The Club HAL program has been expanded to include ages three to 12 and all ships also have a teen program for ages 13 to 17. Since teens crave a special place to call their own, Holland America Line created The Loft — a teens-only lounge designed to resemble a New York artist’s loft so teens have an adult-free zone to enjoy music, games, movies and “hanging out.” Most ships also feature The Oasis, a teens-only sun deck area.
Younger cruisers enjoy supervised, age-specific activities through the expanded Club HAL designed for kids ages 3 to 12. The younger ones can enjoy a fanciful area where paintbrushes serve as pillars, enormous pencils adorn the wall, a paint bucket is a play area, and a huge tape dispenser serves as a slide. Creative activities take place at art tables and movies play on a big-screen television. Sample activities include kids Olympics, tie-dying t-shirts, candy bar bingo, arts and crafts, pajama party and storytelling.
Older kids, ages 8 to 12, have an area featuring arcade games, air hockey, foosball, Karaoke, family-safe Internet access (minimal charge similar to Explorations Cafe) and Sony Playstations. Among the fun for older kids is golf putting, deck sports including dodgeball, karaoke, swim party, and video games.
Teens, ages 13-17, can enjoy The Loft, which connects via a special passageway to a secluded, teens-only sun deck on most ships called The Oasis. The Oasis features a waterfall and wading pool, juice bar and plenty of space to relax and mingle with other teens. In the Loft, teens can try their steps at Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), their voices at Karaoke and their skills at various intelligent board games, thanks to a partnership with Cranium. Other activities include karaoke, volleyball, teen disco, and ping pong tournament.
Club HAL and teen activities operate all day during sea days with breaks for meals. Programs also operate on port days if kids and teens sign up the day before. A complete set of daily programs are handed out at the gangway upon embarkation for kids 3-17 years old.
In addition to Club HAL and teen programming, kids programming and cartoons air on the in-cabin television on the Cartoon Network and the Holland America Line entertainment channels. Age appropriate movies are screened in Club HAL facilities for any kid to attend.
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