Fun for kids?

[TiggerInNY]

Hi,

 

We are a family of 4. Two sons ages 12 & 8. We have been on 2 cruises as a family - one Carnival and one Disney. We are currently booked on 7-day RCL's Liberty of the Seas in April 2009. Our timeshare is connected with Holland America and we could use points to defer the cost of the cruise.

 

 

My question is - would you suggest switching from RCL to HA and save some money or stay with what we have? I'm all for saving money but want it to be enjoyable for the kids, too. You know what they say, if the kids are happy - so are the parents.

 

I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.

[GORDONCHICK]

We haven't sailed with HAL yet (lookign at March of 2010), and our DS is only 7 right now, but from my reading, they offer culinary classes to the kids. I don't know if that would appeal to your sons or not, but it does to ours.

 

Since you're looking at April (probably spring break), there would probably be more kids on board than there normally is for HAL, so there should be an opportunity for them to make friends on the cruise as well.

[6rugrats]

Hi,

 

We are a family of 4. Two sons ages 12 & 8. We have been on 2 cruises as a family - one Carnival and one Disney. We are currently booked on 7-day RCL's Liberty of the Seas in April 2009. Our timeshare is connected with Holland America and we could use points to defer the cost of the cruise.

 

 

My question is - would you suggest switching from RCL to HA and save some money or stay with what we have? I'm all for saving money but want it to be enjoyable for the kids, too. You know what they say, if the kids are happy - so are the parents.

 

I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks.

 

In our family it's the opposite; if the parents are happy, the kids are happy.

 

My kids loved HAL.

[TiggerInNY]

Thanks for your replies, but no one said if they would stay or change their plans. I don't know what to do.

[TiggerInNY]

Also, which HAL ships have you cruised on and which would you suggest for kids?

[Terpnut]

From a kid's perspective, you really can't compare RCI Liberty OTS with any HAL ship as I think it's a slam dunk that your kids would enjoy Liberty OTS more. I think Adventure Ocean is probably better than Club HAL. Also, the HAL ships don't offer the rock climbing, wave pool, ice rink, miniature golf and lots of other stuff for the active cruiser. We're considering sailing msNoordam (one of HAL's latest and greatest ships) for next summer, but my kids are already complaining about not having the rock climbing, miniature golf and possibly ping pong tables onboard! HAL ships, including Noordam, simply aren't designed and built for the super-active family with kids in mind.

 

With all that said, kids really should be able to enjoy ANY cruise with one of the major lines, and I hear that Club HAL is good with kids, so they should have a great time either way. As the other poster said, if the parents are happy, the kids will be happy! In summary, if money is an issue, I'd go with HAL, but there's little doubt in my mind that, if money is not a concern and the kids are top priority, then RCI is definitely the way to go.

[TiggerInNY]

Dear Terpnut,

Thanks for your advice. I can understand the differences now. I guess we'll stay with the LOS. But down the road, as the kids get bigger and maybe DH and I could take a cruise by ourselves, HAL would come into play.

Thanks again. :)

[GORDONCHICK]

My thinking would be since they haven't been on RCCL yet, they wouldn't know what they're missing, would they (unless you tell them)? My DS is just a happy traveler, doesn't matter where.

[kakalina]

Stay with RCCL.

[Rocky365]

I have done RCL before with a 6 year old and she loved the kids club, they kept her well occupied and she never saw the miniature golf or rock climbing, etc...She will be 9 when we do HAL next August to Alaska and Im not worried. It all depends on what your kids expect.

[kryos]

Thanks for your replies, but no one said if they would stay or change their plans. I don't know what to do.

That's because it's hard to say not knowing your kids and what they like.

 

Younger kids seem to enjoy HAL and if you stick with a spring or Easter break type of cruise, they should have plenty of other kids to play with as well. But, be aware that HAL is no Disney or RCL, and they don't have nearly the amenities for children that those ships have. So if your kids are the active types who like to do neat stuff like climb rock walls, surf, ice skate, play in a water park type atmosphere, etc., they are gonna be sorely disappointed with HAL because HAL has none of those things.

 

HAL will have a full children's program with computer games, face painting, etc ... stuff like that ... to keep the kids engaged, but other than that, and the regular pools, pretty much nothing else specifically geared to children.

 

I think if you take the kids on HAL, you're gonna need to make up your mind in advance that you will have to take a more proactive role in entertaining them. Do things together as a family ... swim, play some of the onboard games like trivia, plan neat excursions in the ports, etc. HAL can work for kids your age, but only if you and your spouse are willing to expend the effort to make it work. If you'd rather not have to do that, then I say stick with Disney or RCL with the kids. Go on HAL if it's just an adults-only cruise.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[kryos]

Dear Terpnut,

Thanks for your advice. I can understand the differences now. I guess we'll stay with the LOS. But down the road, as the kids get bigger and maybe DH and I could take a cruise by ourselves, HAL would come into play.

Thanks again. :)

Now that sounds like a plan to me.

 

I've always said why bring the kids on a vacation if there's nothing for them to do there? The kids are miserable, and that makes the parents miserable because they have to listen to all the whining.

 

While HAL is definitely making attempts to become a family cruise line, they fall far short of many of the others, in my opinion. So, if you're gonna travel with the kids, I say find a happy medium where everyone can have a good time. Then, when the time is right for an adults-only cruise, HAL is the perfect choice. You'll be happy and the kids will be happily engaged in their own busy lives at home.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[Terpnut]

My thinking would be since they haven't been on RCCL yet, they wouldn't know what they're missing, would they (unless you tell them)?

This is a very good point. If your kids haven't cruised before, sailing on HAL will probably still be a huge thrill for them. For experienced cruisers like my kids, it's a tougher sell. For our family's cruise next summer in the Med, we plan to be ashore most days so the kids activities and programs are less important. Our kids already understand that this is more of a cultural, and not fun and sun, trip. We will look at the ship as more moving hotel/restaurant than a destination in of itself.

[GORDONCHICK]

This is a very good point. If your kids haven't cruised before, sailing on HAL will probably still be a huge thrill for them. For experienced cruisers like my kids, it's a tougher sell. For our family's cruise next summer in the Med, we plan to be ashore most days so the kids activities and programs are less important. Our kids already understand that this is more of a cultural, and not fun and sun, trip. We will look at the ship as more moving hotel/restaurant than a destination in of itself.

 

She said they've cruised Carnival & Disney, but I still think doing a HAL cruise BEFORE they get on one of the Voyager or larger RCCL ships, they'd still be ahead of the game.