Club HAL and General Cruising with Children Tips?

[bobomonkeyrage]

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

[Tapi]

We've sailed with our kids twice on HAL, one time in Alaska, and the other time in the Caribbean. On our Alaska cruise aboard Westerdam, there were very few kids onboard, and the kids club was closed several times when it was supposed to be open. In addition, our kids didn't even care about going because sometimes they were the only ones in attendance, so we didn't even bother with it after a few days.

 

On our Caribbean cruise aboard Nieuw Statendam, there were 110 kids onboard (high compared to HAL's average, according to the camp counselors). On that cruise, my kids attended the kids club almost on a daily basis. They absolutely loved it. They made fast friends right away and after that, they all wanted to hang out as much as possible. On that cruise, all activities ran as scheduled. 

 

Overall, our experience with Club HAL (more specifically on the second cruise) was very positive. Compared to more family friendly cruise lines that we've sailed on (Royal, Carnival, MSC, Disney, etc, where the number of kids can sometimes be in the thousands), our kids received a much more personal and dedicated experience from the counselors. Having a smaller number of kids onboard meant that it was easier for them to make friends.

 

HAL may not have massive facilities with tons of activities like on other cruise lines, but my kids still say that our cruise on the Nieuw Statendam was one of their favorites. 

Edited March 11 by Tapi

[bobomonkeyrage]

22 minutes ago, Tapi said:

We've sailed with our kids twice on HAL, one time in Alaska, and the other time in the Caribbean. On our Alaska cruise aboard Westerdam, there were very few kids onboard, and the kids club was closed several times when it was supposed to be open. In addition, our kids didn't even care about going because sometimes they were the only ones in attendance, so we didn't even bother with it after a few days.

 

On our Caribbean cruise aboard Nieuw Statendam, there were 110 kids onboard (high compared to HAL's average, according to the camp counselors). On that cruise, my kids attended the kids club almost on a daily basis. They absolutely loved it. They made fast friends right away and after that, they all wanted to hang out as much as possible. On that cruise, all activities ran as scheduled. 

 

Overall, our experience with Club HAL (more specifically on the second cruise) was very positive. Compared to more family friendly cruise lines that we've sailed on (Royal, Carnival, MSC, Disney, etc, where the number of kids can sometimes be in the thousands), our kids received a much more personal and dedicated experience from the counselors. Having a smaller number of kids onboard meant that it was easier for them to make friends.

 

HAL may not have massive facilities with tons of activities like on other cruise lines, but my kids still say that our cruise on the Nieuw Statendam was one of their favorites. 

Great info. Thank you!

[kazu]

I don’t have children but one of my roll call members sailed the Panama Canal with us.  (Charming children, too 🙂 ).  

 

there weren’t many children on this sailing but Club HAL was open.  Her children loved it and the first thing she did on embarkation day was head there with them and get them registered.  You may want to do the same as they only have so many spaces.

 

IIRC, club HAL hours were very limited on port days.  Parents are not supposed to leave their children on board and both go ashore “in case”. One or both of the children came along with us on our tours and if they felt it would not appeal to one of them, one parent stayed on board with that child.

They would feed the children early some nights in the Lido, drop them off in Club HAL and do specialty dining with us.  The children would join us after.  The crew were enamoured with them and would offer then a dessert or a treat. 😊 

 

 

[Crew News]

When taking kids to Alaska, I would recommend bring two inexpensive pairs of binoculars for them.  Looking into the tree lines for eagles (their white heads look like vanilla ice cream cones) and other wildlife will let them interact with the Alaska experience.  The binoculars will also help to spot harbor seals in Glacier Bay.  Seeing bears in Alaska in May will be very rare but the kids might be surprised.  Finding a kids book about Alaska will also stimulate their interest.

 

The Zandaam has stern balconies spanning Decks 6 and 7 that are accessed through the hallway doors at the aft end of the respective hallways.  Blankets, loungers, and a large heat vent make these huge balconies enjoyable.  It is a good place for photos.

 

There are daily kids menus available in the MDR (bring crayons for kids to color the pictures) as well as in the Specialty Restaurants.  Kids eat free in the Specialty Restaurants if they eat from the kids menu.  Kids Menu to Color

 

It is my experience that kids enjoy Club HAL so much that they are not around the ship except at dinner times.  Activities will vary based on how many kids of each age group are present.  The first of May will probably have few kids.  Here is a link to typical Club HAL kids activities:  Kids Activities

 

Here is what the kids will see when looking for eagles in the trees:

 

Harbor seals in Glacier Bay

Edited March 11 by Crew News

[cruisingrob21]

We sailed on the Amsterdam in 2019 with kids about the same age.  The R class ships have smaller kids facilities for sure, and sometimes it was a bit crowded but my kids had fun. We found the hours stated in the daily program to be roughly correct.  They are not open all day long and generally close during meal times on sea days.  We were fortunate and the CD brought all the kids to the main showlounge for a few games of bingo on the last day, complete with popcorn, cookies, and strawberry or chocolate milk.  One of my kids even won one game.  

 

As for general tips, Alaska is a very family friendly place to go, but make sure you find things.  There are great playgrounds in Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway not far from the ship.  Also consider shorter excursions with less 'bus rides".  For instance, our kids really enjoyed the duck tour and lumberjack show in Ketchikan.  Also, most places have hikes not far from the ships or even "stair roads" that some kids may find entertaining.

 

I agree with the remark previously about affordable binoculars.  They may also enjoy walkie talkies (although they don't always work well on the ships).  There are a lot of on-demand kid movies (I think the Zaandam has the new system with on-demand tv) - certainly enough for 1 or 2 per day.  Consider investing in a few travel board games or teaching kids some card games.  Another tip that took us a few cruises with kids to learn is that breakfast or even lunch in the dining room is a calmer, less chaotic experience than the lido buffet.  We were able to easily find a table, and enjoy our breakfast while the great crew brought food for our kids.  Since HAL ships have such great dining rooms, you get outstanding views usually.

 

Around 8 is when our oldest started feeling confident wandering the ship a bit.  The Zaandam is smaller so if you are comfortable with it after a day or two, they may like to wander a bit together.  I usually would try to quiz my kids on day 2 or 3 and ask them to show us how to get to our room, or how to get to the Crows Nest etc.  After they build some confidence, we felt okay letting them go (with a watch on the oldest's arm) and a set meet up time.  By the last night its fun to be walking around the ship and find the kids sitting in a corner reading books 🙂

[bobomonkeyrage]

7 hours ago, kazu said:

 Parents are not supposed to leave their children on board and both go ashore “in case”.

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?

[bobomonkeyrage]

6 hours ago, Crew News said:

When taking kids to Alaska, I would recommend bring two inexpensive pairs of binoculars for them.  Looking into the tree lines for eagles (their white heads look like vanilla ice cream cones) and other wildlife will let them interact with the Alaska experience.  The binoculars will also help to spot harbor seals in Glacier Bay.  Seeing bears in Alaska in May will be very rare but the kids might be surprised.  Finding a kids book about Alaska will also stimulate their interest.

 

The Zandaam has stern balconies spanning Decks 6 and 7 that are accessed through the hallway doors at the aft end of the respective hallways.  Blankets, loungers, and a large heat vent make these huge balconies enjoyable.  It is a good place for photos.

 

There are daily kids menus available in the MDR (bring crayons for kids to color the pictures) as well as in the Specialty Restaurants.  Kids eat free in the Specialty Restaurants if they eat from the kids menu.  Kids Menu to Color

 

It is my experience that kids enjoy Club HAL so much that they are not around the ship except at dinner times.  Activities will vary based on how many kids of each age group are present.  The first of May will probably have few kids.  Here is a link to typical Club HAL kids activities:  Kids Activities

 

Here is what the kids will see when looking for eagles in the trees:

 

Harbor seals in Glacier Bay

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

[kazu]

32 minutes ago, bobomonkeyrage said:

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?

 

I agree with you and so would our friends that were on board with their children.  I was just stating the HAL rules which makes perfect sense to me - bu remember, not everyone thinks like you and I 😉 

[topspot]

    My experience with Club HAL is old (DD is now 28), but she had the best experience with the club as a teen.  We sailed on time in the middle of January, and there was a total of 14 children onboard, 2 of which were in our cabin (DD and friend).  They went to the club whenever it was scheduled to be open.  The staff was so great with them.  The staff found out the girls interests (DD was a dancer and friend was tech crew (lighting and sound) in the highschool).  Club HAL staff arranged for the girls to attend the show rehearsals, DD met the dancers and learned some combinations while friend was with the lighting and sound crew.  On another day club HAL arranged for all of the children to have a tour of the bridge.(only DD and friend showed up)   Staff went above and beyond.

[ChutChut]

On 3/11/2024 at 8:17 PM, bobomonkeyrage said:

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?

I did this very thing when on a 26-day Russia/Baltics cruise (Princess) with my five year old. She didn't want to go to the Hermitage, etc. (shocking) and, instead, wanted to spend the day playing, etc. Princess encouraged me to go given I was taking a Princess excursion (only worked with a Princess excursion). They assured me they wouldn't leave without me, and my daughter would be just fine. I had a great day, and my daughter had a great day. In fact, we took two 26-day cruises and several times she chose to stay onboard (although she now regrets (ten years later) not going with me to see all of the Beatles stuff in Liverpool). They always had my cell number, and I always had the Princess contact number. Not once did Princess leave without me, etc. I spend 24/7 with my kid as I'm a single parent but there are times when our interests diverge. Surely, that's not hard to "fathom"....