Veendam Club HAL - much better than expected!

[woodbridge_cruisers]

We were on the Dec. 7 of the Veendam and were very pleased with the program. Below's an excerpt from our full review (full review has more details about sailing during Code Red and dining with children).

 

Thanks to others who have shared their experiences.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=896730

 

Club HAL beat our expectations

Not bad at all. We were very afraid at the time that we booked that our kids would be disappointed with Club HAL but the counselors, Dani and Alex, made a huge difference. We typically sail in November and December and expect (and enjoy) low numbers of kids onboard since it’s while school is in session. As expected, there were fewer than 30 kids on board and at most there were ten kids in the Club at any point. We were surprised though that they only had two folks working - on our other cruises on Royal and Carnival, even though we've only had about 20-40 kids, there would always be at least six to eight staff in the kids clubs.

 

Dani and Alex really tried their best to make due with movies and games that didn’t involve physical contact because of the Code Red. Our kids really enjoyed the overall experience although they couldn’t have as much fun with crafts, games, and other activities. The Club hours were typically from 9-11:30 am, 1:30-4 pm, 7-10 pm on sea days. On port days, the Club was open from 7-10 pm. If you need one of the counselors to look after your kids during a port day, you must let them know the night before and they will take care of your kids at no charge. We did this one day when we took our daughter snorkeling. Our son stayed with the counselors one morning and had “fun” doing his homework, watching a movie, and playing with his Nintendo.

[crusinmama06]

WOW, I read your entire review and I think I'll pass on that ship. ;)