HAL or Princess for July Cruise (1st time cruiser)

[broncoz1]

Hello,

My wife and I will be going on our first cruise in July either aboard the Zuiderdam or the Carribean Princess. The HAL trip will be considerably cheaper, but we hoped to find a cruise with people our age (30's). ANy help with this choice?

My main concern with HAL is the impression that there would be more to do on the Princess Cruise.

 

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

Thanks

[C 2 C]

We love HAL and have sailed on Princess as well. Not knowing what you like I would suggest Princess for your age group.

[fllcruiser]

My favorite line is Holland America,and it would always be my first choice, I have sailed on Princess many times in fact will be boarding the Sun Princess this Saturday. I have no desire to cruise on the Caribbean Princess as it is just to big for me. This being your first cruise I don't think you will run out of things to do on either of these ships. You are in for a great vacation which ever ship you choose.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I did the caribbean Princess last summer and loved it. Plenty to do if that's what you want. There are different shows at night at different venues such as a hypnotist or comedian in Club Fusion and a regular song and dance show in the main showroom. Horizon Court and Cafe Caribe was great for late night bite.

Average ages of cruisers was maybe 30-50 with of course some younger and some older.

I'm booked on the Zuiderdam this summer. Having never cruised HAL my expectations aren't high. Expecting to see the sidewalks rolled up early on this cruise with the casino closed by midnight. Hopefully I'm wrong and I'll be pleasantly surprised. :)

 

Bill

[dealin dave]

Last summer my wife and I sailed on the Carribean Princess.This summer we are booked on the Zuiderdam with our 2 children ages 6 and 4. We had sailed before on the Grand Princess. We noticed a watered down product from what Princess used to be. My Parents said the same and they sailed on Princess about 5 times. I am looking forward to the Zuiderdam as they refined their children and family programs. The ship is also quite large with 2000 less passengers aboard compared to Carribean Princess. Princess has created a ship with no where to put its guests at the theaters and show lounges,swimming pools- do not even dream of getting a chair on sea day, lido buffet complete write off and disgusting-1000s of passengers fighting and pushing for food and no where to sit.I believe Holland America might be more refined and they are working hard to enhance their product. Princess from my experience has taken away from theirs!Good Luck With Your Choice!!

[DRich2]

My experience is that in the summertime there doesn't seem to be as big a age gap between the lines. More families with kids in JUNE and JULY. Also, lately it seems that the HAL cruises are a little cheaper thus drawing a younger crowd than before.

[khfadpi]

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess last summer. We had a ball. We are in our 40's - have 2 teenagers and we traveled with another couple and their teenagers. The kids had a ball. We didn't seem to mind the crowd. ( We usually do Disney World every summer so crowds don't bother us). We wanted to do the Western Carib. on the same ship this summer... but prices were over $800 more this summer than last for the same room catagory. So we got a deal on the Zuiderdam and thats what we are doing in June. I hope we have made the right decision. Most cruisers are loyal to their "line" but I have heard good ( and bad) from both HAL and Princess cruisers. We have a good time wherever we go. We were in Las Vegas for the week after Xmas. Talk about crowds.. but we had a wonderful time. And we always do a week in Myrtle Beach in July so thats crowded too. I just know with a daughter going to college this fall that extra $800 will pay for some books or something. I don't think you can have a bad cruise. With someone cleaning my room several times a day and someone else doing the cooking, now thats a vacation.

[BorderLady]

After reading your other post, I don't think you would be happy on either lines. You may find people you disapprove of.

[jhannah]

I would choose the Zuiderdam for it's more favorable passenger/space ratio.

[RuthC]

You can pick a cruise by cost, itinerary, or style of cruise offered by that line. It's possible to combine two of these, but usually you cannot combine all three. Somethin's gotta give.

 

It's important to decide what's important to you on your first cruise.

Do you want a traditional style? Set dining times? Quiet? Good night-life?

Is it worth more money for a style that suits you? Or would you prefer to save some $$$ and perhaps have a second-choice itinerary?

 

I suggest you read threads on both the HAL and Princess boards to get an idea of the differences in the two cruise lines, then make an informed decision based on what will please you.