Club HAL

[MamaMicki]

Hello All,

Has the Club HAL program progressed any? We have cruised on Holland America twice in 10 years and it is our favorite cruise line. I am 36 and I love to drink and party, but I love to relax and sit on a beautiful ship and eat great food better. :D We have a 4 and 6 year old that will never darken the door of the dining room. We believe in the buffet and room service. Our kids have great manners, but it is to much stress to bank on spending 2 hours getting dressed, and expect them to act like 30 year olds. That is why we bring their grandparents and get a suite. Plenty of room to just hang out there and we can relax. We just eat in the room. When you get a suite they will bring your dinner from the dinning room to you. What a deal!!! We haven't taken the kids with us on Holland America lately, because the kids program has been neglected. I was just wondering if that has changed? If it has great. Thanks for your time!! Take Care

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Mama Micki:

 

I want to address your concerns adequately, and I can do that better (I hope) if you could please tell us when you last used Club HAL, and specifically, how you felt the kids' programs had been neglected. I have used Club HAL twice in the last six months for my family, and I would use them again. But there are a lot of variables in the equation, and everyone's experience is different. Thank you!:)

 

Karin

[doone]

My entire family cruise for 10-days on the Volendam last February. The kids ages ranged from 9 - 17. ALL the kids cannot say enough about Club HAL. The younger kids LOVED having the individualized attention they get at Club HAL because there aren't alot of kids onboard. The older kids found a great friend in their counsellor and loved it.

 

As the other post said, it would help to know when you sailed last with Club HAL, but as of last year, our kids had a blast with them. They are still talking about their experience with Club HAL.

 

Hope this helps.

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

My 6 year old son had a BLAST this past December in Club HAL. He even wore his watch so that he would know exactly when it was time to go to the Club and he did not want to be late! The counselors were great with the kids and they even put on a show with all the kids on one of the last sea days.

[seniormiss]

My 3 year old granddaughter cruised (with her parents) on the Oosterdam last month. This is the first time they had cruised with her and they said it was wonderful. The counselors were great and my granddaughter would have stayed in Club Hal 24/7 if she could. They also left her there in one of the ports and that also was great. They have a different theme for the kids every night, they do face painting, games, etc.. They can stay till 10am which I think she did a couple of nights.

 

There were very few kids, so that could change during summer, winter vacation.

They were very impressed.

[seniormiss]

My 3 year old granddaughter cruised (with her parents) on the Oosterdam last month. This is the first time they had cruised with her and they said it was wonderful. The counselors were great and my granddaughter would have stayed in Club Hal 24/7 if she could. They also left her there in one of the ports and that also was great. They have a different theme for the kids every night, they do face painting, games, etc.. They can stay till 10am which I think she did.

There were very few kids, so that could change during summer, winter vacation.

They were very impressed.

[seniormiss]

My 3 year old granddaughter cruised (with her parents) on the Oosterdam last month. This is the first time they had cruised with her and they said it was wonderful. The counselors were great and my granddaughter would have stayed in Club Hal 24/7 if she could. They also left her there in one of the ports and that also was great. They have a different theme for the kids every night, they do face painting, games, etc.. They can stay till 10am which I think she did.

There were very few kids, so that could change during summer, winter vacation.

They were very impressed.

[dippy]

When we sailed the Zuiderdam a couple of years ago, my then 4 year old daughter loved Club HAL. She too could not get enough of it. As per previous posters, with the smaller number of kids on board, there is a lower child to counsellor ratio, thus providing for more 1 to 1 attention.

 

They got involved in games, crafts, sing alongs, and yes they did put on a musical for parents on the last sea day. While stopped at Half-Moon Cay, Club HAL took place on the beach. As we are cruising again on the Zuiderdam in a few weeks, my daughter is already talking about Club HAL.

 

I hope this helped.

[MamaMicki]

Take a look at my signature...It's been years!!!:) I am thrilled to hear all the positive reviews. Please keep the feedback coming!! We are looking at something in Winter 2007-2008 in the Caribbean. We are trying to decide between Eastern and Western at this point. We love Rum Point in Grand Cayman and if you can find me a place like that in the Eastern Caribbean that rivals it than we will have to make a trip there. We don't mind renting a car and driving. We are up for just about anything. Thanks again for all the feedback. Take Care!!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Sorry, MamaMicki; I didn't look at your signature because I've got all signatures and avatars turned off, and I didn't think to look at your profile. If I had, I would have answered my own question!:o

 

Holland America beefed up their kid's programs about four years ago, and you will find dedicated spaces and counselors for youngsters ages 3-17, broken down into three age groups: 3-7, 8-12, and 13-17. I only have direct experience with the 3-7 year old program, and I think it's very well structured and organized. The program is available from 9am to noon, 2-5 pm, and 8-10 pm while at sea. There is additional baby-sitting from 10 pm to midnight, but there is a fee of $5 per hour per child. A less structured, but supervised program is available on port days if you sign up your child(ren) the night before. Pagers are available for parents or guardians in the 3-7 group, and you must sign your child in and out. You must also provide a pre-arranged password to the counselors upon signing out your kids in the 3-7 group. Activities include games, arts and crafts, storytime, visits to the video arcade, and age-appropriate sports out on deck, weather permitting. In addition, there are theme nights, such as "pirate night", "astronaut/space night", "camping" night, and so on. The kids also are taken down to the Lido for ice cream, or may be invited to use the Oasis space on the top deck, when the teens aren't using it. The Oasis has a splash pool with a waterfall.

 

On our first HAL cruise last summer, I thought the program for this 3-7 group was so outstanding, that I signed up my daughter again on our Christmas cruise, even though she's now eight. The 8-12 year olds are permitted to sign themselves in and out, and I didn't feel too comfortable having her do that, as she is quite small for her age. She didn't mind at all being with the younger children, and had an even better time on our second cruise with Club HAL. The counselors are all very pleasant and well-qualified young women. The 8-12 year olds are involved in similar activities as the 3-7 group, but of course, they participate in activities that are more age-appropriate for their group.

 

Here is a link to the Club HAL description on HAL's website.

 

One caveat: Club HAL works best when the numbers of kids aren't too overwhelming. The Club HAL space is well-designed but not overly large, and there's a limit to how many kids it can accommodate. When the numbers get very large, as in several hundred children on a cruise (think 7-day school holiday cruises), alternate meeting room space outside of Club HAL may have to be used in order to accommodate everyone.

 

Bon Voyage:)

 

Karin

[Globeguy]

Interesting discussion. We're also wondering about the Volendam for a 3 year old.

 

We might be nervous about leaving him alone in Club HAL. Does anyone know if we can attend with him. Or if there are other activities for a 3 year old?

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Not sure about the Volendam, but on the Noordam I know they had scheduled times when parents and toddlers could play in Club HAL. These were specific times during the day. I know how you feel though! The first time we left our son, it was his first cruise on the Zenith, he was 3 & we were very nervous. The first day we followed (in the shadows!), everywhere they went. You'll know by the schedule exactly when and where they take the children. When I saw how wonderful the counselors were, I finally relaxed and he has enjoyed the kids clubs ever since. Have fun!