Kids clubs & Add on charges

[Rambler5678]

Thinking of taking an Alaska cruise and our kids are 5 and 12. How are the kids clubs and what kind of activities do they have? We have only cruised with Disney were most things are included. What is not included and requires a upcharge?

[CGYCruisingFamily]

We have not done Disney so i dont know if I can compare the two. With the kids, we have only ever done HAL and NCL.

 

The basic every day care is included and we never incurred any extra charges with anything to the with Club HAL (in fact at the end of the cruise the kids got little take away Club Hal bags with a souvenir in it too). When we went on NCL, there was a charge if we wanted to leave the kids in kids club in port (or if we stayed on board and they wanted to go while in port). On HAL, there is (or at least was the last time we went) no extra charge for in port days - so if you want to take a tour and feel comfortable leaving your child in the care of the staff this is possible. We travel with my parents so there is almost always an adult on the ship if they are in kids club. The port day hours on HAL were pretty good too - they can eat lunch as a group.

 

There was an extra charge only if the kids stayed for after hours, which again we did not do.

 

They do tend to be open (for at sea days), from early morning until about 12. They close for about an hour or 1.5 hrs, then open until 4, then close for a couple of hours then open again for the evening. This is intended 1) for the staff to get a break and 2) so parents dont just leave their kids in Kids club all day. If I remember right too, they almost always brought healthy snacks to the club in the evenings for the kids to munch on.

 

We have a 5 and almost 9 year old. The last time we went they were both in the youngest group. They had lots of arts and crafts, play activities, scavenger hunts, ice cream parties, reading time and at night movies sometimes. In your cabin, if you sign up for kids club, the kids will get their own itineraries for Club HAL with all the times of activities. So as adults you have your itineraries, and they have their own. The last night was a PJ party with movies and popcorn. For the younger kids they also have theme parties some days. The kids absolutely loved their time there.

 

This time when we go they will be split. The youngest will still be in the young group and the older one will be with the tweens. There are some PS 3's or Wii's or Xboxs on board and sometimes they will play with those. I am not sure what other activities they will have but it seemed the kids in all the groups were always busy.

 

I found this on another website to explain activities:

 

 

• Club HAL® — Kids*: Children, ages 3-7, can participate in such activities as story telling, fabric painting, indoor games, arts and crafts, drawing contests, ice-cream sundae parties, puzzles, bingo, pirate treasure hunts or a farewell pizza party. Children in the Kid's age group must be toilet trained. Children in pull-ups or diapers are not allowed in the youth facilities, due to mandates from US Public Health. Exceptions to this rule cannot be made.
  
• Club HAL® — Tweens*: Tweens, ages 8-12 might learn golf putting, have disco parties and theme parties, participate in the award-winning National Park Service Jr. Ranger Program on Alaska cruises, compete in on-deck sports events, compete in scavenger hunts or simply play Ping-Pong with a friend.
  
• The Loft and The Oasis*: Teens, ages 13-17 will especially enjoy the teen disco, karaoke sessions, video games, teen sports tournaments, card games, trivia contests, bingo, movies and videos. When there are more than 100 children on board, a HAL Talent Show is offered. (The Oasis is not available on all Vista-class ships)
  

Edited May 23, 2014 by CGYCruisingFamily

[CGYCruisingFamily]

Oh and I also forgot, one of HALs signature things is the Culinary Arts Centre which they end up holding kids programs in too. Our kids LOVE cooking and this is one of their favourite things to do. Last time they made their own chocolate sauce and then that afternoon used it on sundaes that they made.

[AlohaPride]

Wow! I needed this thread! Thank you so much for all the wonderful information!!

[c-cruise]

We've done HAL with out kids many times as well as once on Disney. The ClubHAL hours will feel really limited to you if you are used to Disney where they are open all day long. The only thing they charge for is the extended hours which I believe starts at 10:00pm.

 

Our kids like ClubHAL, but the facilities can't compared to what's offered on Disney. The nice thing about ClubHAL though is that the kids tend to get more personalized attention as there aren't nearly so many of them. The HAL cruises we have done with kids generally have between 50-100 kids onboard and usually 3-4 youth staff. You may have a few more than that on a Summer Alaska sailing, but it won't be the thousand + kids like on Disney.

 

If there aren't enough kids they will sometimes combine the two lower age clubs into one room. We had that happen quite a bit on our Eurodam cruise in Feb. particularly in the afternoons when there were less kids participating. Not a problem for our older daughter, but our 3yr old was a bit afraid of going in with the older kids.

 

Our kids like ClubHAL ok, but they loved Disney!

[AlohaPride]

Rambler, which cruise are you contemplating? We're on the August 14 day and have three kids - 7, 5, and 3 who will be with us. :)

 

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[1of4]

We have done both Disney and Hal. Our daughter hated Disney as it was just too much of everything and she tends to be on the quieter side, DS loved all the computers on Disney and only played on them which I didn't like as it was too much time in front of a screen.

 

Overall we prefer Hal. Mainly because we have busy lives and when we go on vacation it is for our family time. Disney is amazing and beautiful but designed to look in at all things Disney. HAL has many places where you can look out in peace and quiet.

 

There are no extra charges for Club HAL unless you want to keep the children past 10 PM.

 

The hours are 9 to 11:30; 1 to 4 or 4:30; 7 to 10.

 

Both our children love Club Hal for the individual attention and variety of events.

 

Edited to add that the exclamation mark was a tablet mistake

Edited May 24, 2014 by 1of4

[CGYCruisingFamily]

One other thing we liked about HAL. When we were on the Amsterdam, they had DVD players in each room. You could go to the front desk and borrow (free) one for 24 hrs. They had about 500 titles. For a charge you could get a movie night room service package (it wasn't too expensive), which had popcorn, I think some chocolate and soft drinks. My parents did a movie night with the kids so DH and I could have a nice night sans kidlets.

 

Oh and I second the sentiments about fewer kids on board. Our kids didn't like the crowds of kids on the NCL cruises and preferred the smaller groups.

Edited May 24, 2014 by CGYCruisingFamily

[mhg7274]

Thinking of taking an Alaska cruise and our kids are 5 and 12. How are the kids clubs and what kind of activities do they have? We have only cruised with Disney were most things are included. What is not included and requires a upcharge?

 

 

I didn't have time to read all of the replies, but had to share... We've been On disney three times. We love disney cruises. The kids were 3/5 then 4/6 and then 10/12. We've also cruises with HAL maybe 5 or 6 times. It's weird... My kids like the HAL

Clubs better because there are less kids. The clubs are quieter. They get to actually get to know other kids! The hours are different- disney clubs are open morning till night. HAL is open for a few hours on the morning, afternoon and evening. HOWEVER... We get to spend time with the kids... And be away from them too.

[elzbal]

We haven't been on a Disney cruise so we can't really compare, but our kids (5 and 6 and 8 at the time) had a blast in ClubHAL. There was always something going on, and the kids had their own kid-tailored program on Glacier Bay day. Two of them participated in the talent show.

 

As mentioned, there was an activity in the Culinary Arts Center - the same facility used for demonstration cooking by celebrety chefs - making a dessert pizza which involved sweets on top of a pastry crust. There was also a pajama disco party in the disco room late afternoon or evening.

 

They had such a good time that they begged to go into ClubHAL whenever they could, complained every time we took them out, and talked about going back on a cruise JUST for ClubHAL for several months afterwards.

[vbmom87]

Great thread!! Thanks for all the contributions!

[DLUT]

We have done many Disney cruises and love the flexibility that the kids club offers being open from morning until night even when in port and with no charges. I called about Club Hal and was told that the Club is only open from 8-5 with no charge when the ship is in port. I asked about it being open earlier or later in case an excursion leaves or arrives later, and I was told that is not an option since staff is not available. When my son was too young to enjoy or appreciate excursions in Europe, Disney's flexibility was nice on port days because we could put him in for a couple of hours while we took an excursion. Although we don't plan on using Club Hal for port days now that he is older, I still wanted to know my options.

[CGYCruisingFamily]

DLUT, they changed the times on our cruise according to port times. Some days it did one earlier if we docked earlier.

Edited May 28, 2014 by CGYCruisingFamily

[DLUT]

DLUT, they changed the times on our cruise according to port times. Some days it did one earlier if we docked earlier.

 

Unfortunately, it does not surprise me that the info was not completely accurate that I rec'd from the HAL guest services line. I have called a couple of times and received "I don't really know" as a response for pretty much every question I have asked. For a question that I asked about how they handle a child's emergency Epi-pen and inhaler when in Club Hal, I was transferred to 5 people over a 2 day period, transferred back to the place where I started, and still never rec'd an answer. I finally gave up and will just get my answers when on board.

[AlohaPride]

Unfortunately, it does not surprise me that the info was not completely accurate that I rec'd from the HAL guest services line. I have called a couple of times and received "I don't really know" as a response for pretty much every question I have asked. For a question that I asked about how they handle a child's emergency Epi-pen and inhaler when in Club Hal, I was transferred to 5 people over a 2 day period, transferred back to the place where I started, and still never rec'd an answer. I finally gave up and will just get my answers when on board.

 

I ended up asking one of the safety officers I know who took it upon himself to ask while he was on board. He was told that all Club HAL staff know how to administer Epi Pens and you can leave it with them at Club HAL when you drop your children off.

 

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[GRACECRUISE]

Aloha - with three kids (younger ages) how do you book your rooms? Will HAL let you have 5 in a room? My sister wants to do Alaska with her hubby and kids total of 5 people but do not want to have to split rooms. Grandparents can not make the trip to help out. Still trying to figure out the logistic. I am guessing they will have to get two and maybe can get adjoining door. Thanks

[c-cruise]

Regarding the EpiPen question we have had two different experiences with this on HAL. When we were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2013 the clubHAL staff would not take the EpiPen at all. They were much better on the Eurodam this past Feb. although we never did end up leaving the EpiPen with them. They always informed us when a snack was going to be served and what our options were for a peanut allergy. Disney definitely takes EpiPens.

[c-cruise]

Aloha - with three kids (younger ages) how do you book your rooms? Will HAL let you have 5 in a room? My sister wants to do Alaska with her hubby and kids total of 5 people but do not want to have to split rooms. Grandparents can not make the trip to help out. Still trying to figure out the logistic. I am guessing they will have to get two and maybe can get adjoining door. Thanks

 

No cabins on HAL that will accommodate 5. The only way I have seen that you can go over the max passengers for a room is if one of the kids is in a pack n' play crib.

 

They do have some connecting cabins (interior connecting door) in most all category rooms, but not a ton of them. On our last HAL cruise on the Eurodam we got two connecting verandah cabins which had an connecting interior door as well as being able to open the balcony partition. You have to book someone over 18 in both of the cabins, but it doesn't matter where the people actually sleep once onboard. We put our kids in one cabin and we had the other. Was nice to have two bathrooms! The only confusing thing is remembering who's card opens which cabin door.

 

If the kids are old enough it's also pretty common to get one balcony room or suite with a second inside room across the hall.

[dritan]

Just wanted to say a thank you for the information. The mealtime closing times aren't too much of a problem, otherwise my kids would happily stay there all day lol! In fact, when we went to pick them up early one night on our Costa cruise, my 5 year old son cried when he saw us. Needless to say we came back later.

Quite shocked to read that NCL charges for the kids club when in port! Particularly as we tend to cruise the Med, which has very long port days with only one sea day.

[AlohaPride]

Aloha - with three kids (younger ages) how do you book your rooms? Will HAL let you have 5 in a room? My sister wants to do Alaska with her hubby and kids total of 5 people but do not want to have to split rooms. Grandparents can not make the trip to help out. Still trying to figure out the logistic. I am guessing they will have to get two and maybe can get adjoining door. Thanks

 

We are extremely blessed to be traveling with friends who we consider family, so our oldest who is turning 7 on this trip is in with RuthC for this cruise ;)

 

Otherwise, we were originally booked in joining cabins. As the girls get older we will probably move back to inside cabins (none of them are joining) and just be next door with one adult registered in each room.

[CI66774]

We have done many Disney cruises and love the flexibility that the kids club offers being open from morning until night even when in port and with no charges. I called about Club Hal and was told that the Club is only open from 8-5 with no charge when the ship is in port. I asked about it being open earlier or later in case an excursion leaves or arrives later, and I was told that is not an option since staff is not available. When my son was too young to enjoy or appreciate excursions in Europe, Disney's flexibility was nice on port days because we could put him in for a couple of hours while we took an excursion. Although we don't plan on using Club Hal for port days now that he is older, I still wanted to know my options.

 

FYI - Princess WILL open early and close late for your child if you are on a Princess excursion.

[RuthC]

We are extremely blessed to be traveling with friends who we consider family, so our oldest who is turning 7 on this trip is in with RuthC for this cruise ;)

Aw. That's so nice to read. Makes my day.

Thanks.

[c-cruise]

As the girls get older we will probably move back to inside cabins (none of them are joining) and just be next door with one adult registered in each room.

 

On the Vista and Signature ships at least there are a couple sets of connecting inside cabins on Deck 1. Not sure about the older ships.

[AlohaPride]

Aw. That's so nice to read. Makes my day.

Thanks.

 

It's the truth. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

On the Vista and Signature ships at least there are a couple sets of connecting inside cabins on Deck 1. Not sure about the older ships.

 

None on the Amsterdam :(

 

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[DLUT]

Regarding the EpiPen question we have had two different experiences with this on HAL. When we were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 2013 the clubHAL staff would not take the EpiPen at all. They were much better on the Eurodam this past Feb. although we never did end up leaving the EpiPen with them. They always informed us when a snack was going to be served and what our options were for a peanut allergy. Disney definitely takes EpiPens.

 

That is unfortunate and disturbing that they would not take the Epi-pen on the Amsterdam. Thankfully, my son obsesses about asking if things are safe before he eats them so that part shouldn't be a problem. You touched on my questions and the reason for my phone call to guest services-do I leave the pen with ClubHal staff and do they keep it for the duration of the cruise since I usually bring a spare. Since I couldn't get an answer, I re-trained my son extensively on how to self-administer the pen. He will definitely have the Epi-pen with him whether they decide to take it or not.

 

Disney kids club staff usually keeps the pen in the kids area for the duration, and I just pick it up on the last night. NCL made us take it back each time.