Order of Excellence

[kidlessatsea]

Odd question:

 

I was told by a Princess rep and a HAL rep that the quality order of brands is Carnival, Princess then HAL.

 

My mom said she was watching a show and someone from Carnival corp said the order is Carnival, HAL then Princess.

 

Does anyone know? Pricing would show that Princess is the top tier (of those three) but from everything else I read, it's HAL.

 

Input? Thanks!

[dallas16]

Odd question:

 

I was told by a Princess rep and a HAL rep that the quality order of brands is Carnival, Princess then HAL.

 

My mom said she was watching a show and someone from Carnival corp said the order is Carnival, HAL then Princess.

 

Does anyone know? Pricing would show that Princess is the top tier (of those three) but from everything else I read, it's HAL.

 

Input? Thanks!

 

 

I haven't cruised with either of these lines but I would have thought that the order would be HAL as the five star cruise line, princess which is 4.5 star cruising and then Carnival as a four star line

 

 

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[JustinCMH]

I'd rank Princess the highest if by "quality" you mean expectation of a high-end luxury experience based on prior reputation (as in Nordstrom is a higher quality brand than Walmart), HAL is a very close second, and Carnival a faraway third. The market agrees; Princess cruises are generally more expensive.

 

Keep in mind that people define brand quality in different terms. Also, other factors may make one cruise line more enjoyable for you than brand quality alone. For example, Princess ships are generally larger than HAL, but this may or may not be a positive aspect depending on your preferences. Finally, I'm biased in that I have sailed with Princess but not HAL. Others who have sailed with both (or neither) may be able to present less biased opinions.

 

 

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[POA1]

I wouldn't use the phrase "Order of Excellence" because it's really just market segmentation. For the US market - and only the US market - CCL puts the order at Carnival, Princess, then Holland America. Seabourn is at top.

 

Those four brands are the primary North American facing ones, but Costa and Cunard sell into the US market. AIDA, P&O, and P&O Australia are typically focused outside the North American market.

[Tatka]

I'd say Princess, then close HAL and Carnival I'd put in the last place out of all lines we sailed with.

Carnival's service is actually not bad, but ambiance, decor, food, entertainment aren't that great.

[catl331]

I've never tried Princess, and Carnival only once. I would rate my one Carnival far below HAL average.

[JAF1]

Have not sailed on Carnival but been on Princes and HAL and would say HAL have a slight edge over Princess

[POA1]

I wouldn't use the phrase "Order of Excellence" because it's really just market segmentation. For the US market - and only the US market - CCL puts the order at Carnival, Princess, then Holland America. Seabourn is at top.

 

Those four brands are the primary North American facing ones, but Costa and Cunard sell into the US market. AIDA, P&O, and P&O Australia are typically focused outside the North American market.

I should probably mention that this is Carnival's segmentation, not mine. If you all have Carnival employees at home, please run it by them.

[geoherb]

I'd rank Princess slightly ahead of HAL and then Carnival way behind.

[sammiedawg]

The order flipped since we first sailed either line. Princess is now first, then HAL. I've never been on Carnival and have no opinion.

 

My travel agent friend confirmed my rankings several years ago. Carnival corporation loved the Princess product when they bought it. At the same time the corporation lost interest in Holland America.

Both are mass market lines.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Before our last HAL cruise, I would have put HAL before Princess. But so many things were cut from our cruise that now I would put Princess ahead of HAL.

[dogo88]

I'd rank Princess slightly ahead of HAL and then Carnival way behind.

 

 

Well the folks over on the Carnival forum are having a vigorous discussion on where they stand compared to the other "snob" lines and may disagree.;)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2460903

 

Dan

[kazu]

Well the folks over on the Carnival forum are having a vigorous discussion on where they stand compared to the other "snob" lines and may disagree.;)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2460903

 

Dan

 

It all comes down to each person's own experiences on each line.

 

Ratings are meaningless if you have a not great cruise or a miserable one.

 

If your better experiences are on another line - then they are #1 with you. But it's all personal.

 

If I were rating, it would be HAL first, Princess 2nd, Oceania 3rd, etc. BUT, those are OUR experiences on a time in a window of two weeks or three weeks. And the next cruise could have easily changed.

 

It makes sense that Carnival would rate the cruise line that bears their name as first. It doesn't mean it's the best, necessarily ;)

[kidlessatsea]

I wouldn't use the phrase "Order of Excellence" because it's really just market segmentation. For the US market - and only the US market - CCL puts the order at Carnival, Princess, then Holland America. Seabourn is at top.

 

Those four brands are the primary North American facing ones, but Costa and Cunard sell into the US market. AIDA, P&O, and P&O Australia are typically focused outside the North American market.

 

 

Thank you. I only used the term because I couldn't think of a better title.

[Tatka]

. Celebrity, Princess and HAL are premium massmarket, the rest is massmarket. Royal, NCL, MSC, Costa

 

Oceania, Aramara and Cunard have a special category. Don't remember which one. Near luxury?

 

Silver seas, Crystal, Seabourne, RSSC are luxury lines.

 

Personal experience is another thing. YMMV.

[POA1]

Thank you. I only used the term because I couldn't think of a better title.

No problem. I knew what you meant. :)

[iceman93]

One of my coworkers recently got hired by CCL corporate. I was surprised to hear him "rank" the lines (lowest-end to highest) as Carnival, HAL, and Princess as I always thought HAL was the top end of their premium product. I have never sailed Princess, but my personal thought was that they slotted firmly between Carnival and HAL in terms of pricing, hard/soft product, etc. I guess I was wrong!

[Tatka]

Well, I thought this to. I think HAL was a better line years ago, but in our experience... service is inconsistent and spotty. Maybe it's just our luck.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Looking just at fares does not really tell you which line is more "premium" - Princess have a far more diverse and global client base and brand presence than HAL, which helps their prices to stay elevated. As Princess was part of P&O before the CCL acquisition they have a large contingent of loyal clients from UK, Ireland, Australia, etc that HAL simply does not. Princess has also done well w/ the SE Asian tour companies. HAL client base seem to be much more US/Canada centric by comparison.

 

I personally consider HAL, Princess and Celebrity about even in the Premium mass-market segments. I think each have their strengths and each have their areas where they could improve. I rank Royal and NCL the next notch down as Mainstream mass-market and Carnival in the Budget mass-market category.

[sapper1]

I have only ever sailed on HAL and subscribe to the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" theory.

In all honesty though, if I won a free cruise on Carnival, I would give it away or simply decline the offer.

[jtl513]

In all honesty though, if I won a free cruise on Carnival, I would give it away or simply decline the offer.

I would try it only if it was out of a FL port that I could drive to, just to see for myself what the line is like. We have tried Disney and RCL out of Port Canaveral, which is only 30 minutes from our house, and still prefer HAL. The Disney Dream is a beautiful ship and has some features that I'd like to see on HAL, but it was just too crowded. RCL was not our "cup of tea" at all, but in fairness it was on an old ship.

[Tatka]

Oh, Carnival can be beyond crowded. On our sailing on Liberty there were 1200 kids. Kids clubs were full, so they occupied all other areas. I had a panic attack, unfortunately we were in inside cabin, so nowhere to hide. On other two sailings with Carnival we booked balconies, but finally decided that that line was not our cup of tea.

HAL has its problems, but these two lines are not comparable in terms of ambience.