Help! Can't decide - Ruby or Nieuw Amsterdam

[CruiseJunkie66]

Have sailed recently with Princess and Carnival. Have also sailed Royal Caribbean and Celebrity but was a long time ago. We are trying to choose between:

 

Ruby Princess sailing from FLL to Princess Cays, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk

or

HAL's Nieuw Amstedam sailing from FLL to Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, Grand Cayman, and Costa Maya.

 

Itinerary isn't a huge factor - more concerned with onboard experience.

 

Which one would you choose and why?

[Mary Ellen]

For us, we'd select the Ruby Princess. Our friends just finished sailing on her and LOVED the ship. We've sailed on the Nieuw Amsterdam's sister ship, the Eurodam, and the nicest thing I can say is that we don't plan on another cruise on her.

[innlady1]

For the most part, people on the HAL board are loyal to HAL...and some sail Princess...you'll have to wait and see if anyone has sailed on the Ruby.

 

The Niew Amsterdam will be/is the sister ship to the Eurodam, so you'll get comparisons with the Eurodam. The Signature Class....similar to the four in the Vista Class.

 

Our first cruise was on Princess; all subsequent cruises have been on the Noordam; this year, we're doing the Maasdam. I love the Noordam, but thing the Maasdam itinerary in the Caribbean next winter is fabulous...so that's my reasoning for that.

 

All the way around, I find the HAL "onboard experience" perfect for us. Starting with the ships: I like the more nautical feel on HAL. Wood & brass vs. glass & chrome. Fresh flowers abound, the cloth towels in the public rest rooms rather than paper, an unlimited room service menu in ALL room categories. The fact that HAL allows guests to bring wine on board....I'm not sure about Princess on that one.

[G&G]

Sailed Ruby Princess Dec 2009 out of Ft Lauderdale, 10 days. It was great but too many people for me!

 

You will find the entertainment better on the Ruby, cabins a little smaller, food as good as HAL and Lido Restaurant very crowded and not well organized.

 

HAL's cabins will be larger, great Speciality Restaurants, and free ice cream at Lido from 11:30 AM to 8 PM.

 

Also Half Moon Cay far superior to Princess Cay !

[CruiseJunkie66]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

 

Mary Ellen, just curious as to why you wouldn't sail Eurodam again? What were the issues? Tks.

[djhsolara]

Sailed Ruby in December (just a 3 night sailing) and it is a beautiful ship. We sailed Eurodam last February and loved it. HAL is always the winner over Princess for us based on a few features that we specifically utilize and a few that would pertain to all:

 

1 - HAL Vista and Signature ships have the Thassolotherpy Pool (Hydro Pool). This is our favorite feature and we spend MUCH time there on a HAL sailing.

 

2 - The layout of HAL ships is very easy to become familiar with and they are smaller than the Ruby. I slept on a floor on Ruby that was higher than Eurodam even had.

 

3 - To us the food is MUCH MUCH better on HAL...more of a dining experience rather than just dinner.

 

4 - We had a balcony stateroom on the Lido Deck on Ruby and it was by far the smallest stateroom we've had on a ship.

 

If you have any other questions, I would be glad to try to answer...but based on what I've said, if food and stateroom size is important to you, then the HAL sailing will be the best for you. :) :)

[jtl513]

Thanks everyone for your comments!

 

Mary Ellen, just curious as to why you wouldn't sail Eurodam again? What were the issues? Tks.

She was on the inauguaral, when there were still a lot of glitches to be ironed out. We were on three months later and found it just fine. I put it #2 on my list of favorites (Noordam #1) in large part because it has the Tamarind.

[innlady1]

And from what I have gleaned from the board, John, doing an Inaugural is not a wise choice...just as sailing right after a major refit...as the Veendam and Statendam have gone through recently.

[Chaseman]

I have sailed HAL four times, and Princess four times. My last cruise was 4/4 on the Noordam, and I vowed it would be my last HAL cruise. Yes, their staterooms are larger and the bathrooms have tubs, but that is about the only advantage they have over Princess. The Princess ships are more beautiful, and designed for people that want to do something onboard. They have more shops, laundry facilities, great pools, and who could leave out the Movies Under the Stars. Their buffet beats anyone's, not only is it good, but it is open 24 hours. The HAL buffet is closed by 8:30pm. In the past I have chosen itinerary and price, but in the future I will choose Princess.

 

FYI - I have also sailed Carnival, Norwegian and Celebrity, and in my opinion Princess beats them as well.

 

Sail on the Ruby, and you won't regret a minute of it.

[velvetred]

I have been on the Ruby Princess and the Eurodam, sister ship to the Nieuw Amsterdam. Most recently I sailed HAL's Noordam 10 night Southern Caribbean. I would pick the Ruby Princess for the multiple fresh water pools, Movies Under the Stars, self-service laundries, 24 hour buffet, great pizza, better onboard entertainment, greater cabin storage space (love the closets on Princess), more comfortable life safety drills on embarkation (seated in lounges versus standing packed on outer decks), and the great dining venues. Yes, the lido buffet on HAL gets the nod over Princess for variety and taste (love the waffles, eggs benedict, bread pudding, and ice cream selection) but Princess still wins overall in my book because of the 24 hour availability. I sometimes want a snack after the evening show but on Holland America I either have to order room service (HAL has a wider selection on the room service menu particularly for breakfast) or wait until the 11-12 late nite lido snack. I can always find something on Princess to eat that I like - I think the Princess chefs do a great job overall. I like the specialty restaurant options on both - Tamarind on the Eurodam is unique and I highly recommend you give it a try if you decide on the Eurodam. I also prefer Princess dining room food to HAL's - the Princess dining room menus suit my taste buds better than the dining room menu selections on HAL. I prefer Princess pastas, salads, seafood, desserts, and always available options. IMOH Princess does a better job with the anytime dining option than HAL - I have experienced slow and indifferent service multiple times in the dining room on HAL when booked for flexible time dining.

 

My Ruby Princess steward was fantastic. I spent a week on the Eurodam and never laid eyes on my steward all week although service was adequate. Holland America has better beds, libraries, promenade decks, dvd players in all cabins, wonderful forward looking Crow's Nests, and fewer crowds making it easier to get on and off their ships. However, the Ruby Princess main pool area is easier to get around on compared to navigating the crowded cabanas and tables in the main pool area on the Eurodam and Skywalker's is a fine venue for views although views are to the aft. I have to say that I have experienced crowding at the buffets of both lines.

 

There are many things I like about Holland America but overall I have a better time on Princess. I prefer her entertainment, higher energy level, lively piazzas, and beautiful ship designs. In fact, I am headed back to Princess for my next cruise. I canceled a planned HAL cruise to Alaska for this summer after returning from the Noordam - dh and I are booked on Princess instead. I will still sail HAL when the itinerary and price are right but overall HAL is just too much of a snooze fest. I spent hours napping on my recent Noordam cruise and was very bored on several occasions. Luckily, I had some good books to read and we watched some dvd's in the cabin. BTW - dh and I are in our early 50's to give you a frame of reference. Princess is not the FUN ship cruise line (which I have sailed 3 times) but I sure have more fun on Princess than HAL.

 

Bottom line, you can have a great cruise on either line depending on your personal preferences. Happy Cruising!

[RMLincoln]

Princess room stewards use an equipment cart, which they park in the hallway. So for those who use mobility aids, these carts creat a challenge for getting up and down the hallways while the stewards are working.

 

HAL stewards do not use carts, so the hallways are never blocked.

 

Otherwise I think Velvetred covered it pretty well.

[Mary Ellen]

She was on the inauguaral, when there were still a lot of glitches to be ironed out. We were on three months later and found it just fine. I put it #2 on my list of favorites (Noordam #1) in large part because it has the Tamarind.

So John, did the cabins get larger since I sailed on her? Did the decor change? Is the Lido larger now to accommodate the additional passengers? Has HAL added laundry rooms for passenger use??? Our reasons for not sailing on the E'dam again have nothing to do with the service 'blips' we experienced. We expected those and weren't bothered by them.

[CruiseJunkie66]

Velvetred, your comments hit the nail on the head and reminded me why I love Princess. You've convinced me to stick with them and book the Ruby. Thank you!

[jtl513]

So John, did the cabins get larger since I sailed on her? Did the decor change? Is the Lido larger now to accommodate the additional passengers? Has HAL added laundry rooms for passenger use??? Our reasons for not sailing on the E'dam again have nothing to do with the service 'blips' we experienced. We expected those and weren't bothered by them.

I agree that some of the decor is not to my taste either, but the cabin we had was the same size we had on three Vista ships, and we did not think the Lido was any worse than on the Vistas - except for the Lido cabanas taking up space that should be used for tables IMO. We found nothing that would cause us to say "never again" on the Eurodam ... and currently have a cruise booked on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

[Mary Ellen]

I agree that some of the decor is not to my taste either, but the cabin we had was the same size we had on three Vista ships, and we did not think the Lido was any worse than on the Vistas - except for the Lido cabanas taking up space that should be used for tables IMO. We found nothing that would cause us to say "never again" on the Eurodam ... and currently have a cruise booked on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

John, we don't like the Vista ships either. Other than very few exceptions, the cabins of similar category are smaller than those found on the R & S class ships. At least in my SS on a Vista I didn't have the 'squishy' fiberglass (plastic??) floor in the bathroom like we had on the E'dam. Ick. It was about day 15 that I realized that I was no longer automatically cringing whenever I stepped on it. That floor just screamed 'cheap'. HAL not spending the money to install a cabinet in the bathroom, instead having open shelves to store toiletries, again said 'cheap'. Since the shelf is up against the mirror we saw twice the clutter. Classy. :rolleyes:

 

Yes, the Lido pool area is crowded because of the cabanas, but the indoor dining area was horribly congested compared to the R & S ships. Point is - none of the reasons we do not plan to sail again on a Signature class ship have anything to do with our sailing being the Inaugural, as you had stated. For us the only redeeming features of the E'dam were Tamarind and the Silk Den. Both were outstanding, but not nearly enough for us to merit spending our vacation time and money on that ship.

[velvetred]

CruiseJunkie66 - glad to know I helped you out. The Ruby is a gorgeous ship with the latest Princess features - have a wonderful cruise.

[geocruiser]

CruiseJunkie66,

We were on Ruby Princess last Dec. She is a beautiful ship. We had a great time. Wonderful crew and staff.

Don't miss the sea food buffet. I could not believe all the shell fish they had. I think it is on the first night.

 

Maria

[velvetred]

CruiseJunkie66 - I don't know why I didn't think to mention this my original post - you should check out http://www.beyondships.com

 

http://www.beyondships.com offers photo tours of both the Eurodam and the Ruby along with commentary. Plus, the site posts sample menus and daily activity planners for both ships. Take a look and see what you think.

[CruiseJunkie66]

Velvetred, beyond ships is a great website - lots of good info. Thanks for directing me to it.

[Pam in CA]

To the OP: you posted this question on the Princess board and received the same mixed bag of responses. Just as some people on the HAL board are posting that you should sail the Ruby, some on the Princess board are saying you should go with the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

IMHO, you can't go wrong either way. They each have a few things better on one than the other. To me, none of those is a deal killer. I'd book pricing and itinerary. To me, the HAL itinerary is more interesting but I'm sure others wouldn't agree. HAL's Half Moon Cay is light years better than Princess Cays if that makes a difference. St. Thomas and St. Maarten are, to me, "been there done that" ports.

[JWJs]

I cancelled the 10 day 12/20/09 Ruby Holiday cruise for the 12/21/09 HAL Statendam Holiday cruise. Loved the HAL Statendam cruise.