Holland America with Kids??

[Scrapchick]

My advice is to do what you want to do, regardless of the possible reaction you might get from others who are not as tolerant or considerate as you...

 

Children are allowed and welcomed on HAL ships. They are paying passengers. Pick the itinerary you want and book it. Do you think anyone else out there is thinking they probably shouldn't plan a trip in case their elderly mother/wheelchair bound spouse/ etc offends anyone with their presence?

 

Seriously, take the trip YOU want. That is your right. Do not allow yourself to be cowed by intolerant bullies. We cannot please all of the people all of the time with our actions, but we would be paralzed into inaction if we always feared the reactions of others. Last time I checked it was still a free country in most aspects....

 

Take the trip you want and ENJOY IT... With your daughter!

[Hlitner]

Well, taking an 8 year old on most HA cruises while school is in session may well find that your 8 year old will be the only 8 year old (or 7,9, 10) on that cruise. If your daughter knows this and is ok with that potential situation then go for it and have a great cruise. As to Bermuda, it is our least favorite itinerary which is the fault of the Bermudian governement and not any of the cruise lines. The ships are essentially a hotel while in Bermuda waters (which is about half the cruise) but are forced to curtail activites aboard due to Bermuda law. The casino is closed, entertainment on-board is kept to a minimum, etc. Its more like a 4 night cruise and 3 day hotel. That being said, Bermuda is a class-act.

Hank

[ge0rgette2]

Well, taking an 8 year old on most HA cruises while school is in session may well find that your 8 year old will be the only 8 year old (or 7,9, 10) on that cruise. If your daughter knows this and is ok with that potential situation then go for it and have a great cruise. As to Bermuda, it is our least favorite itinerary which is the fault of the Bermudian governement and not any of the cruise lines. The ships are essentially a hotel while in Bermuda waters (which is about half the cruise) but are forced to curtail activites aboard due to Bermuda law. The casino is closed, entertainment on-board is kept to a minimum, etc. Its more like a 4 night cruise and 3 day hotel. That being said, Bermuda is a class-act.

Hank

 

Very interesting Hank - thank you!

 

I knew that the ship was docked for 3 days or so .. but never thought of it the way you explained ;) so ty!

 

At night time, there is no casino or entertainment going?

Or am I misunderstanding you?

[dtiger]

I find Bermuda beautiful but it's not warm enough to swim that time of year. The beaches are great for children but there's an aquarium which is nice.

[ge0rgette2]

I find Bermuda beautiful but it's not warm enough to swim that time of year. The beaches are great for children but there's an aquarium which is nice.

 

TY Dtiger.

[GOLDENBONNY]

I've been on other cruise lines before - how does Holland compare to those with kids??

 

I have 2 - 19 and 7, she'll be 8 at the time of sailing -- wondering how Holland America is with kids --- nicer ship? The itinerary is the same, so now I have to decide on NCL and Holland.. thanks!!

;)

 

 

I would choose HAL vs NCL .but I am not taken my 19 years old with me any more on any line LOL

[GOLDENBONNY]

I have a 9 year old just going into 4th grade and I cannot imagine pulling her out for 10 days at this stage. School is just too academic and important. That is WHY we travel during school vacations. We really have little choice. I am shocked that responsible parents would do that with upper elementary aged kids!

 

We did a transatlantic crossing when our daughter was 4, in early September after the schools were back in session and she was one of 2 kids on board. Of course there won't be many kids on board at such a time! Frankly, that's why I do like going during the holidays... I don't have to worry about my daughter being alone in the kids club. There can be 500 kids on board one week and none the next, depending on the school calendar. It's incredible that this wouldn't occur to parents when booking a trip...

 

 

I can add some to your shock:p we always took our DD from school last time was in 12 grade. YES 12 is last year of scholl :pand she never had problem .I never had to worry about DD in kids club because she hardly wen there:p

[GOLDENBONNY]

Holland Amreica has put in kids activites in as an after thought and squeezed them in to their existing ships...

For Children I would suggest Disney, NCL and Princess all of whom have built up their programs and built their ships with family in mind.

Holand america has much smaller ships 1200 passenger verses the 2400 and 3000 passenger ships which have total entertainment centers

On the smaller were built for a small group of people that dont really need to be entertained and with a strong leaning toward the older travler rather than younger ones

As such Hals is not a warm atmosphere for the youngetr set:cool:

 

 

HAL has very warm atmosphere for the yongers they even offer free crusies for kids .some passangers has not warm atmosphere for kids but its there own problem ,they shoul go on own yaht or cruise company where kids is not allowed)

[luvs2travl]

Fewer kids does not equal a crappy time, IMO at least. We are taking ours (4 and 9 in December, first time with kids on HAL, and the fact that there will be less kids = more individualized attention, activities tailored to kids etc. etc. to me. My kids are keen on the lower numbers too. They don't want to spend piles of time in the kids club anyway, just the odd activity.

 

I have to agree with you & the posters posting similar opinions here on this one. We have done family cruises on HAL, Celebrity, Princess and NCL. There are usually anywhere from 16 to 22 of us cruising as a group. We have 5 little ones in our group from ages 5 through 12, and they LOVED being with fewer kids on HAL, Celebrity and Princess than with the hundreds of other kids on NCL.

 

They get plenty of individual attention in the Kid's Clubs, and the staff absolutely dotes on them. They always find plenty of things to do, they learn about the ports that we visit, and they enjoy not being part of a herd of other kids. In fact, our NCL cruise last December was their least favorite due to the hundreds & hundreds of kids on board. They told us this, so it is not just my opinion.

 

One of their favorite things is "dressing up" for dinner. They so enjoy eating at the 'fancy table' as they call it, and the waiters on HAL have always been wonderful to them - one maitre d' even made animals out of napkins for each of them - they were too excited! I'm sure your family will have a great time on any HAL ship on which you choose to sail. :)

[ourfamilylovescruising]

give HAL a try our kids love it and have done many other cruise lines. we are going again for Thanksgiving with kids they are very excited. good luck.;)

[ge0rgette2]

Thanks everyone for the tips!!! :))

 

Yes, HAL is having kids free the week we are planning, so that drew me into researching them.

 

NCL is flashy, the ship I mean... Maybe that's why I thought it might be better, sounds foolish I know - HAL looks white/black - NCL has colors ... Sounds dumb I know! LOL

 

Everything on the HAL looks great! and the kids go free is an option I like.. lol

 

NCL is about 300.00 more for an oceanview than HAL... No balconies/verrandah's available when we want to go - I even checked the week before and after, NOTHING!! I guess I good thing is catching on!

[Richie2pies]

Teachers will usually say it's OK to pull YOUR kid out of school anytime you want. Heck; that's one less kid they have to worry about. Parents eat this up and think their kid is a genius.

[ge0rgette2]

Teachers will usually say it's OK to pull YOUR kid out of school anytime you want. Heck; that's one less kid they have to worry about. Parents eat this up and think their kid is a genius.

 

wowwwwers! :)

[airlink diva]

On my 2008 14 day cruise we had more kids than I expected on that sailing.

Found out that they were home school. So if you have this situation, it wouldn't matter when they sail

I have friends that pulled their children out for one to three day. The oldest was in the 6th grade. They talked to his teacher. He had school work given to his mother and also had to do a report on the Maya ruins in Belize and Cozumel.

As for the number of kids, you can have hundreds on board and if your child don't want to go or enjoy it, they won't.

Frankly that's a parent's choice and long as your child have manners and enjoy themselves without causing a ruckus, let them on board.

I also look at them as the next generation of cruisers. I can't recall the member name. but someone posted in another thread that they were sailing HAL since a small child and had very fond memoirs. Now they are doing the same with their child.

[caltnl]

We sailed on the 26th of July with our Daughter, Son in Law and two Grandsons 7 & 5.

 

The younger one several months prior to sailing learned that it was Club Hal. He decided it should be Club Howl.

 

We had to drag them out when ever it was time to leave. They loved it.

[Destin Mom]

We take our kids on trips throughout the school year. Yes, they actually miss some school! Shocking I know...we get their class work beforehand and communicate with their teachers. Both kids have managed to pass...with straight As and a much better appreciation for different cultures. You know your kids...I'm not advocating taking a struggling child out of school. I tend to think that family memories are a bit more important though especially at this age.

 

Club HAL is not going to be overrun with kids. We were on a N Europe trip this summer that had a combined club HAL attendance of around 20. Our kids still had a great time. The atmosphere was very warm and welcoming on board, and we all loved it.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[CleoT]

Today we booked the Eurodam for the Jan. 2nd sailing. Our kids (12 & 10) will miss the first week of the 2nd semester. Since we aren't what I'd call a "high-energy family" I think our kids are going to really enjoy the different activities they'll have. I talked to a HAL employee and she said there would be a spy night, a country carnival one day, and that they will have themed nights every night. Sounds fun to me!

 

I talked with their school principal a few days ago and he gave me some great tips on how to make our kids as little affected by the missing days as possible. The best tip I thought was that the two weeks they're out before we I should sit with them 2-3 hours a day doing the school work the teachers were able to give. Even the assignments that are vague we can still go over the chapters together. Sort of like a home school during the Christmas break. They were perfectly happy with that knowing their reward at the end would be a wonderful cruise!

[ge0rgette2]

:cool:

We sailed on the 26th of July with our Daughter, Son in Law and two Grandsons 7 & 5.

 

The younger one several months prior to sailing learned that it was Club Hal. He decided it should be Club Howl.

 

We had to drag them out when ever it was time to leave. They loved it.

[ge0rgette2]

We take our kids on trips throughout the school year. Yes, they actually miss some school! Shocking I know...we get their class work beforehand and communicate with their teachers. Both kids have managed to pass...with straight As and a much better appreciation for different cultures. You know your kids...I'm not advocating taking a struggling child out of school. I tend to think that family memories are a bit more important though especially at this age.

 

Club HAL is not going to be overrun with kids. We were on a N Europe trip this summer that had a combined club HAL attendance of around 20. Our kids still had a great time. The atmosphere was very warm and welcoming on board, and we all loved it.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

 

Today we booked the Eurodam for the Jan. 2nd sailing. Our kids (12 & 10) will miss the first week of the 2nd semester. Since we aren't what I'd call a "high-energy family" I think our kids are going to really enjoy the different activities they'll have. I talked to a HAL employee and she said there would be a spy night, a country carnival one day, and that they will have themed nights every night. Sounds fun to me!

 

I talked with their school principal a few days ago and he gave me some great tips on how to make our kids as little affected by the missing days as possible. The best tip I thought was that the two weeks they're out before we I should sit with them 2-3 hours a day doing the school work the teachers were able to give. Even the assignments that are vague we can still go over the chapters together. Sort of like a home school during the Christmas break. They were perfectly happy with that knowing their reward at the end would be a wonderful cruise!

 

 

THANK YOU!!! :)

 

I didn't see a slide on the ship - is it just a regular pool ...

 

Themed nights seem okay with me too!!!! I'm sure it'll be just fine - HAL's rooms look much nicer as well.

I saw some reviews of the Veendham*sp* and it stated the ship is rundown -- I sure hope not!

 

 

Seems going to two different ports is nice - but as someone mentioned tendering is a pest sometimes..

 

Id like to go to Horseshoe Beach while there -- seems HAL's stop is better than NCL's.