Newbie to Holland America with Kids - HELP PLEASE

[afergvip]

Our friends are going on an Alaskan cruise through Holland America. They have asked us to join them. I am platinum with Carnival and RCCL and have also sailed Disney. We LOVE the Caribbean and the beach. So Alaska has always been more at the bottom of our list. We usually vacation together so that our kids have each other to play with, etc. They have a work bonus that's going to take them r/t Vancouver on a Holland America Cruise. Yay for them!! So my question to you all is......Are the kids going to enjoy this cruise? Is it worth the large amount of $ we are going to pay to go to Alaska? Just some insight and help would be great! Also excursion costs? Obviously we want the best excursions with the expectation that it will be our only trip to Alaska as we are hoping for future Med cruises, etc. Any insight and help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so very much!! The kids are obviously used to RCCL and Disney so I just want to make certain this will be worth it. Thanks!

[Spunky946]

First of all Alaska is amazing and my kids keep wanting to go again. They were 10 and 6 on the cruise and still talk about it.

 

They loved the kids club and when we were in glacier bay a ranger from the park came in and talked just to the kids. The excursions are more expensive, but worth it.

 

Where does the cruise stop?

 

 

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[crystalspin]

Kids on our AK tours always seem to be having fun. (Not *our* kids we don't have 'em.) Go whale watching at Juneau; take the train at Skagway. Totem poles are the "thing" in Ketchikan; Totem Bight is a nice walk through the woods; Saxman Village has the poles close together. Unless the salmon are running (mid July to mid August, but a really disappointing run this past summer), then watching sealions or is it seals from Creek Street or bears at Herring Cove should capture the kids attention!

 

Have done ship's tours for all the above, but also Sourdough Tours of Ketchikan for Herring Cove and Saxman Village, with a dropoff at Creek Street for shopping. Was very good value.

[Fouremco]

As a general comment, Alaska cruises are amazing and a great change of pace if you have only taken Caribbean cruises in the past. The last one we took, also on HAL, was during a Vancouver school strike and the ship was full of kids having a wonderful time, so it has a large appeal to most age groups. Which brings me to the first two questions: how old are the kids and what do they enjoy when cruising? If their idea of a great cruise means rock climbing and water slides, HAL isn't going to meet their expectations. Yes, there are very good programs for kids, but HAL's fleet doesn't offer the same type of playgrounds as Disney or RCI.

 

There's a wide variety of shore excursions to match everyone's tastes and budget. Our biggest planning challenge for Alaska isn't finding excursions to take but whittling down the long list of ones we'd like to take!

[fatcat04]

A lot of the top stuff has been said. Alaska ports are great fun and you will probably spend a lot of time off the ship exploring and going on excursions. If your kids are old enough and you go to Ketchikan, do the Bering Sea Fisherman Tour. Great family excursion. We haven't done the Sled Dog Musher's Camp tour before but would love too if only to play with the puppies. :D

 

Kids club times are more limited on HAL but we always found them adequate for our needs and the activities seemed to thrill the kids. I know our son had a lot of fun. The lido deck roof closes so the lido pool area is still warm and a fun option on sea days if it is nippy and/or rainy outside. HAL does Alaska better than just about anyone and the cruises are generally very multi-generational so I wouldn't worry too much.Have a wonderful cruise!! (y)

[lastlook]

If your kids enjoy vacationing with their kids, I think that is a draw in itself for them - sharing fun times together doing unusual things (whale watches, etc.) is something they'll always remember.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Pretty much has been said for the ports.

We have seen lots of families on HAL ships in Alaska.

There is also the Lumberjack show in Ketchikan -- children will love that.

If Sitka is on your itinerary -- HAL's Sea Otter and Wildlife excursion is a great one.

As mentioned -- tours -- everything in Alaska is expensive.

[Riversedge]

Not sure how old the kids are but we traveled with our kids on several cruises before all the fancy kids entertainment came along. We did things as a family and made memories together. We never sent our kids to a kids club. There was always so much to do together and we made the most of every minute. I don’t think our kids would have gotten a whole lot out of Alaska when they were small but there are fun excursions you can do. If your kids won’t be happy without the water slides and all the other things there are to do on Disney then you probably won’t be happy with HAL.

[Spunky946]

A lot of the top stuff has been said. Alaska ports are great fun and you will probably spend a lot of time off the ship exploring and going on excursions. If your kids are old enough and you go to Ketchikan, do the Bering Sea Fisherman Tour. Great family excursion. We haven't done the Sled Dog Musher's Camp tour before but would love too if only to play with the puppies. :D

 

 

 

Kids club times are more limited on HAL but we always found them adequate for our needs and the activities seemed to thrill the kids. I know our son had a lot of fun. The lido deck roof closes so the lido pool area is still warm and a fun option on sea days if it is nippy and/or rainy outside. HAL does Alaska better than just about anyone and the cruises are generally very multi-generational so I wouldn't worry too much.Have a wonderful cruise!! (y)

 

 

 

My kids still talk about the Bering sea tour. It was a family favorite. It was amazing.

 

 

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[ellbelle]

And I’ll just chime in on the Sled Dog Musher Camp... IMO, Skagway is better than Juneau.

 

We were also warm weather cruisers and avoided Alaska like the plague. We went on our first Alaskan cruise in 2008 and have gone six times since.

 

 

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[aotmc]

You should for sure GO! From what I understand, HAL is the best Alaska choice... now, I do think it will be a very different cruise experience from what your family is used to, and the ships are not as razzle-dazzle... but Alaska is just different than the Caribbean, so set the expectation that this trip will be different, but not "worse than".

 

I have actually only been to Alaska on a land vacation, and I am not outdoorsy at all, and I *LOVED* it. So much natural beauty, different than any place I have ever been, and fascinating. Even if all I did was look and be there, it would be enough. I'd imagine a cruise would be nice because of access to places that are air/boat only.

 

I would go in with a higher budget, but know you will get an elevated experience. Maybe not "more" - you wont find slides on the ship, but you will find a great itinerary, beautiful elegant meals, and a great opportunity to experience the frontier together as a family.

[boulders]

Alaska has a lot more interesting shore excursions than the Caribbean, especially for kids. Go!

[VMax1700]

There was a recent thread reporting on Alaska cruise with kids. Read through it to get a feeling for what will happen. Lots of good writing and images.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2666119

[jm485]

So the plusses have been covered.

 

But a few things to consider:

 

What is it about the Caribbean and the beach that your family loves? An Alaska vacation is generally going to be more active -- not as much time for just chilling on the beach, swimming, etc. Although not entirely, it's a lot about nature and being out in it. Do you and your kids enjoy walking/hiking and viewing nature?

 

How old are your kids? What kinds of activities do they enjoy? Are they still at the building sandcastles, burying each other (and the parents) in the sand stage, or are they old enough to appreciate the culture and nature? Are they into animals -- so some of the whale watching excursions might be interesting?

 

Some people are just happy to be on vacation no matter where. Other people (like me) are interested in seeing everything and everywhere. Still others (again, like me) don't especially enjoy hot weather and/or beaches. But if your family prefers trips that are about hanging out together, beach time, warm weather and sunshine and generally "maxing and relaxing" -- Alaska may not be the best fit for you.

[nimiq]

Hello,

Ok what is it with this generation (including me lol) asking if the kids will like this trip. What is wrong is that you’ve put lots of money in this trip and if the kids cannot be mesmerized by glacier and all well then they are just to spoiled. If my parent would of brought me on all those nice trips trust me I would of shut up and liked them. Why are we always asking these question we think to much for them.

As far as the question about how will they like HAL compare to the other companies mentioned, I think HAL is not very kids friendly but that all depends on how your kids are. If they like to hang out with the adults then it’s perfect but if looking for slides bumper cars then oups wrong cruise line.

As far as Alaska I find that if you want, excursions can end up being very cheap because you can do most on foot like hiking and visiting little villages.

 

Enough said and don’t forget parents are the most important members of the family not the kids. Lol

 

Sea ya

Eric

 

 

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[kalliekae]

Everyone has given you great opinions. As a HAL and RCI cruiser, I think HAL does Alaska the best. Should you decide to book this cruise, you need to emphasize to your kids that this cruise will be very different from your previous cruises. HAL ships do not offer the entertainment that a Royal ship offers. I would concentrate on the excursions that will interest your kids. I highly recommend a float plane excursion and others have said the crab fishing excursion is outstanding. There is plenty to keep your kids busy, but they have to understand that this will be a new and different type of cruise. My two kids enjoyed many HAL cruises in their elementary and middle school years and never once attended the kids club. If you go, please come back and tell us all about your cruise.

[mnocket]

I would be sure to prepare your kids to not expect HAL to be like RCCL or Disney. If water slides et.al. are a required feature for your kids, HAL is not the right fit. If they are good at entertaining themselves on board, they will enjoy the Alaskan ports. What kid doesn't want to see a glacier or a whale?

[NYteacher]

My son enjoyed a few Holland America cruises from the ages of eight to twelve. He actually enjoyed the HAL kids’ club more than Norwegian’s because it was less “hectic” and he never had to wait his turn to do the popular activities.

His favorite all time cruise was the westbound leg of the Voyage of the Vikings when he was twelve. It was because of the great and unusual ports.

We are going again on a HAL ship over Thanksgiving and we are all really excited to see the changes that have been made over the last four years.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Holland America will be a little slower to what you are use to.

 

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[RGBFamily]

My son enjoyed a few Holland America cruises from the ages of eight to twelve. He actually enjoyed the HAL kids’ club more than Norwegian’s because it was less “hectic” and he never had to wait his turn to do the popular activities.

His favorite all time cruise was the westbound leg of the Voyage of the Vikings when he was twelve. It was because of the great and unusual ports.

We are going again on a HAL ship over Thanksgiving and we are all really excited to see the changes that have been made over the last four years.

 

This exactly! My kids have been on Disney, HAL, RC and hands down prefer Club HAL. It is calmer. They don't care about the waterslide or craziness of big busy clubs. They liked getting to know the kids club staff and had a lot of fun!

 

I am hoping to do a "girls trip" to Alaska with my girls next summer - it will be HAL hands down as they do Alaska best.