Kids Program

Holland America provides a wide variety of exciting youth- and teen- friendly activities and facilities for guests ages 3 to 17. With supervised fun for 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 on board 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. Club HAL is offered on board all ships except for ms Prinsendam and ms Maasdam.

Programs Available

• Kids’ Program (ages 3-6): Highlights for kids ages 3 to 6 include “Painting Picassos,” and “Sing-Along Storytime,” as well as theme parties, such as “Dino-Mite Night” and “Ships Ahoy Pirate Treasure Hunt Adventure.”  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.
• Tweens Program (ages 7-12): From ice-cream eating contests to gaming tournaments and theme parties, tweens will have plenty to enjoy. There’s also a BBC Earth Experiences Amazing and Awesome Fact Show designed just for them!
• Teens Program (ages 13-17): Teen cruisers enjoy mocktail parties, karaoke and trivia contests, jewelry making, video games, staff vs. teens volleyball tournaments, themed events and more.

*On the 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:

Kids and Tweens

• Sea Days: 9:00 am – 11:30 am, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm
• Port Days: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Teens

• Sea Days: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm – 12:00 am
• Port Days: 8:00am – 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm

Extended Hours
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. To be eligible, children must be pre-registered with parental consent form and be fully toilet trained. The fee is $5 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 basis only.

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 3-7 and ages 8 and up. Teenagers 15 and up may participate in the adult classes.

• The menus range from simple to teen gourmet
• Class size may be limited.
• Demonstration-style and hands-on classes are offered.
• 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. Holland America serves 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. Baby-sitting services for children 3 years of age and older are available for a small surcharge (sea days only). Special kid-friendly birthday parties can also be arranged with advance notice.

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.