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Is there a Club Hal on the Prinsendam?


Avery's Gram
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I am thinking about a cruise with grandchildren and wondering if the Prinsendam is a choice or not. We have done an Alaska cruise and they loved it, although they thought Club Hal was so-so. Any advice or info would be welcome. Thanks!

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I would be Leary of taking them on the Prinsendam. While we have never been on it the travel agent on board (more than 1) told us not to cruise on her because it is a much older clientele than the normal HAL ship. We are very active in our mid-50s. We love the itineraries that it sails. So maybe one day we will. She is also a smaller ship.

 

 

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CLUB HAL® YOUTH PROGRAM

Holland America Line’s youth activities program, Club HAL, offers an array of entertaining events for kids and teens ages 3-17, supervised by a full-time, professionally trained staff. They’ll have an opportunity to join other kids their age for arts and crafts, sports, video game competitions, scavenger hunts, challenging team games and themed parties. Club HAL is offered on board all ships except for ms Prinsendam.

... on her because it is a much older clientele than the normal HAL ship.
We did not find that to be the case on our one P'dam cruise ... but I don't recall seeing any kids on board. :) Edited by catl331
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I would be Leary of taking them on the Prinsendam. While we have never been on it the travel agent on board (more than 1) told us not to cruise on her because it is a much older clientele than the normal HAL ship. We are very active in our mid-50s. We love the itineraries that it sails. So maybe one day we will. She is also a smaller ship.

 

 

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Be sure to check out the new Maadsam 'InDepth" cruise offerings for more active adventure and enrichment offerings, but they also have no childrens program.

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Hey FT,

 

> While we have never been on it the travel agent on board (more than 1) told us not to cruise on her because it is a much older clientele than the normal HAL ship.

 

Pish, Tosh. Stuff and nonsense. Bullfeathers.

 

We were under 50 when we took our first cruise on The Prinsendam and fell in love with her.

 

Ira

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There is no "official" Club HAL on the Prinsendam but they do have trained counsellors that will entertain the children.

 

We were on with two charming children and the counsellors had them out and about everywhere.

 

Technically, if needed they use the Stuyvesant room but as one counsellor said to me, "that's no fun so once we have them we are out and about".

 

Those children were absolutely wonderful and a joy on the ship. They were invited to every VIP party, etc.

 

Children are not common because of the longer itineraries that the Prinsendam can offer, but they were totally welcomed with open arms and it was obvious they were having a fantastic time.

 

Clientele demographics depending on the itinerary but I wouldn't call them older on the Prinsendam. The oldest demographic I saw was on an NCL transatlantic for the Millenium year. HAL looks young compared to that one ;)

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Pish, Tosh. Stuff and nonsense. Bullfeathers.

Agreed. The passengers on the Prinsendam are the same as I met on all the other HAL ships.

There is no "official" Club HAL on the Prinsendam but they do have trained counsellors that will entertain the children.

...

Technically, if needed they use the Stuyvesant room but as one counsellor said to me, "that's no fun so once we have them we are out and about".

Kazu has it.

I have seen very few children on the Prinsendam, but the ones I have seen are given attention by HAL staff dedicated to their needs. It is not the same experience they would get on the other HAL ships, and they probably won't have as many companions as on the other ships, but they are not ignored, either.

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Hey FT,

 

> While we have never been on it the travel agent on board (more than 1) told us not to cruise on her because it is a much older clientele than the normal HAL ship.

 

Pish, Tosh. Stuff and nonsense. Bullfeathers.

 

We were under 50 when we took our first cruise on The Prinsendam and fell in love with her.

 

Ira

 

Agree, we did the Prinsendam for my own 70th B-Day cruise and many passengers were a lot younger than me. I thought the demographics were much more varied on the Prinsendam than many other HAL cruises we take - though we tend to take the longer ones which tends to skew ages upwards.

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Thank you all for sharing information. We have been on the Prinsendam once and loved the size....Ruth, I agree that it is much easier to get around than the larger ships. The two grandchildren in question are normal but relatively well-behaved, a boy almost 13 and his 10 year old sister. They have each traveled with us on land trips, one to Iceland and Denmark as an eight year old, and the other to Paris and London via the Eurostar as a nine year old. And of course they were part of a family reunion cruise last summer (all 16 of us, 8 adults and 8 kids) to celebrate my “big birthday.”

 

 

This is my issue.....they are Older and more e perienced traveler, but so am I! I worry about being the sole adult with no respite which is why I wondered about Club Hal.

I’m still considering.....the itinerary is very port intensive which is good, and involves many of my favorite ports. Unfortunately their parents all have limited vacation time and cannot come along, or it would be perfect. So i’ll Keep pondering, and thinking about the ideas and info you shared. Thanks again!

 

 

Barbara M in NH

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......

This is my issue.....they are Older and more e perienced traveler' date=' but so am I! I worry about being the sole adult with no respite which is why I wondered about Club Hal.

I’m still considering.....the itinerary is very port intensive which is good, and involves many of my favorite ports. Unfortunately their parents all have limited vacation time and cannot come along, or it would be perfect. So i’ll Keep pondering, and thinking about the ideas and info you shared. Thanks again!

 

 

Barbara M in NH[/quote']

 

I believe crew members can make themselves available for "baby-sitting" for set fees, when they are not on their regular working shifts. That would be one way to get some respite for yourself. They really love children and often miss their own. So that could be something to explore.

 

Maybe they could watch them at the pool or play board games, read with them, teach them something about their own culture, or have the crew member practice her English, while you go to the spa, attend a lecture or just put your feet up?

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I wouldn’t assume anything would be done for kids when the Holland America literature states no Club HAL on Prinsendam. I doubt preteen kids want a hired babysitter.

There are so many choices in cruise ships and cruise lines. Look into alternatives.

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I wouldn’t assume anything would be done for kids when the Holland America literature states no Club HAL on Prinsendam. I doubt preteen kids want a hired babysitter.

There are so many choices in cruise ships and cruise lines. Look into alternatives.

 

You know what happens when you assume, right?

 

Read up and our experience on board with children.

 

those counsellors weren't baby sitters. They were interacting.

 

Now, as to pre teens - they are not Club HAL, they are the "Loft" I believe?

 

Most pre teens and teens can make their own fun and only need a few organized things IME.

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You know what happens when you assume, right?

 

Read up and our experience on board with children.

 

those counsellors weren't baby sitters. They were interacting.

 

Now, as to pre teens - they are not Club HAL, they are the "Loft" I believe?

 

Most pre teens and teens can make their own fun and only need a few organized things IME.

 

When the official literature says no kid program on this ship, I would not assume anything different. Why would there be certified counselors on board if no kid program? I certainly would not tell anyone not to worry about what the policy says.

 

I read the entire thread, including your past experiences. Based on your experience, are you telling people all HAL ships still have libraries, onboard guest lecturers, etc?

 

The OP has said she has reservations about taking the kids on this ship. Trust your instincts.

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When the official literature says no kid program on this ship, I would not assume anything different.

Of course you wouldn't. You take every opportunity to bad-mouth the ship, based on a cruise several years ago.

 

Those of us who have sailed on the ship have attested that children are tended to when there are some on board.

There may not be a dedicated Club HAL room (as the HAL literature states), but there is a program when necessary.

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I wouldn’t assume anything would be done for kids when the Holland America literature states no Club HAL on Prinsendam. I doubt preteen kids want a hired babysitter.

There are so many choices in cruise ships and cruise lines. Look into alternatives.

 

The OP stated she might want a "respite" from her grandmother chaperone obligations, which indicates she thinks these charges need some sort of alternate adult supervision. If nothing more than letting her have a little down time. Color within the lines of the original question.

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My disappointment in the Prinsendam has nothing to do with my opinion on suitability for kids. When the literature says no kid program I believe it and would never advise someone with kids to sail it.

 

I wouldn’t even take kids on our favorite cruise lines which are not kid friendly. One line designates a few Alaskan cruises as family friendly and they bring in a youth counselor for ages five and up. Still not suitable for kids and we wouldn’t risk it. I’ve talked to the onboard sales consultants about the program, we have newborn to age five in the family. One set of parents wants to try it anyway in a few years but we are skeptical.

Another line we like bans anyone under age 21. Both of these lines have some self entertain sport areas on the sun deck, mini golf, basketball hoop, bocce, ping pong. I don’t recall seeing anything similar on Prinsendam but I may have missed it. Not sure if there are any self entertain areas for kids of all ages.

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