Holland America for families???

[jcastro1202]

Hello everyone. My family and I are (range of ages from 5-57) will be traveling on the Niuew Amsterdam in November. We've all cruised with other lines, however this will be the groups first time on Holland America. I'm concerned there won't be much for the younger ones to do. We chose this ship thinking that a newer ship should have more amenities. Am I correct to assume this? I'm all about relaxing and quiet time, but my younger siblings are not. Will they be bored?

 

I'm looking forward to your replies and studying the Holland America line prior to boarding her in November. Thanks!

[Been There, Planning That]

Jcastro, we're back from an Alaska cruise with our family ranging in age from 15 months to 70 and we each individually and all collectively had a fantastic time.

 

The children -- eight between 15 months and 11 - enjoyed time at Club HAL . The toddler couldn't attend of course but the other 7 used this entertainment option from time to time, usually for an hour or two each day.

 

It was a family celebration and HAL perfectly suited our needs.

[jcastro1202]

Jcastro, we're back from an Alaska cruise with our family ranging in age from 15 months to 70 and we each individually and all collectively had a fantastic time.

 

The children -- eight between 15 months and 11 - enjoyed time at Club HAL . The toddler couldn't attend of course but the other 7 used this entertainment option from time to time, usually for an hour or two each day.

 

It was a family celebration and HAL perfectly suited our needs.

 

Thanks for responding. I'm no so concerned with my own children who are 5 and 11, but am concerned for my 21 year old brother his girlfriend and my 25 year old sister. They are into the more party atmosphere and am concerned they will be bored. I'm sure we'll all have a great time...we have before on cruises that we weren't too sure of. I guess I'm just panicing because we've usually planned all of our cruises well in advance and we just booked this Thanksgiving getaway yesterday. I'm an obsessive planner and feel as though time is running out for planning. The specialty restaurants are already sold out for Thanksgiving night! This last-minute family cruise planning is going to be quite an experience for me.

[Been There, Planning That]

The children's parents were older than your brother and sister and were so grateful when we babysat, just a bit of evening freedom was good enough for them. The families each had two interconnecting cabins so my husband and I could spell off in two cabins and the other set of children were old enough to be alone in their cabin.

 

We were the only experienced cruisers so it was a magical time for all the first timers.

 

The evening shows weren't too great, but they enjoyed the music groups playing in the various bars. But it was just a seven day cruise so one can't expect great shows.