New from Princess

[smellycruzer]

Greetings everyone! While this is my first post here, I am no stranger to the world of cruising as I've sailed countless times on Princess, Celebrity X, Premier, Legendary, etc.

 

I'm excited but a bit apprehensive about my first Holland America cruise. I'll be sailing on the Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage on January 4th. I've been to many of the ports of call but never to Antarctica.

 

So, since I am mainly a Princess cruiser, does anyone have any comparisons of what I can expect on my first Holland America cruise? I hope I'm not in over my head on the 36-day trip.

 

How does the Vista Suite stack up against the Mini-Suite on Princess? What ship in the Princess fleet most closely aligns with the ms Prinsendam?

 

Thoughts, comments, and words of encouragement are all appreciated!

Edited June 21, 2015 by smellycruzer

[kazu]

Greetings everyone! While this is my first post here, I am no stranger to the world of cruising as I've sailed countless times on Princess, Celebrity X, Premier, Legendary, etc.

 

I'm excited but a bit apprehensive about my first Holland America cruise. I'll be sailing on the Grand South America and Antarctica Voyage on January 4th. I've been to many of the ports of call but never to Antarctica.

 

So, since I am mainly a Princess cruiser, does anyone have any comparisons of what I can expect on my first Holland America cruise? I hope I'm not in over my head on the 36-day trip.

 

How does the Vista Suite stack up against the Mini-Suite on Princess? What ship in the Princess fleet most closely aligns with the ms Prinsendam?

 

Thoughts, comments, and words of encouragement are all appreciated!

 

the Prinsendam is our favourite ship in the HAL fleet. She's old but has aged gracefully. I think you could compare her to the Ocean Princess which has been sold to Oceania and will be their new Sirena in their fleet.

 

I've talked to a few people that have sailed both. They were quite happy on the Prinsendam.

 

The staff are great on board, crew to passenger ratio is good and everyone will know your name and your preferences in no time.

 

I think a Vista Suite would be smaller than a mini suite on Princess but I will let the Princess experts weigh in here. The Vista is basically a balcony cabin.

 

If the upsell/upgrade fairy smiles upon you, the Signature Suites are very nice on the ship and much more spacious.

 

hope this helps a bit.

[smellycruzer]

the Prinsendam is our favourite ship in the HAL fleet. She's old but has aged gracefully. I think you could compare her to the Ocean Princess which has been sold to Oceania and will be their new Sirena in their fleet.

 

I've talked to a few people that have sailed both. They were quite happy on the Prinsendam.

 

The staff are great on board, crew to passenger ratio is good and everyone will know your name and your preferences in no time.

 

I think a Vista Suite would be smaller than a mini suite on Princess but I will let the Princess experts weigh in here. The Vista is basically a balcony cabin.

 

If the upsell/upgrade fairy smiles upon you, the Signature Suites are very nice on the ship and much more spacious.

 

hope this helps a bit.

 

Thanks for the informative reply. We're crossing our fingers for the upgrade fairy!

[qsuzi]

Am I correct that you will be on the Prinsendam? Those who have sailed the Prinsendam, like Kazu, will be your best source for comparisons for this class of HAL ship.

 

I've sailed in both the Vista and Mini Suites. The Vista Suite is 225/63 vs MiniSuite 277/46. All(most?) Vista balconies are covered but only those Mini Suites on the Emerald deck are covered (on the class of Princess ships I've sailed). The Princess cabin is longer and it's balcony smaller, both have tubs but Vista's is higher. The one HAL ship I sailed (Veendam) was not as well maintained as Princess and does not have some of the more modern updates like information available on TV and new flat screen TV's. The Atrium is not the gathering place on HAL but you have a better space to passenger ratios in the public areas on HAL. Food was better on HAL but Princess a close second except for desserts. Our experience was that food and Service in the Speciality restaurants is comparable. Overall service, in the buffet was much better on Princess. Beds were comparable but other cabin furniture better on Princess. We found staff (Guest Services and Front Office on HAL, waiters, room steward, etc.) very comparable and friendly on both lines. Because you are on a longer HAL voyage I have read that service is better. Entertainment is not as varied and not as good quality on HAL. Drinks are generally $2 less but do not have the better ingredients.

Edited June 21, 2015 by qsuzi

[The-Inside-Cabin]

HAL has a extensive room service menu for breakfast which can be delivered whenever you want. Eggs to order etc....princess is continental only with the option if a egg mc muffin type sandwich.

 

Princess has better internet and a nice intranet feature. HAL has free access to the entire New York Times website. Princess has better elite perks sooner. 100 free minutes for second platinum. HAL lets you stay in your room till you are ready to get off on the last day...plus they have last day room service breakfast.

Edited June 22, 2015 by Pete and Judy

[kazu]

HAL has a extensive room service menu for breakfast which can be delivered whenever you want. Eggs to order etc....princess is continental only with the option if a egg mc muffin type sandwich.

 

Princess has better internet and a nice intranet feature. HAL has free access to the entire New York Times website. Princess has better elite perks sooner. 100 free minutes for second platinum. HAL lets you stay in your room till you are ready to get off on the last day...plus they have last day room service breakfast.

 

really good points for the OP.

 

HAL also has wonderful fresh squeezed oj.

 

Prinsendam's library is very nice - don't miss the Oak Room which has additional books and very comfortable chairs.

 

Since you are on a longer cruise, Prinsendam typically has some themed buffets on the Lido to match some of your ports. There are usually good lecturers on board as well.

 

Do try lunch in the Pinnacle Grill. You reserve on board. At $10 it is a real bargain IMO and delicious.

 

qsuzi mentioned better service on longer cruises. That has been our experience but we have usually done longer ones on this ship. :)

 

The Adagio on this ship (violinist and piano) have always been very good when we have been on.

 

Our experience (and some will disagree ) and others' who are P'dam fans is that things are just a bit "stepped up" over the other ships in the fleet.

[take us away]

The Grand So America will have more crew than usual so you should have outstanding service, slightly better food with more local foods such as fresh tuna from Chile, more local entertainment, port lecturers (not port shoppers) who will present great info on each port such as what to do if not on a tour, are taxis metered, how much is a cab to town even though most ports will have free shuttles to a central area, excellent lecturers on the areas you will visit and other topics such as the night sky of the southern hemisphere plus special lecturers just for Antarctica, oh, and pillow gifts. These all contribute to why these special cruises are called "Grand". Antarctica was one of the highlights of all our years of cruising. The P'dam is aging but we love her small size both for fewer passengers and the fact she can get into ports that the larger ships do not dock into, king beds along with walk-in closets in almost all rooms, and she sails so smooth even in rough waters due to her hull design. Have an awesome time but be careful as you will get so spoiled you will not want to get off!

[qsuzi]

HAL has a extensive room service menu for breakfast which can be delivered whenever you want. Eggs to order etc....princess is continental only with the option if a egg mc muffin type sandwich.

 

Princess has better internet and a nice intranet feature. HAL has free access to the entire New York Times website. Princess has better elite perks sooner. 100 free minutes for second platinum. HAL lets you stay in your room till you are ready to get off on the last day...plus they have last day room service breakfast.

I'm so glad you mentioned HAL's room service menu and items; there is also a wider selection of items on the MDR menu. HAL excels in this area. Princess has food available in the buffet, etc. for more early and late hours during the day.

Edited June 22, 2015 by qsuzi

[RuthC]

Our experience (and some will disagree ) and others' who are P'dam fans is that things are just a bit "stepped up" over the other ships in the fleet.

I am one who agrees whole-heartedly. For several reasons, including the fact that there are just fewer people to serve, service on this ship is much better than on other HAL ships. "Anticipation" comes into play like in the old days on HAL.

[sunsetbeachgal]

we have sailed both, big edge to the Prinsendam. We had an oceanview cabin so can't comment on Vista suite. For us, the entertainment on the P'dam was far superior to the Ocean Princess. Also much preferred the design of the ship, the wonderful wide Promenade deck, the Crows Nest, etc.

 

I find food between the two lines very similar. Oh, we loved the free self service laundry on the P'dam, expect you will appreciate this on a longer cruise!

Edited June 22, 2015 by sunsetbeachgal

[George C]

I prefer Hal over Princess , I did a few Princess cruises before doing a few Hal cruises, all our Princess were mini-suites and I did prefer that to the one Vista suite we did ( on Massadam) but the SS suites are really a lot nicer that the mini-suites and the Neptune's suites are really very nice

[sammiedawg]

Princess is not sailing anything as old as the Prinsendam. For us the ship disappointed for the premium price we paid. Not worth the money unless you need a very specific itinerary. We had a musty cabin not in very good condition. The ship is old in the tooth. The food was standard for the fleet, one person pointed out an extra section of cheese on the buffet. There was no tableside service in the lido other than a busboy, Princess has lots of beverage servers in the Horizon Court. I've been in Princess mini suites , we just had OV on Prinsendam and had plenty of space. If you want the drive by of Antartica go with it. If you want to actually see Antartica research the expedition ships out of Ushaia, sorry I cannot remember how to spell the city name.

Edited June 23, 2015 by sammiedawg