Hal vs. Princess

[elou]

Excluding food and booking an ocean-view cabin, what does HAL have different than Princess. ?Better production shows. More to do in day activities. Appreciate any info.

[irishjim]

Excluding food and booking an ocean-view cabin, what does HAL have different than Princess. ?Better production shows. More to do in day activities. Appreciate any info.

Not having sailed on Princess but DW and I would liketo at sometime.I am not a fan of HAL production shows,other performers have being really great IMHO but may not be to everyones taste.HAL has the best crews on the high seas,bar none, beautiful flowers all over the ships,nice lounges to reax in,actives will depend on the ship you choose there is,bingo,triva,pingpong,golf,shuffel board ,basketball,cooking demos which I recomend and you get to taste.Wine tasting which there is a fee,good library.gambling in the casino if you want to make donations,HAL are not party ships per say,but are classic cruise ships but I do not like the vista class as wife and I like the smaller class ships,Anyway give HAL A TRY,I am sure you will like them Happy sailing.

Jim.:D:D:D

 

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[FrankNJ]

Well, having sailed on both Hal and Princess, the big difference for me was the feeling ogf being crowded on Princess, couldn't get into some shows because of it . But never felt that way on Hal.

[Atomica]

Our personal experience has been that Princess has far more activities than HAL. The dedicated wine bars like Vines on the Crown Princess are tremendous, as are their coffee bars. The main show lounge on Princess does tend to fill up quickly, but usually there is more than just one show going on at one time, and the atrium tends to be a source of roving entertainment.

 

HAL, on the other hand, is a little more sedentary - not that that's a bad thing. I prefer the cabins on HAL to those on Princess, and the Vista class ships are still some of my favorites, though the Crown Princess wins as my favorite ship.

 

I think if you enjoy one line, you'll enjoy the other.

[emileg]

Having sailed six times on Princess and four times on Holland America I can give my opinion which line does better in specific areas:

 

1. Production shows: Princess (in addition, the main theater has no obstructions in sight lines)

2. Sheer beauty of the ships: Princess

3. Spaciousness: Princess (never felt crowded)

4. Atrium: Princess (HAL atriums are small and claustrophobic)

5. Lido Restaurant: Holland America

6. Main Dining Room Food: Holland America

7. Wine Service: Princess (Assistant waiter brings wine right away, whereas on HAL you have to wait for the wine steward to finally get around to you)

8. Wrap Around Promenade Deck: Holland America (The deck is wide enough for both lounge chairs and walkers [no pun intended]). However, on Princess, the promenade extends around the bow (one level up), where you can lean out like Leonardo DiCaprio and yell, "I'm king of the world!"

9. Cabins: Holland America for the quality of the mattress, Princess for the attractiveness of the stateroom.

10. Library: Holland America

11. Service: Excellent on both lines.

[cruz chic]

I've also sailed on both lines. The entertainment tends to be better on Princess and yes the theaters do fill up fast. I find the ships to be a lot more crowded and more noisy then HAL. The cabins are also bigger on HAL. As far as the service on Princess it's very good. I just came back from the Sapphire Princess a few days ago and the service was FAR better then I've had on a HAL ship lately. Princess is way more organized then HAL.

[cruz chic]

7. Wine Service: Princess (Assistant waiter brings wine right away, whereas on HAL you have to wait for the wine steward to finally get around to you)

I SO agree with you on this one. The wine service is way quicker on Princess and they bring you your food too. I don't know why it's so slow on HAL. It's been a problem for me several times on HAL.

[igraf]

I was surprised by #3. I typical sail on HAL Vista-class ships while schools are in session and many times I wondered where did all the people go? HAL ships can get very quiet in the evening. Relatives of mine, on the other hand, reported that they felt a little crowded on a recent Princess cruise.

 

It is a fact that HAL offers some of the best space to passenger ratios, although perceived space will vary by ship and season.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

Having sailed six times on Princess and four times on Holland America I can give my opinion which line does better in specific areas:

 

 

3. Spaciousness: Princess (never felt crowded)

[GrammieK]

Having sailed both, I much prefer HAL. The service, the size of the suites (and balcony), the Neptune lounge, the food, the spaciousness....and for some reason I always felt the urge to "moooooo' when we tried to make our way from one venue to another on Princess. The only plus for Princess - the Sanctuary which was a necessity (even with the extra charge) or my husband might have lost it with all of the deck chairs "reserved" at sun-up.

[emileg]

I was surprised by #3. I typical sail on HAL Vista-class ships while schools are in session and many times I wondered where did all the people go? HAL ships can get very quiet in the evening. Relatives of mine, on the other hand, reported that they felt a little crowded on a recent Princess cruise.

 

It is a fact that HAL offers some of the best space to passenger ratios, although perceived space will vary by ship and season.

 

I guess the sense of crowding is to some extent a matter of perception. We were on the Caribbean Princess and never felt crowded. Our son and daughter-in-law were on the same ship and felt crowded. We came early to shows and got good seats. They came at show time and all the seats were taken. If one enjoys lounging at the pool and all the chaise are taken, one feels crowded. In any event, our experience of crowding on a ship is always just a momentary phenomenon. I always feel that I am partly responsible for the crowd as I am an equal member of the crowd.

[mnbruce]

We just took our first Princess cruise three weeks ago on the Caribbean Princess and have taken a couple of HAL cruises,the last being the summer of 2008 Alaska cruise on the Oosterdam. We really enjoyed both and would choose to return to both lines again. Some of my observations which are only my opinions.

 

Of the two ships I prefer the Oosterdam over the Caribbean Princess. I felt it was a very classy ship with a nicer decore and was easier to navigate.

 

The Oosterdam was much more sedate compared to the Caribbean Princess. I enjoyed having the activities on Princess available even though we really did not partake in many. The average age appeared younger on Princess with activities geared to all ages. The only times I noticed the amount of passengers on Princess were at the elevators and on our only sea day.

 

I think I would give Princess a little edge in the food category. I enjoyed the dining room menu better and Princess offers buffet service 24 hours with a nice variety of food. Where HAL wins in this category is the room service menu. Princess lacks a hot food room service menu but it has the 24 hr buffet which HAL lacks.

 

In the entertainment category Princess has much more to offer. We did not really attend many of entertainment venues but it was obvious many others were. On our HAL cruise the crowds at the shows were sparse at times.

 

The beds on HAL blow away Princess but the Princess beds did not cause me to lose any sleep.

 

The staff and service on both lines were great so I call it even here.

[TraelorMex]

Having sailed both (and others), I offer the following: The 'atmosphere' provided by the very personable and friendly Indonesian crew on HAL is, IMHO, far superior to that of Princess. All things being equal, I would much rather travel with a crew who I felt were sincerely interested, and desirous of my comfort and well-being..than with a crew that merely performed their jobs efficiently.

[smslms]

Overall Princess has better food, crew is friendlier and service is better. Princess entertainment is more varied and talent level seems higher. Cruise directors seem to be more professional. Shore excursions are less expensive, can be booked prior to embarking, and the cost is charged to your shipboard account rather than being immediately charged to your credit card. If you are more interested in anytime dining it is far easier to book a specific table and time with Princess than HAL where everything seems to be a problem. Room service on Princess is far more efficient. On a 24 day cruise with HAL our cabin steward never identified himself to us. HAL does sometimes offer better itineraries and are more flexible in their pricing for longer or back to back cruises than Princess.:)

[Jemima]

On our one Princess cruise we found the food poor compared to HAL, the lido buffet limited and congested, the crew unfriendly, impossible to get reservations for open dining, crowds, the outside cabins very inferior to HAL's outside cabins, and the room service choices limited and breakfast room service times too late. We also found the ship too big and missed the real promenade deck. We didn't go to any entertainment or activities because we were part of a large group with our own activities.

The unfriendly crew may have been just that cruise. Something seemed to be going on.

The problems with open dining reservations may have partly been timing due to our group events. However, I tried calling a couple of times in the morning and was told "too late". I've never had that problem with HAL MDR reservations. A couple of times we've forgotten to call till late morning or even later and have still gotten reservations.

[KAYEF]

Princess cabins are much smaller and the showers are TINY. HAL's products in the bathrooms are high grade...........try to tear open the tiny cardboard sample size shampoos when you are in a Princess shower.....impossible.

Food is FAR better on HAL and the crew makes one feel as if they are really wanted. The crew treats passengers as "wanted guests."

I've never felt the crew really wanted to" be there" on a Princess ship.

We've had thread bare towels and sheets with holes in them on Princess and there's NO comparison regarding mattresses..........HAL's are heaven to sleep on.

Shows are better on Princess IF you can get into the showroom; often there are far too few seats.

HAL ships are cleaner and have unbelievable art objects and paintings throughout the ships.

Tendering is FAR better on HAL. On Princess we are given numbers but a large percentage of people just go whether or not their numbers are called because they know the crew won't check the numbers anyhow........it's chaos.

[emileg]

... HAL's products in the bathrooms are high grade...........try to tear open the tiny cardboard sample size shampoos when you are in a Princess shower.....impossible...

Our last Princess cruise was on the Caribbean Princess in October 2009. For the first time in our experience they had the shampoo, conditioner and so on in small plastic bottles. For now, at least, they seemed to have done away with those annoying cardboard containers.

[FrankNJ]

On our one Princess cruise we found the food poor compared to HAL, the lido buffet limited and congested, the crew unfriendly, impossible to get reservations for open dining, crowds, the outside cabins very inferior to HAL's outside cabins, and the room service choices limited and breakfast room service times too late. We also found the ship too big and missed the real promenade deck. We didn't go to any entertainment or activities because we were part of a large group with our own activities.

The unfriendly crew may have been just that cruise. Something seemed to be going on.

The problems with open dining reservations may have partly been timing due to our group events. However, I tried calling a couple of times in the morning and was told "too late". I've never had that problem with HAL MDR reservations. A couple of times we've forgotten to call till late morning or even later and have still gotten reservations.

 

Wow , I could have written this almost word for word about my last cruise a few years ago on Golden Princess. I would add that we found the desserts to be almost inedible and a lot of food was wasted because after one taste it was discarded.

[G&G]

Having sailed six times on Princess and four times on Holland America I can give my opinion which line does better in specific areas:

 

1. Production shows: Princess (in addition, the main theater has no obstructions in sight lines)

2. Sheer beauty of the ships: Princess

3. Spaciousness: Princess (never felt crowded)

4. Atrium: Princess (HAL atriums are small and claustrophobic)

5. Lido Restaurant: Holland America

6. Main Dining Room Food: Holland America

7. Wine Service: Princess (Assistant waiter brings wine right away, whereas on HAL you have to wait for the wine steward to finally get around to you)

8. Wrap Around Promenade Deck: Holland America (The deck is wide enough for both lounge chairs and walkers [no pun intended]). However, on Princess, the promenade extends around the bow (one level up), where you can lean out like Leonardo DiCaprio and yell, "I'm king of the world!"

9. Cabins: Holland America for the quality of the mattress, Princess for the attractiveness of the stateroom.

10. Library: Holland America

11. Service: Excellent on both lines.

 

I wish the add the following to this list:

 

1. On the five Princess cruises we have sailed, Princess offered alternative entertainment in another lounge (other than main theater) each night. The lounge entertainers were usually comedians and singers or even a ABBA tribute band which was excellent.

 

2. HAL's cabins are more spacious with larger baths/showers

 

3. HAL offers free ice cream from 11 AM to 6 PM. Princess offers free ice cream from 3 PM to 4 PM only; otherwise have to purchase ice cream

 

4. I find Princess ships especially +3000 passenger crowded especially if sailing in Med and on ship's shore excursions

 

5. Atrium on Princess has an international cafe that offers great food for lunch; all types of salads

 

6. I like the pizza on Princess; HAL is just ok

 

7. Room Service: On Princess you can only order continental breakfast unless you what to pay for hot breakfast. On HAL you can order hot breakfast at no charge

[G&G]

On our one Princess cruise we found the food poor compared to HAL, the lido buffet limited and congested, the crew unfriendly, impossible to get reservations for open dining, crowds, the outside cabins very inferior to HAL's outside cabins, and the room service choices limited and breakfast room service times too late. We also found the ship too big and missed the real promenade deck. We didn't go to any entertainment or activities because we were part of a large group with our own activities.

The unfriendly crew may have been just that cruise. Something seemed to be going on.

The problems with open dining reservations may have partly been timing due to our group events. However, I tried calling a couple of times in the morning and was told "too late". I've never had that problem with HAL MDR reservations. A couple of times we've forgotten to call till late morning or even later and have still gotten reservations.

 

I agree !

 

The Lido on Princess is not set up properly and causes major conjestion at both breakfast and lunch. The layout of the serving area caused passengers to be stuffed into a small area. HAL's Lido is the best especially on it's Vista class ships

[Clutterlady]

Just to clarify a few points, since March, 2009, Princess offers free soft serve ice cream all day from around 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. The Horizon Court is set up in stations, not a long buffet line. By going from station for only the food you want, eliminates the long buffet line. I must admit that it would be a lot easier at the stations if there was more space between, but it is doable:)

[Northshorecruisers]

We have only sailed Princess once, so we may have been on a cruise that wasn't up to their normal standards. However, we experienced staff that wasn't up to par...complaining openly in front of cruisers that they didn't like their jobs - and it showed throughout the ship.

Cruisers that were rude to other cruisers. Drunk cruisers. Cruisers that loved to tell the story of who they sued and then used the money for the cruise - 2 seperate couples.

The "daily surprise" drink - every day my husband would order a strawberry daquiri and never got the same drink twice, but they always had some strawberry componant. I would go to the pool bar everyday around 4pm and order a dirty banana - but always had to wait while they ran to get some ingredient, everyday was something different that they didn't have and I would have to wait.

At dinner, one of the people at the table didn't care for their steak. They asked for something else on the menu and instead of just saying yes, the waiter said he would see what he could do. The persons entree arrived as we were all having dessert and was cold.

Just wasn't a good experience. My TA loves Princess but recently had a similar experience with a poor staff on Celebrity. So, I guess it can happen on any line. But, for us, we won't stray from HAL again. HAL has the greatest staff going, IMHO, and that really makes the cruise for us.

[cruie4ever]

We have sailed many cruise lines including Princess ,HAL ,Celebrity,RCCL ,Carnival . IMHO ,the 2 lines that we prefer to sail are HAL & Celebrity .Those 2 are more closely matched in all regards .

 

Princess has beautiful ships;however, for our taste HAL & Celebrity outshines Princess in most areas .The only thing Princess has over our 2 favorite cruise lines is their multi entertainment areas . We will not miss those other entertainment due to the much larger pax load that Princess ships handle & we predfer the lesser number of pax on board.

[elou]

THANKS for all the replies. I so appreciate it.

[nreeder]

I'll add a couple of things not yet mentioned above.

 

On our recent Zaandam cruise the rooms weren't ready to enter until 2pm. Everyone went to lunch at the Lido with their carryons and just sat there. As new passengers came aboard, there was no room for them. That never happens on a Princess ship.

 

The wine list on HAL is outrageosly overpriced (Chateau St. Michelle Chardonnay $8 in supermarket, $59 on the Pinnacle Grill wine list). Most of their wines are $8 to $11 in the market and $59 on the wine list. Wine service is slower because you have to wait for the wine steward to show up at your table. Princess has your regular waiters take your wine order and it comes faster. Princess markup is 3 to 4 times retail not the HAL ripoff.

 

We found crews on both wonderful. Food is subjective to many but we give Princess the edge there. The regular menu on both is comparable. The Crown Grill and Sabbitini's on Princess blow away Pinnacle Grill and Caneletto. (Admittedly, Caneletto is no charge and Sabittini's does have a charge).

 

HAL has hot breakfast items on the room service and Princess does not. We found the Verandah Suite on Zaandam smaller than Princess mini-suites, but on the newer HAL ships they have larger mini-suites.

 

We found Zaandam dark in decor and the atrium didn't feel spacious because the white organ fills up the entire three deck space. Liked the string quartet on HAL in the evening. There's more to do in the evening on Princess and it feels lively.

 

We would go back to either based on itenerary and price. We didn't feel HAL quite lived up to it's "premium" advertising as we found Princess to be just as "premium" as HAL.

 

Many of these things are subjective (food etc.) and depends on your own particular taste. That's why we think it's so wonderful to have so many choices of lines to fit anyones lifestyle.

 

Thanks

Norm

[Davidson Duo]

We prefer HAL. The staff was great on both lines, but level of service was far superior on HAL. If a mistake happened at dinner on HAL, it never happened again. On Princess, we went 10 days in a row before we actually had an error free dinner service. They would bring out the wrong meal, get tables mixed up, and forget desserts, etc. Our servers were very personable and we thoroughly enjoyed them, but there didn't seem to be the same attention to first class service as we get from HAL.

 

On HAL we eat almost all our breakfasts in the Lido. It has a great selection, is easy to navigate, and is set up so you don't feel like 300 people have pawed their way through it before you get there. We are very fastidious about sanitation onboard ships due to concerns about Noro, etc. On Princess we felt no sense of order in the Lido, felt quite confined as everyone just crossed from station to station, and there was a total lack of hygiene. We saw numerous people helping themselves with their fingers, putting water bottle necks up beverage spigots, and just general chaos. Also, there was only one side open at a time which made for long lines. We ended up eating almost all our meals in the MDR.

 

Also, the HAL ships fine dining was a separate designated restaurant where as the Sea Princess just closed off one side of the Lido at night and turned it into their specialty dining room. Seemed quite chintzy to us. Nothing really special.

 

Cabins on HAL are much more spacious and the beds are superb. Bathrooms are much roomier on HAL.

 

Entertainment on Princess is more professional and more abundant.

 

Pools are similar on both.

 

Tendering is far better on HAL. On Princess it was chaos. There was a lineup that snaked around 3 decks and all the stairwells that took over 2 1/2 hours to clear. Anyone not waiting to get off ship couldn't navigate the aisles due to the crush of people.

 

Both lines will give you an awesome holiday. They are very comparable in many ways. We enjoyed our trip with Princess, but found we felt more pampered and cared for by HAL. :)