Best Holland America ship with kids?

[Cafedumonde]

Just wondering if there is a HAL ship that is best for kids?

[Lady Arwen]

All HAL ships have a Kids Zone for different ages and interests. However, they are not RCI or NCL or Carnival with water slides, rock climbing walls and miniature golf and such. HAL does a decent job keeping kids occupied but if the bells and whistles are important to you or your kids, then you may be disappointed with HAL.

[RuthC]

All HAL ships have a Kids Zone for different ages and interests.

The Prinsendam doesn't have a dedicated area for kids, although they do make a place for them when there are kids on board.

[Lady Arwen]

The Prinsendam doesn't have a dedicated area for kids, although they do make a place for them when there are kids on board.

Thanks for that clarification, Ruth.

[Sage]

I would think that the itinerary would play the biggest part of the cruise with children. I know that the Alaskan cruises are always very popular.

[c-cruise]

Taken our kids on ~7 different HAL ships. They have all been very similar in terms of the kids programs and facilities. Amsterdam was the only one that was notably different as it has an outdoor area for the teens .Koningsdam was probably their favorite. I would stick with a Vista class or newer ship

 

The Club HAL rooms they use and the hours seem to depend on the number of kids onboard. In our experience they will often combine the age groups and/or not open up all the rooms if there are not that many kids onboard.

 

Club HAL isn't open all day long. They close for a couple hours at lunch and again at dinner. They usually have programmed activities in Club HAL in the evenings, but during the day it can be more like baby sitting (especially when in port).

 

Our kids have done really well on HAL, but they tend to spend more time with us than on other lines. When we sail DCL they are so occupied that we hardly ever see them other than to eat. ;)

[CruisinHarvey]

Kids aren't HALs strong point. They have kids club, like every other line. Other lines like Disney, RCCL and NCL have a bunch of venues for especially for kids, or adults that want to act like kids. It's not that HAL will be terrible for them. It just comes down to whether the kids are the top priority. If so, there you'd want a line that really caters to them.

[Sage]

I believe that Noordam also has a kids outdoor retreat.

[Sea girl 23]

New here(but not new to HAL).

 

I think there's an assumption that kids will only be entertained by rock walls and flow riders. etc. IMO that's a bit unfair. From what I know about Club HAL, the kids I know who have been in there loved it..hardly saw them.

 

Unpopular opinion perhaps but parents would do better to take their kids on a HAL ship than on a ship with all the bells and whistles. YMMV.

[Sir PMP]

Just wondering if there is a HAL ship that is best for kids?

 

Koningsdam!

[Sea girl 23]

Koningsdam!

 

Yep.Used to be interested in cruising on her..I'll stick to the medium size ships(Ooster and Wester dam especially),thanks.

[CruisinHarvey]

Koningsdam!

 

We're cruising on her in a couple of weeks. Just curious as why the Koningsdam is the best for kids. The facilities appear to be exactly the same as the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.. So is it the staff?

[CruisinHarvey]

New here(but not new to HAL).

 

I think there's an assumption that kids will only be entertained by rock walls and flow riders. etc. IMO that's a bit unfair. From what I know about Club HAL, the kids I know who have been in there loved it..hardly saw them.

 

Unpopular opinion perhaps but parents would do better to take their kids on a HAL ship than on a ship with all the bells and whistles. YMMV.

 

As you can see from post #6, people who have gone other cruise lines, like Disney, have different experiences. Those other lines have kids club too. But, they also have the other whistles and bells. The question really is, is it better to have options for your children, or no options?

[Homosassa]

HAL is best for families that actually want a family vacation, i.e.; plan to spend time with their children when they are not in the kid's program.

 

If one is use to cutting the underage children loose to roam at will around the ship, it will not be a good fit.

[Sea girl 23]

HAL is best for families that actually want a family vacation, i.e.; plan to spend time with their children when they are not in the kid's program.

 

If one is use to cutting the underage children loose to roam at will around the ship, it will not be a good fit.

 

There are lots of intergenerational cruisers(kids,grandkids,grandparents) and for that,HAL is good.

[Hlitner]

Best HAL ship for kids. To be very honest, when talking about children or teens we would say NONE! We like HAL, are 5 Star Mariners, and will cruise the line in the future (because of HAL's fabulous itineraries). But if we were to take Grandchildren on a cruise.....HAL would be the bottom of our list when comparing to RCI, Carnival, Princess, MSC or Disney. Does this means that kids cannot enjoy being on HAL? Most will do quite fine. But if they are on a RCI ship with rock climbing walls, special pools, great entertainment, and kids programs divided into pretty narrow age groups (so kids can be with kids of their own age).....there is nothing on HAL to compare. We have been on many cruise lines and have found that every line (and specific ships) have their pros and cons. When it comes to kids and teen programs....this is just not HAL's forte.

 

Hank

[Sea girl 23]

Best HAL ship for kids. To be very honest, when talking about children or teens we would say NONE! We like HAL, are 5 Star Mariners, and will cruise the line in the future (because of HAL's fabulous itineraries). But if we were to take Grandchildren on a cruise.....HAL would be the bottom of our list when comparing to RCI, Carnival, Princess, MSC or Disney. Does this means that kids cannot enjoy being on HAL? Most will do quite fine. But if they are on a RCI ship with rock climbing walls, special pools, great entertainment, and kids programs divided into pretty narrow age groups (so kids can be with kids of their own age).....there is nothing on HAL to compare. We have been on many cruise lines and have found that every line (and specific ships) have their pros and cons. When it comes to kids and teen programs....this is just not HAL's forte.

 

Hank

 

To each his/her own,I suppose....Nothing against those other lines,but contrary to what seems the stereotype,there aren't nearly as many kids running around the halls on HAL ships..doesn't mean it hasn't happened though;p

[CruisinHarvey]

To each his/her own,I suppose....Nothing against those other lines,but contrary to what seems the stereotype,there aren't nearly as many kids running around the halls on HAL ships..doesn't mean it hasn't happened though;p

 

Our last cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam, we had a woman complaining about all the kids on board, the first day. We made a point to count during the entire cruise. We counted 6. LOL Honestly, HAL and HAL cruisers are not as kid friendly as a number of other mass market cruise lines. Can they have a good time. Sure. Will they have the time of their lives? Maybe. As long as somebody doesn't tell them about what the other cruise lines have to offer.

[Sea girl 23]

I'll just say that I don't think you give kids enough credit and leave it at that.

 

WRT Disney..they are in a high price point compared to most of the mainstream cruise lines. *truly* kid friendly?Yes,but at a price. Going on vacation shouldn't mean having to mortgage your house.

[Hlitner]

To each his/her own,I suppose....Nothing against those other lines,but contrary to what seems the stereotype,there aren't nearly as many kids running around the halls on HAL ships..doesn't mean it hasn't happened though;p

 

Our most recent cruise (Voyage of the Vikings...in August) had about 6 teens (some of who were only aboard for half the cruise) and 2 or 3 little ones. We were actually surprised there were that many. We had dinner with the Grandmother of one of the teens who ended up spending much of his time in the cabin watching movies and playing his video games. For half the voyage there were only 2 other teens (brothers) who tended to keep to themselves. Bottom line is that this would never happen on RCI, Princess, MSC, etc.....but it does happen (quite routinely ) on HAL. Most teens want to be around lots of other teens...and they are not going to find that on HAL. As to the little ones, HAL usually has one youth counselor who has to deal with all age groups. On lines like RCI there are multiple youth counselors...who handle the various age groups (usually at least 3 different groups).

 

A few years ago when we cruised on the Westerdam in the Caribbean....we expected to find many more kids since they were shorter cruises (we did a back to back). DW recalls there were only about a dozen. We speak as parents who started cruising with our DD when she was 5. No way would she have been a happy girl on HAL....from what we see today. The activities she had on RCI, Princess and Sitmar (we are going way back with that line) were much more extensive then what is found on HAL. A teen social (dance) on RCI might attract over 50 teens (a lot more on the Oasis Class). On HAL they would not even have such an event. On Disney.....we do not want to go there.....but their programs are in a class of their own when it comes to the little ones.

 

What you call a "stereotype" is actually more fact then stereotype. This is not a bad thing...as HAL has never seemed to have an interest in going after the young family market. Kids would likely view most HAL cruises as being stuck in an Assisted Living facility. I

 

Hank

[JVilleGal]

Love HAL, but would NEVER take my kids or especially grand kids on HAL. Just so many other more suitable options. HAL really IMO is best for mature adults wanting a old school cruise experience.

 

 

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[Sea girl 23]

Certainly HAL is not for everyone..but I'm getting a "we'd rather that HAL were kid-free" vibe here..

[JVilleGal]

Certainly HAL is not for everyone..but I'm getting a "we'd rather that HAL were kid-free" vibe here..

We are just being truthful about the limited activities and children for your kids to interact with on HAL. This summer on my HAL aAlaska cruise I bet there were maybe a dozen infants to 12 and then about 6 or so teens. That’s on a ship that carries 1400. Of course I had 3 in a Suite next to me but hardly any children at all.

[Sea girl 23]

Hmm..when I went on an Alaskan cruise a few years back there were a LOT of kids on our ship..maybe it varies with the ship/sailing/time of year(ours was in August) the evidence seems very circumstantial..just sayin'.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

Personally, if I had small children or grandchildren, which very unfortunately I do not, I would want to make their trip with mom and dad or grandpa and grandma as special as possible. For me, IMO, if I were in that situation, I would take my children or grandchildren on Disney (first choice) or Carnival, or another big ship line that has so many activities that the youngsters really enjoy. Just my personal opinion, please don't flame me.