Is Holland America Line Good For Kids? We Tested It

Holland America Line probably isn’t the first cruise line that comes to mind for a family holiday.

There are no waterslides. No go-karts. And certainly no ziplines.

In fact, before I boarded Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam for a two-week transatlantic cruise with my kids, I was genuinely worried they might be bored.

And honestly? I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Not only did my kids have a fantastic time, but it also turned out to be one of the most relaxing family cruises we’ve ever taken. The biggest surprise of all was that there were fewer than ten children onboard… and that actually made the experience better.

Note: We paid for this cruise, Holland America kindly offered us a discounted media rate.

Why Most Families Don’t Choose Holland America Line

Holland America Line has a reputation for attracting older guests. Compared with cruise lines like Royal Caribbean International or MSC Cruises, the atmosphere is definitely calmer and quieter.

On our sailing, most passengers were retirees enjoying the long and leisurely transatlantic crossing.

I knew that would be the case, but as we were sailing to the UK in the Easter school holidays, I thought that there might be plenty of kids too.

I was so wrong!

After boarding, we headed to the kids club to register them and I asked how many other kids there would be in the club. The answer was five. Our two, plus three more. Wow.

We also spotted a couple of toddlers and a couple of teenagers, but that was it.

This was set to be a very different kind of family cruise experience from their last cruise, which was a week onboard Royal Caribbean’s original mega ship, Oasis of the Seas.

Transatlantic cruises naturally attract an older crowd. Two weeks at sea with lots of sea days isn’t every family’s idea of a holiday.

I noticed something similar last year on a Holland America cruise to Iceland from the UK. Even during peak summer holidays, there were still only a handful of children onboard.

So why do families not choose Holland America Line?

From chatting to other guests and crew members, it seems that some do. But it’s mostly American families on shorter itineraries.

The week before our sailing, during US Spring Break, the same ship reportedly had several hundred children onboard.

Like any cruise, the number of kids depends heavily on the itinerary and school holiday dates.

But for British families wanting a cruise that feels family-friendly without being chaotic, a Holland America Line sailing from Dover could actually be an ideal choice.

The Kids Club Was Surprisingly Good

I didn’t expect my kids to be particularly excited about the kids club on Holland America Line.

With more than 20 cruises under their belts, they’ve become quite picky. If they don’t enjoy a kids club, they simply won’t go.

But they genuinely loved Club HAL and chose to spend several hours there most days.

Club HAL is split into age groups:

• 3 to 6 years
• 7 to 11 years
• 12 to 17 years

The space itself isn’t huge compared with mega-ships, but the activities were really well organised.

There were craft sessions, board games and video games. My daughter opted for crafts most of the time, and came home with a huge folder of artwork at the end of the cruise. My son opted to mostly play on the Xbox, and the chair in the corner became known as “Adam’s chair”.

The staff were fantastic too and we got to know them all really well. As well as running the kids club, they had other jobs like hosting quizzes, sports and painting classes. They always took the time to say hello to us wherever we saw them.

The kids club was open for three seperate three-hour sessions per day. Because numbers were low, we needed to sign the kids up the day before so crew schedules could be planned.

It wasn’t inconvenient at all. In fact, we actually grew to like the routine because it helped structure our sea days nicely.

The Free Arcade Became A Family Favourite

The teen club on Holland America’s Pinnacle-class ships is actually much more like an arcade.

There are pinball machines, air hockey, giant table football, skeeball, retro arcade games and an Xbox with a huge screen and comfy armchairs.

The best part was that on our sailing it was open to all ages for several hours each day. Children under 12 needed an adult with them, but we found it became one of our favourite places to spend time together as a family.

On many cruise ships, games like air hockey and skeeball cost extra every time you play. Here, we could play as much as we liked for free.

There was also a huge selection of board games and children’s books that guests could borrow and take anywhere around the ship.

The Pools Were Calm Instead Of Chaotic

One of the biggest differences compared with mainstream family cruise lines was the atmosphere around the pools.

There were no loud pool games blasting all afternoon. No impossible hunt for sun loungers. No shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.

And honestly? I loved that.

The kids spent hours swimming, while adults who preferred peace and quiet could head to the separate adults-only pool.

Nieuw Statendam also has a retractable roof over the main pool, which was especially useful during cooler Atlantic sea days.

There are five hot tubs too, and they were rarely busy. Most of the time, we managed to have one completely to ourselves.

At night, the pool deck movie screen became a really cosy place to watch movies under blankets with popcorn.

Even My Fussy Kids Ate Well

Our children can be quite fussy eaters, but they had absolutely no trouble finding food they liked onboard.

The main dining room had an excellent kids menu, including several vegetarian options. The waiters were also very accommodating when the children wanted something simple yet off-menu, like a jacket potato with cheese.

The pizza by the pool was always a hit. You can get a square slice that’s ready to go, or build your own pizza and get a whole 9-inch thin-crust pizza just how you like it.

The burgers by the pool were excellent too, and we also loved the buffet which had so many choices.

Ice cream costs extra, but its free of charge in the buffet, with a choice of flavours to enjoy there.

Room service quickly became one of our favourite little luxuries, especially because it was included free of charge. We loved to order snacks and then get cosy on the bed with a movie.

We also purchased the Have It All package, which included speciality dining credits. Sometimes we’d feed the kids at the buffet before dropping them at kids club so we could enjoy a quiet meal together. Other times, they joined us because children can order free from the kids menu in speciality restaurants.

Suggested read: Is Holland America Have It All Package Worth It?

Our Cabin Was Better Than It Looked

We stayed in a balcony cabin on Nieuw Statendam and found it worked really well as a family space.
At first, I wasn’t sure about the layout, as we had one bed that came out in front of the balcony doors and another that came down from the ceiling over the double bed.

However, we quickly got used to it. Our cabin stewards visited in the morning and evening to change the layout, so the extra beds were not in the way.

There was so much storage, including clever drawers under the bed and overhead cupboards. The room never felt as cramped as some cruise cabins do with children sharing the space.

The beds were comfortable, the cabin was quiet at night and having the balcony made a huge difference during the long sea days crossing the Atlantic.

There’s something really special about watching the ocean with a coffee while the kids relax inside after a busy day.

What My Kids Honestly Thought About Holland America

I asked my children what they thought about the cruise…

They loved:

• The kids club
• The pools and hot tubs
• Playing table tennis and shuffleboard
• Borrowing books from the library
• Watching movies on deck
• The Orange party

What they didn’t love quite as much was the lack of “wow” attractions.

If your children are obsessed with waterslides, bumper cars and constant thrills, they would probably prefer Royal Caribbean International or Carnival Cruise Line.

But for my kids, the slower pace worked beautifully.

This Was One Of Our Most Relaxing Family Cruises

On most family cruises, I come home feeling like I need another holiday afterwards.

This wasn’t one of them.

Because Holland America Line attracts a quieter crowd, the entire experience felt calmer from start to finish. There was less rushing, no queuing and far less overstimulation.

Instead of constantly racing between pre-booked activities, we spent quality time together as a family.

My daughter and I regularly attended the watercolour painting classes, while my son and his dad became extremely competitive at table tennis.

It felt slower, simpler and far more relaxing than most family holidays we’ve taken.

So… Is Holland America Good For Kids?

Absolutely, yes.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Holland America Line for every family. If your children want non-stop thrills, giant attractions and huge kids clubs packed with hundreds of children, another cruise line would probably suit you better.

It’s also worth noting that with so few children onboard, kids naturally stand out more. If your child is at the stage where public meltdowns are common, some parents may feel more comfortable on a ship where children blend into the crowd a little more.

Throughout our cruise, strangers regularly commented on how well-behaved our children were. That was lovely to hear, but it also reminded me that people definitely notice children more on Holland America ships.

If your family enjoys a slower pace and quality time together doing simple activities, then Holland America Line can actually be fantastic.

I boarded Nieuw Statendam expecting my kids to tolerate the cruise.

Instead, they loved it. And so did I.

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