Children in Alaska, re: club HAL/food

[Moparop]

Next summer, my parents are taking us on the Zaandam northbound in July. Included in "us" are my children who will be 8, 11, and 12 at the time of sailing. They've only ever cruised on DCL, so they are quite used to Mickey/princesses that have activities and food that are very catered to them.

 

Since my parents are spending a pretty penny on this trip, I want to make sure my kids have the correct expectations and are excited about our upcoming trip. I've tried searching here and on the Internet in general for a recent children's menu and copy of the daily club HAL events and have not found much of anything more recent than 2010. If anyone is cruising Alaska this summer or has in the last year, especially on the Zaandam, could get a copy or take a photo of these for me - I'd greatly appreciate it! I've heard good things about HAL and am looking forward to this trip!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Two good sources for information, if you are willing to do an internet search, are Roger Jett photography and HAL cruiser information (HALfacts). It's been a long time since my children were young, but there is always a children's menu available, and Club HAL has a good program for youngsters, in my opinion, although not on the level of DCL (but we've never been on a Disney cruise). The kids are divided by age groups, as you probably are aware based on your experience with DCL. Your children might also enjoy learning about Alaska and what there is to do there, so include them in excursion decisions.:)

 

Here is a link to HAL's "activities" page on their website. If you scroll down to the bottom, you will see "youth programs", and you'll find information there about HAL's programs for children/teens.

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Activities.action?WT.ac=pnav_Onboard_Activities&legacy=true#

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I wanted to correct and clarify part of my post above, and I ran past my editing time. Your three children will be able to participate in the same group (tween group, ages 8-12) in Club HAL. After further research, I see that Disney allows a greater mingling of age groups than other cruise lines. But your kids will all be able to be together in Club HAL.

Edited June 14, 2016 by middle-aged mom

[sherryf]

Unless your children are incredibly picky eaters, encourage them to order off the regular menu. It is a great opportunity to try new things without having to worry about how much it costs or going hungry if you don't like it. On our first cruise, my boys were 5 and 8, and they ordered all of their entrees from the regular menu. They thought it was a great treat to get a grown-up sized steak or piece of salmon all to themselves... and they ate every bit! My daughter was only 2, so we just gave her bits from our plates, and she was happy. The only things they had from the children's menu were fruit cup appetizers and some of the desserts, though they often ordered desserts from the grown-up menu, too.

[lizziebargain]

If you are stopping in Glacier Bay, the National Park Rangers come aboard for the day and they also do a little program in Club Hal and your kids can participate as junior rangers that day!

[Crew News]

Here are Alaska activities from 2015:

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/holland-america-lines-kids-activities-examples/

 

KIds Menu:

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/holland-america-lines-kids-activities-examples/

[Moparop]

Unless your children are incredibly picky eaters, encourage them to order off the regular menu. It is a great opportunity to try new things without having to worry about how much it costs or going hungry if you don't like it. On our first cruise, my boys were 5 and 8, and they ordered all of their entrees from the regular menu. They thought it was a great treat to get a grown-up sized steak or piece of salmon all to themselves... and they ate every bit! My daughter was only 2, so we just gave her bits from our plates, and she was happy. The only things they had from the children's menu were fruit cup appetizers and some of the desserts, though they often ordered desserts from the grown-up menu, too.

 

 

 

My youngest is crazy picky. On our last cruise, we made a deal that she had to order one meal a day that was not chicken strips. Every day it was a challenge. We will absolutely continue this on the next shop. Being in a group of 14, I want to be careful and not create a scene at the table. She's the youngest of everyone in the group so it's especially tricky.

 

And I calculated wrong. She will be 8 when we sail.

[Moparop]

Here are Alaska activities from 2015:

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/holland-america-lines-kids-activities-examples/

 

KIds Menu:

 

https://www.rogerjett-photography.com/photo-reviews/holland-america-lines-kids-activities-examples/

 

 

 

Thanks! My youngest will actually be 7 when we go and will be the younger group. That list is from 2014 - so hopefully, the list doesn't change too much!

[Harry1954]

we took one of our grandsons (age 11 at the time) on the Zaandam and he had a great time. he ordered off the children's menu the first night but didnt like the pizza. Next night he ordered a regular strip steak - loved it and ordered it every night thereafter ..

HAL Club was great .. he met other kids his age and then clicked.

 

harry

[sherryf]

My youngest is crazy picky. On our last cruise, we made a deal that she had to order one meal a day that was not chicken strips. Every day it was a challenge. We will absolutely continue this on the next shop. Being in a group of 14, I want to be careful and not create a scene at the table. She's the youngest of everyone in the group so it's especially tricky.

 

Perhaps if the other children brag about how delicious their food is and offer to let her "taste"? :D

 

On the same cruise that I mentioned, my nieces ordered chicken strips every night, and by the 3rd night they were sick of them and whining. Their mother swore that they would not eat anything from the regular menu. Finally Grandma offered the 3.5 year old bites from her plate, and she ate them happily. It's possible to get plain, "normal" foods from the regular menu, such as chicken that hasn't been breaded and deep fried. You can ask for no sauce or no potatoes (one of mine wouldn't eat potatoes!) or substitute the veggies for ones they like, or none at all. I think my oldest substituted steamed broccoli every night, which he still loves now at 23 years old.

 

They do outgrow the pickiness eventually, at least to some extent. My son still isn't a fan of potatoes, but will eat them in some forms. I've found that they learn to eat more foods when they go away to college and find that they have to eat what's available or starve. My younger son (turns 20 tomorrow!) surprised me by eating bell peppers this week. :eek:

[sammiedawg]

We've not had kids on HAL but we did a recent extended family Fantasy cruise with two very young ones.

The food on Disney is bland, geared to kids.

The food on Holland America is bland, geared to an older crowd.

I wouldn't worry about the food aspects, there will be plenty of nice choices for your kids.

 

I think your family made a good choice for an Alaskan cruise. I would not choose Disney for this special trip. Alaska is about nature, wildlife and learning about a unique culture and history. I cannot imagine standing in line to see Pluto or listening to the blaring piped in music of Disney when you are in the most beautiful area of the world.

 

Our one Zaandam cruise was to Alaska and we totally enjoyed the experience. I remember seeing the kids club on the outside decks to view the glaciers close up. They seemed happy and well supervised. I remember hearing about the National Park Rangers meeting separately with the kids to discuss Glacier Bay.

 

Your older kids will be old enough to attend port lectures and naturalist presentations which are very good. I would suggest prepping them with some historical and environmental info about Alaska. Have them research the Gold Rush and if you visit Skagway you will see history come to life. Have them research glacier information and if you are in Juneau take them to Mendenhall Glacier to see it close up. It is a cheap easy bus ride from the port of Juneau . Have them research humpback whales which are easy to see on this cruise.

Have them read about dogsledding and the Iditorod. If you were on Princess you would meet Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the race.

If your trip continues up to Denali have them research the wildlife and the mountaineering.

 

I think all of you will love the experience, enjoy.

[TheEmerson]

You can customize the entrées at dinner to fit the child. No sauce, more starch, etc. Also you can get a plate of cooked veggies they used across the meals to supplement the single salmon portion with no sauce as an example.

[c-cruise]

We've done several Disney cruises and many HAL cruises with our kids (6 and 9). They are night and day different, but HAL does a great job with their limited kids facilities. Disney clubs have a much larger age ranges and are far less structured with the kids more or less having the run of the clubs. Club HAL is much more structured with more planned activities and staff interaction/supervision. The hours of Club HAL are much more limited than Disney's clubs though so that is an adjustment.

 

HAL ships don't have slides or water parks, but they do have a covered pool area which makes swimming more of an option in Alaska.

 

Another nice thing on HAL that Disney doesn't have is a buffet option for dinner. Handy if you don't want to sit through a 1.5 hour meal or get dressed up for formal night etc.

 

Overall I think you made a great choice for Alaska. I think Disney is a more premium experience overall than HAL, but no need to pay Disney prices for that in Alaska. Alaska is all about the ports and scenic cruising, IMHO. I would emphasize doing fun excursions in the ports for the kids.

[WANative]

I didn't see the kid's menu on the Roger Jett link. Sorry if this is a repeat, but here's the children's menu from our May 2015 Alaska cruise (Westerdam):

 

Super Duper Fresh Fruit: an orange shell filled with juicy tropical fruit

Junior Cucumber Bites: kid sized sushi made with fresh cucumber, avocado, and sticky rice

Burger with all the Condiments: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheese, mayonnaise, and ketchup

Hotdogs with bun

Spaghetti: meat sauce, marinara sauce, or alfredo sauce

Macaroni and Cheese

French Fries

Chicken Nuggets with BBQ Sauce

 

Only one of my four kids (7, 8, 10, 11) ever ordered off the kids' menu, and only once. They loved ordering from the normal menu!

[chefestelle]

My daughter cruised HAL to Alaska with her dad when she was 8 or 9. She really loved the kids club and spent most of her time there. If the kids really don't enjoy the MDR, there are the Lido and Dive Inn though you'll have to watch their choices so much more closely. They could even eat there before your MDR dinner and return to Club HAL. you would just have to check their hours of operation.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

I can tell you for certain, if a child gets hungry enough, they will eat ANYTHING.....no kidding! My son was "picky"...and it was so annoying. When he went out on his own, and funds got low, and he got hungry...he would eat whatever was offered! He now is quite the "foodie"!

[Crew News]

Here is the correct link for the kids menu:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/HAL-Kids-Menu.pdf