Princess Elite May Try HAL

[Av8tor]

We're long time Princess cruisers but feel it might be time to branch out again and try different lines. Looking at a HAL cruise that leaves next month as we might be able to get a good price on a full suite (our first other than "minis" on PCL).

 

How do the services and amenities on HAL compare to PCL?

 

Food?

 

Is PIZZA available and is it as good as PCL?

 

Drink prices comparable?

 

I assume CCL stock ownership OBC is available, am I correct?

 

Do they offer any other OBCs (such as military)?

 

Thanks for any insights...

[Pia1913]

We're long time Princess cruisers but feel it might be time to branch out again and try different lines. Looking at a HAL cruise that leaves next month as we might be able to get a good price on a full suite (our first other than "minis" on PCL).

 

How do the services and amenities on HAL compare to PCL?

 

Food?

 

Is PIZZA available and is it as good as PCL?

 

Drink prices comparable?

 

I assume CCL stock ownership OBC is available, am I correct?

 

Do they offer any other OBCs (such as military)?

 

Thanks for any insights...

 

We did exactly that in December; took HAL Westerdam for the first time in many many years. We had a Neptune Suite which was an upsell from the Signature Suite. Loved every minutes of this cruise and too bad it was only 7 days.

 

They don't do military, but of course we received our CCL shareholder credit. I'm not a foodie, nor a pizza lover, but I can say that I actually ate in the DR for dinner, which is something I rarely do on Princess. And I did eat, so that's a plus. The service was impeccable, including the buffet. I drink only white wine, so can't help you with drink prices and my husband doesn't drink at all. I carried on my own wine which is allowed and also diet Pepsi which we prefer over Coke.

[1025cruise]

I sailed the Veendam a few years ago. I tried a piece of pizza. I don't think I finished the slice. Whereas, I devour the pizza on Princess ships.

[Av8tor]

Thanks Pia, I thought I might hear from you. 1025, bad news about the pizza. What about Pam and any of you others???

Edited June 14, 2015 by Av8tor

[johnmik1]

We're long time Princess cruisers but feel it might be time to branch out again and try different lines. Looking at a HAL cruise that leaves next month as we might be able to get a good price on a full suite (our first other than "minis" on PCL).

 

How do the services and amenities on HAL compare to PCL?

 

Food?

 

Is PIZZA available and is it as good as PCL?

 

Drink prices comparable?

 

I assume CCL stock ownership OBC is available, am I correct?

 

Do they offer any other OBCs (such as military)?

 

Thanks for any insights...

 

We have done quite a few Princess cruises but now tend to favor HAL.The pizza is thicker but very good.The drinks are close in cost.The OBC for the stock ownership is the same.The beds are heavenly compared with the pieces of granite Princess has.The buffet food is much better and actually hot!You can also order off the menu in any class of cabin.They also will sell me my preferred brand of scotch,at a reasonable price,delivered to my cabin,unlike the swill Princess sells.The burgers at the Dive In are better than any I have had,anywhere.The robes are much nicer as are the pillows.It is a different demographic but well done.Our next cruise is on HAL for 26 nights.Nothing booked on Princess.Go for it!

[Pam in CA]

I'm a 3-star Mariner on HAL and with the right itinerary and price, wouldn't hesitate to book again.

 

Services are very good on HAL. Love the full room service menu and you can ask that the dining room menu be delivered to your cabin. You can order anything off the menu delivered to your cabin. Not quite the UBD but it's nice after a long day of touring to be able to relax on your balcony and get a full dinner.

 

Food is very subjective. I think food is better on Princess but HAL is much better with Indonesian dishes. Their buffet is open only limited hours at breakfast, lunch and dinner so if you come back at 2pm from a tour and want a late lunch, you're limited to room service, pizza or the grill. Their buffet is set up very differently. You have to wait in line at each station to get what you want so you have to plan to get cold items first. Tables aren't set and there's no tableside beverage service. Except for the Royal/Regal, the food is fresher and much is served or made to order (hence the long lines.) The Pinnacle Grill is much better than the Crown Grill.

 

Yes, there's pizza but it's nowhere near as good as Princess. Their ice cream is also bad.

 

It's been a while since my last HAL cruise so I'm not sure of drink prices. As I remember, they're stronger than on Princess. My experience with bar staff is that overall, they are much better than on Princess and serve hot hors d'oeuvres early in the evening.

 

Cabins are larger and most have a couch. You don't have to book a mini-suite. Check the deck plans: many of the cabins have a tub/shower. There'll be a note. There's a curtain separating the living space from the entrance/bathroom hallway which really helps cut down on hallway noise. The desk has little storage but it does have a full-sized hair dryer and make-up mirror. Cabins have hallway wardrobes instead of the Princess open closet. You can't open a wardrobe and bathroom door at the same time.

 

HALs reputation for being an early-to-bed cruise line is well-earned. Many times, my friend and I would go to a lounge for an after dinner drink and be the only people there... essentially having a string quartet entertain just us.

 

The Crow's Nest is a really great lounge at the top of the ship. Like Skywalker's, it's quiet during the day, a lovely lounge for a pre-dinner drink.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Pam in CA

[johnmik1]

I'm a 3-star Mariner on HAL and with the right itinerary and price, wouldn't hesitate to book again.

 

Services are very good on HAL. Love the full room service menu and you can ask that the dining room menu be delivered to your cabin. You can order anything off the menu delivered to your cabin. Not quite the UBD but it's nice after a long day of touring to be able to relax on your balcony and get a full dinner.

 

Food is very subjective. I think food is better on Princess but HAL is much better with Indonesian dishes. Their buffet is open only limited hours at breakfast, lunch and dinner so if you come back at 2pm from a tour and want a late lunch, you're limited to room service, pizza or the grill. Their buffet is set up very differently. You have to wait in line at each station to get what you want so you have to plan to get cold items first. Tables aren't set and there's no tableside beverage service. Except for the Royal/Regal, the food is fresher and much is served or made to order (hence the long lines.) The Pinnacle Grill is much better than the Crown Grill.

 

Yes, there's pizza but it's nowhere near as good as Princess. Their ice cream is also bad.

 

It's been a while since my last HAL cruise so I'm not sure of drink prices. As I remember, they're stronger than on Princess. My experience with bar staff is that overall, they are much better than on Princess and serve hot hors d'oeuvres early in the evening.

 

Cabins are larger and most have a couch. You don't have to book a mini-suite. Check the deck plans: many of the cabins have a tub/shower. There'll be a note. There's a curtain separating the living space from the entrance/bathroom hallway which really helps cut down on hallway noise. The desk has little storage but it does have a full-sized hair dryer and make-up mirror. Cabins have hallway wardrobes instead of the Princess open closet. You can't open a wardrobe and bathroom door at the same time.

 

HALs reputation for being an early-to-bed cruise line is well-earned. Many times, my friend and I would go to a lounge for an after dinner drink and be the only people there... essentially having a string quartet entertain just us.

 

The Crow's Nest is a really great lounge at the top of the ship. Like Skywalker's, it's quiet during the day, a lovely lounge for a pre-dinner drink.

 

Pam,HAL now has place settings in the Lido and beverage service.They also have a great sandwich bar open in the afternoon if you are hungry between the Lido times.

[Putterdude]

We had a series of bad experiences on the Oosterdam a few years ago. However, I think we are willing to kiss and make up......ask me after our Royal cruise in August.:)

[Wehwalt]

They also have FCDs, although the price depends on the length of cruise.

 

I'm attracted by HAL's itineraries and have two Pacific cruises booked. Also, I took a reduced price deal and am off on the Eurodam next week.

[johnmik1]

We had a series of bad experiences on the Oosterdam a few years ago. However, I think we are willing to kiss and make up......ask me after our Royal cruise in August.:)

 

Frank,I will meet you there!

[Colo Cruiser]

We have done quite a few Princess cruises but now tend to favor HAL.The pizza is thicker but very good.The drinks are close in cost.The OBC for the stock ownership is the same.The beds are heavenly compared with the pieces of granite Princess has.The buffet food is much better and actually hot!You can also order off the menu in any class of cabin.They also will sell me my preferred brand of scotch,at a reasonable price,delivered to my cabin,unlike the swill Princess sells.The burgers at the Dive In are better than any I have had,anywhere.The robes are much nicer as are the pillows.It is a different demographic but well done.Our next cruise is on HAL for 26 nights.Nothing booked on Princess.Go for it!

 

 

That would be a slam dunk. :)

[Pam in CA]

Pam,HAL now has place settings in the Lido and beverage service.They also have a great sandwich bar open in the afternoon if you are hungry between the Lido times.

Thanks for the update. The Royal and Regal have a made-to-order sandwich bar as well. I'd much rather have a really nice salad for lunch than a sandwich. Princess has a much better salad bar. :)

[OCruisers]

We are Elite on Princess but still enjoy cruising on HAL from time to time. :)

 

LuLu

[nimiq]

I'm a 3-star Mariner on HAL and with the right itinerary and price, wouldn't hesitate to book again.

 

Services are very good on HAL. Love the full room service menu and you can ask that the dining room menu be delivered to your cabin. You can order anything off the menu delivered to your cabin. Not quite the UBD but it's nice after a long day of touring to be able to relax on your balcony and get a full dinner.

 

Food is very subjective. I think food is better on Princess but HAL is much better with Indonesian dishes. Their buffet is open only limited hours at breakfast, lunch and dinner so if you come back at 2pm from a tour and want a late lunch, you're limited to room service, pizza or the grill. Their buffet is set up very differently. You have to wait in line at each station to get what you want so you have to plan to get cold items first. Tables aren't set and there's no tableside beverage service. Except for the Royal/Regal, the food is fresher and much is served or made to order (hence the long lines.) The Pinnacle Grill is much better than the Crown Grill.

 

Yes, there's pizza but it's nowhere near as good as Princess. Their ice cream is also bad.

 

It's been a while since my last HAL cruise so I'm not sure of drink prices. As I remember, they're stronger than on Princess. My experience with bar staff is that overall, they are much better than on Princess and serve hot hors d'oeuvres early in the evening.

 

Cabins are larger and most have a couch. You don't have to book a mini-suite. Check the deck plans: many of the cabins have a tub/shower. There'll be a note. There's a curtain separating the living space from the entrance/bathroom hallway which really helps cut down on hallway noise. The desk has little storage but it does have a full-sized hair dryer and make-up mirror. Cabins have hallway wardrobes instead of the Princess open closet. You can't open a wardrobe and bathroom door at the same time.

 

HALs reputation for being an early-to-bed cruise line is well-earned. Many times, my friend and I would go to a lounge for an after dinner drink and be the only people there... essentially having a string quartet entertain just us.

 

The Crow's Nest is a really great lounge at the top of the ship. Like Skywalker's, it's quiet during the day, a lovely lounge for a pre-dinner drink.

 

Also been on both line but we are Elite on Princess but would not turn my back if the price would be right with HAL.

Actually done two cruises on Hal both on Westerdame and thought they had done a great job.

I return back to princess more often mostly because of the demographic of the people.

 

Sea ya

 

Eric

[PescadoAmarillo]

We have taken four HAL cruises and I would take another in a heartbeat. Food quality has been uneven (ranging from good to the best we've ever had on a cruise), dining service has been uneven (ranging from slow to decent), and I find the ship's rather unattractive. But we love the Promenade Decks and the larger cabins and the classical music options and the special on deck parties with some really great locally inspired food treats.

[sunsetbeachgal]

We are Princess Elite who have now taken three HAL cruises in the last 18 months, primarily due to itinerary and price, and just got off a HAL Northern Europe cruise this weekend that was maybe one of our top cruises ever. We did not consider Princess for Northern Europe/Baltic as most sailings do not go through the beautiful Stockholm archipelago which for us was a highlight of the trip.

 

We were lucky enough to get a very attractive upsell offer, actually they offered the first round of upsells about two weeks prior to sailing which we did not jump at, but then a week prior the prices for the upsells went down more than 55% and we jumped at it. We got a full Neptune Suite that was an aft wrap with a huge deep balcony that provided perfect views. Between the upsell price plus the balcony guarantee price we paid, the total price was less than we paid for an inside cabin on our Princess Grand Mediteranean cruise on the Royal two years ago (thankfully I got a free upgrade to balcony on that!) both for twelve day itineraries. The suite benefits with the exception of the internet, made up for losing my Princess Elite benefits. There is a wonderful concierge lounge on HAL for suite guests if you decide to take the upsell, which is available to Neptune suite guests, but not to Signature suites. Great food all day long and cappuccinos that we loved.

 

I think main dining room food is about equal, service throughout probably better on HAL, buffet food quality better on HAL with the exception of the Royal and Regal Princess, entertainment equal (HAL had better lounge entertainment, Princess better production shows), ship décor huge plus to Princess. Pizza no contest, Princess hands down! And the International Café on Princess just cant be beat on any cruise line we have sailed! The HAL ships also have great promenade decks for walking, which we utilized.

 

Overall I find the two lines very comparable and great choices!

Edited June 15, 2015 by sunsetbeachgal

[Cruzaholic41]

Tables aren't set and there's no tableside beverage service.

 

I keep seeing this posted on this board, as though Princess is the only line who does this. I'm Elite on Princess and 4 Star on HAL, and never in all my HAL cruises, or any other line for that matter, has there not been table service for beverages in the buffet. Where are you getting this information? :confused: If it's your experience, I guarantee it was an anomaly.

 

Back to the Op. I do highly recommend you try HAL if for nothing else, just to try something different. I'm a huge opponent to only cruising one line. There are some areas in which HAL blows away Princess. The staterooms are one. All rooms have a couch and are much more spacious. Their Signature Suites far surpass Princess' Mini Suite. Even their humongous interior rooms blow away Princess. I think HAL's biggest strength is their service. The Indonesian crew is excellent and HAL probably has the best service of any major cruise line.

 

However, there is still one big area HAL is lacking, and I consider this one to be major. HAL still allows balcony smoking.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Agree with above, tables in the Lido buffet were set and cleaned as soon as someone vacated them and reset immediately. Beverages were offered here and there, but we usually grabbed our own from the nearby beverage stations.

 

oh, forgot to mention that the orange juice on HAL is fresh squeezed! Yum! :)

[8pawz]

We have sailed on Princess Grand, Star, and Coral and have two Island cruises coming up. We have sailed on HAL Eurodam, Noordam, Amsterdam and Volendam. The most important difference to us is the level and type of activities - Princess to us has more, a good variety of and better activities. On the smaller HAL ships we would roam the decks after the only evening show available and decide that the only thing to do was read. But, we heard that the ships with the BB King really rock at night. Still, our Volendam cruise to the Far East was one of our best ever. Fantastic Asian buffets and decent shows.

 

For a cruise with a lot of sea days I would choose Princess or one of the larger HAL ships. For port intensive cruises I would select based on itinerary. Since we like basic foods we are happy with both lines in this area. For service we found its level is based more on the ship than the line. For example, we walked out of the dining room on the Amsterdam twice before finishing dinner after waiting over a half hour fir the next course while the service on the Volendam was fantastic. We love both lines and will continue to sail on both.

[akeasley]

I've taken two HAL cruises (both on the same ship) and they were both fantastic! The food and service have been excellent on both cruises and I wouldn't hesitate to sail again with HAL.

 

I don't know what it's like on bigger HAL ships, but the HAL buffet on the Maasdam is small and you do have to wait in line. It's worth it though, because the food is hot and fresh. On my last HAL cruise, I had a made to order omelet almost every morning that was really good.

 

Princess has way better pizza but HAL has the Dive In Grill where the burgers and fries are heavenly. I have to disagree with a previous poster about the ice cream. I think it's really good and makes the tiny cones you get on Princess, that much worse.

 

Princess has a better loyalty program, but otherwise, I have no complaints with HAL.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Agree with above, tables in the Lido buffet were set and cleaned as soon as someone vacated them and reset immediately. Beverages were offered here and there, but we usually grabbed our own from the nearby beverage stations.

 

oh, forgot to mention that the orange juice on HAL is fresh squeezed! Yum! :)

 

Good point, Carole. DH loves the fresh squeezed OJ but also the 7 or 8 additional fruit juices available every morning. And I do like that on HAL, many buffet items are made to order (crepes, eggs benedict, waffles). But I still think Princess does seafood better than HAL. And we've had more language issues with the crew on HAL than on Princes. But we love that there is never a steward's cart in the hallways, as there is on Princess for all but about 3-4 waking hours a day.

[caribill]

DH loves the fresh squeezed OJ but also the 7 or 8 additional fruit juices available every morning.

 

Princess also has a number of fruit juices available at breakfast. You just need to request the ones you want as most are not out on display or automatically offered.

[CruisinChris]

Like the OP, we're trying HAL in February. Pricing on a suite for Oosterdam to the Southern Caribbean was much better than Princess and I couldn't resist. As much as I like Princess and have been very loyal over the years, I just couldn't bear paying a super premium and being surrounded by 3600 people. The more intimate ship size and the lovely balconies with inviting furniture hit it for me. (I spent my March cruise docked everyday next to a sister ship so I had plenty of time to study the situation).

 

I'm very surprised by the comments about bar prices being comparable. I think that may be close to true for mixed drinks, but the wine list is ridiculously over-priced. Princess has always been reasonable, even with the newer lists over the last couple of years that significantly raised prices. HAL is charging $60 for $7.99 bottle of wine. Our regular pour is a $14 bottle, that I have no problem paying up to $40 for on P. It's $69 on HAL. Doesn't take a genius to figure out that we will be way ahead by bringing on wine, even with the corkage. And while inconvenient, we will do it.

 

We're prepared for the ship to be very quiet after we're done with second seating. I expect we will make good use of our balcony!

 

I want to end by saying on one level it really kills me to leave Princess for my Caribbean cruise, but:

- I'm bored with the itineraries after over 15 years of the same old thing,

- don't love the huge ships (Sanctuary has become the only way to carve out an enjoyable daytime experience, but creates a nightmare of stress on embarkation day),

- the tiny balconies on the ship deployed on the 10 day don't work for me (the minis with extended balcony are fine),

- the prices are high enough to give me pause.

[geoherb]

HALs reputation for being an early-to-bed cruise line is well-earned. Many times, my friend and I would go to a lounge for an after dinner drink and be the only people there... essentially having a string quartet entertain just us.

HAL has cut back considerably on entertainment. I did not seen any string quartets on our most recent HAL cruises. They were cut back to a violin/piano duo. Also on our last HAL cruise, there were not any male dancers in the production shows. That's not a make-or-break consideration for us, but it is a symptom of how drastic they've cut things back. There are also a lot fewer activities both during the day and at night.

 

Nevertheless, I'll keep looking at HAL when there's not a Princess cruise that fits our timing in terms of itinerary and price and wouldn't hesitate to book another.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Princess also has a number of fruit juices available at breakfast. You just need to request the ones you want as most are not out on display or automatically offered.

 

Not these...guava, mango, papaya and more. Yummy stuff.