Holland America Kids Club
Thinking of sailing Holland America but not sure what there is for kids to do? Holland America Kids Club could be the answer, offering a variety of onboard programming to keep your littles busy.
I’ve sailed with Holland America more than I can count – that’s because I worked for them and my very first job onboard was in the Kids Club! I spent about six years providing programming and entertaining the kiddos that sailed on Holland America Line (and, most importantly keeping them safe!) Now, with a little one of my own I can’t wait until she’s old enough to enjoy Kids Club, too!
What is Holland America Kids Club?
Kids Club is Holland America Line’s youth programming complete with its own space onboard and dedicated staff. They offer activities for youth ages 3-17 split into three different age groups.
There are organized activities designed for the specific age group ranging from arts and crafts to video games to sports activities. You won’t find water slides or bumper cars onboard Holland America ships. You also won’t find 24/7 kids activities.
What you will find is a kids activity center with enough games and activities to keep your kid entertained, staff that want your kids to have a good time, and an opportunity for you kids to make some new friends (and potentially for the parents to have a few minutes of peace!)
This is a drop-off facility, meaning that you drop the kids off and they stay and play. The parents cannot remain in the activity room during the session.
All children between 3-11 must be signed in and out by a parent/guardian or responsible adult over the age of 18. If you are traveling with extended family for instance and want auntie and uncle to be able to pick up your little one – that’s fine as long as it’s been including in their registration documents for the Kids Club and they know the respective password for picking up your children.
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How much does Kids Club Cost?
Kids Club on Holland America is offered complimentary with your cruise fare. Your family can use this facility as much or as little as works for your family at no extra cost to you.
What age groups are there for the kids program?
Kids Club is split into three distinct age groups. Kids, ages 3-6, Tweens, ages 7-11, and Teens, ages 12-17. Each group has their own scheduled activities throughout the cruise. This age group range has recently changed in 2024 to include the twelve year olds in the teenage group.
Kids Programs (Ages 3-6)
The kids program will feature lots of art and crafts, some silly games, as well as theme nights like Camp Night. There is sometimes some time to go outside on the Sports Deck and play.
Tweens Programs (Ages 7–11)
The tweens program will still feature some arts and crafts type activities, group games, card games, more advanced board games, but will also have some video games, some more competitive games, and different outdoor events. They will also have different theme nights but will be a bit more advanced than those offered to the littles in the Kids program.
All Youth in the Kids and Tweens program need to be signed in and out by an adult:
Pro Tip: Only put adults for pick up that you actually want to pick up your kid and make sure you are in communication with the others in your party. I’ve seen it where the parents are late picking up the kid, in which case the staff can call the other adults that have been registered for pick-up.
For instance, Auntie Helen answers the phone and says “Oh, not a problem I can come get little Susie”. This is all well and good until Auntie Helen and the parents hadn’t communicated and the parents show up to pick-up their kids which are no longer there. Make sure you know who is doing pick-up and drop off to save some definitely worried parent moments.
Teens Programs (Ages 12-17)
The teens program has shifted a bit over the past few years. There is still some programming offered, more like meetups. These meetups and teen events are a great way for your teen to meet other teens onboard. There isn’t a registration required for the teens program and there is no sign-in or sign out required for these events, so they are free to come and go as they please.
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Is there programming for infants and toddlers?
Holland America does not offer programming for infants and toddlers through their Kids Club program. Infants and toddlers are welcome onboard Holland America Line ships provided they meet the required age restrictions (a minimum of 6 months, but depending on itinerary up to one year).
The ship will make certain accommodations for them to be able to comfortably sail such as a crib for you in the cabin as well as high chairs in the restaurants.
I’ve actually cruised with my baby on Holland America Line and while there is no drop off program available through Kids Club have found the staff accommodating and excited to have a little one onboard.
How strict are the age groups for the Kids Club onboard Holland America?
Strict! Per Holland America’s website (and having worked there I can say this is 100% accurate) children absolutely have to be 3 years old and fully potty trained to participate in the Kids Club programming. There are zero exceptions made to the 3 year old rule.
In general the other age groups are firm in their age ranges, too. Meaning your child will need to participate with their group.
They have gotten a lot more strict on this recently and they are no longer combining the younger age groups at all, so even in the past if you’ve been able to have your 5 and 8 year olds together those policies have changed (2024). For the most part plan that your kids will need to be with their age group.
Also, I’ve seen online some folks asking if they can “sneak” their kid into a different age group. The team that work in the Kids Club have access to the basic manifest information for every child onboard the ship (name, date of birth, stateroom number). This means that you can’t say “but they’re three!” when in fact they are two.
The team has access to their exact birthdate so “sneaking in” to another age group isn’t something that can be done.
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Holland America Kids Club Hours
There are activities happening from morning to night, but they are closed during meal hours and meals are not provided in the facility.
In general the opening hours are:
9:00am-12:00pm
1:00pm-4:00pm
7:00pm-10:00pm
You might see slight variations on this schedule depending on itinerary and ship schedule, but most of the time the ship will follow these opening hours.
What are Port Day activities?
While the ship is in port, or on one of the scheduled stops, the Kids Club will be open. You can drop your kids off and then go ashore if you wish. However, they are once again closed at lunch time. This means that you will need to plan your time ashore for a shorter chunk to come back and get the kids. This can also impact any excursions you might take keeping in mind the opening hours of Kids Club.
It should be noted that there is a small possibility of some flexibility in hours on port days. On Holland America’s website it does state “*Hours of operation may change to better serve our guests.” In my personal experience, the staff onboard will try to accommodate the best they can if they are able to while respecting the working hours of their staff and other operational needs of the ship.
If there are 300 kids onboard and you are getting special requests from 300 families – that’s not possible. But, if you are on a sailing with just a couple of kids and a family has an excursion leaving at 8:30 in the morning, it is worth asking because they may be able to open up a bit early to help accommodate you.
Again, there is no guarantee that it is possible as it might be that staff is needed to help elsewhere until 8:45 in the morning so opening up early isn’t an option – but it could be worth asking.
Do they accommodate special needs?
Special Needs children are welcome in Kids Club. Depending on the situation a parent of the child may be required to stay with the child in the facility for the child to participate. This is the only situation in which a parent is able to stay in the room with their child.
Safety Comes First
Parents are not allowed to stay in the facility with the exception of if they are attending to a special needs child. All staff have been background checked, have been CPR certified, and follow diligent child safeguarding protocols.
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Is Kids Club on every Holland America Line ship?
Kids Club is on every ship, but it is not on every sailing! This program is not offered on voyages longer than 25 days – meaning if you are going on a Legendary or Grand Voyage with Holland America there will not be a Kids Club program offered. This doesn’t mean there aren’t any kids onboard these ships, just that there won’t be specially provided programs for them.
Holland America Kids Club menu
Food is not provided as part of youth programming and the facility is closed for meals. However, Holland America does offer kids menus in their restaurants and with advanced notice baby food is available for purchase onboard.
Does Holland America offer babysitting?
No. There is no babysitting services available onboard Holland America ships.
What is High Score?
High Score is a family game room available on the Oosterdam. This activity room is used by the Kids Club during daytime programming and in the evening is available for families to use together.
FAQ Bonus:
Does Holland America have a kids menu?
Holland America offers kids menus in the main dining room as well as on the room service menu. During holiday sailings they will also usually have some extra “kids” items in the Lido Market as well.
The room service kids menu offerings include chicken nuggets, spaghetti, mini burger sliders, grilled cheese sandwich, and banana pudding. These items are available 24 hours a day and room service is included in the fare on Holland America cruises.
Kids are also able to dine in the specialty restaurants onboard at a reduced rate – typically 50% of the specialty restaurant surcharge.
Is Kids Club the same as Club HAL?
Holland America Line has been operating for 150 years – and in that time there has been some changes! Club HAL was the name for the kids and youth programming onboard Holland America for many years but has recently made the transition to simply be called “Kids Club”.
There are some slight differences to the program offerings as well as age groupings but in essence Kids Club is the new Club HAL.
This branding change is new enough the signage around some ships hasn’t even changed yet. Most likely this signage will be updated the next time the ship is in dry dock.
What is the Best Holland America ship for kids?
Having worked on every class of ship that Holland America offers I have some personal opinions on this question! I think the best ships to sail on with kids from Holland America are the Pinnacle class ships – Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam, and Rotterdam. The space available in the Kids Club is much bigger and is really well thought out.
Outside of Kids Club, there are also more food options onboard including the Grand Dutch Cafe and New York Pizza which are great options for the younger ones onboard to have available. Last but not least, there are more stateroom configurations and options on these classes of ship that can better suit families – including the family ocean view featuring two bathrooms.
These ships are also likely sailing shorter itineraries – one or two weeks long – and will have more kids onboard, likely 300 or so for the summers and vacation weeks.
That being said, I personally really love the older ships of Holland America Line because of their homey feel and incredible itineraries. However, be mindful on many of those incredible itineraries Kids Club won’t be open.
Conclusion: Holland America Kids Club
Holland America Kids Club is a great addition to your cruise vacation. It can be a fun place for your kids to spend a few hours to meet some friends and give the parents time for a nice dinner or to go to the spa – Kids Club will work great for you.
Kids Club is meant to be an extra service, and not one for you to leave your kids at all the time. If you were hoping to drop your kids off at 6:00am and not see them until midnight, this program and cruise line is not what you are looking for in a vacation.
Interested in sailing with Holland America Line?
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