Children question

[cocos]

Hi everyone! I´m 35 and planing travel to Alaska on Rydam cruise with wife, parents, and 3 kids ages 6, 4 and 10 months old. Or maybe not... My main concern is if Holland cruises are family friendly or maybe we would be best suited for a traditional family cruise like Royal Caribbean, Disney or Carnival. Any advise?

[hammybee]

Assuming you plan to sail in late May- mid August, there will be plenty ( 100's) of school-aged children onboard, every cruise.

 

Many families with children prefer to dine in the LIDO, most of the time because it's casual and dinner does not take 2 hours that it often does, in the more formal dining rooms.

 

I could be mistaken here, but I do not think HAL has any cabins that will accommodate 5, if that was your intention.

 

I believe that Celebrity, NCL, Princess and RCL are are saling out of Seattle, to Alaska, this year. Each cruise line has its strengths and weaknesses. Only you can deicde what's best for your family.

 

I suspect that such a poll will get similar respones regardless of message board. It would be among the very last thing I would rely upon, to determine if cruising was the best vacation option, for me.

[cocos]

Hammybee, we would register as 4 in one room and 3 in another room (my parents and one of my children).

I´m glad to know there are many children in summer months.

[bepsf]

I have no problem with young ladies and gentlemen if they're as well behaved as the youth on our recent Noordam cruise who dined each nite in the Vista Dining Room...

 

...it's up to the parents, as the behavior of their progeny, for good or ill, is a direct reflection on them.

[giginevelyn]

I have no problem with young ladies and gentlemen if they're as well behaved as the youth on our recent Noordam cruise who dined each nite in the Vista Dining Room...

 

...it's up to the parents, as the behavior of their progeny, for good or ill, is a direct reflection on them.

 

 

Glad you didn't say a direct reflection OF them.;)

 

I can count more times having poorly behaved, ill-mannered adults at my table, than children.:eek:

[Mary Ellen]

I have NO problem of well-behaved passengers (of any age) seated near us in the dining room - or anywhere else on the ship.

[candbgirl]

Hi everyone! I´m 35 and planing travel to Alaska on Rydam cruise with wife, parents, and 3 kids ages 6, 4 and 10 months old. Or maybe not... My main concern is if Holland cruises are family friendly or maybe we would be best suited for a traditional family cruise like Royal Caribbean, Disney or Carnival. Any advise?

 

 

Your little people are really little. I would think they'd have a hard time dining EVERY night in the MDR. I do think you should take them a few times. It's good experience and if they are used to sitting for a period of time I'd think they'd have a great time being fussed over by the waiters. I also think they'd have fun having room service and a movie one night. There are so many options on board that I am sure they will be fine and you will all have fun. Be sure to see the Totem Poles in Ketchikan(I think). Your kids would probably like seeing them. Are you going to Sitka? That's also a lovely little place. Have fun.

[78232]

Its going to be difficult to get through dinner with 3 children of that age without disruption and I'm not sure if Club Hal will take babies. You can probably cruise HAL with good planning. The children would probably be a better fit for Disney however I don't know if that is something your parents would enjoy.

[cocos]

More times my kids are well behaved and I feel comfortable they´d be fine with 2 or 3 times at the main dining room. Gladly we´ll have the option of the Lido and room service. I´m also glad to know there are lot of people open minded to allow children near them if they´re not a headache. And yes, personally, I´m more frequently bothered by adults than by children.

[kenish]

I have a teen; he had a lot of fun on our HAL Alaska cruise. There were kids of all ages and they were very well-behaved. I even got some unsolicited compliments from other passengers! The same was true on X (Celebrity).

 

Can't say the same for Carnival. Kids were running amok while security watched and did nothing. The facilities were good but the staff was inattentive and activites were poorly organized.

 

On your situation, since there are 5 (or 7 including your parents) you will get a table for 6 or 8 to yourselves. I'd go for open dining (a good idea in AK anyway) and ask to be seated near the exit in case you need to step out with your little ones for a minute. Also, there are babysitting service you can use (maybe make formal night a "kid free" evening for the adults).

[BC mom]

I have cruised 2 twice with my children. The first was the Radiance of Seas when the oldest was 4 and the youngest 5 months. If your oldest are ok with children's programs and being left without you then they will probably enjoy any program offered by the cruise lines. My eldest cried when we left the ship that time. We asked for a private table close to an exit in the main dining room at early seating. Truthfully the baby didn't make any of the meals for the entire time, however one of us left with the baby before he fussed too much. The rest of the family had the full dinner. Have lots of coloring sheets and ask for the childrens meals first or have appies...A nap or quiet time before the meal helped a lot to stop the meltdowns before they happened.

 

The next time was with the Oosterdam when they were 10 and 6 to Alaska in late May. There were only approximately 20 children in the kids club. They received a lot of one - on - one with the workers. Again we had a private table on the early seating. We brought games,sheets, their Gameboys and we had nice meals. One thing though was the swimming pools were deep for the smallest. Don't expect them to be splashing by themselves in a play pool. The stewards went out of their way to spoil the children.

 

We go again this year to Alaska and the boys are asking whether they will meet their favorite HAL employees.

[May4]

I have a feeling that your family will have a marvelous time on the Alaska cruise that you're currently planning. Even though you have wee ones, you have four adults at the ready to watch, carry, entertain, distract, feed, etc. Sound like a good ratio of kidlets to grownups.:p

 

Others have already pointed out that evenings in the diningroom can last a couple of hours, what with lots of courses, dessert, and coffee service. I have witnessed young diners actually falling asleep half-way through it.

(Actually, I found that rather endearing.)

 

Anyway, I absolutely love Holland America cruises and suspect that your family will too.

 

By the way, my response to your poll was an indication that I'm very okay with sitting near children in this setting as long as they are not screaming or crying a lot. This morning, Parade Magazine listed that sound as one of many that are bothersome for most people. Others included nails on a chalkboard, microphone feedback, and the sound of upchucking.:eek:

[cruisinjudy]

We will be gong to Alaska in May with the three grandchildren and their parents. Ages are 1, 1 and 4. I figure we have enough adults to take turns taking any of them out for a stroll if they get antsy. We take them all to dinner occasionally without a problem as long as one of us walks a restless child around towards the end of the meal. That will probably save me from eating desserts!

 

There are two other four year olds on our roll call so I am sure our four year old will be kept busy with others when Club HAL is in session.

 

On our February Oosterdam cruise there were lots of children and I never even noticed any of them in the dining room. I am sure they were there somewhere!

[Iris5383]

Hi everyone! I´m 35 and planing travel to Alaska on Rydam cruise with wife, parents, and 3 kids ages 6, 4 and 10 months old. Or maybe not... My main concern is if Holland cruises are family friendly or maybe we would be best suited for a traditional family cruise like Royal Caribbean, Disney or Carnival. Any advise?

 

Speaking from a grandma's point of view, I think it would be great to take a cruise with my son, my DIL and their three adorable kids (7, 5 & 3 years old). With four adults to watch over your kids, they will feel very special whichever cruise line you decide on. I would not have a problem with well-behaved children at a table next to me in the dining room and would probably enjoy having them there. The Ryndam is a much smaller ship than any Royal Caribbean or Carnival (don't know about Disney), which to me would be better. Easier to know your way around and less distractions that might overload the kids, but still plenty to keep everyone occupied and happy. Just my opinion.

[lazey1]

One of my favorite memories of my very first cruise was seeing three children approximate ages 3 to 5, the boy dressed in a Tux and the 2 girls in formal velvet dresses for our final formal night. This was on the old Noordam and they had the Baked Alaska parade The children, with eyes big as saucers, were lifted onto the Captains table by crew members. The crew members also sang to the children. Everyone in the dinning room was standing and applauding. It is difficult to say who enjoyed it most, the children, the crew or the rest of the passengers.

[jtl513]

When I chose "well behaved" I didn't mean they have to be near-statues.

 

On a recent cruise, a table near us had 3 adults and two boys under 5. Every night, before our dinner was half over, the boys would be out of their chairs, running around the table and the nearby area. The adults did absolutely nothing to limit them. There were several minor collisions with waiters carrying food, but fortunately no spills. They were really not very loud, but they were an extreme nuisance. It's not enough for me that they were simply "not screaming."

[Ivystone]

Hi Cocos, my husband and I sailed with our then 4 year old daughter last year on RCL. We loved it, but the dining room experience was too much for her (service took too long), so we took her out of there midway through dinner (she wasn't screaming or anything, she just wanted to start wandering because she was bored).

 

We found that it was better to feed her in the Windjammer (RCL's buffet) and then take her back to the kid's club (which she enjoyed immensely). That way, we could enjoy our dinner later and she could enjoy playing.

 

We are going on the Noordam in a few weeks for a 10-day cruise and will probably plan on the same thing (feed her early in the Lido). We have anytime dining, so we can also try the MDR out with her, too, to see if it works this time around.

 

PS: I chose HAL over RCL this time because I liked the ship better and the entire line seems nicer than RCL (plus the food on RCL was TERRIBLE). I think HAL seems plenty family friendly and there are some families travelling on our cruise just from what I've seen on our roll call. I thought that Disney was way over-priced and not "adult-oriented" enough for my tastes. I have not tried Carnival, but have a friend who travels with her family on that line all the time and just loves it. I guess it just comes down to your own taste, but I definitely would not be put off by thinking that HAL isn't family friendly. I have found on my roll call that the people are very nice and friendly and I can't wait to meet them in two weeks.:D

[geoherb]

We sat next to a table for four that had parents with their two boys, probably 4 and 7 at the time. They were well behaved most of the time, only getting restless a few times, in which case the younger boy would lie across his chair. I would not mind being next to them again.

[savannahgirl1]

On our last cruise we were seated across from a family that had a little boy who looked to be 5 or 6. Small tyke. I thought, great we get near the table with the young'un. Let me tell you, this child was the perfect little gentlemen. He put his napkin in his lap without being told, he ordered for himself, I heard say please and thank you to the wait staff. And he would stay through desert then his older brother (in his teens) would take him out and the adults would stay for coffee. That child was an amazing, polite little fellow. And adorable to watch. He must've been born on a cruise and cudos to his parents for raising such a well mannered, well behaved boy. Their teen was the same way, very polite and well mannered to the "older" folks that was at the same table. Oh and you shold have seen him in his little tux on formal nights. It was to adorable. :D

[pansygirl]

My son cruised at 5 mos, 11 mos, and 19 mos. We wouldn't put him down for an afternoon nap. Instead we'd take him for a stroll before dinner and would let him sleep in his stroller through dinner. A couple times he woke up and if he got impatient we'd take turns walking around with him outside the dining room.

 

Besides kids look adorable all dressed up!

[kryos]

Just a personal preference, but I prefer a child-free vacation environment and would not like children seated near me in the dining room.

 

However, that said, I also like flights where I have the whole row of seats next to me empty, and restaurants that are not crowded and where I can be seated immediately and receive impeccable service. I also know that those things are not always going to happen and when they don't, I have to deal with them. If a child was at the next table, and the child was well-behaved, then I would "get over it" and enjoy my dinner. But if the child was a little terror, I would probably asked to be moved to another table.

 

That's why I like flexible dining. I don't get stuck in situations like that anymore ... at least not for every night of the whole cruise anyway. :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Sunshine91]

If the pax at the surrounding tables are well-behaved, it doesn't matter what age they are. Everyone should be polite, respectful, softly-spoken - meaning at a level that only your tablemates can hear, mindful of the amount of alcohol consumed, & remain seated for the duration of the meal. Now, table hopping is permitted to briefly exchange pleasantries with other pax. One may also excuse one's self to take care of necessities. ;) (How's that, did I sound like Miss Manners?) :)

 

To the OP - Just a suggestion. If you want to eat in the MDR, you might want to request the Any Time, or As You Wish Dining, or whatever HAL is calling it now. If you prefer a fixed time, I'd go for the early seating, only because the 8pm main sitting is a bit late for the little jobbers to have to try to sit thru a 2 hr dinner service.

 

Enjoy. :)

[mrsltg]

Op - My kids are of similar ages to yours (8, 3, and 14 mos.) I would cruise with them without hesitation but I know they'd be fine. I also know the first inkling of "not fine" would send either DH or myself out of the dining room with the 3 year old (I'm being honest, she's the pot-stirrer of the 3!!!) It's really about how comfortable you'd feel. If your kids act up will you remove them immediately and not wait it out to see if you can outlast a 2 minute tantrum? If you do remove them will you choke the life out of them back in the cabin or contemplate throwing them overboard? Would you be able to resist the urge to do the above if need be? :-)

 

I hope you have a great time on whatever vacation you decide. Your kids are at great ages to do and see lots of things!

[Rocky365]

Im not sure about HAL yet as we are sailing the first time in August. We had gone on RCL with my then 6 yo DD she at dinner early and then stayed in the kids club from 7-10 while we ate a late dinner, then we one of us got her at 10:00 in time for dessert in the dining room. Mario always had her ice cream ready!

[bballprncess]

Two years ago, I took my 5 year old daughter on a cruise with my parents, and my brother and sister and their 9 month old. My daughter was completely enamored with the whole thing! She loved getting "dressed for dinner." We put her hair in a bun and she just paraded around the ship looking like quite the little princess. She received many comments from other people as she strode by.

 

At dinner, she completely amazed me! She loved the dinners in the dining room, even though they sometimes took more than 2 hours. I don't take her out to eat much at home, so this had a great amount of novelty for her. She sat very prim and proper and was a wonderful table mate for us. Our family had a table to ourselves, so, we always made sure that she was placed in the chair farthest from other people just in case she got restless.

 

She loved the kids club and it was hard to pry her out of there!

 

So, now that she's 7, my Mom and I are going to take her to Alaska in July. We'll have to share a table, at dinner from time to time, but, that just means I'll have to coach her a bit more leading up to dinner. How to act properly will be the topic of many dinner conversations at home prior to our departure. I want her to feel prepared and confident about her table skills.

 

It sounds like you and your family are well prepared to run "zone defense" at the dinner table as well as throughout the rest of your trip. I think you will be just fine and have a wonderful time! Happy cruising!