Concerns about CLUB HAL on ALASKAN CRUISE

[adler223]

Going on the July 4 Vandeem cruise to Alaska. After reading some of the comments on the board I'm a little worried about the quality of Club HAL. Reading about lack of activities and not enough supervision. Should I be concerned about this?

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Going on the July 4 Vandeem cruise to Alaska. After reading some of the comments on the board I'm a little worried about the quality of Club HAL. Reading about lack of activities and not enough supervision. Should I be concerned about this?

 

 

Hi Adler:

 

Yes, I would be concerned because, this year at least, the Veendam is sailing in Europe, not Alaska. Are you looking at 2008? Also, what age group are you concerned about? What is your projected itinerary and ports of call? What are the interests of the child or children in question? Need a little more info, please. Thanks.

 

Here is info from HAL's website regarding Club HAL, the program for junior cruisers. Age groups are 3-7, 8-12, and 13-17. You can call HAL's ship's services prior to departure and ask them to give you the numbers of kids on your cruise, and they will do so.

 

You will find an enclosed swimming pool, a video arcade, children's menus in the dining room, a structured program for kids that is well-supervised, and the whole great, big, beautiful outdoors of Alaska to play in.

 

We cruised to Alaska in August of last year, and we had 140 kids on board. My then-17-year-old didn't like cruising, but she loved Alaska. My then-7-year-old enjoyed Club HAL and the other kids she met there. We found there was plenty to do, as Alaska is a port-intensive destination.

[hammybee]

I usually read all threads and as such, I am having some difficulty recalling any threads that refered to a lack of activity or supervision on HAL. Maybe I missed something.

 

My DD, now 18, has, over the years, been on about 12 cruises, various cruise lines. When she was younger, she preferred HAL to the others, because of the structure and personalized attention. So often, it really comes down to, if they made a friend or two, or not.

 

When sailing with her, we sailed in prime time vacation season and there have always been hundreds of kids onboard HAL.

 

The cruise lines, all of them, allow kids at age 8 or 9, to sign themselves out of the kids club and some do. It's really up to the parents to make clear to their kids, their expectations. It goes with the job description.

 

The summer sails, especially in Alaska are predominately families,often extended. The dynamics are very different from sails during the schools year and the longer voyages.

[adler223]

Got confused. I'm sailing on the Zandaam.

[kryos]

Going on the July 4 Vandeem cruise to Alaska. After reading some of the comments on the board I'm a little worried about the quality of Club HAL. Reading about lack of activities and not enough supervision. Should I be concerned about this?

What's the problem? Even if Club HAL has limited hours, activities and such, you as the parent are still onboard. I am sure that on an exciting itinerary such as Alaska that you can keep your young ones happy and engaged.

 

I don't think Club HAL was ever meant to be a substitute for child care on a cruise ... but rather a supplement to what the parents provide.

 

The heck with Club HAL. Use your Alaska cruise as a great bonding opportunity ... and a time to spend some real quality time with the kids.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[dorisdoris1]

hi.have just been on oosterdam,and club hal was fabulous,if the standard there is anything to go by you have no worries.yes,they can sign in and out,but just do what i did and tell them that you dont want them to do that.try not to be disheartened by these negative comments on here,its a family holiday,yes,but you are entitled to some me time,take no notice!!!the hours were 9 til 12,2 til 4 and 6 til late.on port days they cant sign themselves out,and you have to book the day before for that.have a great time.

[TV Dad]

I've always found kids clubs on cruise ships to be marvelous for children ages 4-12. There is plenty to do and most children make one or two friends they play with the entire cruise.

My daughter still remembers the names and addresses of children she met on cruises 5-to-8 years ago.

Once a kid hits the teen years, it's a bit more difficult to keep him or her entertained in a "kids club." That's the nature of being a teenager. They get bored very easily. For many teens, you could give them the run of the ship , and they'd still be bored. That's not the fault of the kid's club. . . . that's part of growing up!

Don't think you or HAL are to blame if your teenager stares at you like you're some geeky monster for taking them on a cruise. Almost every teenager is probably telling their parents the same thing.

[Jade13]

Are you telling me teensgers need to sign in/out? Mine will find the other teenagers and do her own thing.

[hammybee]

Are you telling me teensgers need to sign in/out? Mine will find the other teenagers and do her own thing.

 

Your teens will do the same thing all the other teens will. They use the first meet/greet and from there, do their own thing. The older the teen, the less likely they will want to be associated with anything organized.

[hammybee]

Just one more thought- no idea the ages of the OP's kids, so this may or may not be applicable-

 

On very port intensive cruise, my DD was exhausted by the time we returned to the ship. One of her favorite things was when we would order in a room service dinner for her and leave her in the cabin to eat and watch some TV, while we had late seating. At 9-10 years old, this made her feel independent, yet secure. She almost always konked out early.

[Sale Away]

Just one more thought- no idea the ages of the OP's kids, so this may or may not be applicable-

 

On very port intensive cruise, my DD was exhausted by the time we returned to the ship. One of her favorite things was when we would order in a room service dinner for her and leave her in the cabin to eat and watch some TV, while we had late seating. At 9-10 years old, this made her feel independent, yet secure. She almost always konked out early.

 

Same thing happened with my 10 year old last year. We had Pinnacle reservations and had ordered her room service. She had been planning on going to Club HAL after her dinner. We came back and there she was with the tv on, in the chair, mouth open, fast asleep! The steward had obviously come in to pick up the dirty dishes and had left her sleeping. :)

[onthegogirl]

;) I was waiting in a hotel lobby in Seattle when I met a family that had just returned from an Alaskan Cruise. Mom, Dad, teen age daugter, 8 year old daughter and infant. As I was waiting for my cruise companion to arrive, and they were waiting for their room, we spent over an hour together.

 

I am an older cruiser with no children.

 

Teen age daughter became animated when asked about what she did on board. Eight year old showed me all the crafty stuff she made. She was so proud. Infant slept. Parents were very positive about Club Hal and so were the girls. One great experience was that the dinning room steward took the infant for a stroll while the rest of the family enjoyed their dinner. The infant slept.

 

Granted that this was an experienced cruising family. They often take the kids out of schoool to expose them to new and broadening experiences on cruises on HAL and the kids seemed extremely positive about the Club HAL experience. I feell anytime you see a teenager excited and positive about an experience, it must be good.