Nieuw Amsterdam : First Class Playroom. 1938.

THE PLAYROOM: A playroom, where the real children may also have a good time, is on the same deck. Designed by Fritz Spanjaard, it is decorated with leaded glass windows and a humorous frieze, by Ruscha Wijdeveld. An electric train, a juvenile stage with seats for an audience, and a length of protected promenade deck are features calculated to intrigue small-fry. Small children are no longer a problem while traveling. You need only glance at the playroom on the Nieuw Amsterdam to understand why adoring parents love to bring their youngsters with them on a cruise. Here you see a child’s dream come true. Everything to make kiddies hearts leap with joy and keep them happy and amused for days. Giddy animals to wheel, fluffy pets to fondle, hobby horses to ride, dolls to mother and houses to keep them in, trains to manipulate, puzzles to solve, games to play, horns to toot, blocks to build with and wagons to load and pull. Parents and child psychologists planned, designed, decorated and equipped this children’s heaven. Special stewardess nurses have been chosen to take care of children because they either are mothers who have raised children of their own or they just naturally love little tots and have a grand time playing with them.