Best Holland America ship for kids?

[Califonria cruiser]

Long story, but it looks like we might be sailing on Holland America in the next couple years with my teenage daughter and 6 year old son. Most likely Caribbean or Mexico. Which ships are best for children?

 

Jenn

[Ky Colonel]

Long story, but it looks like we might be sailing on Holland America in the next couple years with my teenage daughter and 6 year old son. Most likely Caribbean or Mexico. Which ships are best for children?

 

Jenn

 

Jenn,

 

Congratulations - I hope everything works out for you on your cruise planning.

 

IMO it's not the specific ship that is "best for children" as much as it is the itinerary. Having said that, I think whichever HAL ship you are on is the "best for children" IF you are on an itinerary (such as Alaska) that stops at places that have attractions generally of interest to children your kids' ages AND your kids and you enjoy each other's company.

 

IMO if you intend to turn the kids over to HAL for the duration of the cruise, I suspect that neither you nor your kids will fully enjoy the cruise. My DW and I have a couple years experience cruising with our granddaughters, and we have thoroughly enjoyed every cruise with them, mainly because we involved them in the selection process. So I would discuss itineraries with the kids and choose one that appeals to all of you.

 

Smooth sailing,

 

Rod

 

[Califonria cruiser]

We have traveled with our children on cruises many times, but never on Holland. This summer my hubby and I (no kids) are going to the Baltic and when the price on our cruise dropped dramatically it was too late to cancel and rebook without losing $1200, the whole deposit. The fare dropped $1250 so a lot of work for a change of $50 plus it would lower the onboard credit from the travel agent.

 

Anyway, we were offered $600 per person future cruise credit for each of us that has to be booked within the year so now I am wondering if this is something that makes sense to us.

 

Our kids have always loved our other cruises, mostly Princess, RCL, Carnival and even Celebrity once, but no clue about Holland America.

 

Figured maybe some ships are better suited for kids with programs, etc. What types of programs does Holland have? It is the typical 9-noon, 2-5, 7-10 and then charge extra for other hours? I have always been under the impression that Holland tends to have a more older/adult crowd which is why we have never tried it. Any thoughts?

 

Jenn

[Hlitner]

I will be honest (and get flamed) but we just do not think that any HAL ship is great for kids. Yes, HAL does have a kids/teens programs and they hire professionals to run those programs (this is similar to most mass market cruise lines). But we have just not seen any evidence that HAL measures up to lines like RCI, Princess, Norwegian and Disney when it comes to the kids programs. And HAL's reputation as an "a line for seniors" does not help attract lots of young families to the line.

 

Hank

[Crew News]

I can only speak from personal observation but I have met only one kid who did not enjoy themselves on a HAL ship. From the young kids dressing in their own-made pirate costumes and parading through the ship to the teens who loved the dancing classes from the ship's dancers, all enjoyed their time aboard HAL

 

This was most evident when we only saw kids during dinner as they were fully engaged during the day.

 

Here are some of the scanned kids' activities in Alaska that are probably typical of all HAL cruises:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/travel-2/holland-america-lines-kids-activities-examples/

[Califonria cruiser]

Thanks for the info. Will get to experience HA first hand this summer, just figure it would be different clientele on a Baltic cruise vs. Caribbean so not really an apples to apples comparison.

 

While $600 a person future cruise credit sounds nice, not sure it is really useful. Might have TA call Holland America again and see if there is anything else they can do.

 

Jenn

[boulders]

HAL is dd16s favorite cruise line. It's ds19s and ds9s second favorite after Royal Caribbean. We've been on the newest ship and one of the oldest. They really didn't differ in the experience for either kids or adults. The only difference I could see was in decor. There were a lot more kids on the newer ship though. I would choose based on itinerary, with a preference to a newer ship.

[CruiseMob]

HAL does a great job with their kids club. We've sailed Celebrity, HAL, and DCL and up until recently HAL was their favorite. My daughter now places DCL slightly above HAL, but only because the wave phones on DCL give her more freedom, which really isn't about the clubs. LOL!!!

 

It is the typical 9-noon, 2-5, 7-10 and then charge extra for other hours, for the most part. One of our favorite things was after picking up my daughter at 10:00pm going to the buffet getting some ice cream and playing some cards while she finished her ice cream before going back to the room.

 

I can't speak to all the ships, we've only sailed the Oosterdam and Westerdam so far, and they were both wonderful.

[Friend100]

Long story, but it looks like we might be sailing on Holland America in the next couple years with my teenage daughter and 6 year old son. Most likely Caribbean or Mexico. Which ships are best for children?

 

Jenn

 

My kids don't go to kids club. They enjoy HAL as much as Disney and Royal Caribbean.

[lynn2002]

I was also a bit worried about taking my 10 year old last year on HAL. We had previously only cruised with RCCL with the choice of climbing wall, surfing, ice-skating, rollerskating etc. However, she loved it. It was very port intensive but we booked a lido cabana so that when we came back we would sit down and relax while she played with her new-found friends in the pools.

 

Not as many children as on RCCL, but she made quite a few friends and would ask after dinner if she could meet up with them in the children's club. So, around 9.00 p.m. I would drop her off for an hour before bed-time.

[sail7seas]

IMO, it is less important which ship you choose that is best for the children and more important when you are sailing and what itinerary. If you sail during school vacations, there are sure to be lots of families with children. If you sail short (7 day) itineraries you will find more children obviously than a 30 day cruise.

[cruisemom42]

We may have just been unlucky, but there were few kids on our HAL Caribbean cruise at a time when there should've been more (e.g., summer) or more probably would've been more on other lines. DS, who is pretty good at entertaining himself didn't complain but did spend a lot of time in the cabin playing electronic games when we were not in port. Club activities were sparse. After that cruise HAL was not a favorite with him when selecting future cruises. He enjoyed Princess and Celebrity more.

[Diver2014]

It's no secret that HAL is not as kid friendly as some of the other cruise lines and that there are more seniors on board than kids. I don't remember where I heard it but I've always remembered 'HAL ships do not have water slides and never will!" While there are kids programs, I think another cruise line like Disney or Carnival or Norwegian would be more kid friendly. Plus, now that I'm not a kid any more, I prefer there not being a lot of kids on board but that's just me.

[sail7seas]

We may have just been unlucky, but there were few kids on our HAL Caribbean cruise at a time when there should've been more (e.g., summer) or more probably would've been more on other lines. DS, who is pretty good at entertaining himself didn't complain but did spend a lot of time in the cabin playing electronic games when we were not in port. Club activities were sparse. After that cruise HAL was not a favorite with him when selecting future cruises. He enjoyed Princess and Celebrity more.

 

:confused: HAL has not sailed the Caribbean in summer months for years.

They reposition their usual Caribbean ships to Alaska, Canada/NE and Europe during spring/summer/fall.

 

 

Edited May 1, 2015 by sail7seas

[Krazy Kruizers]

We may have just been unlucky, but there were few kids on our HAL Caribbean cruise at a time when there should've been more (e.g., summer) or more probably would've been more on other lines. DS, who is pretty good at entertaining himself didn't complain but did spend a lot of time in the cabin playing electronic games when we were not in port. Club activities were sparse. After that cruise HAL was not a favorite with him when selecting future cruises. He enjoyed Princess and Celebrity more.

 

 

What year did you sail HAL in the summer??

HAL hasn't been in the Caribbean in the summer for years.

 

 

[rkacruiser]

The Nieuw Amsterdam with its unusual Club HAL artifacts, i.e. an old New York Taxi as well as the Zaandam with its Atrium located organ that has small figures "dance" when the organ plays would be of interest to a young person.

 

But, it is not the hardware of the ship that counts for a young person's enjoyment. It is the program that the ship offers. And, on that score, I cannot comment.

[HALrunner]

We may have just been unlucky, but there were few kids on our HAL Caribbean cruise at a time when there should've been more (e.g., summer) or more probably would've been more on other lines. DS, who is pretty good at entertaining himself didn't complain but did spend a lot of time in the cabin playing electronic games when we were not in port. Club activities were sparse. After that cruise HAL was not a favorite with him when selecting future cruises. He enjoyed Princess and Celebrity more.

 

Obviously this person has HAL confused with another line. As previously mentioned they do not sail the caribbean in summer. Also the programming is the same if there is one kid or 300. We sail often with our 5 & 7 year olds (both three star mariners!). Club hours are 9-11:30, 1-4 & 7-10 fleet wide (well, I don't know about Prisendam). There are a variety of activities scheduled in 30 min increments and our kids have never been bored- even thought they have done each of the theme nights several times. If they are the only kids in the club, the staff is flexible and will often let them choose another activity (including video games, which our kids rarely choose) that interest them. We typically cruise longer sailings and avoid school holiday travel. There have been times when they are the only kids on the ship and other times when (during our only 7 day caribbean sailing) there were 30. Regardless of the number of participants the same activities are always offered and staff is excellent.

 

A Lido Cabana (previously mentioned) is a great choice for families. Definitely check it out. Although the clientele is typically more "mature" on HAL, it really has been great for our family. I would much rather be on a ship with "some" kids instead of "too many" kids. It's your vacation, too.

Edited May 2, 2015 by HALrunner

[cruisemom42]

What year did you sail HAL in the summer??

HAL hasn't been in the Caribbean in the summer for years.

 

 

 

Obviously this person has HAL confused with another line. As previously mentioned they do not sail the caribbean in summer. Also the programming is the same if there is one kid or 300.

 

It was on the Zuiderdam, either the year it was launched or the next year. I think it was 2003. Western Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale. We were lured aboard by a TA who sold us on the idea that this "new" class of HAL ships were to be more family friendly and meant to attract younger passengers.

[78232]

I have taken each of my grandchildren on a Hal cruise and both had a good time. ... once during spring break and once during Thanksgiving week.

I would suggest going on one of the larger ships. From the kids perspective, the lido cabana on the Eurodam and a cabana on Half Moon Cay were special memories. If you go to Panama, the Embera Indian excursion would appeal to kids as would anything to do with animals.

 

Marcia

[Lottie Linda]

It's no secret that HAL is not as kid friendly as some of the other cruise lines and that there are more seniors on board than kids. I don't remember where I heard it but I've always remembered 'HAL ships do not have water slides and never will!" While there are kids programs, I think another cruise line like Disney or Carnival or Norwegian would be more kid friendly. Plus, now that I'm not a kid any more, I prefer there not being a lot of kids on board but that's just me.

 

I agree with you, there are less teenagers on HAL and that is fine by me. HAL is classical in its experience. It is restful and affords time to be introspective. Many of the activities are cerebral. When I think of music on HAL I'm thinking chamber music, on other lines I'm reminded of steel-drum bands. Instead of the hairiest chest contest, HAL offers a seminar on the local fauna. I would have loved HAL as a child, but I doubt my siblings would.

[Spunky946]

We went last summer on the Westerdam to Alaska in August. Our kids were 10 and 6 and it was their first cruise and they loved it. My in laws were also with us. We did our shore excursions all together and the kids spent time in the club too. We did open seating dinner and ate most nights at 5:30 so the kids could go to the club at 7. One night we fed them early and ate dinner later.

 

We won a cruise at the bingo game and my ds was jumping up and down. We are going to the Caribbean next February over presidents week and can't wait.

[Cruising Jedi]

Not sure it is so much the ship as just the luck of the draw as to the make-up of that particular cruise.

 

Though I will say we have been twice now on Holland America with our kids (Veendam when they were 12 and 14 years old, Westerdam when they were 13 and 15 years old) and they loved both. I mean really loved the experience on both. They made great friends as the teens hung around a lot together and were a friendly, overall very mature and smart bunch. They still say the friends they met on the Holland ships were the best group of people they have ever met. (They have also been on Disney, Royal and Princess and were not as impressed)

 

To me the number of kids / teens on Holland was perfect. Just enough for them to make friends and have fun, not too many so that they overran the ship and turned it into a zoo. lol.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Agree with above...it is luck of the draw. We sailed with my nephew who was a teen some yeas ago on HAL and one year he hit the jackpot with other kids and the next year (same week) not so much.

 

We have cruised with school age grandkids the last few years now and have chosen Royal Caribbean and Princess which were both excellent choices. For us, I think either of these lines are a better fit with kids.

Edited May 2, 2015 by sunsetbeachgal

[peaches from georgia]

I'm sure some kids enjoy HAL ships, but we would never consider it. We have grandchildren, ages 6-23, just normal very well-behaved kids who like things to do and we would never take them on a HAL cruise.

[Ky Colonel]

I'm sure some kids enjoy HAL ships, but we would never consider it. We have grandchildren, ages 6-23, just normal very well-behaved kids who like things to do and we would never take them on a HAL cruise.

 

Just out of curiosity, what was it about your cruises on HAL ships that convinced you to "never consider" and "never take" your grandchildren on a HAL cruise?

 

Rod