Zaandam Alaska Cruise with Young Children

[straychicken]

We just booked a northbound cruise on Zaandam leaving out of Vancouver next month. Our only other cruise was 3 night cruise to the Bahamas on Enchantment of the Seas last summer.

 

The kids loved the splash pool on the Enchantment and I wondered if Zaandam has anything similar. I see that that the Lido Pool can be covered and it looks like there is an adults only pool in the aft area. How crowded do these pools get (they look relatively small)? Is there a splash pool or at least a shallow end for the kids?

 

Any tips on things to do, see on an Alaskan cruise as a family? Also, will Zaandam be very different than the Royal Caribbean Cruise? I am expecting there to be less activities. We are in a quad inside cabin so we plan to spend a lot of time outside of the room. The cabin is in the aft area on the main deck.

 

Looking forward to experience a HAL cruise to Alaska!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I haven't been on Zaandam but was on Maasdam and Veendam and they don't have a splash pool. There is a 3-4 foot ledge that goes the circumference of the pool that has an inch or two of water in it. So they can walk around the pool and get their feet wet if they don't want to take the plunge. Generally Holland America will have few children onboard but they will be the ones in the pool for sure. It's a heated indoor pool and unless it's sunny and warm in Alaska- the roof will probably remain closed.

[Shutterbug623]

We are also traveling on the Zaandam this summer with littles, so I'm following here. :)

[Moriah]

 

Any tips on things to do, see on an Alaskan cruise as a family? Also, will Zaandam be very different than the Royal Caribbean Cruise? I am expecting there to be less activities. We are in a quad inside cabin so we plan to spend a lot of time outside of the room. The cabin is in the aft area on the main deck.

 

First, yes it will quite different than RC!! You didn't specify the ages of your kids. If they are under 5, and can't really appreciate the itinerary but are there to spend quality time with you and to enjoy swimming, etc, then it doesn't really matter where you go or what ship you are on. However, if they are a bit older, I wonder if Zaandam might be a bit boring for them... it really depends on your kids' personalities and ages. There WILL be a program for kids - and since it will be summer there may be a few kids on board, although the Vista and larger class ships have more facilities and more kids. HAL does have a decent kids' program but nothing like other lines where kids are far more catered to. It's possible yours will be close to the only children on board, OR there may be a few more and they may make great friends. Again, it just all depends. You are right that there will be (far) fewer activities on board compared to RC! The pool is small and I believe all one depth (about 4 feet? not sure) The aft pool is adults only, although that is sometimes not enforced especially if you are with your kids. It's an even smaller, open-air pool. The Lido pool will be enclosed in bad weather so you can count on it being usable your entire cruise, although as said, it's very small. Keep in mind it can truly be cold in Alaska. Spending a lot of time "outside" will probably mostly consist of hanging out in the Lido pool area on sea days. Presumably on port days your family will leave the ship and go on adventures? An inside cabin for 4 people can be tight unless the kids are really young... I hope I'm not sounding terribly negative. Alaska on HAL is absolutely one of my favorite things in the world!!! I just want you to know what you're signing up for.. again, we could maybe give more specific info and advice if you let us know your kids' ages? Especially with respect to shore excursions as a family.

Edited May 14, 2016 by Moriah

[Krazy Kruizers]

Having done quite a few Alaskan cruises on various ships, we have seen quite a few children on these cruises. Don't know the ages of your children but there is Club HAL for children 3 to 17.

The pools are around 6 feet deep -- no splash pools, slides, etc. If that is what you are looking for, RCI has and a couple of other cruise lines have them.

In Ketchikan your children may enjoy the Lumberjack show.

[1of4]

Our first family cruise was to Alaska on the Volendam in an inside cabin. Our kids were 7 and 10 and they LOVED it. We tried Disney but both my children preferred Club Hal because of the program that caters to them instead of them having to do what the program says. Club Hal has a daily itinerary of activities geared to age and on the day the ship is in Glacier Bay a Park Ranger visits Club Hal and does a program just for the children and leaves goodies behind, including a junior ranger badge. There are movie nights and treasure hunts; arts and crafts and games; there are sports and imaginative play. My two just love Club Hal.

 

The Sea View Pool at the aft of the ship (not under the cover) is 16 and above unless supervised. Sometimes people turn that into adults only but the sign clearly states "adult supervision". If there is high demand then the officers will enforce no children but I have seen children in that pool many times. No children can go in either of the pools with swim diapers so they have to be toilet trained. The side of the pools are quite wide, as a poster stated above, so lots of room for little ones to play.

 

 

Here is the Sea View pool on the Westerdam:

 

 

A "cartoon" picture of the sea view pool from the Ryndam:

 

 

and the Lido pool on the Volendam (in Alaska):

 

 

and the Sea View pool on the Volendam in Alaska:

 

 

There is a library with jigsaw puzzles and games but feel free to bring your own favourite family game and books. There is also a video library and each stateroom has a vcr or cd player.

 

I am sure I am omitting some activities my children love but they are still asleep. We are sticking with HAL after trying others as it is a good fit for our family.

[Moriah]

Edited: Oops! You don't need my two cents -:) looks like someone more qualified (has sailed with kids on Volendam!) has jumped in. I hope you and your family have a fantastic cruise!!

Edited May 14, 2016 by Moriah

[straychicken]

Thanks for the input from everyone (especially those photos!). I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and a 6 year old son. I think my daughter would love the kids club (she just loves meeting new people) but my son is a little shy.

 

I am thinking we will bring a few things to keep them entertained. Maybe a couple of puzzles and a box of legos. I could see them playing with them while we enjoy the scenery on deck. Would they be allowed to blow bubbles?

 

On the Royal Carribean ship we never made it to the kids club. It was pool, pool, pool and just walking around the ship.

 

For the ports, we are renting a car in Skagway and Juneau. For Ketchikan, we thought we would just walk around (have to check out the lumberjacks show and see what it costs). We are on a tight budget. We were originally booked on the Star Princess on June 18. We cancelled when my husband was laid off. We decided to still go as we have a lot of non-refundable expenses. I booked the Zaandam's June 19 sailing under a "Private Sale" which was much better than the rates offered online. The cruise fare is only $1100 for all 4 of us (plus taxes which are almost the same as the cruise fare) and it even included a little OBC. I don't think we could have gotten a much better deal. We are paying a little more than half what we were paying on the Star Princess. Some advantages that I see are the layout of Zaandam's staterooms (couch plus bunk versus two bunks), smaller ship/less people, few ships in port with us on Port days (I just checked that out) and price. It does look like the Star had bigger pools.

Edited May 14, 2016 by straychicken

[rebeccalouiseagain]

We did the Musher's Camp in Skagway and it was really memorable. If you have a car- I'd head out there. My kids enjoyed shopping in Ketchikan. The Lumberjack show was too noisy for my kids ears.

[Moriah]

Thanks for the input from everyone (especially those photos!). I have a 3 1/2 year old daughter and a 6 year old son. I think my daughter would love the kids club (she just loves meeting new people) but my son is a little shy.

 

This is great! Your family is going to have an amazing time in Alaska. You might even find out that your son is more inclined toward the HAL kids club than he was on RCL - it's more low key and as I said, there will be fewer kids overall so the lovely staff members will be able to give him more personal attention. I totally understand the budget family trip, and you did well choosing Alaska. Even at that age seeing the glaciers is awesome, and that's free from the deck of the ship! Take your son out to the bow on glacier day and he can ring the bell right at the front of the ship!! (Your daughter can too, didn't mean to be sexist and imply the bell is only for boys!) With those little ones your quad room will be fine - even fun - and I assume they are early-to-bed, so a sedate ship is good. The shore excursions can be pricey, and with such little ones I think I'd do exactly what you have planned - just play it by ear with your own car and when they get older you can do this again and spring for whale watching and etc. :) I love seeing families on board, and on HAL there are usually not many, but in the summer, as I said before, there are always a few. Good for you going on a family trip - you'll have memories to last a lifetime!! If you have any specific questions about the ship or anything about the ports come back to the thread and we'll try to help. (BTW I did look it up and the Zaandam lido pool is 6 feet deep, but it does have a "lip" around it for sitting on in a couple of inches of water.)

Oh, editing again LOL - Forgot to tell you - bubbles - YES!! Of course they'll be allowed to blow bubbles!

Edited May 14, 2016 by Moriah

[straychicken]

We are also traveling on the Zaandam this summer with littles, so I'm following here. :)

 

Awesome. When are you traveling. We are on a mid June sailing (June 19).

[Shutterbug623]

Awesome. When are you traveling. We are on a mid June sailing (June 19).

 

We will be on the sailing the week after you. :)

[Msrigby]

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