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HAL vs Princess


cdn_tbird
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Fairly novice cruises (2 on X, 1 on RCCL). Hoping some of the more seasoned HAL cruisers can help me understand why there is a huge price difference between the two lines for the same itinerary.

 

Both are a 7 Night Caribbean cruise out of Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 2.

 

 

ms Nieuw Amsterdam vs. Regal Princess

Cabin category V vs. BD cabins

 

 

Half moon Cay vs. Princess Cays

Ocho Rios vs. Falmouth

Both go to George Town & Cozumel.

 

There are 5 of us and we will be booking two veranda cabins. Neither cruise is offering any perks except some OBC. The price difference is $1,360 USD.

 

Is there really that big a difference in quality between the two lines? Or is there something else I may not know about since we've never cruised either line?

 

TIA.

Edited by cdn_tbird
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Check on some large TA sites. I checked one just now quickly: cheapest balcony rooms on each cruise are $233pp apart for the first two in each room... I don't know what the taxes are for each, that could be an impact, and i don't know what the extra person in one of the rooms (your 5th person) would be charged. I'm sure there are other TAs around to check out. I sure see no reason to spend a lot more on one cruise over the other even though there will be some differences. Make sure you know exactly what kinds of rooms you are comparing - location, type of accommodations (furnishings) and balcony.

As for itinerary, I wouldn't even begin to worry about the differences between Ocho Rios vs Falmouth in Jamaica because I (and many others) won't get off in Jamaica again. HAL's Half Moon Cay might edge out Princess Cay slightly but then again you might not even be able to tender in to HMC because of winds, it's maybe a 1 in 5 shot that it'll be skipped due to conditions. NA is not as big, not as glitzy, and doesn't have the alternative entertainment in the evenings, meaning the lounge show that Princess usually has in addition to the main show. Food will be very similar, but it is too subjective to go into details. HAL will have better room service choices. Princess will have longer hours for their buffet. HAL's NA ship is a little smaller and easier to get around... we're getting into details that are hard to say if they even matter to you at all....

My motto: It's hard to have a bad on a cruise ship....

My recommendation is compare your room options carefully, shop some TA pricings, check the terms and conditions of the booking as per refundable deposits, cancellation periods etc, and then save the difference in the costs by going with the lower priced deal.

Nice to have options! Happy planning, m--

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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.

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Since they are both pretty much the same, I'd save the money, go with the less expensive and use the savings to book a future cruise on board or spend it on your self. What ever line you decide, enjoy.

Allan

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....................

 

ms Nieuw Amsterdam vs. Regal Princess

Cabin category V vs. BD cabins

 

...............................

 

TIA.

 

The HAL stateroom will be larger and contains a love seat that on Princess you have to book a mini-suite to have. Additionally the balconies on The Regal are really really narrow. :eek:

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We do not see much difference. To us, the crew is about the same on both. For us it always comes down to ship after we have selected an itinerary.

 

Pay attention to the port time and think about your preferred island stops.

 

It is early days. Keep shopping snd keep your eyes open. You can always book a placeholder and then watch the prices. I do not think that this pricing means much this far out.

 

Two things that you should be aware of. Firstly this is an extremely competitive itinerary. Secondly, early Dec is when you will see some of the best pricing on Caribbean cruises. After Thsnksgiving, before Christmas. If we were doing this we would wait and buy after the final payment window. Prices drop again in this window.

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We've been on both ships and they are equally lovely, but in different ways. Regal is typical Princess with the glitzy atrium. NA is more traditional HAL. Regal has the International Cafe, which is open 24 hours for pastries, sandwiches, snacks, coffee and tea and espresso specialty drinks. Regal's buffet is also open for much longer hours than those on HAL.

 

Regal's balconies are teeeny, tiny and the standard cabins do not have a sofa. You would have to move up to a Premium balcony to get the sofa/sofa bed or a mini-suite. Regal is a very large ship with loads of specialty dining offered. The quality of food for both ships would be comparable, as would be service.

 

Entertainment is hands down better on Princess, if that matters to you. HAL's entertainment is fine, but not exciting and the ship tends to get quiet after 11pm. Pool areas are about the same. On Princess you can book for a fee, the Sanctuary (adults only) and on HAL the NA has Retreat Cabanas, for a fee, and they are wonderful.

 

For the difference in price I would definitely go with NA. That's alot of money that could be spend on excursions or towards another cruise. Either way, you will enjoy your vacation on these ships.

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We were on Princess for Christmas and we leave on HAL next week. We have sailed many times on each. They both do formal nights. I give an edge to Princess with entertainment. Food is better, with greater variety in the main dining rooms for all meals on HAL. One thing to keep in mind is that Jamaica is having some "issues" with crime. I would look closer at how much time you have in port and if you tender in on either trip. If you go on Princess I would highly suggest traveling Club Class if you can swing it. The dining experience is worth it.

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We have sailed on both those ships and loved them both. We would happily sail on either one again. If the cruises are so similar I would choose the cheaper option.

As far as why is one so much cheaper? The cruiselines seem to do regional pricing. We have compared prices with friends in other places (the US vs Canada) and the prices can be very different. (after taking into account the currencies).

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I've cruised both ships. I am not a fan of Regal Princess. My biggest complaint about that ship is there is no lounge that looks out to sea. Nothing similar to the Crows Nest on Nieuw Amsterdam. The only interior area of the ship with panoramic views looking outwards is the buffet area. Couple that with the other things mentioned...no couches in standard rooms and tiny balconies...I think Nieuw Amsterdam is the much better ship.

 

That said, Princess does blow HAL away in some areas. The entertainment on Regal is really good, and Regal has the best buffet I have ever seen on a cruise ship. But that's not enough. I would cruise NA any day over Regal.

 

As far as service, I don't really see a huge difference between the various lines, so that's a wash for me.

 

Oh, and Half Moon Cay and Princess Cays aren't even in the same league. I've been to all the cruise lines' private islands. HMC is my favorite and Princess Cays is my least favorite.

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After reading the previous post, we are just shaking our head. So, consider that we have cruised 3 times (in the past 3 years) on the Regal Princess (for a total of 30 days) and also have more than 500 days on HAL (38 days in the last 6 months of 2017). While we have a few issues with the Regal, the ship simply blows most of the HAL vessels out of the water! So lets talk about specifics. The Regal Lido buffet is about the best we have seen on any vessel (of any of the 14 cruise lines that we have cruised). There is little crowding in the Regal buffet, its relatively easy to find seats, and the variety of offerings is something you can only dream about on HAL cruises. The Regal sparkles at every turn, has no leaks, the toilets seem to function, there are no towels stuffed under leaking windows (like in the Rotterdam's Crows Nest), and there are lots of passenger balconies (although they are too darn small) compared to many of the older HAL vessels that have few to no balconies in regular cabins. The Regal also offers many entertainment options...and the "shocker" for some HAL cruisers would be that most of the music was actually written after 1940. The Regal also has its wonderful International Cafe (a fixture on Princess ships) which is open 24/7 with rotating food offerings and decent coffee drinks. Woe to the HAL passenger that wakes up early (such as 6am) and wants a nice cappuccino.

 

As to comparing space, one industry standard is using a space ratio (total tonnage divided by ship capacity) and here....the Regal actually offers a higher (better) space ration than HAL's newest Koningsdam.

 

As to the MDRs....I personally prefer HAL's normal single MDR versus the Princess standard (for all their larger ships) of having 3 smaller (identical) MDRs. The food and service in the MDR is a mixed bag and we could list pros and cons of both lines. Overall we would probably call it a toss up....although our last few HAL cruises have shown a troubling inconsistency in the MDR (in terms of food and service) that we find somewhat troubling.

 

So what does all this mean? Even I admit to not being sure since all cruise lines are constantly changing. But we recently have reduced our HAL cruising days...and increased our Princess days (and our days on several other lines). Why? Our last two longer HAL cruises (Rotterdam and Zuiderdam) both had "issues" which caused us to look elsewhere. Are we giving up HAL? No way. But HAL has certainly fallen down on our personal list of favorite cruise lines.

 

Hank

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After reading the previous post, we are just shaking our head.

 

I'm curious what you mean by this, because you basically just elaborated on the things that I did say were good about Regal? :confused:

 

Overall, I do think Regal is a better ship than most of the maintenance nightmares in HAL's fleet, but I was comparing Regal to NA specifically.

 

...or did you mean the post before mine?

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Space ratio

 

Nieuw Amsterdam: 41.2 + promenade deck + forward viewing deck

 

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

 

The Regal does have a promenade deck. It just doesn't wrap all the way around. But it has several really nice sitting areas on it. Midship there are sitting areas on both sides with nice wicker chairs. Aft there are a few areas with loungers, again on both sides of the ship.

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The HAL stateroom will be larger and contains a love seat that on Princess you have to book a mini-suite to have. Additionally the balconies on The Regal are really really narrow. :eek:

 

There are deluxe balcony cabins on the Regal that have loveseats. I had one.

 

Agreed about the narrow balconies--they are not made for lounging but for sitting. (And standing!)

Edited by hrhdhd
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The Regal (Royal, etc.) does not have a promenade deck.

 

What sometimes is referred to as "promenade deck" is a crew area that was made accessible after a squall of criticism from Princess customers. It's a gimmick anyway.

 

A promenade deck on a cruise ship (left) and a "promenade deck" on the Regal Princess :

 

2ufy8ic.jpg

 

The photo you show for the Regal is only a part of the promenade deck. There is a section midship which is a very nice place to sit. It is fairly wide and has nice woven/wicker furniture to sit. We spent lots of time there reading and watching the waves. Also like the previous posters photo shows, there are loungers along the side near the aft and also an area at the very back where you can sit facing the aft. All this on the promenade deck.

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I'm curious what you mean by this, because you basically just elaborated on the things that I did say were good about Regal? :confused:

 

Was speaking to Ronbe's post. But I do agree with the negative Princess comments about the lack of forward looking lounge/bar. This seems to be a Princess tradition (starting with the Grand Class) which leaves many Princess fans shaking their heads. It is probably my biggest complaint about some Princess ships. But we have many complaints about HAL vessels too... And the reality of the HAL Crows Nest venue (my favorite spot on many of the ships) is that when DW and I are sitting up there watching the view there are often fewer than a dozen passengers even using the venue. And its the same with the "famed" HAL promenades. Many here cite that as an important item on vessels. And yet, when we are on our long HAL cruises we see very few passengers ever walking around that promenade deck. I have sometimes walked laps for hours and been quite lonely :).

 

 

Hank

Edited by Hlitner
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You can go on an on about the attributes of each ship. Some of it comes down to personal preference, some to a specific cabin you might have been in.

 

We believe that the so called space ratios are really only a guide. Poorly designed ships with better space ratios can be much more congested that well designed ships with smaller space ratios. We happen to think that Celebrity's Solstice class ships are a great example of a well designed ship.

 

The cruise lines are so similar in many respects, incluiding crew. The real variables are between ships and trips. It is absolutely possible for two cruises on the same ship, at different intervals, to deliver much different customer results. Food, entertainment, condition, and crew morale/staffing levels are in constant flux.

 

Some long term, cruise line specific loyalists of all persuasions seem to me to have blinders on when it come to this. It is almost like a religion. These cruise lines are large commercial ventures owned by corporate conglomerates. It is like being loyal to GM or Dow Chemical. We judge each product on it's merits without the aid of rose coloured glasses or nostalgia.

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