard, no one watches to make sure you do it right it is just fun to so something active even if it just carrying the pieces around. Not sure if you have a balcony by one person said they brought a blow up pool to stick out on the balcony for the kids to splash around in.

 

Let us know how it works for you. IMHO I think you will love it.