Alaska - HAL or Princess

[newhawaiicruiser]

I posted this on the Princess board, and thought I should post it here, too, to get some other viewpoints.

 

My sister and I are planning on taking my 86 year old mother on an Alaskan cruise this summer. I am looking at round trip Seattle on HAL Westerdam or Princess Golden Princess. Both itineraries include Glacier Bay. Any suggestions for choosing one over the other?

[dakrewser]

Here's a comparison I did a few years ago:

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We’re just back from an 11-day Mexican Riviera cruise on the Dawn Princess. This was our first cruise on Princess and I wanted to share with you the comparisons we made with HAL. I’d done the same a bit over a year ago for our first cruise on Celebrity (the Infinity 12-day to Alaska). The specifics of the comparison are: HAL – Oosterdam 7-day Mexican Riviera (R/T San Diego); Princess – 11-day Mexican Riviera (R/T San Francisco); Celebrity – 12-day Alaska R/T San Francisco).

 

Let me start by saying that, just as on Infinity, we did have a good cruise on the Dawn Princess, and we would book on Princess again if the itinerary was desirable and the price was right. But if everything was equal, we'd choose HAL without a second thought.

 

For comparison purposes, here’s some figures on the ships:

 

Oosterdam Dawn Princess Infinity

Year built 2003 1997 2001

Tonnage 85,000 77,441 90,228

Length 951 feet 856 feet 964

Passengers 1848 1950 2038

Crew 800 900 997

Cabin Size 518 sq. feet 370 sq. feet 308 sq. feet

 

Pax/crew ratio 2.31 2.17 2.04

Space ratio 46.00 39.71 44.27

In “Pax/crew ration” smaller is better, while in “Space ratio” bigger is better. We did find service to be quite good on Princess in terms of finding people to do things yet the ship did seem more ‘crowded’ than either the O’dam or the Infinity. Those feelings appear to be a result of the ratios on the ships.

The Cabin

 

We were in an AC mini-suite on the Dawn Princess, an S suite on Oosterdam (Sky Suite on X). The mini-suite is more comparable to a HAL SS in size and amenities, though. The S is much bigger with a bigger verandah and a very comfortable sofa. The Dawn Princess cabin, while smaller, was much better designed, we felt. It was actually two “VA” sized cabins with the wall removed. Between the sitting area and sleeping area was a curtained archway which, effectively, made it a “real” suite. There was a sofa (more like a loveseat), armchair and coffee table in the sitting area along with a side table, desk and chair. There were a 110- and a 220-volt outlet under the desk, and a second 110-volt outlet under a shelf in the entryway (where your fruit bowl is kept). Infinity’s sky suite did have two very comfortable high backed arm chairs (lacking on HAL) along with a table which can just about handle breakfast for two but a just adequate love seat (still, more comfortable than the love seat in HAL's verandah or outside cabins). Hal's cabin chairs are less comfortable, and the coffee table won't do for dining. (but, no coffee table on X) Hal had the roomier and more comfortable sitting area, but Princess’s was perfectly adequate and relatively comfortable.

 

 

The sleeping area on Dawn Princess had a queen-sized bed, nightstand on one side and a large desk with a chair on the other. One electrical outlet, a 110-volt, was just above the desk. The biggest drawback, though, was the bed. I had said about Infinity: “While not uncomfortable, the Infinity's bed was about the quality of a better Motel 6. HAL's bed is, of course, probably the best in the cruise industry right now.” The Dawn Princess bed wasn’t as good as Infinity’s.

 

The tub (Jacuzzi equipped) and separate shower on Dawn Princess are accessed from the sleeping area. From this room there’s another door to the sink & WC. There’s also a door from the entranceway to the sink & WC, a decided bonus when one person was sleeping and the other was up. While HAL cabins have a curtain that can be drawn to separate the sleeping area from the closet/bathroom area creating a dressing space, this was unnecessary on the Dawn Princess as the two “rooms” of the suite could be separated. Nothing at all similar on X. Try to turn on a light to get some clothes and your room-mate gets a very unceremonious awakening.

 

The verandah on Dawn Princess stretched the full length of the cabin and had a sliding door entrance from both the sleeping area and the sitting area – another plus. The verandah itself, though, was only about 4 feet deep, furnished with a table, two chairs and two ottomans. It appeared crowded. Infinity had two comfortable chairs and a tiny side table. HAL's verandah had two very comfortable chairs, two ottomans and a large table with chairs which four could eat at comfortably. Big win for HAL, but I do like the sliding doors better than HAL’s swing-open ones.

 

The Dawn Princess also featured two TVs to HAL (and X’s) one.

 

For the same price, the HAL suite is more comfortable, but if the Princess mini were less, it’s a better buy. Note, though, that the HAL suite also includes access to the Neptune Lounge, no-charge laundry, etc. There are no specific amenities associated with Princess mini-suites. X, of course, has it’s butler for Sky Suites and above.

 

Bathrooms

 

While the Dawn Princess bathroom is a bit smaller than the Oosterdam’s, the separate rooms, separate spacious stall shower and separate entrance from the entryway all add up to a big, big win for Princess. Celebrity finishes a poor third as the Sky Suite bathroom is much smaller than an S suite's, with a single tub/shower and no jacuzzi.

 

The hair dryer on the DP is wall-mounted (like the Infinity’s) next to the desk in the sleeping area, unlike HAL's which takes up drawer space. Neither of us use the hair dryer extensively, so can't compare the power of the blower or the heat of the dryer. Both worked sufficiently for us.

 

There were a number of small hotel-sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, etc. provided on the DP.

 

Princess easily wins the bathroom battle, in my book, with HAL a close second and the Infinity third.

 

Cabin Service

 

Service by the cabin attendants was excellent on all three lines. Darwin, on the Dawn Princess understood (and spoke) English better than our HAL & Infinity stewards put together. We could always, though, use the butler on X to request things normally asked of the steward. On the down-side, Darwin was much less capable, it seemed, of providing asked for items on a timely basis something we’ve never had a problem with on HAL.

 

Laundry on Princess is “by the item” (although there was a self-service Laundromat just down the hall). They do offer a “by the bag” option (as does HAL), but it was only offered on two days during our cruise which is standard, if baffling (do they fly in extra laundresses on those days???) HAL's offer of unlimited laundry in suites beats Celebrity's offer of no-charge priority service (you pay regular price but get it back faster). X also offers no laundry packages such as unlimited or "by the bag" pricing. Also, Princess (as well as X) returns items either on a hanger or in a bag. HAL's tissue wrapped delivery in a basket wins them points.

 

A big plus for HAL on laundry with Princess 2nd. Pretty much a draw on cabin service.

 

Coming next: The Dining Room.

 

Dining room part I - the food

 

We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of food on the Dawn Princess. Not that there was anything I could call outstanding (although the swordfish – pesce di spada on Italian Night was really, really good!) but there was also nothing that absolutely failed. Still, the most inventive part of the dining room were the menu descriptions. For example, the word “vinaigrette” showed up almost nightly, but it appears the chef that it meant “without vinegar”! We first encountered this as a “raspberry vinaigrette” dressing for salad which was thick, pink and appeared to have a yoghurt base! Quantities were generous, and (as with most cruise lines) there was no limit on what you could order. Quality was on a par with HAL but generally more bland. The selection was also more limited both overall and on any given night. There was never a night I couldn’t find something appetizing, but it was a stretch once or twice and I relied on the excellent advice of our steward, Monica, at those times. It's a general consensus that the dining room on Celebrity produces "better" food than HAL. And I'll agree with that, while ranking Princess a close third. Still, some things were better on Princess. The soups were better than Celebrity’s, almost as good as HAL’s. And the baked Alaska was fantastic – much better than any I’d ever had on a HAL ship.

 

Princess’ salads were more varied than Celebrity’s but not up to HAL’s standards.

 

To sum up, Princess offered good middle-of-the-road meals that should appeal (or at least satisfy) just about everyone. Infinity had better prepared food on balance with good imagination and preparation but HAL has a wider range of offerings in almost all categories. Celebrity faltered at Asian cuisine which, of course, HAL excels at. Princess ranked somewhere in between with those dishes.

 

 

I often like to order the cheese plate, rather than a dessert. While Princess’ desserts were nothing out of the ordinary, the cheese selection (which varied nightly) was much better than that offered on HAL or Celebrity.

 

For a longer cruise, the Princess menu doesn’t offer the same anticipation that HAL’s does. For a 7 day cruise, X wins hands down. Even a 10-day. At 12-days, a certain jaded sameness factor settles in. For 2 weeks or longer, I think I'd rather have HAL's less than stellar but more variable cuisine.

 

Generally, though, I’d have to rank dining room food as Infinity #1, Oosterdam #2, Dawn Princess a close #3 – but all were good.

 

Dining room part II - the service

Princess offers both “Anytime” dining as well as two-seating traditional dining. Two identical restaurants (one a deck above the other) offer the same menu, with the choice being when you eat. Just as on Infinity, we requested a table for 2, late seating (8:00 PM). And just as on Infinity, we didn’t get it. Instead we were seated at a table for 6 with 3 ladies, a woman traveling with her sister and daughter (the daughter was our age, no kids at this table!). We opted not to protest to the Maitre d’ and ate with the ladies all but one night of the cruise. The older women were very well traveled, lived (as we do) within the SF Bay area and were excellent dinner companions. On HAL, of course, our request for a table for 2 has always been honored.

 

For the first time on a cruise, both steward and assistant steward were female. Monica, our steward, was from Romania while Ana, the asst., was from Portugal. Both spoke excellent English – better than most stewards we encountered on HAL or Celebrity ships. They were cordial, friendly, efficient and always ready to make a suggestion (asked or not!). Indeed, after a couple of nights they were almost always able to pinpoint which menu items each of us would order. I’d rate this team as better than the one we had on Infinity and on a par with the one on Oosterdam.

 

There is, though, no wine steward on Princess ships. Wine (and bar orders) are handled by the asst. steward. While Ana was certainly competent opening and pouring wine, she was able to offer any help in choosing a selection. There’s also the niggling practice of charging for espresso drinks in the dining room – something that X and HAL haven’t done as yet.

 

So what's the score? Princess & HAL tie for DR steward/asst, with X trailing. But X leads for wine steward, HAL is 2nd and the Dawn Princess is a very distant third. If wine service is important to you, Infinity/ Celebrity wins hands down. Otherwise, Princess appears to have a slight edge on HAL, if only because of the language skills of the servers.

 

Dining - the specialty restaurants

There are three other dining options on the Dawn Princess: the Horizon Court (like HAL’s Lido), La Scala Pizzeria and the Sterling Steakhouse. I’ll cover the buffets/cafeterias separately. The Pizzeria has no real equivalent on HAL or X ships, it’s a separate restaurant, off the beaten track, serving pizza at lunch time and adding Italian dishes (heavy on the pasta) at night. There is no cover charge, the ambience is quite nice (checkerboard tabletops, but no cloths) and service appeared to be adequate. We didn’t eat there, but it gets high praise from thodse who do.

 

The Sterling Steakhouse fails miserably when compared to HAL’s Pinnacle Grill or the Infinity’s S.S. United States. Each afternoon around 3, wood & paper screens (most the worst for wear) are attached with duct tape to set off the rear of the Horizon Court. Tablecloths go on the tables (along with cloth napkins) and a limited menu is offered (4 steak entrees, 1 chicken, 1 fish). It has all the ambience of an Altoona Holiday Inn dining room (and have eaten in that one!). We didn’t try it, and it appeared to be sparsely attended those nights we wandered by (one night, at 8 PM, there were only two tables in use).

 

HAL’s Pinnacle Grill is an old fashioned Chop House/Steak House while the S.S. Untied States is an Americanized version of a French Michelin-starred village restaurant.

 

The food in both is excellent. The service in both is top notch.

 

 

As in the dining room, I think HAL has the broader selection, but X has the better preparation and presentation for what it does offer. Princess simply can’t compete.

 

There was more interaction with the staff at the S.S. United States - the asst. Maitre d', the waiter and the sommelier all took time to discuss the menu, the dishes, the wines and listen to our thoughts and suggestions. The Pinnacle staff were very good, very professional and very "chop house" which I don't mean as a negative. The Sterling Steakhouse wine list was exactly the same as the dining room’s.

 

Infininty #1, HAL a close second, Princess well down the list at #99.

 

Dining - the wine list

 

The Dawn Princess wine list was not as interesting as a good chain restaurant in the US (think Olive Garden or Red Lobster). There was a fair selection of inexpensive wines (in the $20 - $30 range) but nothing “interesting” or out of the ordinary.

 

A slight plus to Infinity for having a few very good French wines (the Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and Chablis 1ere cru we had were all outstanding). Good marks to HAL, especially for the Pinnacle Grill wine list. Princess brings up the rear, although there were certainly drinkable wines on the list.

 

I might add that there was a bar on the Dawn Princess called “Magnums”. It offered the exact same wine selection as all the other bars and lounges and had nothing that wasn’t also available by the glass in the dining room. For that matter, there was a lounge called “La Patisserie” which offered no (zero, zip, nada) pastries and the exact same drinks menu as Magnums, the Wheelhouse Bar, the Atrium Lounge and all the other watering holes!

 

Next up: The entertainment.

 

Entertainment - the show lounge

There are two venues on the Dawn Princess, the Vista Lounge (similar to Oosterdam’s Vista Lounge, but only one level – thus offering much better sight lines) and the Princess Theater, similar to the Wajang Theater on older HAL ships (but bigger) and much better than the (IMHO) poorly designed Queen’s Lounge. Production shows tended to be in the Theater, while solo acts played the Vista Lounge giving it more of a “Las Vegas” feel.

The resident troup – 2 singers, 2 singer/dancers and 8 dancers were the best we’d ever seen at sea. Most could easily win spots in the national touring casts of Broadway shows, half could handle the best regional theater and there were 2 or 3 who I expect to be headliners on the Great White Way in a half dozen years or so. They did three different “revue” type shows (“The Piano Man”, “Tribute” and “Extreme Country”), all very good, with excellent costuming and choreography to boot. The house band was also excellent.

HAL’s ship’s companies have ranged from very poor (I could recruit a better troop among my neighbors than the one we saw on Volendam a few years ago) to average (small town regional theater quality). The one we saw on Infinity was better than the Oosterdam’s, but no where near as good as that on the Dawn Princess.

 

The solo performers on DP ranged from two excellent comedians (Scott Wyler & Elliot Max) to a very talented juggler (can’t remember his name, but he was “Juggler of the year” for 2006), a run of the mill illusionist (we’d seen those tricks and heard those jokes way too many times), two so-so singers and an embarrassment of a banjo player. Not only did he try to “break out” and play non-traditional banjo songs (and not very well) but the band played so loud that you could hardly hear him at times (which may not hsave been a bad thing!).

 

The Infinity had better solo talent on the whole, HAL’s was on a par with the Dawn Princess. Based on the great performance of the ship’s cast, we give Princess the #1 place, with Infinity 2nd and HAL a poor third. But, then, nobody chooses HAL for the shows, do they?

 

Entertainment - bars & lounges

As I mentioned earlier, the Dawn Princess bars & lounges were remarkably cookie-cutter no matter what they were called. There was nightly entertainment in the Atrium (almost always a piano player, rarely as good as in the Ocean Bar on Oosterdam), The Wheelhouse bar (a bad duo who, essentially, were professional karaoke-ists, supplemented by a good old boy group which did, mainly, soft southern rock) and frequently on the pool deck at night. This latter usually featured a quartet called, redundantly, “Quattro by 4” – Mexican rock musicians who sang hits of the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and maybe 80’s, all phonetically so the lyrics were amusing at times.

 

Both the Oosterdam and the Infinity had multiple musical experiences throughout the ship, for the most part better than the Dawn Princess.

 

Both had people playing piano and singing, the O'dam had a bad singer/piano player in the Ocean Bar, the Infinity had a bad singer/piano player in Michael's Club, the DP had a bad singer/piano player in the Atrium lounge.

 

O’dam & Infinity each had string ensembles, the O'dam's played mostly in the Explorer's Lounge, the Infinity's in the Cova Cafe. Both played in the DR on formal nights. Both were quite enjoyable. Princess had no strings, no semi-classical, no music in the dining room.

 

All three ships also had discos and DJs. We didn't partake of either on any of them.

 

In addition, the Infinity had a guitar player (folk/pop) who played in the Cova Cafe on formal nights and also boasted a harpist who entertained in the Atrium during embarkation and was featured in the S.S. United States every evening. Neither HAL nor Princess offered anything similar.

 

Infinity gets the nod because of the excellent string quartet, HAL runs 2nd and Princess finishes a very distant third.

 

Ambience

I'm calling this "shipboard ambience" and it's an area HAL wins hands down.

 

Artistically arranged plastic floral pieces are no substitute for fresh flowers. HAL provided fresh flowers everywhere. Infinity had, at best, one stalk of flowers in a bud vase on our DR table about half the time. Princess never did have fresh flowers anywhere.

 

The art work displayed on Infinity is laughable, especially compared to the fascinating and fantastic paintings, scuptures, woodwork, and metalwork found on the Oosterdam. Infinity was decorated either by someone with no budget, no taste - or both! Princess, on the other hand, was tastefully decorated with art work and, while no challenge to HAL, was more pleasing to the eye than many other ships we’ve sailed on.

 

Passageways, companionways and aisles seemed narrower on both Dawn Princess and Infinity. The entrance to the dining room on the DP, in particular, was extremely tight and looped across the front of the shops.

 

The DP has no lounge at the top to rival HAL’s Crow’s Nest or Infinity’s Constellation Lounge. A pity, as it’s were we like to have a pre-dinner drink. Big plus for Oosterdam. We also like the way the O’dam’s major lounges (Ocean Bar, Piano Bar) are broken into seperate areas for a more intimate arrangement.

 

Then there’s the elevator situation. There are three sets of elevators on Dawn Princess, but one set (of 6) is broken into 2 banks of three. Each bank has separate call buttons. Invariably people would press both up and down on both banks. That means (at least) three elevators stopping with no one getting on. Elevator service was slow. Those six elevators serviced decks 5 thru 14 (even though the ship goes to 15 decks – you have to walk up to the Sun Deck). Two of them (1 in each bank) go from deck 4 to deck 14. The aft bank (or three elevators) runs from deck 7 to deck 14, and the “panoramic” lifts (2 of them) in the Atrium run between decks 5 and 8. There were many confused passengers!

 

 

Misc. comparisons

Two more posts in this comparison series, this one a "catchall" for things not covered in the others.

 

Chairs. I mentioned that the cabin chairs on Infinity were superior to those on Oosterdam, and so were those on the Dawn Princess. Oosterdam had lots of annoying seats whose tops hit the small of your back (if your 6 feet or taller), there were none that short on Dawn Princess or Infinity.

 

Hand sanitizers were everywhere on Dawn Princess, the asst. maitre d’s in the dining room, in fact, had spray bottles for those who missed the sanitizer stands. These were virtually non-existant on Infinity, with the Oosterdam having them at dining areas and the foot of the gangway – just not quite as many as the DP.

 

Show lounge sight lines - one of the biggest disappointments on Oosterdam - there are seats in the lounge where you can only see a small portion of the stage! There are no "obstructed view" seats on Infinity and only one or two on Dawn Princess.

 

Announcements on Dawn Princess are handled pretty much the same as on the Oosterdam – safety announcements could be broadcast everywhere (even into the cabin) but standard announcements (daily navigator’s report, tendering announcements, whale sightings, etc.) were only heard on public decks or on one of the TV channels. The Infinity wasn’t as “announcement friendly.”

 

Cappuccino. HAL's - in the Neptune Lounge, the Windstar Cafe and in the Dining Room - wins hands down. Dawn Princess has so-so coffee in the dining room, but charges for cappuccino everywhere, a real drawback. And while you can get free coffee in the Horizon Court 24 hours a day, you will be charged $1/cup if you order it from any of the beverage stewards throughout the ship. On Infinity, The regular coffee in the Trellis DR was better than the cappuccino! A very big plus for HAL.

 

Blankets & beach towels – there are no deck blankets on Princess at all. Beach towels are in your cabin (2 of them) and are replaced as necessary. HAL’s method of having towels at the pool and by the gangway as well as having blankets available on all open decks is far superior.

 

embarkation/debarkation

The Dawn Princess, like the Infinity, sailed from and returned to San Francisco’s pier 35. Our experience at the pier was much better with Princess but this might be colored by four things:

1) we’d already experienced the madhouse on Infinity

2) there was only one ship in port on embarkation day (2 for Infinity

3) there was only one ship in port on disembarkation day (again 2 for Infinity)

4) we used a car service rather than drive to the pier

 

The experience in San Diego for the Oosterdam cruise was much better.

 

EMBARKATION – The actual embarkation procedure on Princess was much smoother than either HAL or X. On entering the terminal we were directed to a check-in line with only a handful of folks already waiting. We handed in our pre-printed “boarding pass” and in a few seconds were in the line to actually get aboard. This was mightily hampered because there was no way to easily walk around the single photographer taking boarding pictures, a decided negative for Princess (as all of their photo shenanigans would be). Once aboard, we were neither greeted nor shown to our cabin but had to figure out for ourselves where to go. It’s not difficult, but is far below the experience on HAL (or X). A couple of hours after boarding our steward knocked on the door with two glasses of champagne for us. Infinity didn't give me a glass of "champagne" on boarding (although I could have claimed one from the steward if I tripped him) but did escort me to my cabin. HAL Didn't give me champagne, either, and didn't escort me, but would have if I had asked. But I knew the way .

 

Our luggage was delivered within 2 hours of boarding and long before muster drill. X suite perks supposedly included priority delivery of luggage. While we boarded at 12:30, luggage didn't arrive until after we sailed, showing up around 5:45. On Oosterdam, we boarded around noon, went to the Lido for lunch, and found our luggage waiting (in our suite, not in the hallway) when we retuned. Everything was unpacked and put away before lifeboat drill. Big plus for HAL.

 

Still, I've left the worst for last: disembarkation.

 

Princess, like X, forces you to vacate your cabin and find a public space to perch in while you await the announcement that you can leave. This after customs & immigration force you to line up to show your passport to some flunky who barely looks at it. Still, Princess gave us a schedule (mostly based on where your cabin was) of when to show up at the Vista Lounge for passport control. The line to see Immigration on the Infinity was longer than those on HAL & Princess put together! The agents were at the port side doors of the theater with a line that went across the back of the theater, out through the photo gallery, through the casino, doubled back through the casino, through the photo gallery, around the other side and back through the gallery and the casino again! Now, the casino was difficult to move trough at the best of times - very tight walk spaces. But in addition to these lines, there were also people trying to get to the Casino, to the Theater and to Michael's Club (on the port aside between the casino and photo) which were their designated "debarkation lounges". It was a miserable, tiring, warm & nasty experience on X and more of a slight inconvenience on Princess. Contrast this with the Oosterdam, where we could stay in our suite until our group was called to leave the ship.

 

Up until that last morning, this comparison was pretty even: some things were much better on Princess (entertainment, beverage service), others were better on Infinity (Food, Wine) while some were much better on Oosterdam (Art, flowers). Some were marginally better on one or the other. But that last morning tipped the balance to HAL. Nothing beats being able to relax in your cabin waiting for that inevitable call to go out and face the real world again.

 

We'll sail on Princess (and Celebrity) again, if the itinerary and the price are right. But of the six cruise lines we've sailed, they rank no better than #3:

 

1) Renaissance

2) HAL

3) Princess

4) Celebrity

5) Norwegian

6) Carnival

 

If I've overlooked something you're interested in comparing, please ask and I'll try to answer.

[George C]

Both very nice ships, good food in both, tough choice, can not go wrong with either, I would go with best deal for the dollar also compare size of cabins, Hals I think are bigger in general.

[iancal]

For Alaska I would start with your preferred itinerary. Where and what are on your list of must sees and do you want an inside passage voyage?

 

After that, narrow it down to the specific ships and do some research to match you ship preferences, and finally select the ship cruise line.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I've only done Alaska on HAL, but I have sailed on Princess, a Bermuda/Caribbean itinerary.

 

I'd say the food is about equal in quality. Princess gets an edge on desserts. If the Lido is an issue for you, Princess gets an edge there, as they have something open at all times in the Lido, so you can always get a meal or a snack. HAL does not have food available 24/7, although there is always room service.

 

Cabins seemed about equal in quality. Size is hard to compare, as I don't think I booked comparable cabin levels. I think more HAL cabins get tubs, if that's an issue for you. Check deck plans and descriptions to make sure.

 

Where Princess falls way down on my list of cruise lines is atmosphere and service. I do not like the frequent announcements of activitites. I'm a grownup, I can read the program for the day. I do not want to be reminded that Bingo starts in 2 hours, 1 hour, a half hour, 15 minutes...

 

There is very little quiet deck space on Princess. On our cruise, all pool areas had either music or the soundtrack of the movie they were playing. LOUD. You can get peace and quiet if you pay extra to be at the retreat or whatever they call the posh deck area.

 

I was unhappy with front desk service on Princess--think Liar's Club. And the shore excursion people were very rude. Friends have had similar sevice issues on Princess. I do have to say, our MDR waiter (we had fixed dining time) was excellent.

 

HAL isn't perfect. My last HAL cruise had some service problems, mainly to do with dining room podium staff. But overall, I think they're much better on service than Princess.

[kazu]

My first experience on Princess was wonderful. then I did a HAL cruise :eek: I couldn't believe the difference - there's a lot more little touches - even now with the cutbacks, there are some things that for us, stand out.

 

Then, years later we did another Princess cruise as the price was right. The ship was nice. the lido - sure they serve food all the time, but I found it crowded. and I didn't enjoy the hair in my food in the Lido or the MDR.

 

doing a comparison (which is always bad), I found myself wishing I was on HAL.

 

The cruise was a bit cheaper - but in retrospect, I would have preferred to pay the few extra dollars and sailed HAL.

 

Everyone's experience is different - ship to ship - week to week.

 

There will never be a right answer, but we prefer HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Whether you choose Princess or HAL -- both have been in the Alaskan business for years -- you will have a good cruise.

 

We have done Alaska on both cruise lines and enjoyed both.

 

What I find important -- the length of times in ports -- check that out.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Check out this site to find out where you dock in the various ports:

http://www.claalaska.com/