Club HAL for 5 year old on Noordam?

[bzv143]

Anyone experienced Club HAL--the Children's Program--on Noordam? Spacious? Well maintained and staffed? Activities?

Looking at a Christmas cruise with a (well-behaved) 5 year old and would like her to be entertained thoroughly while we adults enjoy Adult Time. :rolleyes: Will Club HAL keep her entertained, for example, as well as Disney Cruises?

[78232]

I know they have arts and crafts. My 10 year old grandaughter felt like the activities were more for younger chiildren which would be good for you. In a young child's eyes nothing compares to Mickey Mouse etc. on a Disney cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

ACTIVITIES

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Holland America ships, we provide a wide variety of exciting youth- and teen- friendly activities and facilities for guests ages 3 to 17. With supervised fun for our younger guests, the entire family can have the cruise vacation of their dreams.

 

Safe and Managed Supervision

You can feel at ease knowing that your child's onboard experience is safe and well-managed. All Club HAL® activities are supervised by permanent, full-time staff, and are designed to be kid friendly and age appropriate. Youth Staff hold degrees in education, childhood development, recreation, leisure studies or related fields.

 

Programs Available

Club HAL® — Kids*: Children, ages 3-7, can participate in such activities as story telling, fabric painting, indoor games, arts and crafts, drawing contests, ice-cream sundae parties, puzzles, bingo, pirate treasure hunts or a farewell pizza party. Children in the Kid's age group must be toilet trained. Children in pull-ups or diapers are not allowed in the youth facilities, due to mandates from US Public Health. Exceptions to this rule cannot be made.

Club HAL® — Tweens*: Tweens, ages 8-12 might learn golf putting, have disco parties and theme parties, participate in the award-winning National Park Service Jr. Ranger Program on Alaska cruises, compete in on-deck sports events, compete in scavenger hunts or simply play Ping-Pong with a friend.

The Loft and The Oasis*: Teens, ages 13-17 will especially enjoy the teen disco, karaoke sessions, video games, teen sports tournaments, card games, trivia contests, bingo, movies and videos. When there are more than 100 children on board, a HAL Talent Show is offered. (The Oasis is not available on all Vista-class ships)

 

 

 

*On the ms Prinsendam, youth activities are offered for ages 5-17. All other ships offer youth activities for ages 3-17.

 

Daily Programs

Times vary based on age group, number of children on board and staffing:

 

 

Sea Day — Morning, Afternoon and Evening Activities

Port Day — Morning, Afternoon and Evening Activities

 

 

Kids & Teens Culinary Arts Center Program

HAL Kids Culinary Workshops now offer children a unique and fun learning experience. Kids will learn basic cooking techniques, kitchen safety, new ingredients and how to follow recipe instructions. Aside from the fun involved, cooking encourages kids to think about numbers and measuring, cleanliness, safety and time management. All the workshops are hands-on where questions are encouraged and having fun is a must!

 

HAL Kids Culinary Workshops are geared toward two age groups; ages three to seven and ages eight and up. Teenagers 15 and up may participate in the adult classes.

 

 

The menus range from simple to teen gourmet

Classes are usually limited to fifteen students unless otherwise noted

All classes are hands-on

Each student receives copies of the recipes prepared in class

All classes are complimentary and last approximately one hour

 

 

Additional Family Services

Holland America Line is dedicated to making your family's cruise vacation memorable and happy for each member of your family. We serve a wide variety of kid-pleasing food, including special sandwiches, tacos, hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza. Baby food, high chairs and booster seats may be requested in advance of boarding. On sea days, babysitting services are available through the Front Office for a small surcharge for children 3 years of age or older. This service is provided by staff on a volunteer basis, and may not always be available. Babysitting service is not offered while the ship is in port, although Club Hal does offer activities for children aged 3-12 between 8:00am and 4:00pm on port days. Special kid-friendly birthday parties can also be arranged with advance notice.

 

Extended Hours

Club HAL’s port day activities as well as After Hours is available for children ages 3-12 who meet Club HAL’s eligibility requirements. (Children must be pre-registered for the program in the way of a completed parental consent form, they must be potty trained, out of pull ups and 100% independent in the restroom as the youth staff are not permitted to assist.) Club HAL® After Hours is available on all ships (except the ms Prinsendam) from 10:00pm - 12:00am for children 3 years of age or older. The fee is US$5.00 per child, per hour. Parents must pick up their children on time or a late fee is charged. For babysitting outside of the hours offered in Club HAL, guests may check at the Front Office to schedule this service provided by staff on a voluntary/limited basis only.

 

Port Day Activities

Activities will be offered when in port from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. A lunch service is available for those attending port day activities between the hours of 11:00am – 1:00pm.

 

After Hours 10:00 pm– 12:00 am

After Hours group kid sitting is offered every evening from 10:00 pm to 12:00 am. Children must be 3 years of age and potty trained. Charge is $5.00 hour per child. Late charges apply to children who are picked up after 12:00 am. Limited private babysitting is available for all ages through the front office. Youth staff are not able to provide this service.

 

Special Needs

HAL Youth Programs recognize that some children may have special needs. Special needs children are invited to attend activities based on their chronological age. HAL Youth Programs have many staff trained to work with special needs children. Guests should make HAL aware of this when booking their reservation.

 

Important Notes

A limited number of high chairs, booster seats and cribs are available at no charge. These must be reserved in advance at the time of booking. An international children's menu is offered at dinner and includes a variety of appetizers, salads and soups, and standard items such as hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza and chicken, plus chef's specials like beef tacos, grilled cheese, fish and chips or spaghetti.

[fqtvguy]

Anyone experienced Club HAL--the Children's Program--on Noordam? Spacious? Well maintained and staffed? Activities?

 

Looking at a Christmas cruise with a (well-behaved) 5 year old and would like her to be entertained thoroughly while we adults enjoy Adult Time. :rolleyes: Will Club HAL keep her entertained, for example, as well as Disney Cruises?

 

Our four-year-old daughter had a grand time at Club HAL on the Amsterdam (which likely has a slightly smaller Club HAL, given the fact that the ship is physically smaller). She'd want to go first thing in the morning and didn't want to leave at meal times! The room was well maintained, the staff were wonderful, and the activities were varied (especially the evening 'theme' nights - pirates, camp-out, super spy).

[SingleFatherofDD]

I have sailed on the Noordam a few times already before I adopted DD. DD will be going on the Noordam during the New Years cruise, one cruise after yours. Sorry that they couldn't meet up. We recently got off another HAL ship. I can only say that the activities have gotten much better since I was a kid. The youth counselor are so out going for this age group that the make everything great. My DD didn't even want to spend time with me and always asked to go to the club. The activities that they have are age appropriate. They keep them busy. Also the rest of the crew love children. One of the bar waiters would make some type of animal out of paper for DD every night. We had a female room steward who would leave towel animals on DD bed every night. I know this is a common occurrence on the ships now but she would get her stuff animals involved with the towel animal. We have so many pictures of her with these set ups. One night the room steward even used my sun glasses on the towel animal. That monkey looked so cool.

 

Enough rambling. Would I recommend HAL to a family with a child, the answer is yes. Your DD should have an extremely great time on the ship.