Princess Vs Holland

[BarbinMich]

By the way, when we got to New York the first thing we did is look online to see where we cruised in Greenland and we were surprised to find that the fjords we cruised were north of Qaqortoq. I had written down the fjord names when Captain Nash had spoke. I hope you enjoyed that day as much as we did. It was one special day and will never be forgotten.

 

Several of us spent yesterday on the RC trying to figure out that location--it was detailed in the Log we received the last day, one of us discovered. Needless to say I hadn't read it. :o I, too, was very surprised that we were west of Qaqortoq. I knew we were only about 65 miles away, but had no idea we would have to back track to get to Q. Anyway, it was a beautiful day from dawn to dusk (and the start of a beautiful week)--I even had lunch by the pool. :p I have a new motto for Greenland: "Greenland, the new Alaska!" We've now spent 4 days there over the last two Crown TAs and just love it.

[IC57]

I haven't nearly the same level of experience as some on CC, but have cruised both HAL and Princess.

 

I would also agree that they are similar enough that if you enjoyed one, you would very likely enjoy the other too.

 

However, a lot would depend upon the lenght of the cruise and the itinerary.

 

Our experiences on similar-length cruises on the two lines have been 'similar', but for my wife and I (late 40's/early 50's) I would give the nod to Princess simply because their overall attitude seems a bit more upbeat. On multi-week cruises HAL definitely attracts an older clientele.

 

For week-long cruises or shorter, I don't know for sure, but the one shorter HAL cruise we took did not have much of interest for teens (not many teens either!) Limited experience, but still a bit dissappointing (but is this any different on Princess?)

 

My comparison of HAL vs Princess for multi-week cruises would include a thumbs-up for the food on HAL, a preference for the activities and entertainment on Princess, HATE the concept of the Sanctuary on Princess, and strong suggestion that itirerary and price should really be your guide.

[friend2dogs]

We have finally reached Elite status on Princess. but will be switching to either HAL or Celebrity because Princess no longer offers golf excursions. This is a huge disappointment as we have been avid Princess fans for many years.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I forgot to add, HAL's computer has free access to NYT website so this is a BIG plus especially on a long cruise.

I'm a news junkie, so I find this fact very calming. I go through withdrawal when disconnected from world events for more than a couple of days.

[Jana White]

That was a fabulous day. Even more special because Princess has never done it before, according to the Cruise Director's staff. We are very lucky and to me, made up for missing Reykjavik.

 

This is what I heard too. It was magnificent and absolutely made up for missing Reykjavik. We had been there before so it was not so tough for us, but we were looking forward to it again.

[Jana White]

Several of us spent yesterday on the RC trying to figure out that location--it was detailed in the Log we received the last day, one of us discovered. Needless to say I hadn't read it. :o I, too, was very surprised that we were west of Qaqortoq. I knew we were only about 65 miles away, but had no idea we would have to back track to get to Q. Anyway, it was a beautiful day from dawn to dusk (and the start of a beautiful week)--I even had lunch by the pool. :p I have a new motto for Greenland: "Greenland, the new Alaska!" We've now spent 4 days there over the last two Crown TAs and just love it.

 

We also are so excited about Greenland. We were in Nanortalik

on the Sea Princess in 2006 and were very happy to be there again. We had done 5 Alaskan cruises and I total agree, Greenland is the new Alaska. By the way I did get a look at the hidden library atlas. It was a DK atlas and the map of Greenland was marginal at best. My husband and I are atlas junkies. You will probably remember me as I was the crazy lady with the Felix bunny in her backpack and the one wearing all the different colored head scarves.

[nho9504]

I'm a news junkie, so I find this fact very calming. I go through withdrawal when disconnected from world events for more than a couple of days.

 

Us too. We were very disappointed by Princess to stop printing the daily news summary. I dont blame them for no longer sending it to each cabin as probably 70% of the passengers dont read it. However they should at least make some available at the library or purser desk - they did, for a short while then stopped but you could still ask purser desk to print you a copy... Then they completely stopped such service. On an Atlantic crossing there are 6 days on the ocean without Satellite TV - the HAL's free NYT website is a much welcome amenity!

[mermaid72]

We just got off the Coral Princess in Alaska & were on the Eurodam last winter; there were very few kids on board each because of the time period that we cruised. The few kids that were on board were well-behaved & seemed to enjoy the educational type activities, but these cruises were definitely not geared for kids.

Differences in the ships? HAL cabins bigger, especially the bathroom shower. Princess's showers are so tiny that a small child would be crowded! The Eurodam was a lovely & classy ship with original art works, a fantastic library, and beautiful public spaces.

Princess food was much better than HAL's, the service on both ships was equally good. Passengers on both ships are very nice, no misbehaving or rude types, no wild silly games either! We enjoyed both cruises very much.

[Stevesan]

This extract followed my first cruise with Princess after a near HAL monopoly. My cruise history since is testament to my opinon of Princesss.

The complete review is posted in CC's reviews section.

 

On March 12, 2005, we returned from a Grand Princess seven-day Western Caribbean cruise out of Galveston, Texas. This, our first Princess cruise, was terrific.

It included by far the best food and service of any ship we've sailed.

To provide a context for my comments, over the last six years my wife and I have been on ten cruises: eight with Holland America and one each with Celebrity and Norwegian Cruise Lines.

 

First off, I must say how delighted we are to have a truly first class cruise ship at our doorstep. Although a 109,000-ton ship is a physically imposing object, GP’s interiors were intentionally designed to minimize the impact of her size. As a pioneer among mega-liners, her interiors were scaled down to lessen any potential intimidation factor. The more recent trend, notable among Royal Caribbean’s mega-ships, has been in the opposite direction. Many now intentionally celebrate size, even expanding interiors to obtain the greatest possible spectacular effect.

 

The ship’s condition was near faultless. Despite 2,000 plus passengers tramping through every day for the last seven years, signs of wear are virtually invisible. Maintenance is obviously a priority for the ship’s crew, clearly a tribute to her Captain, Andy Proctor. GP’s mechanical condition seems faultless. On the large scale, engines perform as intended, side thrusters function, tender operations go off without a hitch, elevators function properly, etc. On the more personal level, our cabin’s thermostat correctly responded to settings, drawers and doors opened and closed properly, every toilet we used flushed instantly. No obnoxious odors, aka sewage, were evident anywhere. In our observation, absolutely everything worked as designed. This ship is a model for those in the cruise industry who claim that unpleasant odors and malfunctioning toilets are inevitable and unavoidable on sea-going passenger vessels. Grand Princess, although not a maiden, puts the lie to that mistaken bit of nonsense.

 

Dining is an important factor for cruise passengers. We found little fault with either the quality or presentation of the food, either in the main dining room or buffet, the Horizon Court. Warning: My wife, Japanese by birth, says to avoid the buffet’s sushi. The rice is a gluey mess. Also, the butterfish in main dining is to be avoided as too tough and chewy. I thought the escargot lacked firmness. That’s it – the only criticisms!

We had late traditional dining. The dining staff in the Botticelli was personable and very efficient. Our waiter, Stefan, was particularly attentive to our eleven-year-old grandson, and did not display a hint of adult attitude condescension. He took orders at rapid-fire speed, without once delivering the wrong item. On the second Formal Night, Stefan performed what I thought to be an impossible task: he delivered two entrees in sequence. In addition to the lobster tails, my wife and I wanted to split a single order of the ravioli entrée. Previously, I was always told that entrees have to be served simultaneously. Stefan not only served them in sequence, but both were served hot and without interfering with the main service. Overall service was sufficiently prompt that we were in and out of Botticelli in an hour or less every night.

The headwaiter, Francesco, was first-rate, frequently visiting tables and overseeing service. One evening he prepared a special pasta dish employing his own authentic Italian recipe for the sauce. It was intended as a sampler plate, but was so delicious people were enjoying full bowls as the entree.

Antonio, the Maitre d’, was a professional who went the extra mile for us from day one. Although traveling as a family, we were on two separate booking numbers. Our TA requested that we be seated together, but on arrival found that we were assigned different tables. Antonio straight away reseated our group that first night and we kept that table the remainder of the cruise. Since traditional dining was filled well in advance to sailing, this was not a simple undertaking. In addition to reseating us, Antonio obviously had to rearrange seating for the other two affected groups, keeping them content as well. He managed the switch smoothly and with supreme patience.

The best part of the dining experience was the food. Preparation was first-rate: ordered medium rare – the item was delivered medium rare, sauces were fully flavored, all dishes were consistently served at the correct temperature. The desserts possessed intense flavors, indicative of quality ingredients.

 

Entertainment was typical cruise ship fare: Quizzes, trivial pursuit, swimming pool games, Pilates (for a fee), water volleyball, and many others including the inevitable snowball bingo and art auctions. The bars and lounges are too numerous to list. We found Wheelhouse Bar to our liking with a small trio playing a variety of dance music. The main showroom, Princess theatre, featured two production shows, some single acts and a movie during one evening. The production shows were just ok, not creative but an acceptable after dinner diversion. We attended two single acts. One is a “World Class Master Illusionist”, Chip Romero. He possesses an amiable personality, and is a somewhat humorous entertainer who interacts well with the audience. The other, Greg Bonham, is a typical Vegas lounge act. Greg doesn’t sing well, but he makes up for it by being loud. He plays the trumpet too, also loud. Greg allocates a large portion of his act to pandering to the audience for approval and applause.

 

 

I suppose this reads as a promo for Princess. Well, so be it. We had a great time on a magnificent ship. Both of us still consider Holland America as our primary source for cruising. But I guaranteed our return to Princess by making an open reservation deposit for a future cruise.

[LollyMoz]

Don't know how important beds are to your decision, but IMHO, the beds on HAL are FAR superior to those on Princess. I wanted to take my HAL bed home with me. I wanted to throw my princess mattress over the balcony! :D But that said, we are sailing on Princess again in November, so obviously we do love the line itself.

[Pam in CA]

Don't know how important beds are to your decision, but IMHO, the beds on HAL are FAR superior to those on Princess. I wanted to take my HAL bed home with me. I wanted to throw my princess mattress over the balcony! :D But that said, we are sailing on Princess again in November, so obviously we do love the line itself.

Like so much else, this is subjective. After getting a sciatica flare-up every time I've cruised HAL, I now bring my meds. They are way too soft without any support for me. Yes, they are very comfortable but my back is screaming after an hour or two. I much prefer the Princess beds.

[BarbinMich]

That was a fabulous day. Even more special because Princess has never done it before, according to the Cruise Director's staff. We are very lucky and to me, made up for missing Reykjavik.

 

That's not quite true. The same ship and the same captain did a different fjord-scenic cruising last year when we couldn't drop anchor at Nanortalik. None of the cruise staff were on last year's TA. At our 2nd M&G I asked Capt. Nash if we would be going thru Prins Christian Sund, which gets you from eastern Greenland to southern Greenland. Last year I had seen photos taken by one of the Crown dancers a few years earlier of that scenic day. He said, "No way! The ice was awful." Since we went beyond Qaqortoq to get to our scenic day of cruising, we obviously could have made it to Q. a day earlier--not that they were expecting us! :eek:

[PescadoAmarillo]

Like so much else, this is subjective. After getting a sciatica flare-up every time I've cruised HAL, I now bring my meds. They are way too soft without any support for me. Yes, they are very comfortable but my back is screaming after an hour or two. I much prefer the Princess beds.

I'm worried about this for the same reason I like new mattresses on Princess...I need a firm (think floor but slightly padded) mattress, also for lower back issues. While others rave about HAL beds, I'm not sure how I'm going to get along on one for 24 nights.

[nho9504]

Don't know how important beds are to your decision, but IMHO, the beds on HAL are FAR superior to those on Princess. I wanted to take my HAL bed home with me. I wanted to throw my princess mattress over the balcony! :D But that said, we are sailing on Princess again in November, so obviously we do love the line itself.

 

I second that! I always need an eggcrate on Princess ship but did not need one on Eurodam this past April on a 16days TATL.

[Coral]

I'm worried about this for the same reason I like new mattresses on Princess...I need a firm (think floor but slightly padded) mattress, also for lower back issues. While others rave about HAL beds, I'm not sure how I'm going to get along on one for 24 nights.

 

The ironic thing - I found HAL's beds pretty firm. I just didn't find them hard like on Princess's beds.

 

Maybe I just like soft mattresses. I liked HAL's beds much better than Princess's beds but by no mean did I think they were soft.

[Pam in CA]

I'm worried about this for the same reason I like new mattresses on Princess...I need a firm (think floor but slightly padded) mattress, also for lower back issues. While others rave about HAL beds, I'm not sure how I'm going to get along on one for 24 nights.

My HAL cruises have been 18, 21, 28 and 7 days. I brough a full bottle of IB with me on the longer cruises and finished them; probably making myself sick. I'm on another HAL cruise in April and I think I'm going to ask for a board under the mattress or something. Since I'm driving to the pier, I might bring my own.

[cdamion]

However, the Explorer lounge on Eurodam as well as the Silk Den, beats Princess' library and internet cafe by a MILE. Explorer is like a combination of Skywalker's sitting area, an internet cafe with a coffee bar, a library and a quiet corner - all roll in one. Silk Den is a lounge and is elegant and quiet during day time. They had special interest groups in Silk Den every day and we even saw a presentation of some plague in a ceremony to somebody one morning.

 

:eek: this seems like a horrible thing to do to somebody! I suppose it didn't have to be reported to the CDC since it was only one person.

 

nho9504: thanks for the detailed comparison, I like reading detailed opinions of the different lines and find it very helpful when considering which line to try next.

[FortWorthGuy]

I just returned from sailing the Rotterdam and the Sapphire Princess. The beds on HAL were far superior to the beds on Princess. The HAL bed was firm but still felt soft and luxurious. The Princess bed was extremely firm and hard. I ached in the morning when I got up from the Princess bed. I honestly believe that the floor would have been softer and more comfortable.

 

I have booked a 14 day trip on the Golden next year to Hawaii. I am seriously thinking of cancelling and booking with another line because of the bed. I don't believe that I would survive 2 weeks on a mattress that hard! :)

[Hlitner]

At the moment Princess and HA are our two favorite lines (we have previously cruised on 12 cruise lines). In fact, we are on the Grand next month for 14 days and a few months later will be on HA for 50 days. There are many pros and cons to each line. We do think that food is better on HA and entertainment better on Princess. Service is excellent on both lines. We prefer Princess for the Caribbean and shorter cruises (less then two weeks, but love HA for the long cruises. As a generaly rule (with exceptions) we find that HA attracts and older more sophisticated cruiser which also makes most of their cruises a bit more sedate than Princess. We are quite happy to sit on a HA pool deck without the annoying MUTS blasting all day long and we certainly like the fact that HA does not interupt our day with a bunch of annoucements over the PA system (they generally have about 2 annoucements per day). On the other hand, we really love warm weather cruises on a Grand Class ship because those Caribe Deck balconies are hard to beat.

 

Hank

[Pam in CA]

I have booked a 14 day trip on the Golden next year to Hawaii. I am seriously thinking of cancelling and booking with another line because of the bed. I don't believe that I would survive 2 weeks on a mattress that hard! :)

Even with an egg crate? I just spent 16 days on the Crown and had nary a back twinge; thought the bed was very comfortable.

[brutus11]

Have been on both lines 10 cruises each. Approximately same number of days. We have been asked many times to compare Holland America and Princess. We find them both great. Holland America have far better destinations. If you just want a balcony, Princess is cheaper. Mind you on the HAL smaller ships you get a balcony with a sofa and a small bath tub but you pay dearly for it. We only buy expensive firm mattresses because of back problems, we find HAL fine, but consider the ones on Princess terrible. They are just hard and you would never see such poor quality offered for sale in any market place. On our last cruise we were told that new mattresses will soon be coming to all Princess ships. Won't hold our breath, although Princess seems to always come through with improvements. As far as food goes we give them both a good mark, with Holland America getting higher marks for the Buffet. The staff on both lines are great. Entertainment is far superior on Princess. Age is not a factor with us. We are seniors and have a great time with all ages. Anyone booking with either lines will not be disappointed.

[Coral]

Even with an egg crate? I just spent 16 days on the Crown and had nary a back twinge; thought the bed was very comfortable.

 

The egg crates don't help me at all on Princess. They are very thin egg crates.

 

Maybe they should go with Select Comfort.....

[PescadoAmarillo]

Thanks to everyone who commented on HAL as compared to Princess. While we are very familiar with the latter, we are newbies all over again on HAL this fall, and are jumping in with both feet, as we'll be .1) on the oldest ship we've ever cruised on; 2.) the smallest ship we've ever cruised on; and 3.) going to two new ports, always a good thing, and darn hard for us to do anymore in the Caribbean.

 

I liked HAL's beds much better than Princess's beds but by no mean did I think they were soft.

Coral, special thanks to you for really getting us thinking about HAL with your great comparative review of a couple of years ago.

 

My HAL cruises have been 18, 21, 28 and 7 days. I brough a full bottle of IB with me on the longer cruises and finished them; probably making myself sick. I'm on another HAL cruise in April and I think I'm going to ask for a board under the mattress or something. Since I'm driving to the pier, I might bring my own.

Well, we always take 800 mg. IB with us on every trip, just in case. I'd prefer not to make a steady diet of them, though. I'm not going to go in looking for problems, but will keep the board idea in mind, just in case.

 

:)

[Coral]

 

Coral, special thanks to you for really getting us thinking about HAL with your great comparative review of a couple of years ago.

 

I hope you still like me after ;). I had a friend who choose a HAL cruise after mine but choose one of their smaller ships (it did a Mexican cruise that allowed him to go to Copper Canyon). His experience was pretty different then mine but his main comment was that everyone was pretty old. I really have no clue what to expect from one of their smaller ships - so I will await your comments. I actually don't know many people who have done the smaller ships on HAL. I looked at them for Canada NE and to get a balcony it was $$$$.

 

-theresa

[PescadoAmarillo]

I hope you still like me after ;).

No worries there! In fact, we could have left one day later and taken the Noordam for 20 nights, which would have been a new cruise line for us, but a similar type of ship to what we've done in the past (age and size-wise) with only Half Moon Cay as a different stop. We truly wanted a completely different experience (and to see St. Barts). We know the Maasdam is due for refurbishing next spring, we know that we might be the youngest on the ship (which is fine with me, we're "early to bed" types), we know we might be hot. Or cold. Or have questionable toilets. We just want to try something different (and, as much as we enjoy them, NOT see Sarge. And Cary Long. And Piano Man. ;)).

 

And then we'll board the Emerald, which is like coming home after a long shore excursion.:D