Princess cruisers looking at HAL

[Kruzkrazy]

Hello HAL cruisers,

 

My wife and I are longtime Princess cruisers with about 30 sailings on every class of ship from the smallest up to and including the new Royal (don't even get me started talking about that misbegotten design nightmare).

 

For variety, we're considering a 7-day Holland America cruise to Alaska on the Westerdam, and I have some questions about it, if anyone would care to respond:

 

1. First, as always, how's the food? We've always found Princess fare to be pretty good if not always great, and the specialty restaurants (they're called the Crown Grill and Sabatini's) to be excellent. How do HAL in general and the Westerdam in particular rate? I know this is always subjective. Also, how is the food in the buffet?

 

2. How is the cabin and dining-room service? This has always been one of the high points of Princess. Even the Royal Pain, with more faults than a dog has fleas, maintains the service tradition.

 

3. What is the approximate average age of HAL pax? Princess is generally 35-or-so and older, and I've heard that HAL is older than that. We're both in our 60s and prefer and "older" ship with few kids. I understand that a 7-day sailing such as we're contemplating might have more kids than usual.

 

4. What are the cabin balconies like? Princess always had nice balconies, then along came the Royal Pain and sliced them down to the size of your pinkie nail. Do Westerdam balconies have upright chairs, loungers or both?

 

5. What is the spa like on Westerdam? I like a sauna and steam room, and don't care much about massages, various therapies and the rest of that background noise. If Westerdam has sauna and steam, is there a fee?

 

6. How's the entertainment? Again, subjective.

 

Thank you in advance for your help. Looking forward to seeing you on Westerdam.

 

Ron

[nana51]

Hello HAL cruisers,

 

My wife and I are longtime Princess cruisers with about 30 sailings on every class of ship from the smallest up to and including the new Royal (don't even get me started talking about that misbegotten design nightmare).

 

For variety, we're considering a 7-day Holland America cruise to Alaska on the Westerdam, and I have some questions about it, if anyone would care to respond:

 

1. First, as always, how's the food? We've always found Princess fare to be pretty good if not always great, and the specialty restaurants (they're called the Crown Grill and Sabatini's) to be excellent. How do HAL in general and the Westerdam in particular rate? I know this is always subjective. Also, how is the food in the buffet?COLOR="DarkRed"][/color][/color]

I've heard the food on HAL is about the best of all cruiselines. I've always been very happy with it. Buffet is also very good. There is a new Hamburger stand on the pool deck that is said to be sublime.

2. How is the cabin and dining-room service? This has always been one of the high points of Princess. Even the Royal Pain, with more faults than a dog has fleas, maintains the service tradition. Cabins are bigger than princess. Dining room service is going down due to cutbacks. I still think it is fine though

 

3. What is the approximate average age of HAL pax? Princess is generally 35-or-so and older, and I've heard that HAL is older than that. We're both in our 60s and prefer and "older" ship with few kids. I understand that a 7-day sailing such as we're contemplating might have more kids than usual. Well then HAL is right up your alley. Fewer kids for sure. Longer cruises have older people, shorter cruises there are lots of folk yours and my age (mid 60's)

 

4. What are the cabin balconies like? Princess always had nice balconies, then along came the Royal Pain and sliced them down to the size of your pinkie nail. Do Westerdam balconies have upright chairs, loungers or both? Depends on the location. The verandah sizes seem quite roomy.

5. What is the spa like on Westerdam? I like a sauna and steam room, and don't care much about massages, various therapies and the rest of that background noise. If Westerdam has sauna and steam, is there a fee? Yes, they are fabulous and there is a fee. they also have these great heated loungers. The price for 7 days can be about $150.00-200.00 a person.

6. How's the entertainment? Again, subjective. HAL is not known for their entertainment. My hubby and I enjoy the "big" shows at night, comedian, magician, whatever. Also love the piano bars.Thank you in advance for your help. Looking forward to seeing you on Westerdam.

 

Ron

 

I suggest you head to the HAL website and take a tour through the online site. Great pictures. Also we have halfacts.com and they have actual shots of real rooms on each ship. Also dining room layouts, menus etc.

[chrisbu315]

Hello HAL cruisers,

 

My wife and I are longtime Princess cruisers with about 30 sailings on every class of ship from the smallest up to and including the new Royal (don't even get me started talking about that misbegotten design nightmare).

 

For variety, we're considering a 7-day Holland America cruise to Alaska on the Westerdam, and I have some questions about it, if anyone would care to respond:

 

1. First, as always, how's the food? We've always found Princess fare to be pretty good if not always great, and the specialty restaurants (they're called the Crown Grill and Sabatini's) to be excellent. How do HAL in general and the Westerdam in particular rate? I know this is always subjective. Also, how is the food in the buffet? I have only been on the Ruby Princess but took the Westerdam cruise out of Seattle in 2012. I think the MDR is slightly better on the Westerdam. The buffet is much better on the Westerdam. I much prefer the Crown Grill on the Ruby over the Pinnacle Grill on the Wsterdam.

2. How is the cabin and dining-room service? This has always been one of the high points of Princess. Even the Royal Pain, with more faults than a dog has fleas, maintains the service tradition. Can be slow on the Westerdam

3. What is the approximate average age of HAL pax? Princess is generally 35-or-so and older, and I've heard that HAL is older than that. We're both in our 60s and prefer and "older" ship with few kids. I understand that a 7-day sailing such as we're contemplating might have more kids than usual. Demographic on HAL 7 day Alaska cruises is much younger than their more exotic cruises

4. What are the cabin balconies like? Princess always had nice balconies, then along came the Royal Pain and sliced them down to the size of your pinkie nail. Do Westerdam balconies have upright chairs, loungers or both? I consider the balconies about equal on the Ruby and Westerdam. I don't recal if the chairs on the Westerdam recline. I was on the Volendam to Alaska last year and they definitely reclined.

 

5. What is the spa like on Westerdam? I like a sauna and steam room, and don't care much about massages, various therapies and the rest of that background noise. If Westerdam has sauna and steam, is there a fee? I signed up for the thermal suite on the Westerdam where there were definitely sauna and steam in a much nicer setting then the Ruby. There were windows to look out of instead of a dungeon. I don't recall if there are free sauna and steam on the Westerdam

6. How's the entertainment? Again, subjective. I give the Ruby the edge here. There were several late night shows and MUTS.

 

Another big plus for the Westerdam are the beds and pillows. On the Ruby I thought I was sleeping on rock formations.Thank you in advance for your help. Looking forward to seeing you on Westerdam.

 

Ron

 

My responses appear in red above.

[geoherb]

We've taken 15 Princess cruises and four on HAL. I generally stick with Princess for our past-passenger benefits, but sometimes a HAL cruise fits our schedule better.

 

I like the food on both. Princess seems to have more options at times--like when you get back to the ship in the middle of the afternoon. Service is equally good. HAL waiters tend to be a bit more timid, sometimes having to check with a head waiter over an ordinary request.

 

The age mix of passengers will depend. For an early August cruise to Alaska, you should see a good mix of all ages.

 

We've had balcony cabins twice on the Westerdam. They had wicker-like chairs with ottomans and a small table.

 

I think there is a free sauna in the changing rooms. The fee for the special steam rooms and heated loungers also includes the thalassotherapy pool area. We've splurged for it on both of our Westerdam cruises.

 

The entertainment isn't as good as on Princess in general, but they do have some special guest entertainers who were very good. For instance, on the Veendam we had an exciting violin duo who were very good. It's the type of entertainment Princess wouldn't book.

Edited April 2, 2014 by geoherb

[George C]

I have done each line several times, I thought food was about the same for MDR, I perfer Pinnacle grill over Princess for speciality resturants and last comment on food is Pizza is terrible on Hal

 

I thought entertainment was much better on Princess , but found Princess ships crowded and hard to get seats for some shows, that is not a problem on Hal.

 

Hal does have a older crowd but can get many kids in summer and when school is out (we avoid those times for all ships)

 

We really enjoyed our cruise on Westerdam and would sail her again.

[OCruisers]

We've cruised on Princess LOTS of times (best fit for us) but do sometimes enjoy HAL for port intensive cruises when we want to get to bed early every night.

On Princess we book mini-suites. The regular balcony (veranda as they call them) cabins on HAL actually compare very well with a full sized couch and a nice tub/shower area but better closet space on Princess.

Room service on HAL is excellent -- hot complete breakfasts if you wish.

We like the MDR food better on Princess (while not great, OK) but it's not awful on HAL. We don't feel forced to go to a specialty restaurant every night on either.

We are in our 60's. On HAL there are always more lots older than we are on HAL than on Princess.

Princess has way better entertainment. Especially, find it lacking in bar/lounges on HAL.

Nothing bad to say about HAL -- excellent cruise line. Look forward to having a wonderful cruise. :)

LuLu

~~~

Edited April 2, 2014 by OCruisers

[sandiego1]

3 cruises on HAL - all in Carib: Neptune suites on Veendam and Westerdam; regular balcony on N. Amsterdam (most recent was 3 yrs ago)

 

2 cruises on Princess: Alaska on Diamond in mini suite ~4 yrs ago; 2 wk Panama Canal on Island in regular balcony in Feb '14

 

General comments:

 

- bathrooms on Island was MINISCULE. We will never sail on another Princess in a regular room. We are a slender couple. I don't know how most of the passengers fit in the shower. If you are overweight, forget it. You need to have a cabin w/ a bathtub (i.e. mini suite or larger). The gel/shampoo dispenser and grab bar definitely take up too much room. Bathroom on regular balcony on HAL was much larger.

 

- food was better on HAL. Dinners on both Princess cruises were not great. There was always decent # of options, but the overall meat quality was poor and there were virtually no chicken dishes. Also the ice cream on the Island was HORRIBLE - completely inedible balls of ice. We never went hungry though!

 

- entertainment on Island was better than expected and we liked it better than HAL. They had a variety of shows and we did watch MUTS one night. That was a fun experience. We aren't usually a big fan of the singers/dancers type shows. However, On the Bayou was excellent. Our table mates insisted that we go and we were glad we did. Since we were on a 2 wk Canal cruise, the avg age of the passengers was quite high. There were very limited options for dancing to contemporary music (80s, 90s and now). We are in our early 50s but like current pop and rock music, not waltz and cha-cha. On our HAL cruises, we were able to dance every night in Crow's Nest or 1 of the night club areas. That was a bit of a disappointment on Princess.

 

- beds were slightly more comfortable on HAL. Think this is very ship dependent since age of the mattress plays a big role.

 

- Cabana - we LOVED the Sanctuary on the Island. It is much nicer than the Retreat on the N. Amsterdam. The view off the back of the ship is much nicer than being mid-ship on the N.A. Also the Sanctuary has a small private pool. The NA does not. But the Retreat does have champagne every afternoon. My MIL loved that!

 

-Service - both lines were good. We had an excellent waiter, assistant waitress and cabin steward on the Island. Others on the Island, complained about their service staff. Again, think it depends on luck of the draw. I think Princess has a slight edge here.

 

-Smoking policy - since we are non-smokers, we like that the Princess policy is much more strict. We've had problems w/ smoke from neighboring balconies on HAL. Since HAL allows smoking on balconies, we never complain to the smokers. They are within their rights to smoke there. Just bad luck on our part that we were stuck next to them.

 

We expected an older crowd on the Island since it was a 2 wk cruise and not during the summer when kids are out of school. But, honestly, it was MUCH older than we thought. Our table mates were: 2 at 85, 1 at 75, 1 at 60, 2 in mid to late 60s. Think this was very typical. We saw a lot of 50 and 60 yr wedding anniversaries on board! Every where we went, people commented that we were the "young ones" on the boat. We were in the buffet about 1 hr after boarding and a couple came up to us and asked if we were on the right boat! :) We laughed and told them we look much younger than we really are. Most people think we are in our late 30s. But there really weren't many people in their 40s or 50s on the ship. The Alaska cruise was a bit younger. Since it was in the summer, there were a few kids too. On our 3 HAL cruises, my inlaws commented that they felt like they were in a nursing home. And they were in their late 60s/early 70s. I think, in general, HAL attracts an older crowd than Princess does. But you definitely can't tell by the music they play! HAL had nightly music that was recent.

 

We would consider a cruise on either line in the future. And we are also looking at going back to Celebrity again.

[Hlitner]

We enjoy both lines (and several others) and find that variety in ships and cruise lines is great because of the differences. One glaring difference between Princess and HAL is that HAL still allows smoking on balconies (including even cigars). So if you plan on booking a balcony you might want to take this into consideration. Other then the risk of smoke ruining your use of a balcony this should not be a "deal breaker." Although we do think that Princess offers better entertainment options, the change in cruise lines and the new shows (for the OP) is a plus.

 

I would add that we think that breakfast cabin service on HAL is the best of nearly all mass market cruise lines. HAL offers a pretty decent hot breakfast menu and has developed a technique that usually keeps the food warm-hot when it reaches your cabin. On the other hand, whenever we cruise on HAL we miss "Princess Pizza." :)

 

Hank

[PatriciaF]

We are usual Princess cruisers doing a HAL Baltic as we didn't want to be on the Royal--even though it had a tad better itinerary.

 

To me, the only major downside to HAL is the smoking policy--it's like the old Princess policy before it was changed in January 2013 (or so).

 

I haven't sailed on HAL since '97, so can't provide any current comparisons.

 

But, my cruise on HAL in '95 in Alaska (on the then Westerdam) was great--lots of families, good food. I was with my dad and two kids. Wonderful trip and memories.

[cruz chic]

I do both Hal and Princess. Some things are better on Hal, some on Princess.

 

While I've heard a few things about the royal can someone give me the short version of why it's so bad? I'm out of the loop.

[PatriciaF]

I do both Hal and Princess. Some things are better on Hal, some on Princess.

 

While I've heard a few things about the royal can someone give me the short version of why it's so bad? I'm out of the loop.

 

From the reviews I have read and looking over the deck plans, bigger ship, more passengers, squeezed public areas to have more cabins, smaller balconys, added odd things--like fountains--for a Bellagio Hotel like fountain show--

[Katie333]

We are Princess regulars who tried HAL for the first time last January. While there were pros and cons to both (for example, Princess pizza rocks, HAL is bleh ... HAL beds very comfy, Princess we need an egg crate to 'survive'), we would rate them equally in terms of our enjoyment.

 

Regarding Royal, I would agree that ship does not interest me because I love my (full size) balcony and aft cabins that aren't covered in soot.

[cruz chic]

From the reviews I have read and looking over the deck plans, bigger ship, more passengers, squeezed public areas to have more cabins, smaller balconys, added odd things--like fountains--for a Bellagio Hotel like fountain show--

 

Thx.

[cardboardcharlie]

One nice thing about princess they have laundry rooms to do washing which is nice hal does not

[OCruisers]

One nice thing about princess they have laundry rooms to do washing which is nice hal does not

 

NO!

HAL has Self Service Laundry Room w/ ironing boards just like Princess. :)

LuLu

~~~

[cruz chic]

NO!

HAL has Self Service Laundry Room w/ ironing boards just like Princess. :)

LuLu

~~~

 

Yes, on some of their ships, not all.

[GrammySpo]

We just did a back to back, first week on Royal Princess, second week on Holland. This was our 8th Princess cruise (second on Royal including the Transatlantic), and first on Holland (we were on the Eurodam). We personally like Princess and especially the Royal. Such a beautiful ship, and don't think it was a good thing to compare them so closely. My (subjective) impressions were: while I like the Royal (a lot) there were also some things I enjoyed on Holland. The food in the Main Dining Room was way better than I expected, and better than the Royal. I enjoyed the digital workshops and culinary classes on the Holland. I loved walking on the promenade (not an option on the Royal.

 

The Holland felt very dated and small to me. I didn't think the crew was as friendly on the Holland although I heard people raving about the friendliness. It seemed kind of hit and miss.

 

I liked the new alcohol package on the Royal. If you enjoy wine, you will NOT like Holland's wine prices or their packages.

 

The beds on the Royal are wonderful, as are the pillows. Hollands bed were ok, pillows not so much.

 

Pros and cons for each. It's definitely a personal decision that only you can determine what is best for you.

 

Whatever decision you make, you will be on a cruise so it can't be bad!

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[pris993]

We are long time Princess cruisers -- 22 cruises; HAL about 5, going on the N. Amsterdam this coming Sunday on a TA.

 

We have cruised on the Westerdam twice about 5 years ago. Our favorite HAL ship, did a 7 day Carribean and a 15 day TA. Read recently the Westerdam was still getting high marks.

 

Love the Main deck on HAL ships, agree with you, the Royal, even though I have not been on it is a design mistake. Also love the Crows Nest Lounge over looking the bow on all HAL ships. Room service is great for breakfast on HAL. If you like to order liquor for the cabin, HAL prices are reasonable.

 

Cabins are similar, we usually book a mini suite on Princess, a Delux Veranda on HAL. Both are comfortable.

 

Ref food, we generally special order off menu on cruises. Do find both Princess, HAL and Cunard do a very good job with off menu requests. By contrast Celebrity and NCL don't.

 

Recent reviews regarding speciality dining not so good on HAL. We enjoy Sabatini's on Princess.

 

We find the buffet the same on both lines.

 

Ref kids, HAL generally has fewer, but Alaska is an itinerary that does attrack more families, unless you book after the kids return to school in early September.

[cruz chic]

I think to make a judgment on a ship you really should sail on it. I realize that it might not be a popular sentiment. I'd be interested to see the Royal and wouldn't cross that ship off my list.

[Kruzkrazy]

Hello again group,

 

OP here, and I'd like to thank everyone for their very useful comments. Sounds like Westerdam is a pretty good bet.

 

FYI, my wife and I have been on the Royal, and I've never been so disappointed in a cruise ship in my life. From the destruction of the useful promenade deck to the misplacement of the toilet paper holders, it's a mess. Beautiful on the surface, of course, but scratch that surface and you find a ship designed purely to maximize revenue and any cost. There's virtually no shade at the inadequate pool space, intended to chase pax inside where they're going to spend money gambling, shopping and drinking. Princess claims the exterior prom deck had to be destroyed to meet new lifeboat safety requirements, but I just don't buy it. Unless maritime architects are getting minimum wage these days, I'll just bet they could've found a way to save the prom deck and satisfy the post-Costa Concordia rules. Again, fewer people sitting outside watching the ocean go buy equals more people inside spending money.

 

It's not like I don't understand business. I'm a longtime Carnival stockholder. I just don't like the direction the shipbuilders are taking.

 

That's my $0.02 worth. Again, thanx for your input.

 

Ron

[cruz chic]

Hello again group,

 

OP here, and I'd like to thank everyone for their very useful comments. Sounds like Westerdam is a pretty good bet.

 

FYI, my wife and I have been on the Royal, and I've never been so disappointed in a cruise ship in my life. From the destruction of the useful promenade deck to the misplacement of the toilet paper holders, it's a mess. Beautiful on the surface, of course, but scratch that surface and you find a ship designed purely to maximize revenue and any cost. There's virtually no shade at the inadequate pool space, intended to chase pax inside where they're going to spend money gambling, shopping and drinking. Princess claims the exterior prom deck had to be destroyed to meet new lifeboat safety requirements, but I just don't buy it. Unless maritime architects are getting minimum wage these days, I'll just bet they could've found a way to save the prom deck and satisfy the post-Costa Concordia rules. Again, fewer people sitting outside watching the ocean go buy equals more people inside spending money.

 

It's not like I don't understand business. I'm a longtime Carnival stockholder. I just don't like the direction the shipbuilders are taking.

 

That's my $0.02 worth. Again, thanx for your input.

 

Ron

 

Thanks for giving examples of why you don't like it. Gives me a better idea if I want to sail on the ship rather than someone that doesn't like it on paper. I appreciate it. I hope you'll come back and let us know if you like the Westy. I'll be on it soon.

[PunkiC]

We have sailed on both HAL and Princess, but primarily on Princess.

 

We like the fact that HAL almost always has a Catholic Priest on board, as that really simplifies attending Mass and we hate to miss.

 

The decor on HAL is really lovely, truly more elegant than Princess.

 

The people on HAL seem old, but then there are also a lot of old people on Princess. We are 70 and 72 and it seems like the other people are a lot older than we are. Sometimes, however, we find out that those really old people are only in their 60s. :p

 

I just love, love, love Princess pizza. HAL pizza is really bad.

 

We both like the HAL poached egg stations where they have lots of good choices of toppings. My favorite is eggs Florentine.

 

We are dancers and usually enjoy the dance floors on Princess more than on HAL, but HAL has more consistently good dance bands.

 

The activities are HAL are pretty limited compared to Princess. We like the dance classes on Princess and HAL has that awful Dancing with the Stars nonsense, which is just too silly to consider. We also enjoy Zumba on Princess. HAL mostly has bridge and cooking classes.

 

We used to lean toward HAL because of their liberal wine policy, but now that they have changed that, they have moved pretty far down the list on our cruise lines of choice.

 

Yes, Princess also charges a corkage fee, but it is only $15 per bottle compared to $18 per bottle. Princess also has a better choice of reasonably (well sort of reasonably) priced wines on board.

 

We are Elite on Princess and it is hard to pass up all the status perks--free minibar set-up, internet, laundry, plus their very generous military service credit.

 

We recently booked a Cunard trip and were surprised when our military credit showed up automatically on our account. It appears that they share a data base with Princess. All three lines offer Carnival stockholder OBC which is also pretty nice.

 

We really like the themed activities on Princess. Last December we took Hula and Ukulele lessons on our way to and from Hawaii and it was fantastic. Once on a Princess crossing we took tap dancing lessons and were both in a review during the talent show.

 

Our next cruise is through the Panama Canal on Princess and we are really looking forward to see what type of activities they will offer. Hopefully, they will have Spanish lessons.

 

Unless we find a really smoking deal, we probably won't sail HAL again.

Edited April 4, 2014 by PunkiC

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

We moved over ..:):)

[t60]

We have just returned from our first cruise with HAL, we are Elite on Princess so really missed the perks esp the internet, BUT we really like HAL. We were on Zaandam, which I believe is not typical of HAL as it´s smaller and not so new. We missed the Atrium and activiteies there, we missed the ¨normal ¨dance classes, (Dancing with the Stars, is not teaching dance it´s a sort of poor show dance which bears little relationship to normal cha cha, foxtrot, waltz or jive), we missed not having a fridge in the cabin, and all day lemonade. The food was better(apart from the pizza) both in the dining room and Lido buffet, people did not hog the windows in the buffet all day playing cards etc, you could always find somewhere to sit, the service in the dining room was excellent, the staff were always happy and chatty (not so on some of the Princess ships we´ve been on) even the officers remembered our names. One big plus for us was a bath in the bathroom and an adjustable height shower for me (being short I normally get drowned). On our particular ship there were plenty of smaller areas eg bar, cards,dance, demonstrations etc.We didn´t see any hogging of sun loungers (although there was one guy who was always in the same chair in the library day in day out), the library and computer area were good and spacious, there were several daily printed newspaper sheets for USA, Canada, Germany and a couple of others, The daily activity sheet wasn´t as comprhensive as Princess, but it did have a tear out page you could easily take with you, there were no port information leaflets although there were port lectures. The first few days we were still leaning towards Princess, but by the end of the 2 weeks HAL became the front runner. We found the beds and pillows better, also they still did towel animals and didn´t have the awful Eucalyptus toiletries. Oh yes , there was never a scrum for the lifts.

Sandy in Spain

PS At trivia no one took it THAT seriously...if you know what I mean

Edited April 4, 2014 by t60