Is Holland America & MS Nieuw Amsterdam for us? 2 adults & 1 child

[loopyloo33]

Hi

 

We are seasoned cruisers but never travelled with Holland America and have been looking at an itinerary on 16th August departing from Venice. Just contacted my travel agent to get a price for this cruise and she has really put me off sailing.

 

She tells me that HAL is a very formal cruise line and really not suitable for children as the kids club is only open on sea days or if enough kids sign up on port days.

 

The formality I am OK with but our big issue would be with kids club. My daughter absolutely loves them and it really makes her holiday to go to kids club ( this would be her 8th cruise) so to not have it open all day would be a no no. We have been to a couple of the ports already so would be taking advantage of the ship facilities in port hence the question re kids club.

 

Can anyone give me insight into the kids facilities aboard and whether given its august and the height of school holidays that all facilities should be open.

 

Thanks

[DaveOKC]

Hi

 

We are seasoned cruisers but never travelled with Holland America and have been looking at an itinerary on 16th August departing from Venice. Just contacted my travel agent to get a price for this cruise and she has really put me off sailing.

 

She tells me that HAL is a very formal cruise line and really not suitable for children as the kids club is only open on sea days or if enough kids sign up on port days.

 

The formality I am OK with but our big issue would be with kids club. My daughter absolutely loves them and it really makes her holiday to go to kids club ( this would be her 8th cruise) so to not have it open all day would be a no no. We have been to a couple of the ports already so would be taking advantage of the ship facilities in port hence the question re kids club.

 

Can anyone give me insight into the kids facilities aboard and whether given its august and the height of school holidays that all facilities should be open.

 

Thanks

 

Here in the states alot of school years start around Aug 15, so may not be as many kids as you think.

[loopyloo33]

Yes agreed I suppose it depends if there are a lot of Europeans on board as it is a cruise out of Venice.

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL Club is open every day -- not just sea days. The hours will be different on port days.

You should encounter children on your cruise.

And HAL is not as formal as it used to be. You won't see as many ball gowns (if any) and very men in tuxedos.

[Sam.Seattle]

Your daughter will grow up way too fast...

 

Take advantage of having the excause to enjoy life through your child's eye on a ship that caters to Kids, like Disney, NCL, RCL etc...

 

She will like the formal things in life in a decade or two from now.

[BearInStPete]

I would say your TA is not familiar with the current HAL product - take that for what it is worth in your evaluations. Princess, HAL, Celebrity are all similar in quality, value and children's programs.

[Krazy Kruizers]

OPPS

Sorry -- meant to say "very few men in Tuxedos".

[Lisa63]

Is it the Nieuw Amsterdam that you are considering?

 

Many school districts in the northeast U.S. open the first week of September, so it will be possible that you will see other families with kids on an August 16 cruise. It may be tougher given that it's 12 nights (if I have the right ship), yet we've done longer cruises in Europe on which there were plenty of kids.

 

We enjoyed HAL a great deal with our son when he was younger. He loved the kids' program as it was not too crowded. (We tended toward longer cruises, including a 14-nighter in Europe.) We have found that -- on several lines -- the kids' club would not be open all day. (Actually, that was pretty much the norm in our early days of cruising.) If that's the case, and it's a port you've visited before, perhaps let your daughter decide what you will do that day, either on or off the ship. Remember, with so many people ashore, the pools will not be crowded.

 

 

I agree with others that HAL is not as formal as it once was.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Lisa63

[Lisa63]

Silly me... I just saw that the topic of your post mentioned the ship name. Sorry about that.

[loopyloo33]

Thankyou all very much for your comments. Our favourite line so far has been Celebrity so it is good to know HAL is comparable to them.

 

We were planning on taking advantage of the pools during some port days but I know she is so used to going to kids club for a few hours every day she would really miss it.

 

This really is the last availability in the med in august this year so other lines are not possible.

[AlohaPride]

We are taking our second HAL cruise with kids. None of our cruises are shorter than 11 days. Club HAL is open in 3 or 4 hour increments on sea days and all day on port days (from what I've read). If there are kids on board, it will be open. :) There is another member of this board who says Club HAL is her child's favorite. School in the States doesn't start until September, so I think there will be a fair number of kids on your sailing. :)

[NYteacher]

We are taking our second HAL cruise with kids. None of our cruises are shorter than 11 days. Club HAL is open in 3 or 4 hour increments on sea days and all day on port days (from what I've read). If there are kids on board, it will be open. :) There is another member of this board who says Club HAL is her child's favorite. School in the States doesn't start until September, so I think there will be a fair number of kids on your sailing. :)

 

I don't know if I am specifically the other member AlohaPride means, but Club Hal is my son's favorite. For a point of reference, he's experienced the clubs on Norwegian, Carnival, Celebrity and Cunard. He likes that there are fewer children so this means very little/no waiting for a turn on things, more time actively doing things.

 

There may be port days when it is not active during the day as families are sightseeing. However, those days will still be open if your daughter wants to attend and the later afternoon and evening events will be business as usual.

 

We are from NYC and our schools don't open until after Labor Day, so many families have vacations in August.

[Mary Ellen]

School in the States doesn't start until September, so I think there will be a fair number of kids on your sailing. :)

That may be true in your State, but not all States. Where I grew up in Washington that was true. However, here and some other places we've lived, school starts in August.

 

Venice is one of the more difficult (and expensive) European cities for Americans to fly to. That could also impact the number of families from the States. That said, we've cruised on HAL to all seven continents. There have always been children on board our cruises. They've always seemed to be having a great time with the Club HAL folks.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Mary Ellen

[the frames]

Hi

 

We are seasoned cruisers but never travelled with Holland America and have been looking at an itinerary on 16th August departing from Venice. Just contacted my travel agent to get a price for this cruise and she has really put me off sailing.

 

She tells me that HAL is a very formal cruise line and really not suitable for children as the kids club is only open on sea days or if enough kids sign up on port days.

 

The formality I am OK with but our big issue would be with kids club. My daughter absolutely loves them and it really makes her holiday to go to kids club ( this would be her 8th cruise) so to not have it open all day would be a no no. We have been to a couple of the ports already so would be taking advantage of the ship facilities in port hence the question re kids club.

 

Can anyone give me insight into the kids facilities aboard and whether given its august and the height of school holidays that all facilities should be open.

 

Thanks

Hi

We sailed on NA for the past 2 years always last 2 weeks in August and there were enough children on board, kids club was open everyday and our 11 year old had a great time! This year on Noordam 14th August as dates suited work but our now 13 year is very much looking forward to it, also it is definitely not stuffy and formal, enjoy!!

[loopyloo33]

I am so glad I posted here and not listen to the travel agent. Thank you again for all of your comments..

[CGYCruisingFamily]

We leave in less than 3 wks for our cruise on the NA WUTH OUR 2 kids. The kids just finished their 2nd cruise with HAL last week on the Zuiderdam with my parents. By far they have LOVED Club HAL the most if the kids clubs they have done and we have loved it the most too. One nice thing compared to some other lines is you do not get charged on port days if the kids want to go to CLUB HAL.

 

I have no idea what your agent is telling you but HAL is for families. Now there might not be hundreds of kids like on other lines but there should be kids.

 

And btw, our kids go back in September too. If we could have swung it, we would have stayed on for the 24- days (including the 12-nights your are looking at but financially and holiday wise, it just wasn't an option.

Edited July 15, 2014 by CGYCruisingFamily

[DeeniEncinitas]

Hi

 

We are seasoned cruisers but never travelled with Holland America and have been looking at an itinerary on 16th August departing from Venice. Just contacted my travel agent to get a price for this cruise and she has really put me off sailing.

 

She tells me that HAL is a very formal cruise line and really not suitable for children as the kids club is only open on sea days or if enough kids sign up on port days.

 

The formality I am OK with but our big issue would be with kids club. My daughter absolutely loves them and it really makes her holiday to go to kids club ( this would be her 8th cruise) so to not have it open all day would be a no no. We have been to a couple of the ports already so would be taking advantage of the ship facilities in port hence the question re kids club.

 

Can anyone give me insight into the kids facilities aboard and whether given its august and the height of school holidays that all facilities should be open.

 

Thanks

First let me say we too are seasoned cruisers and love the HAL line. We live in Sunny San Diego, Ca and are exclusive to Holland American due to the fact they are stationed there. 3 star mariners and will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam next March for a 14 day cruise to the Carribean . We were on the pride of HAL Nieuw Amsterdam last summer for a 24 day Mediterranean Cruise out of Barcelona to Venice!!! Just awesome! They have a wonderful Kids program and the facilities are amazing. There was large groups of all ages and they were having so much fun and well behaved. I bet your TA has not even been on her or other HAL ships!!! The Prisemdam is the small elegant ship and yes that is stuffy even for my husband and myself! Take it from me this is a fabulous ship! Yes they have formal nites, but it is a mixed bag. I Have seen casual dress even on formal nite!!! They even say this is an older generation that travels on these ships too! We were so diverted with young and older but it makes no difference! The children are always having fun and do so much! Take a chance and please book through the cruise line your rates are comparable. Also I booked for years with a TA but now go straight through HAL!!!! I get exceptional treatment. Also I enjoy smaller ships and all of the other lines like NCL,Princess,Carnival, are way too big and it seems you have to stake your claims on pool chairs, etc. Nieuw Amsterdam is just right, and we never felt crowed at all. Have a wonderful trip !

Edited July 15, 2014 by DeeniEncinitas

[AlohaPride]

That may be true in your State, but not all States. Where I grew up in Washington that was true. However, here and some other places we've lived, school starts in August.

 

Venice is one of the more difficult (and expensive) European cities for Americans to fly to. That could also impact the number of families from the States. That said, we've cruised on HAL to all seven continents. There have always been children on board our cruises. They've always seemed to be having a great time with the Club HAL folks.

 

Apologies. I did not mean to infer that school in ALL states start in September. But, as NYMom posted, there are still a fair number that don't start until after Labor Day. Also, another error of mine, when I say "The States" I mean the mainland. School in Hawaii starts in July. . . :rolleyes:

[DeeniEncinitas]

First let me say we too are seasoned cruisers and love the HAL line. We live in Sunny San Diego, Ca and are exclusive to Holland American due to the fact they are stationed there. 3 star mariners and will be on the Nieuw Amsterdam next March for a 14 day cruise to the Carribean . We were on the pride of HAL Nieuw Amsterdam last summer for a 24 day Mediterranean Cruise out of Barcelona to Venice!!! Just awesome! They have a wonderful Kids program and the facilities are amazing. There was large groups of all ages and they were having so much fun and well behaved. I bet your TA has not even been on her or other HAL ships!!! The Prisemdam is the small elegant ship and yes that is stuffy even for my husband and myself! Take it from me this is a fabulous ship! Yes they have formal nites, but it is a mixed bag. I Have seen casual dress even on formal nite!!! They even say this is an older generation that travels on these ships too! We were so diverted with young and older but it makes no difference! The children are always having fun and do so much! Take a chance and please book through the cruise line your rates are comparable. Also I booked for years with a TA but now go straight through HAL!!!! I get exceptional treatment. Also I enjoy smaller ships and all of the other lines like NCL,Princess,Carnival, are way too big and it seems you have to stake your claims on pool chairs, etc. Nieuw Amsterdam is just right, and we never felt crowed at all. Have a wonderful trip !