Holland America vs. Princess, RCCL, Celebrity

[cambriah]

Hi

We have sailed with Princess, celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

 

We Are currently exploring the possibility of a Northenl European cruise with HAL, on their newest ship, The Konigsdam.

 

Any opinions as to how HAL compares to the other cruise lines mentioned above would be greatly appreciated.

We would be interested in such things as food, service, cabin size, entertainment, fellow passengers, etc.

 

We are two Seniors who really enjoy cruising.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Cambriah

[doublebzz]

Your post is likely to trigger many responses which, by the nature of the issue, will be subjective and opinionated. My experience, having sailed often in all the lines you mentioned, is that there is very little that distinguishes one line from another. I believe itinerary and cost are more significant considerations, particularly on a Northern European(NE) cruise. We did a NE on Celebrity a few years back and of the 40 plus cruises we have taken, it was the least where the ship, its amenities and fellow guests were important factors. The is because the itinerary is so port intensive where you are off-ship touring almost every day and that becomes the focus of the cruise. Since you enjoy cruising, I'm sure you will like HAL, particularly on its newest ship.

[kalliekae]

I agree with Doublebzz. We did the Baltic cruise with HAL and it was very port intensive. The ship really didn't matter since we were so tired at the end of the day. All we wanted was a good meal and a bed. That particular cruise was the most port intensive of any cruise we have taken. I'm happy we went on it, but I know I would feel that I wasted my money on an RC ship on that cruise because we would not have taken advantage of their many activities on board the ship. Read the RC threads and you will find the same statement from others.

[dockman]

Holland ocean view rooms usually 197 square feet and have couch and dvd players

 

Princess more like 170 s.f no couch no dvd but does have refrigerator. Princess inside are tiny at 160 s,f.

 

30 sf doesn't sound like much but holland rooms sure feel more spacious than princess.

 

Princess no deck chairs on prom deck and usually have to go up down steps to do a full lap.

 

Holland great fake teak wraparound decks and deck chairs to watch the world sail by.

 

Holland more traditional with fewer passengers. Princess bigger with more restaurants shows people.

[Host Anne]

Have sailed all lines and enjoy them all. Just booked Koningsdam because I know I'm going to love the ship. She is designed by the same person who designed the Celebrity S-class ships. If you like those ships, I'm guessing you'll like Koningsdam.

 

Previous posters are right....on a port intensive cruise like you are considering, the ship is less important but I'm guessing HAL will do a stellar job with this ship no matter where she sails.

[xlxo]

Hmm.... my thoughts on my limited cruise experience for HAL improvements.

• from Princess.... I like the LCD screens over the old CRT's on the Zuiderdaam in 2013.
  
• from DCL... 24Mbps internet for $90!
  

[RMLincoln]

I believe that the new HAL ship, Koeningsdam, will not have the traditional HAL promenade deck, more like the Celebrity deck with the lifeboats on the deck level not suspended above.... so no fabulous viewing the ocean form the deck chairs. But if you are in a balcony room you may not care, or same for a port intensive itinerary.

 

For what it's worth, DH says he can't tell the difference between HAL, Princess and Celebrity until he eats the pizza! Enjoy, m--

[Wendy-Europe]

Unfortunately - I was not on a Celebrity (it is on my bucket list).

 

We cruised the "baltic sea" with the Eurodam last year, I have been on Royal Caribbean three times and was on Emerald Princess this year.

 

I always book a verandah cabin.

 

If I had to chose - I would always cruise with Holland America.

 

I enjoyed the other cruises too - but I was very disappointed about the buffet food of princess for example. Worst buffet on a cruise I ever had!

 

And baltic is a very port intense cruise - maybe you are to tired to wait for dinner or you would like to grab a nice snack after an excursion. At the Eurodam it was a pleasure - nice choice and quality. At Princess it was something I avoid if possible...

 

My ranking of the three I have cruised with

 

Holland America at the top

Royal Caribbean second

Princess last

[Aquahound]

Hi

We have sailed with Princess, celebrity and Royal Caribbean.

 

We Are currently exploring the possibility of a Northenl European cruise with HAL, on their newest ship, The Konigsdam.

 

Any opinions as to how HAL compares to the other cruise lines mentioned above would be greatly appreciated.

We would be interested in such things as food, service, cabin size, entertainment, fellow passengers, etc.

 

We are two Seniors who really enjoy cruising.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I've also been on all and I think my attraction to HAL is their itineraries. Koningsdam withstanding, it certainly isn't for their ships, activities, or the fact they still allow balcony smoking.

 

Food and service will be equal, if not better. Entertainment will be worse. Cabin size will be equal to Celebrity and RCI, and certainly better than Princess. Fellow passengers will be similar to Celebrity and Princess.

[bjarrett7]

I have only cruised HAL, Disney and Celebrity. Celebrity and HAL are VERY similar. I personally prefer the smaller ship of HAL.

One of the biggest differences is style: celebrity is modern and HAL is traditional. Celebrity has a wow factor while Hal feels more comfortable. Both luxurious.

We felt that HAL was a little more intimate. HAL's specialty restaurants are less expensive which is a plus.

IMHO, the age of the clientele is very similar... Perhaps HAL having a few more elderly passengers but both seem to have the majority of passengers age 55-65. I think that has to do with retirement and the ability to travel frequently!

All in all, you can't go wrong!

Edited August 6, 2015 by bjarrett7

[OlsSalt]

We love the spacious and extensive HAL Libraries. Don't think the other cruise lines are as extensive from viewing their deck plans. (???) That is a big plus for us to keep choosing HAL.

[iancal]

We have been on all of those cruise lines. Far more similar than they are different.

 

Never been on a Baltic cruise (on our list) but our experience on Med cruises is that the ship does not matter that much IF you are have many port stops and like to get off/explore or take excursions.

 

IF I we were looking at a HAL ship, it would definitely be one of their newer ships. We have no cruise line loyalty but we find that there are more differences between ships in the same cruise line than there are between certain cruise lines like HAL, Celebrity, and Princess.

 

If it were us, we would focus on ship and value for money, ie price/stateroom.

We typically book inside the final payment window when prices are down and our target is a balcony guarantee.

 

If you are looking at obtaining air from the cruise line we have found that there can be large differences in the price of flights between cruise lines. We have also found that you can sometimes pricing two one way flights on cruise air can be less expensive than a return flight. Plus it gives you a multicity option.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[QueenGlassHalfFull]

We have cruised on 3 of the 4 cruise lines (we have not cruised on Princess). In my opinion, all three are similar with advantages and disadvantages for each. We will no longer sail HAL because of the more liberal smoking policy (i.e., smoking allowed on verandahs). We find RCCL to be less expensive with more options for Caribbean cruises but overall not as upscale as HAL. Our current favorite is Celebrity because of the exceptional suite guest services provided. The new suite guest restaurant on Celebrity is a game changer. If you are not in a suite, the quality of food (once again, in my opinion) is very similar on HAL and Celebrity. As long as verandah smoking doesn't bother you, you will love HAL. We enjoyed many years of cruising with her before making the switch to RCCL and Celebrity.

[Hlitner]

We routinely cruise on all 3 of those lines (last year 38 days on the Oosterdam, 26 days on the Ruby Princess and 14 days on the Celebrity Eclipse). Overall there is more similar about all three lines then not. But one major difference is that HAL is only line that still allows smoking (cigars and cigarettes) on all passenger balconies. So if booking a balcony cabin we would generally avoid HAL (if there were other options). Otherwise, on a port intensive cruise we would be happy with any of those lines. When it comes to food, there are things to like and dislike on all 3 lines. Service and entertainment are pretty similar on the lines except HAL does seem to lack much for the late night crowds.

 

Hank

Edited August 6, 2015 by Hlitner

[OCruisers]

Holland America vs. Princess, RCCL, Celebrity:

 

We find HAL to be much like Celebrity in most ways.

Somewhat like Princess.

Not very much at all like RCCL.

 

LuLu

[iancal]

If all were equal, and we buying a verandah cabin, HAL would fall off our list because of their smoking policy. The upside is we would never go in their smokey casino and this saves us some money.

Edited August 6, 2015 by iancal

[sunsetbeachgal]

We have done two European cruises with HAL in the past year...they have great itineraries and we loved both of the cruises. Europe is about the ports and the time in port, which is a consideration that people often overlook. HAL provides an excellent cruise, very similar to Princess. I would also think that a new ship would be a great choice!

[OlsSalt]

Appears to me HAL still has more smaller ships and even her new bigger ships are still small compared to other cruise lines. This is a benefit opening more places she can dock, while the bigger ships on other lines often get sent down to the out of the way commercial ports that are the only ones that can handle the larger cruise ships.

 

Not a 100% rule by far but it does give HAL ships a slight edge. We assumed we would be right downtown on the small Prinsendam in Barcelona, but ended up way the heck out. But as general rule, the smaller the ship the more flexible the options.

Edited August 6, 2015 by OlsSalt

[OCruisers]

HAL is wonderful for port intensive cruises. :D

 

LuLu

[Tennessee Titan]

IMHO: Just back from 12 days on the Royal Princess. Foor in the MDR was terrible. Seemed like most of was prepared pre cruise,frozon, and served reheated. Specialty restaurants (both free and surcharged) were much better.

HAL (Nieuw Amsterdam most recently) was far superior.

[Tennessee Titan]

HAL DOES NOT allow smoking on Balconies any more....

[HarR]

HAL DOES NOT allow smoking on Balconies any more....

 

Hah. If that were true this would be the trending topic on the forum by now, and would probably beat the number of "new carry on wine policy" posts we saw a year ago.

Edited August 7, 2015 by HarR

[take us away]

My preference is HAL, then Princess, then RCL. IMO:

HAL has the best service by far, smaller ships, good to great food, larger cabins with larger bathrooms due to tubs in most baths, dedicated and well-traveled passengers.

Princess has smaller but efficient cabins, tiny bathrooms, good food, better entertainment, fairly equivalently aged passengers to HAL

RCL has less good food, small cabins, tend to have younger passengers, larger ships, better entertainment, more add-ons, more 'stuff' to do like rock climbing, water slides, etc. that is of no interest as not why I cruise.

 

You cannot go wrong so have an awesome time.

[blizzardboy]

Zuiderdam had LCDs when we were last aboard Jan 2014.

[cruisemom42]

Appears to me HAL still has more smaller ships and even her new bigger ships are still small compared to other cruise lines. This is a benefit opening more places she can dock, while the bigger ships on other lines often get sent down to the out of the way commercial ports that are the only ones that can handle the larger cruise ships.

 

Not a 100% rule by far but it does give HAL ships a slight edge. We assumed we would be right downtown on the small Prinsendam in Barcelona, but ended up way the heck out. But as general rule, the smaller the ship the more flexible the options.

 

As the OP is considering the Koningsdam, I'm not sure this would be meaningful to them...

 

There are a few places where having a slightly smaller ship is a benefit, but I've found that unless you sail on the ships that are Prinsendam-sized or smaller, the places you dock are the ones that can accommodate large vessels.