Veendam with 2 kids - first cruise went GREAT!

[Stinkerbellorama]

Just got home from an awesome vacation and I want to thank all of you here for your guidance. I have scoured the boards for months preparing and it was all worth it.

There were lots of kids/teens on board due to spring break. My boys travel often and are very calm, polite and respectful (9 and 11). Most kids onboard were very good, but some were HORRIBLE!

The boys loved wearing their suits and ties to dinner, loved the freedom of having a soda card and really enjoyed the movies in the room. They elected to skip Club HAL due to the rude kids mentioned above.

We had a deluxe verandah suite and it was worth every penny!!! The Neptune lounge was great for snacks, information and one afternoon provided a quiet place for the kids to do some homework. Bayou our room steward amazed us with the towel animals and detailed scenes he created while we were at dinner.

HAL did a great job of pairing us with delightful dinner companions and we met so many wonderful people on board. Toward the end of the cruise recognized so many people we could call by name, chat, have a drink with them or just ask about their day. Not something I expected on a cruise ship. A special shout out to Anne and Merle. We met them in the Neptune about 10 minutes after boarding and they filled us in on all the details (what to tip and when, free laundry, how to use the concierge for everything, dinner expectations and other cruises they liked) Although they were a few decades older, they were our favorite couple on the trip.

Although my kids were rarely unattended, I felt comfortable sending them from the dining room to our suite by themselves so we could sit at dinner longer. They also watched movies in the room while we kicked it up at the Crow's Nest. I felt very safe having them go from activity to activity by themselves if they checked in with me.

Our ports were great, except Jamaica. We should have stayed on the ship since we didn't do an excursion there. It was a bit creepy with the kids. Shopping was dismal and we cut the day short so we could relax on the ship.

We didn't bring alcohol on board because of our long flight from Seattle, but we considered it. In hindsight it would have saved money, but we were rarely in the room so I don't know how much we would have consumed if we had to go to our room each time to get something.

We did two HAL excursions and thank goodness we booked thru them because our Grand Cayman Captain Nemo snorkel tour ran late and we had the last tender 5 minutes after the 'last tender' was supposed to come. But HAL guaranteed they wait for passengers who book excursions thru them and they did! I now see that $12 per ticket extra we paid (as opposed to the general public on our boat) was well worth it.

We are already planning our next cruise on HAL, possibly to Europe or Australia and again I will be lurking here getting all your valuable tips!

[feonad]

We are taking a 2 and 8 and 9 year old on the Maasdam and would love to know.

 

Glad to know you enjoyed your cruise. I love the Holland America Line. My husband and I cruise many times on it.

 

Do you have any advice for traveling with kids on Holland America?

[Two if by Sea]

We are taking a 2 and 8 and 9 year old on the Maasdam and would love to know

 

What cruise will you be on? Are your 8- and 9-year olds boys or girls? I am still hoping my 8-year-old daughter will find a friend onboard our June 28th Maasdam cruise.

[Two if by Sea]

(Oh, never mind, I found your other postings that you are going on the 35-day cruise. Now I REALLY wish we were on that one. I do wonder how many kids you'll find onboard. Hopefully the 8-year-old and 9-year-old are good friends?)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome home!!

 

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

 

We also had Bayu for our 21 days while on the Veendam.

[sail7seas]

So happy you had such a wonderful time. Your excitement shines through in your writing.

 

How great your boys enjoyed themselves so much.

 

Thanks for your happy review.

 

Welcome Back.

[Stinkerbellorama]

Do you have any advice for traveling with kids on Holland America?

 

On our port days, the time flew by. We booked Holland excursions and they were wonderful. Just be sure to read the ages of the kids allowed on some activities.

 

I would say to be sure they have nice clothes for dinner since you will really be noticed by the others on the boat in the dining room. My boys wore pants and polos or short sleeve button downs for casual dinner and suits for formal. No shorts in the dining room! By fitting in this way, we didn't get any glares or comments.

 

There are laundry facilities on board or you can send clothes out for dry cleaning with a 24 hour turn around so my kids were in the same clothes twice.

 

Buy the soda card and a lanyard. It's good for 20 sodas and I clipped it to the lanyard with their room card so they could get in and out of the room and buy a soda without me. Lanyards are in the gift shop for a few bucks. Soda cards can be purchased from any beverage server.

 

In the evening they disappeared into the room to watch movies because it really is an adult atmosphere after dinner. You can also get private babysitting arranged thru Club HAL.

 

During the day we were at the pool on the Lido deck and they had a great time. Most people looking for a quiet afternoon will find a deck chair away from the pool or on another deck. Really some of the adults were much louder than the kids after a few drinks.

 

Go to the shows! They are really entertaining and no swearing or anything risque. My kids loved the magic show and the Veendam Singers productions. We sat in the upper balcony on the side in case we needed to skip out, but never had to leave early because they were captivated.

 

Our typical day at sea was this:

Wake up 8 or 9am

Shorts and tshirts and went to the Lido for breakfast or ordered room service and ate on our verandah

Back to the room to change into swimsuits and coverups

At the pool from 10-2pm with lunch in the middle at the buffet (coverups needed)

2pm -3pm I did something at the spa while my kids went to an activity such as the Up Close Magic Show or a movie. My Husband did email.

3-5pm back by the pool for me with the kids. On several days they did homework in the Neptune lounge for an hour or watched cartoons in the room during this time (TV selection for kids and adults was entertaining and included old shows like "Get Smart" "Beverly Hillbillys" and Nickelodeon)

5pm snacks in the Neptune lounge or Buffet

6pm get ready and dressed for dinner

7pm Every night we didn't go to a show we met in one of the lounges and listened to great music while we played cards (hearts, poker or Kings corners). Mom and dad had a cocktail and the kids had sodas. They passed appetizers and many of our new friends stopped by our table to say hi.

8pm dinner seating in the Main Upper dining room

9:45 pm the kids went to the explorer lounge to rent a movie (TONS of selection)

10pm we walked them to the room and told them where we would be.

1pm - dead tired mom and dad return to sleeping kids.

 

You have a little one so you may want to arrange child care at the beginning of the cruise. My kids would have done many more activities at Club HAL if there weren't so many kids on board. With a cruise that long, they may have their own private Club :) Have fun!

[jhannah]

My boys travel often and are very calm, polite and respectful (9 and 11). ... They elected to skip Club HAL due to the rude kids mentioned above.

That's a shame. Wonder where their parents were? (I know ... rhetorical question.) Sounds like your boys made the best of it, though.

 

A special shout out to Anne and Merle ... Although they were a few decades older, they were our favorite couple on the trip.

Thank you for including this comment. Many times twenty- and thirty-somethings think cruising HAL with all the "old coots" would be a drag. Many have often pointed out that the older cruiser is often a more seasoned traveler who is full of life and valuable insights. Your mention of this couple illustrates this point that many folks miss entirely.

 

Good luck planning your next cruise!

[feonad]

I think the balcony at the shows is a great idea. I got several other ideas reading your thread also.

 

Thanks again.

:)

I also need to call Holland about the in room shows and what that is about....

[feonad]

My toddler loves to dance to live music so I have to check out where he can do that. It is so funny to watch him! :)

[fireman845]

Thank you sooo much for the review... It is nice to see someone have such a great time with there kids on HAL.

[Stinkerbellorama]

My toddler loves to dance to live music so I have to check out where he can do that. It is so funny to watch him! :)

 

The Lido during the afternoon there is an awesome band and plenty of toddler boogie room. Also, at the launch party! My 9 year old did the robot and attracted a crowd without knowing it. I think they thought he was having a siezure :)

Lots of music and talented musicians on the Veendam. Plus, we were on the shuttle bus with them and they were a fun, nice group of young kids.

[feonad]

That is what we need toddler boogie room. Even my eigtht year old boy danced on our last cruise. BUT it was more like Moising (Moise pit).

 

if you know what I mean.:)

[the2ofus]

My toddler loves to dance to live music so I have to check out where he can do that. It is so funny to watch him! :)

 

The one thing I would caution about is that you should avoid allowing your toddler on the dance floor in the Ocean Bar or in the Crows Nest when the musicians are playing there. These are the only really good dance areas on most HAL ships (Vista ships also have Northern Lights) and are usually occupied by dancing couples or groups. It is a challenge to dance on a moving dance floor at any time, and to have to watch out for a toddler as well would be unfair to them and dangerous as well. A mis-step could cause injury both to the dancers and to your child. There are areas near the dance floors where the child could freely dance without being in harm's way.

[the2ofus]

I was so pleased to read that your whole family enjoyed your first cruise with the kids. Have been trying to convince my DS and DIL that their two of the same age would also enjoy. I'd really love to do a family cruise next year. So far, no success, but you give me hope. I'll share your post with them.

[candbgirl]

No need to call HAL about the movies in the room. They show movies several times a day on the TV and the room has a dvd player that you can check out dvds from the library. Or even bring some of your child's favorite dvds from home.

[AnneBonney]

We just got off the Westerdam with our two girls (5 & 10). They had a fantastic time. Just a warning -- they were charging $3 per night for dvd rentals, so I'd bring some from home. It made me nuts having to pay to rent movies that I already own :eek: !

 

Even though we had about 300 kids on our cruise the girls got tons of attention from the crew. We did the onboard rebooking. Thinking of trying a Europe cruise next summer.