HAL vs Princess

Been on both ships.Hands down go on the Regal!

Speaking of Princess lounges, when they launched the Grand Princess (and later the Golden) the designers had the infamous "shopping cart handle" high above the aft deck...which contained an expansive lounge with fantastic views. But having spend significant time on the Grand (during its early years) that upper deck lounge was mainly unused...despite a cool moving walkway that got folks up to that lounge (or you could also do it on an elevator). Eventually, Princess removed the "shopping car handles" and lounges for structural and other reasons (probably lack of use). As I mentioned earlier, DW and I tend to hang our in the Crows Nest lounges on HAL....where we can relax and watch the forward view for hours. But most times there are very few folks in that lounge...and about the only time they draw a crowd is when they have Trivia (and not many are looking at the view).

I think that more then forty years of extensive cruising has made me a cynic when it comes to cruisers. Many talk about lounges with views, but they seldom go to those lounges, A real shocker for us was when we cruised north of the Arctic Circle to the region where we had the midnight sun. DW and I went up to the Crow's Nest (Prinsendam) around 11:30pm to see the "midnight sun" and there were no more then 10 cruisers at the lounge (everyone else was asleep). We stayed up until after 3 to see what happens to the sun as it nears the horizon and we were the only two cruisers awake. The following day we heard some talking about the wonderful "midnight sun" and the view at the Crow's Nest....but we were well aware that those folks had never come into the Crow's Nest after 11:30. I suspect these are the same type of folks who would be the first to whine if they eliminated the Crow's Nest. So color me skeptical.

Hank

Thanks to everyone that has chimed in with their opinions. The debate around what is considered a public space or the lack thereof has been informative. Since we'll be travelling with our kids (12 & 14) at least for this cruise I see us spending the sea days on the pool deck more than in the lounges,

I was very surprised by the pictures of just how shallow the balcony on the Regal is, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. We're fairly early risers and love to take pictures while we approach the port so as long as DW & I can have our morning coffees on the balcony while we do that, it should be fine. Had I walked into the cabin and discovered it then, I might have had a different opinion.

Space ratio

 

Nieuw Amsterdam: 41.2 + promenade deck + forward viewing deck

 

Regal Princess: 40.0 - no promenade deck - no forward viewing deck

Interesting. Good point.

Princess has fewer Caribbean cruises and I figure that's why they cost more.

I can't imagine paying so much more. If you want that one wait to see if the price drops.

I’ve been on both. If within 2-300 I’d go with HAL. They just have little touches that add class. IE 4 piece string quartet playing on way to dinner. Little things. I’d pay the $300 more for HAL because of this. Would never pay more for Princess if all else equal.

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My guess is the price is dictated by a demand/supply algorithm that each line uses. Could be that a higher price indicates moe demand, less available cabins.

We certainly would not pay an extra $300 for a seven day HAL Caribbean cruise. Not even if the Adagio strings had four instead of two or three. Entertainment, food, etc is really a crap shoot on any of the 7 day itineraries-any cruise line or ship.

I’ve been on both. If within 2-300 I’d go with HAL. They just have little touches that add class. IE 4 piece string quartet playing on way to dinner. Little things. I’d pay the $300 more for HAL because of this. Would never pay more for Princess if all else equal.

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We certainly would not pay an extra $300 for a seven day HAL Caribbean cruise. Not even if the Adagio strings had four instead of two or three. Entertainment, food, etc is really a crap shoot on any of the 7 day itineraries-any cruise line or ship.

HAL isn't more expensive. As I said in the original post, they are for the 5 of us a total of $1,300 USD less than Princess for what is for all intents and purposes the exact same itinerary.

Princess has fewer Caribbean cruises and I figure that's why they cost more.

 

I can't imagine paying so much more. If you want that one wait to see if the price drops.

Perhaps you're onto something, but this particular itinerary seems to be extremely popular. It's being offered by at least 4 of the mainstream cruise lines. You'd think that level of competition would keep prices down across the board.

Interesting sub-topic on the the cost of HAL Caribbean cruises vs other lines. We generally find that HAL has many really inexpensive deals (especially if you book through decent cruise agencies who further enhance with OBCs and other benefits not given by booking direct). A few years ago we booked HAL over Celebrity (in the Caribbean) because we literally saved nearly 50%. And we were very unhappy with that Westerdam Caribbean cruise (back to back) because the atmosphere on the ship was just wrong,.,for those waters. Instead of Caribbean music on deck we got Glenn Miller (argh). We were also very disappointed in port times (we generally had 1-3 hours less in nearly each port when compared to the competition.

And comparing number of cruises in the Caribbean is a bit silly unless you start looking at available berths. Consider that many Princess vessels are much larger than most of the HAL ships. The Caribbean market is the most competitive cruise market in the world (so many ships and options) and supply/demand dictates prices. And we think the demand for HAL is not great for several reasons including its reputation as a floating assisted living center, lack of good childrens/teen programs, fewer balcony cabins in regularly priced cabins, reputation of tired ships, early to bed reputation (many folks want to party in the Caribbean), etc. We still cruise HAL (5 Star Mariners) but its unlikely we would ever consider another HAL Caribbean cruise (Celebrity, Princess, RCI, MSC, all would be preferable to us). The reality is that we are willing to pay more money (sometimes a lot more) to be on other lines in the Caribbean. We also think that the small/medium ship advantage is null in the Caribbean except for the really small ultra-luxury ships that call at some less popular ports such as St Barts or the BVI.

Hank

HAL isn't more expensive. As I said in the original post, they are for the 5 of us a total of $1,300 USD less than Princess for what is for all intents and purposes the exact same itinerary.

Your original post wasn’t clear which one was less. You just said there was a $1300 difference. That’s why the confusion.

Your original post wasn’t clear which one was less. You just said there was a $1300 difference. That’s why the confusion.

Peace.

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Kids?

This is a new detail.

 

It's up to you to estimate if the kids can appreciate the elegance and comfort of classic sea travel on the NA.

 

If in doubt, below is your wonderful family cruise vacation that starts on December 2, 2018.

Let me be your trave agent.

 

 

7 Days Caribbean-Western

 

Norwegian Cruise Line • Norwegian Getaway

Miami, Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Miami

5 departure dates:Dec2, 9, 16, 23, 30 2018

 

 

Your Reservation Summary

 

Sun, Dec 2, 2018

Depart:

Sun, Dec 9, 2018

Return:

Norwegian Cruise Line

Cruise Line:

Norwegian Getaway

Ship:

7 Days Caribbean-Western

Description:

Guests:2 Adults

Departure Airport:Cruise Only

Category:Large BalconyB6

 

Cabin :9728

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pricing:

(2) Cruise Fare$1,958.00

(2) Government Fees$322.66

*EST. TOTAL$2,280.66

Deposit Amount$100.00

On Board Credit$100.00

This is Norwegian Getaway 7-nt cruise.

How does the itinerary compare?

The brilliant of the HAL itinerary (Half Moon Key) may be not as good in December - too cold to get the best of it. Same applies to Princess Cays.

Cozumel vs Cozumel

Falmouth and Costa Maya both are "another sea day". However, there is at least something is happening near the pier in Costa Maya, while Falmouth is just a hole in the map.

Harvest Caye is NCL "private island", so I won't rate it less than Cayman.

You'll probably find what to do on Roatan.

If you don't mind crowds on the Regal, you'll be OK with

the crowds on the Getaway.

The Getaway is a higher class ship.

The Regal was built by ship-breakers. It's bland, boring, purposeless, with no soul and no heart. The ship exposes the greediness of the owners in its fullness. The ship is a huge step down from what Princess used to be. This ship is a loser.

The Getaway delivers much more character, more energy. You'll enjoy more dining options, much better entertainment, very good spa, thrilling waterworks.

Unlike the Regal, the Getaway is a huge step up from the previous platform.

So this ship is a winner.

The two minuses in comparison is more congested pool area at peak times. So you'll be there earlier in the morning or sometime later during the day. Another one - no separate jogging track (Regal has it).

The waterworks on this ship will be a great thing for the kids (I love them too and never skip).

The price shown above is for an excellent balcony cabin (B6).

There are cheaper options with smaller balconies (same as Regal).

Enjoy!

 

A ship with two (!) promenade decks.

An extra charge serenity area (starboard). Book this extremely popular "Vibe Beach Club" the first second possible. There is nothing major if it's sold out. Simply go the free serenity deck on port side. Same thing but less "plushy".

Let your kids say wow!

 

Book one of these "secret" cabins (I recommend):

Moderno specialty restaurant is a must. Admit it as a rule: it's a norm to eat in specialty restaurants on NCL. Specialty restaurants are extra charge, or may be included in the price as a bonus package.

On the Getaway you'll have at least one or two professional level shows:

Thanks for your opinion on NCL. You could call my children "old souls" On the one cruise they'e been on (RCCL) they spent their time going between the pool and curling up on a lounger with a good book. They really enjoyed dressing up for the formal nights. I suspect they'll be fine on HAL.

The itinerary you found made me chuckle as we did all of those ports minus Harvet Caye on our Equinox cruise back in Nov. so a little too soon to do them again. Roatan was actually one of our favourites on that cruise.

From an entertainment perspective, I'd want some variety regardless of which cruise ship we end up going with. It doesn't have to be non-stop and while I'm not expecting Broadway caliber performances it should also not be performed by the housekeeping/wait staff either. :p:p:p

How is the dining outside of the specialty resturants? Tell me more about these so-called "secret" cabins?

Thanks to everyone that has chimed in with their opinions. The debate around what is considered a public space or the lack thereof has been informative. Since we'll be travelling with our kids (12 & 14) at least for this cruise I see us spending the sea days on the pool deck more than in the lounges,

 

I was very surprised by the pictures of just how shallow the balcony on the Regal is, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker for me. We're fairly early risers and love to take pictures while we approach the port so as long as DW & I can have our morning coffees on the balcony while we do that, it should be fine. Had I walked into the cabin and discovered it then, I might have had a different opinion.

If you choose a deluxe aft balcony on princess it is huge, worth the extra dollars!

We’ve sailed both HAL and Princess. We would give a nod to HAL if you’re someone who appreciates attention to detail and if you enjoy a more traditional and a bit more elegant experience. But we found the ship to be dark, gloomy and old feeling.

Princess felt more mainstream and modern while still maintaining a touch of class. The ship was much more to our liking (we are in our early 40’s). Entertainment was superior to HAL (which we found at times to be incredibly boring). Yes, the stateroom was considerably smaller but definitely not a deal breaker.

Overall, we would prefer Princess, and would even be willing to pay a small premium to sail on them. But if the price difference were significant, we’d select HAL.

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We would have no issue with the NCL offering.

You are in the cat bird seat. Lots and lots of competition for 7 day cruises. Even more for this time of year when bookings are traditionally slow. Make the supply/demand curve work in your favor. You could book something now as a placeholder, then watch for better offere/pricing.

Take your time. Research the ships. Some cruise lines have duds in the fleet...you don't want to be stuck on one of these. We think that it can be a mistake to select a cruise solely based on the cruise line. Decide whether you want a fun unstructured week or something more classic. Don't restrict yourself to two ships or cruise lines now since the pricing on all ships will change constantly.

My last cruise was on the NCL Getaway, one of NCL's newer ships. The Vibe club and specialty restaurants made the sailing a good one, but both are additional costs. The pool deck and sometimes the interior spaces were crowded. The buffet was mediocre. I personally prefer HAL.

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Moderno specialty restaurant is a must.

Funny, Moderno was our least favorite restaurant and the only one we wouldn't try again. If we ever sail on NCL again, that is.

Just to add a little more to the mix...

We just returned from HAL’s Konigsdam. It is somewhat larger than Nieuw Amsterdam. The new features include Music Walk with BB King’s blues and Jazz Club, and the Lincoln Center Stage with two hours of classical music each night. Check it out.

Then if you are really into entertainment options check out MSC Seaside. There are excellent production shows each night, opera singers, and lots of other music options. MSC Seaside is much larger (4000 + passengers), with more European passengers than the main US cruise lines. MDR food and service were equal to and sometimes better than HAL, Princess, or Celebrity.

We had a great package plan including free beer, wine and sodas at lunch and dinner, 12 additional drink coupons for cocktails, and free internet. I would describe Seaside as “high energy.”

I have a hard tine distinguishing between the two, although on this thread you will probably eventually see some postings by some very loyal customers to both lines. I will grant that HAL's buffet is superior to that on Princess. Otherwise, I just don't see much difference in all areas, service, food, activities, ship quality, fitness.

New Princess ships have absolutely amazing buffets. Tons of seafood choices. Simply amazing.

robe65, are you really calling Gateway to be a higher class than Regal Princess?

With all due respect... they are in two different leagues even though Princess made a mistake with Promenade.

One fact that casino on Gateway doesn’t have walls and it actually ... well stinks in Atrium says a lot. Lido area is a zoo on hot weather sailings.

Included food isn’t even comparable even though NCL has improved a lot.

I love that Hal has a sofa in their rooms. You can order room service and "dine in" without the hassle of the buffet. Sometimes you just need a little more wake up time before you start the day, in private. Super great on days that you have a shore excursion.

robe65, are you really calling Gateway to be a higher class than Regal Princess?

With all due respect... they are in two different leagues even though Princess made a mistake with Promenade.

 

One fact that casino on Gateway doesn’t have walls and it actually ... well stinks in Atrium says a lot. Lido area is a zoo on hot weather sailings.

Included food isn’t even comparable even though NCL has improved a lot.

I totally agree with this. I will say that I really enjoyed my cruise on Escape but that's because I went in knowing it was a high energy, high activity cruise with typical mediocre NCL food. It is by far the most crowded ship class I've ever set foot on. I describe the public areas as utterly chaotic. Also, pools were mentioned in this thread. The pools on Breakaway+ ships are the most pathetic I've ever seen. And don't even get me started on NCL nickel and diming.

No way would I say it's a higher class than Princess. NCL is on par with Carnival. I'm not saying that's bad, but it is fact that Princess is categorized higher than NCL.