Kids / Family evening activities on Nieuw Amsterdam

[LMaxwell]

Wondering about some family centric entertainment or activities on Nieuw Amsterdam.  Do they show movies at night on the pool deck?  If so, does anyone have a recent selection just to get an idea?  Does Holland America have fly-in headliner/variety show acts in the theater ever?  Do they have family arts and crafts, shows, etc?  For those that have used the kids club, how did you like it?  This pertains to a standard 7 day Caribbean cruise.  Have the opportunity to book a trip aboard through a prize redemption program. 

[awhcruiser]

No movie screen on the pool deck.  They do show movies in the mainstage theatre, either 3 pm or 8:30 pm.  No variety shows anymore.  We had a total of 3 shows on a 7 day cruise which included a comedian, illusionists, and dancers.  All were very good, but we were not traveling with children.  Don't know about arts and crafts or the kids club.  Probablly best to have the kids stay in the kids club if they like it to keep them busy.  HAL is really more for adults IMHO.  Some nights nothing was offered other than the music walk.

[Dulciana8]

I cannot speak to the Nieuw Amsterdam, but I can help shed some light on Club HAL— the kids club. Our son loved it. (He’s five.) Fewer kids on board meant a more tailored experience for him, so he got lots of personal attention from the club staff and plenty of extra attention from the crew. Food, towel animals, drinks— you name it— were catered to his every whim. He was very much spoiled on board HAL, much more so than on our previous cruises on DCL. It’s true that HAL can be viewed by some as more of an adult centric line, but on the Caribbean sailings, and especially during school breaks, you will find plenty of kids on board, and multi generations. In our experience, HAL does a nice job of blending multi generational activities on board. And, the kids club is like a hidden gem. Our next HAL cruise is in two weeks and all our son talks about is how he cannot wait to get back to the club! This is definitely a bonus for mom and dad! 

[TrolleyGirl]

Recently on the NA, the 7pm team trivia was replaced by team board games that could be considered family friendly.  Scattegories was one such game I remember. 

[GirlGoneTexan]

We took our kids (ages 8, 10 at the time) on a 2 week to Alaska on the Amsterdam. As Dulciana8 said above, because there are less kids, the kids definitely get more attention in the kids' club. We had cruised RCL before, and their kids' club was such a chaotic nightmare that my kids refused to go back.  They loved the variety of activities and how engaged the counselors were at Club HAL.  The counselors took them for ice cream, up on the sport deck for gaga ball and other running around games, and they enjoyed movie nights, skits, and other fun stuff at night. They made several friends that hung out around the ship together sometimes when not in the club.

 

Outside of the club, they enjoyed the pools, nights of room service and a movie, and dressing up for dining. They sat with me at the piano bar one evening, and the performer saw them and started playing a medley of Disney songs for them. I took my son to a comedy show one night, and it was relatively clean (anything that wasn't was subtle enough to be over his head). We watched a show as a family - they enjoyed it.  We danced in the Crowe's nest to the band one night. My daughter and I went to a movie one sea day afternoon when it was cold and rainy.  They played the life-sized chess one afternoon while adults in the lido watched them with surprise... yes kids can play chess! 🙂

 

My kids loved their HAL experience. We will be on NA in less than 2 weeks for a Caribbean cruise, so I can report back with more when we return (they are 11 and 13 now, and we're going with my sisters' kids who are 4, 6, and 17).

 

Here's my review of our cruise if that helps...

 

[LMaxwell]

These are all helpful comments and I'll check the other thread referenced here for more information.  

 

The cruise is offered through a work redemption program; I really should see if an Alaska itinerary is available.  That would be a new way to experience a unique place.  

 

 

[shudie]

love the positive HAL/kids' club reviews. looking forward to our cruise next year. 

[vicd1969]

There was a HAL press release that mentioned NA was getting an arcade / table games room that allows the whole family access at certain times. Sometime in February 2020. From an article I found:

 

“...That includes the addition of High Score, an interactive game room filled with arcade and table games from pinball to ski ball, air hockey, and more. According to Ashford, the room will be open for the entire family. It is scheduled to debut on Oosterdam and will then be added to Nieuw Amsterdam in February 2020. The rest of the Holland America fleet will get the game room sometime in 2021. “