Holland America's Youth Program

Holland America encourages you to bring the kids and make it a family cruise. Thanks to Club HAL, a special program that offers oceans of fun for guests 5 through 17, the entire family can have the vacation of their dreams.

It all begins with a special Welcome Aboard meeting the first night of the cruise with the Club HAL youth coordinator and continues throughout the cruise with a dedicated daily youth program filled with fun: storytelling, crafts and candy-bar bingo for the little kids; putt-putt golf, pool and pizza parties and video games for 'tweens and teens; and much more. Each participant also receives a Club HAL t-shirt. Activities are offered for kids (ages 5-8), 'tweens (ages 9-12), and teens (ages 13-17). An activity schedule for each age group will be delivered to your stateroom each evening.

Each ship is staffed with a full-time, professional Club HAL director who is dedicated to making sure children have a great time. The program has an open door policy, which means participants may come and go as they please. All activities are supervised; however, the Club HAL director is not responsible for any child if he/she chooses to leave the activity. Children under five years of age are welcome to participate in the program, provided an adult accompanies them.

Food to please the most finicky eaters is available. Call it what you will -- finicky, particular, hard-to-please -- the kids will tell you it's simply a matter of taste. Which is why we've designed a menu that includes their favorites: hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, fish n' chips, chicken dippers and more.