Does anyone have any reviews of the kids programs? This is our first time on Holland (Westerdam in April). We have had previous cruises on Royal Carribbean and were very pleased with the level of service they gave to our 7 yr old daughter.
It's been a few years for us, but our son enjoyed the kids program on HAL. It's not as extensive as those on Royal Caribbean, yet he is a low-key kid who was happy just to hang out with other young ones his age. (This was in 2004, and he was 10 at the time.) Still, he did quite a bit, from sports to making a tie-dyed T-shirt--and came home with a lot of stuff.
If you are going the week of April 20, there will be many kids on board as it is a school vacation week for many in the Northeast U.S.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. My parents love HAL and cruise with them often. HAL is often recommended because it caters to a more mature crowd. I sure she'll have a ball.
We cruise in a few weeks. I will post when we return with our experiences.
Just got back from the Westterdam with a report on Club Hal. The program is extremely rudimentary and lacks creativity. The groups were split 3-7, 8-11, and 12+. The 2 biggest activities in the 3-7 year old group were coloring and movies. The kids minds and bodies were engaged very little.
As far as other staff on the ship, the only person to pay any attention to her was our dining steward. She was ignored by everyone else.
We were fully aware of the premium services offered on the ship and were assured by the line that they welcomed children. We did not feel satisfied. Other lines definately appreciate the money that families spend more than HAL. I would suggest not taking kids on this line.
GlennM, thanks for the feedback. It's always good to have first hand accounts of peoples experiences. HAL has been trying for years to break out of the niche they find themselves in as a predominantly senior cruiseline. Looks like from your report, they're not making much progress. Sorry to hear that. They would definately not be among the cruiselines recommended for family friendly cruising. Traveling with children, the best choices for the kiddos has to be Carnival and RCCL unless you spring for the much higher cost of Disney. Others do very well and are improving like Princess and even NCL is a great choice on their newer ships. They have begun building more and better childrens facilities onto their latest ships released.
Sorry to hear the report on the club HAL. I too had heard they were upgrading the activities for the children. I do hope the cruise, otherwise, was up to your expectations. Welcome back, and hope to see you selecting another cruise soon!
