Very interested in Princess for Southern Itinerary...but then saw HAL..Hmmm???

[abisha]

DH and I want to do Southern Caribbean itinerary to include Aruba (Crown Princess or Caribbean Princess look wonderful to us). HAL offers one too (private islands differ..and we know HMC is very desirable between the two and we will be going to HMC in August anyhow..and won't be the deal breaker anyways). We are both 50 but not the type to stay up all hours of the night, but we still do want to enjoy some nighttime entertainment. From what I've read on HAL's site, it's more of a "senior" crowd and that the HAL ships "close up shop" early and not much to do as far as evening happenings goes. We want to cruise on a ship that would offer something "lively" and with more selection of activities and entertainment and want to be sure we would be making the right choice between the two. HAL ships look beautiful as well and seem to also offer excellent food and service from what we've read thus far.

[Coral]

I had good service and good food on my HAL cruise (equal to Princess).

 

The time I went (early December) - I ran into similar demographics of people as I had on previous early December cruises on Princess.

 

I also had very good entertainment on HAL but that may be unusual as we had Joel Mason who is the best cruise ship entertainer I have ever encountered.

 

I would go on HAL again in a heart beat as long as it was one of their ships built in the last 12 years or so.

[Pam in CA]

In my experience as Elite on Princess and a 3-Star Mariner on HAL, the food on HAL isn't as good nor is the service. But it's generally good. I've taken exotic and Caribbean cruises on both HAL and Princess, and the age groups are somewhat similar. Younger cruisers and families tend to prefer the larger ships and one's that go to ports with lots of activities. HAL has mostly smaller ships and IMHO, that's why the reputation for an older crowd. On my Zuiderdam Panama Canal cruise, the passenger mix was very similar to Princess -- a mixture of young and old.

[Cruise Raider]

In my experience as Elite on Princess and a 3-Star Mariner on HAL, the food on HAL isn't as good nor is the service. But it's generally good. I've taken exotic and Caribbean cruises on both HAL and Princess, and the age groups are somewhat similar. Younger cruisers and families tend to prefer the larger ships and one's that go to ports with lots of activities. HAL has mostly smaller ships and IMHO, that's why the reputation for an older crowd. On my Zuiderdam Panama Canal cruise, the passenger mix was very similar to Princess -- a mixture of young and old.

 

 

Although we have sailed with Princess a lot more than HAL, we did take a B2B Caribbean cruise on HAL on the Zuiderdam and do agree with you, Pam....the demographics were very similar in comparison. I also agree that in some respects, the food on Princess is much better than HAL, although I really liked the set up of the buffet on the Zuiderdam much better than on the Crown or the Caribbean Princess. That design is just a nightmare. But, you cannot beat the food on Princess in the dining rooms or the International Cafe.

The better service on Princess is where we disagree, though. I have always thought for all the accolades of Princess, their service is not one of them. We thought the service on HAL was outstanding and a cut above in every respect. I think HAL's venues for entertainment are also set up a lot better than on Princess, especially when considering the # of pax on the larger Princess ships. Many shows are attended by standing behind rows and rows of fellow pax out in the walkways. They just didn't design these larger ships so well to accomodate the number of pax. I don't remember the entertainment packing up any earlier on HAL and thought it was definitely just as good as on Princess....and maybe better when you consider they do have better seating availability in their entertainment venues (at least on the Zuiderdam, anyway). We've been skunked out of a lot of shows on Princess (the Crown class) just because we deedled through dinner and didn't go to the shows an hour early to get a seat.

With that being said, both HAL and Princess' private islands are fantastic and the southern Caribbean is just so wonderful. I would go with which ever offered the better deal as I do think you will have a great time on either one. Hope this helps.

[Pam in CA]

The better service on Princess is where we disagree, though. I have always thought for all the accolades of Princess, their service is not one of them. We thought the service on HAL was outstanding and a cut above in every respect.

I must be a magnet for really, really bad stewards and waitstaff on HAL. :) Really, really, really bad. Not all of them, just a few. The others were just "OK" but never as good as some Princess waitstaff and stewards I've had. I'm still going to cruise HAL and even have a FCC but I could never, ever say that HAL's service is even nearly as good as Princess. But that's based on my experience with only about 90 days on HAL.

[Essiesmom]

I have never found the service or entertainment lacking on HAL, and think the food on HAL better than Princess. And the beds are so much better on HAL...EM

[LindaM]

I think it really depends which ship you are on, in regards to the food. On any cruiseline. I don't think you can make a blanket judgement. We had great food on Prinsendam and Amsterdam, while friends on Ryndam and Zuiderdam said they had average food. That is why Conde Nast rates the ships individually.

 

We had good food on Celebrity Millenium, but it was not good and with fewer choices on Constellation. I am sure if we went back, we might have another opinion.

 

We haven't been on Princess since 1998. I do remember liking the pasta course and never passed it up. I am anticipating our future cruise on Ocean Princess to be very similar to HAL.

 

Are the alternative restaurants free of charge?

[moondance75]

I am younger (mid- thirties), but travel with my mom a lot in her mid -fifties (yes I have a young mom!). HAL is a much older clientele in my opinion. My mom was a spring chicken on the few HAL cruises we have been on. I have never seen so many walkers, oxygen tanks etc. Sorry- just being honest. I think the average age of the 3 HAL cruises I took had to be well over 70.

 

Princess seems to be closer to 55...

 

I personally will not do HAL again. I also liked the food and atmosphere better on Princess.

[CHOPPERTESTER]

If you want to go Southern Caribbean and love the ABC's then the Noordam has the most time in those ports. HAL seemed to have great deals on drinks (happy hours, bogos, liberal alcohol from room service) compared to the other lines I have been on.

[AmberTeka]

My husband and I sailed on the Westerdam, Jan 2010, to Aruba, etc. It was one of my favorite cruises. BUT....there is not a lot to do. There was one Trivia Contest a day, and the group that played had a lot of people who had sailed on HAL many, many times. They seemed to resent new folks as sort of intruders. I say that, and then say that we met an older couple at Trivia..who made our cruise. They had traveled the world..even to China when it was tightly controlled by the Chinese. I think he was a Professor who had worked with the State Dept. some. They were witty..had seem some astonishing things..and we really enjoyed their company.

We were in Aruba shortly after Christmas..and the decorations were still up in many places. On the Sixth of January, My husband and I sat out on our balcony, watched the Pineapple buses bring the snorklers back in..and the Big Hotels shot firecrackers. He drank a martini..I had a diet coke......and I remember thinking..that night......how lucky we were to be in such a lovely place...warm while the USA was in a deep freeze........and then we saw little birds..that dived under the water..and kept going and going...they looked white in the night lights....The service was great. But then to us, it always is...we have been lucky. Hamil was our cabin steward. I loved him. he was small and always had a smile. When we left our cabin..no matter what time of day or night..he seemed to be there...grinning at us and HI..Mr. and Mrs........ He kept the cabin spotless. When we left that ship, we tipped him extra more than we have ever tipped anyone. I still think of him. His face was a bright ray of sunshine. He was not a young man, either.

The Food was very good. HAL has a great breakfast. I love the little triangle hashbrowns they serve. Their ice cream bar...is excellent. It is also very clean..with a staff member serving the ice cream..and you selecing your toppings. It is no charge. One night for dinner, they had a four cheese Macaroni. They also have a different type of sundae for dessert if you chose each night. My husband had one every night. I did most night. They were extremely good. The did cold fruit soups.....very well. Their salads were good. They did fruit dishes well. We did not like the Indonesian Food too much..but many of the passengers did. I loved their afternoon Tea. Small sandwiches..cookies..little tarts..and they bring a box around..and you pick the tea you like..then the hot water comes.........Very elegant.

Their bread.....really good. Everything I had was good. The Dinner Club........not any better than the MDR. I would give HAL...a better rating on food. I was surprised at the Production Shows. They were good, I thought. The Cruise Director was laid back, but he grew on you. For the National Championship between Tex. and Bama that year.......he put up large screens in the Lounge at the top of the ship..name escapes me now..and had a nice buffet of hot dogs, hamburgers, and fixings brought in....and the pool was large...and very uncrowded.

 

BUT.....when we go again....God Willing....and this Year.......we are sailing Princess..not HAL. Princess has trivia and other adult type activities we like. The price difference..would have to be fantastic......for us to not go on Princess now...but....I think you would have a good time on HAL.......if you did not mind not having much to do on sea days. And yes, I am a reader. I read a lot at home...and on vacation, while I read a lot, I like to do other things too..We seem to have fallen in love with Princess............

[Cruzman]

Actually, I enjoy HAL moreso than Princess, from food to entertainment. There is not a huge disparity, but I just prefer the way HAL does things. And if you are looking for late night on HAL, try the Crow's nest. She is usually hopping 'til around 3 AM.

[AmberTeka]

Actually, I enjoy HAL moreso than Princess, from food to entertainment. There is not a huge disparity, but I just prefer the way HAL does things. And if you are looking for late night on HAL, try the Crow's nest. She is usually hopping 'til around 3 AM.

 

The Crow's Nest is where they had the big football Happening. It was very nice..and nicely done. They also have a small library? information desk? there..with a coffee bar around the corner. The cookies and snacks there are no extra charge. AND while it is far from being a patch on the I.C..........it is nice. The cookies.......and I seem to remember..they are free..the coffee costs. You see a lot of the Staff...there..buying coffee..lattes..etc. I liked going up and sitting in those big chairs to read.

The ship was easy to get around. It seems smaller. It was easy to get places. AND it was NEVER crowded.

BUT.......it was not Princess.

[treasure4two]

I have taken three cruises on HAL(Noordam twice and Nieuw Amerstwedam once) and would not sail on them again. Beds were great and I am little concerned about Princess's rep for hard beds, as my husband has back problems, but I requested the mattress topper and hope that will help. I have never been on Princess but heard great things. As far as age, you will find age extremes all over the industry. I actually like Carnival(we are 56 and 65) very much with few or no complaints but 800 kids out of 2400 people on a cruise over Thanksgiving(yes, I know, I know-what did I expect!!??), 795 of them not disciplined by their parents, but I still loved the cruise so much, we are doing it again in Nov.,2011. I think age is more in your mind than your body- I would vote for Princess over HAL-in fact, anyone over HAL-but that is my opinion(HAL lovers,please do not attack me for my opinion-that is what CC is for-opinions). Happy cruising, whomever you used!:D

[mreasier]

The following is post I made last February after taking a Caribbean cruise on HAL:

 

 

We just disembarked in Tampa from a 7 Day Western Caribbean cruise on the MS Ryndam. We had a great time and the weather was wonderful. While it is still fresh in our minds, we thought we would compare our experiences with our experiences on Princess. In the spirit of full disclosure, we must say that Princess has a special spot in our hearts – we got married on the Caribbean Princess in 2006. I am in my mid 60’s and my bride is in her late 50’s. We are active; going to the gym several times a week and walking several miles each day. We will also post this in the Princess forum.

 

First, let me say that we are talking about degrees of goodness – as I said, we had a great time.

 

Stateroom

We usually get an inside cabin. We prefer the darkness – not knowing what time it is in the morning helps us sleep later. We spend little time in the cabin except to change or sleep. We would rather spend the money on more cruises. We know it’s not for everyone, but we never feel claustrophobic even on multi-week cruises.

 

The stateroom on HAL was larger and had a better layout than the Princess Grand class ships we have been on. The sofa in the room made it more livable. I know it is a matter of great discussion, but we find the beds on both HAL and Princess to be very comfortable. The HAL beds are noticeably softer, but not so soft that they affected my chronic back problem. The harder beds on Princess are closer to what we normally prefer and we have always liked them and slept well on them. Storage space seemed comparable between the two lines.

 

There was one thing about the HAL cabin that was inconvenient – there was that no refrigerator. I have a medication that needs refrigeration. Our wonderful room steward kept a wine bucket full of ice so I could keep my medication cool. I understand that there are refrigerators on the cabins of other HAL ships.

 

Main Dining Room

The Open Seating on HAL worked well and was comparable to Princess Anytime Dining. We only had to wait one night and that was on the 1st formal night when we hit the dining room at peak period. Main dining room food quality on both lines is very good, but if we had to make a choice, we would vote for HAL. Coffee was an entirely different matter. We usually get decaf coffee with desert. It was normally quite good on Princess. It was undrinkable (bitter) on the Ryndam. Overall the service was fast and attentive and seemed comparable between the two lines.

 

Alternative Dining

We did not try the Pinnacle Grill. The complementary Canaletto on the Ryndam was a nice alternative. While not the dining experience of Sabatini’s on Princess there was a nice variety of tasty options available on the menu. We ate there twice and the second time we came, the maître d and the wine steward remembered our names – a nice touch.

 

Lido

This is where we noticed the biggest food difference between HAL and Princess. Quality and variety of food was comparable with perhaps a slight edge to HAL. However, the hours of service on HAL are much more limited. Lunch ends at 2:00 and dinner ends at 8:00. The 2:00 lunch termination is manageable since burgers, pizza, etc. are available by the pool and desserts and real ice cream are available until 5:00. We did not even consider eating dinner in the Lido. We normally start eating dinner somewhere around 8:00. We would have had to get there by 7:30 and then load up everything, including desserts before they closed at 8:00. The Lido buffet on Princess is open 24 hours. Maybe because they are newer ships, the Lido buffet areas on the Crown and Diamond Princess seemed plusher. Table service for drinks was more attentive on Princess. Lido coffee on both lines was fair to poor.

 

Service

Very good on both lines – no complaints at all. It did seem that more people remembered our names on HAL – perhaps because it was a much smaller ship.

 

Entertainment

Being a smaller ship, there was less variety of entertainment on the Ryndam. There was one show per night in the main showroom at 8:00 and repeated at 10:00. The main showroom was the only place where an actual show could be presented. On the last two Princess ships we were on, shows could be presented in the Theater, the Explorer lounge, and the Club Fusion. Most nights there were two different shows plus a third activity going on. The Crow’s Nest on HAL and Skywalker’s on Princess have similar concepts – dancing, Karaoke, etc. In general, there was more variety on Princess and activity seemed to go later into the evening. The quality of entertainment was comparable.

 

On Board Activity

Again, perhaps because it is a smaller ship compared to the Princess, there were fewer activities during sea days on the Ryndam. There were almost no pool side activities.

Ambiance

 

I guess to no one’s surprise the ambiance on the Ryndam was more quiet and sedate than on the Princess ships. While we are not looking for a “party ship” we would have liked a livelier atmosphere. At one port we shared the dock with a Carnival ship. While we were glad that some of the rowdy people who were only able to stumble back on their ship were not on our ship, we did enjoy the music coming from their pool deck. There was not a sound coming from the Ryndam. There was as no attempt to set a Caribbean tone by pool music, dancing, specialized buffet, etc. The atrium/piazza area on the Princess ships is a center of activity, day and night. The atrium area on the Ryndam was disturbingly quiet.

 

Conclusion

Would we sail HAL again? Yes, if the itinerary and price were good. Cruises with several consecutive sea days might keep us away because of fewer activities. If the cruise was port intensive we would be less hesitant. If price and itinerary were similar, we would definitely choose Princess.

[Cruise Raider]

I must be a magnet for really, really bad stewards and waitstaff on HAL. :) Really, really, really bad. Not all of them, just a few. The others were just "OK" but never as good as some Princess waitstaff and stewards I've had. I'm still going to cruise HAL and even have a FCC but I could never, ever say that HAL's service is even nearly as good as Princess. But that's based on my experience with only about 90 days on HAL.

 

I agree, I think it really just depends on who you get as a room steward or dining room waiter on any particular cruise. I must say, on the Golden, we did have some of the best service ever in the formal dining room. But, I must also say, we have nicknamed some of our Princess room stewards 'Einstein' as they seem to have forgotten everything. I have even been accused, on more than one occassion, of trying to steal the pool towels on Princess. Don't know what that is all about -- they have access to everything in my room -- how could I attempt to steal anything -- even if I was someone that had a predilection to steal (which I am not)?? Maybe a ploy for extra tips, I don't know! But, that is my guess. Oh...and don't think you can ever exchange a wet for a dry pool towel during the day. I think that may have taken an act of God. Another thing we question....what's up with rationing the ice?? We would go for days without getting any even though we specifically requested our ice bucket be filled. Oftentimes, we wouldn't get a patter for the next day - had to go down to the pursers desk to grab a copy. Had room service orders just completely ignored. I really do love Princess cruises but think we must have gotten the same room stewards that you had on HAL. Like I said, I guess it is who you end up with. Our last cruise, on the Emerald, we did have a very good room steward, though. He even decorated the room for my birthday....nice touch!! So, not all bad but had enough bad ones to say I might have been the one that attracts the bad ones on Princess. I do sometimes book an inside or OV, though...maybe makes a difference. The good one was in a mini-suite.

[Pam in CA]

Cruise Raider, if the problems I experienced were only a lack of towels, ice bucket not filled, etc, I wouldn't have even mentioned poor service. Among the issues I've experienced on HAL included a bathroom covered with mold/mildew (I have photos), a hair dryer held together (poorly) by rubber bands, exposing the innards, etc., and those were just the small annoyances. One time, my steward walked into my cabin at 11:15pm without knocking while I was in the bathroom undressed... And even after I started screaming, wouldn't leave. I couldnt get him to leave! I can see a steward entering during the day but not late at night when he knew I was sailing as a single. On my Oosterdam cruise last month, I came back to my cabin after a late dinner and my cabin was nicely prepared for the night. I went into the bathroom, lifted up the toilet lid and there was a huge BM sitting in my toilet. It was like a cow pad and wasn't anything that had backed up. It totally freaked me out and I flushed and flushed and flushed before I could bring myself to use the toilet. Beyond the grossness, the hygiene issue is mind-boggling. I have some stories about my dining service if you'd like to hear about them. :)

[moniquet]

Everyone is different but HAL is better all round. Classier, food better and staterooms and linen too....everything is superior to Princess in my opinion.

[Shifra]

I enjoy both Princess and HAL, but I have to give the edge to Princess in many areas. Princess takes much better care of their fleet. Some of the ships I have been on with HAL seemed very worn and tired. I have always found the crew on Princess much happier and relaxed.

 

I find the evening entertainment on Princess has much more variety. On the HAL cruises I've been on the evenings were very quiet and most people seemed to retire early. I have not been on the newer HAL ships, so they may be different.

[Cruise Junky]

I must be a magnet for really, really bad stewards and waitstaff on HAL. :) Really, really, really bad. Not all of them, just a few. The others were just "OK" but never as good as some Princess waitstaff and stewards I've had. I'm still going to cruise HAL and even have a FCC but I could never, ever say that HAL's service is even nearly as good as Princess. But that's based on my experience with only about 90 days on HAL.

 

Our HAL cruise was the worst one we've ever done. So you're not alone ;)

[abisha]

I think I am swaying more towards Princess although that's not to say I would never sail on HAL. And if the price was considerable on HAL I may even be pursuaded to change my mind. It appears they both offer a good cruise experience... with some areas better than the other and vice versa and I think that is to be expected. Thanks for your comments.

[Pam in CA]

Our HAL cruise was the worst one we've ever done. So you're not alone ;)

I isolate the negatives as unusual and have had some great cruises on HAL. As a matter of fact, two of the best I've ever taken were on HAL but they were great because of the itinerary and people we met and cruised with. Those are more important to me than service in the dining room or a bad cabin steward.

[Cruise Junky]

I isolate the negatives as unusual and have had some great cruises on HAL. As a matter of fact, two of the best I've ever taken were on HAL but they were great because of the itinerary and people we met and cruised with. Those are more important to me than service in the dining room or a bad cabin steward.

 

I highly doubt we'd cruise them again. When your first cruise on a line is so bad, I'm very hesitant to go back for more. There's far too many vacation options out there. If we'd have had a good experience and then a bad we'd probably have risked it.

[Cruzman]

HAL and Princess ultimately are my favorite lines. More often than not, I end up on other lines because the dates and itineraries that I'm looking for are not offered. The southern itineraries however, are available on both lines. Guess what I'm doing. Princess in November, and HAL in February. Can't wait!

[Richie2pies]

I find both lines to be great. The only thing I don't like about HAL is the practice in the buffet the first two days of not being able to serve yourself anything, even coffee. I realize this is for my own good, but it's still a PITA.

[cruisen JJ]

The worst cruise we have ever had was on HAL - Zuiderdam. Food terrible, service worst and the ship was dirty. This is the only cruise that I've ever had a complaint on.