Expatcat

We cruised to NZ pre-Covid and used the company Yehootu has posted above. They have a combined Hobbiton and hot springs excursion from Tauranga that we took. It was a long day but worth it and they are a great company.

We are cruising again to NZ January next year. We enjoyed Hobbiton so much we have booked to go again. Hot springs were a once and done for us. We have booked through same company again.

6 hours ago, TN Fem said:

thank you for sharing we have 3 kids and just booked 14 days on the Oosterdam in Dec Aukland to Sydney.  I sent this to my husband who promptly asked "did you write this from the future".. we booked similar cabins on deck 4.

Hi there,

I am sure your family will have a great time next year, we certainly did! I loved Deck 4 - the balconies were a great size (on Noordam and Oosterdam too I think the Deck 4 balconies are some of the deepest). I also loved the size of the bathrooms and the little bath was great for my youngest! 
I just had a quick look at the December Oosterdam cruise itinerary, it looks amazing! 

4 hours ago, shudie said:

I loved your blog review. So great to hear about HAL with kids. We are taking ours, 9 and 11 on the Zuiderdam for a transatlantic later this year.

 

With the kitchen tour, were the kids allowed to go on that? Do you remember from what age? On the Behind the Scenes on Carnival, I think minimum age was 12. 

I don’t recall there being a minimum age. Our 11 year old came and enjoyed it! From memory the only requirement was to wear closed-toe shoes. It was a fast paced tour and probably lasted only 20 minutes but it was really interesting!

10 hours ago, Kangakid said:

Thanks for doing this.  We are always looking for options other than the mainstream ships.  Just one query there was listed Club HAL and Loft.  I noticed Club HAL ages differed from 3 to 12 and at times 7 to 12.  Our GD will be 8 and 5 so just wondering is there 3 age groups or just the 2.   Did your kids manage fine without the kids water park, rides, etc that the mega ships have for kids...

 

thanks

Vicki

Hi Vicki,

As our cruise was during school holidays there was a separate Club HAL for ages 3-6. I have heard that when there are less children on board they sometimes combine the clubs. I was worried about how the kids would manage without some of the ‘bells and whistles’ but I needn’t have been. The teens really used the teen club as a meeting place and then would make their own fun around the ship. The programming for the younger ones had a good variety - games on the sports court and lots of craft (which they loved). I also found the evening main shows to be very family friendly - my 7 year old loved the shows! Hope this helps.

We have just returned from the Noordam 14 night (4-18 January 2020) cruise around New Zealand. Our children attended Club HAL (7-12 years) and The Loft (13-17 years). This cruise took place during the Australian / NZ school holidays and, prior to travelling, I struggled to find information about cruising HAL with children (particularly in the Southern hemisphere). We had a wonderful time and I wanted to share information that might help others.

I have posted a blog that includes many photos of the Club HAL and Loft daily program guides, as well as many of the When and Wheres and menus. Hopefully it will be of interest / help to others!

https://bonjourn.al/journal/124230-new-zealand-2020

12 minutes ago, kimberlyFDR said:

I recently posted about my experience with this.

 

Very appreciative of HAL for doing this.

 

Thank you for posting this - I knew I’d read this somewhere and I did a search and couldn’t find it!

Thanks RuthC...I guess that if they turn the request down I can just cancel the booking and get a refund....

It is advertised on the HAL website, along with the paperwork you complete. Usually we would book independently but HAL offers this particular tour at a better departure time!

HAL newbie booking a shore excursion....I wanted to check I have understood their price promise correctly!

HAL has the tour we want, however it is more expensive than an outside provider. If I book through HAL and submit the correct paperwork I can get the difference in price as an OBC I believe. Does anyone know how this works when HAL prices in US dollars and competitor is priced in another currency? If I make the request and it is rejected, can I just cancel the HAL shore excursion without penalty and book with the competition?

Thanks for any help you can give!

We recently faced this dilemma although our children are a bit older. We decided to go with Noordam...we don’t sail until January next year though! The itinerary was a winner for us.

Thank you for sharing, these options look great!

Holland America website had a holding page briefly yesterday. Looks to be: up to $800 OBC, Pinnacle Grill dinner, $25 beverage card and 50% reduced deposit. Suite and verandah receive free internet.

7 hours ago, ed01106 said:

When booking consider the fact that if one person in a room is getting the drink package everyone needs to.  So book rooms according if, applicable..

This is great advice!

It is a balcony and an inside. Cheaper to book 4 in the balcony and 1 in the inside than to book 3 in the balcony and 2 in the inside.

We are a family of 5 and about to book 2 adjoining cabins. It is cheaper to book 4 in one cabin (and pay reduced 3rd & 4th person fares) and 1 in the other cabin (and pay single supplement) than it is to book the same cabins with 3 people in one and 2 people in the other. Any hidden pitfalls / disadvantages to setting up the booking this way? Thanks!

Thanks for the help everyone! As a HAL newbie it is sometimes difficult to understand how things will operate!

I saw it on an uploaded copy of The Loft program on Halfacts. And I got it wrong - it was Westerdam.

We have decided on HAL Noordam...it was a tough choice but the right one for us I think! Itinerary looks great given we want to see as many ports as we can! Thanks to all for their advice!

Can anyone tell me whether Club HAL (kids/teens) checks out xbox or wii for use in staterooms on Noordam? I believe I've seen it advertised on Koningsdam.

Thanks!

Rose, that looks amazing! The Ruby Princess itinerary looks great too.

7 hours ago, ELep said:

Two staterooms = two bathrooms too. 

That’s what I’m thinking...plus enough beds that no-one has to share!

Thanks everyone. I’m also considering Princess now. It sounds like it is worth looking for an itinerary with more port stops, particularly around Rotorua. Princess are looking good as well!

Thanks everyone for your responses - you have confirmed what I was thinking - that it would really be a shame to miss Rotorua.

In addition to Rotorua the HAL cruise on Noordam also adds in Picton, Wellington and Napier - so a number of extra ports.

Lyndarra, I am aware that HAL is a quieter cruise line - which would suit our family. In your experience are children reasonably welcomed / tolerated by other passengers?

Trying to make a final decision for a family cruise to New Zealand in January. 2 adults, 3 children (aged 7, 10 and 14). It will be our first (possibly only) time to visit NZ. We have previously cruised Celebrity (loved) and Carnival (didn't enjoy as much).

Currently we are booked in a Grand Suite on Radiance. Sleeping arrangements are not ideal - 2 kids will have to share the sofa bed and 1 on a rollaway. No stop in Tauranga so we would miss the thermal springs at Rotorua. Alternatively we could book 2 cabins on Norwegian Jewel or HAL Noordam. Both itineraries include Tauranga, and 2 cabins would give us enough beds! Pricing for all 3 options is pretty much the same (although NCL comes with some perks like the drinks package and speciality dining package).

Is Tauranga really a must-not-miss port? Will we drive each other crazy sharing the one cabin? I have done a lot of reading on these boards but my head is spinning...any advice appreciated!