HAL and Princess comparison?

[deliver42]

iancal, they are removing all the barrel chairs and round tables from all the rooms, except suites.

[Aquahound]

10 hours ago, iancal said:

The last two standard balcony cabins that we had on Princess BOTH had a love seat, not a tub chair.  Star and Caribbean.

 

Are you sure you weren't in a mini-suite on Caribbean?  The picture I posted earlier of my standard balcony room was on Caribbean.  

[Ken the cruiser]

7 hours ago, deliver42 said:

iancal, they are removing all the barrel chairs and round tables from all the rooms, except suites.

When you say suites, do you mean mini-class suites and up or just the full suite cabins? 

[iancal]

No.  Our standard balcony cabins on Princess  had loveseats.  Our Star princess cabin on the Caribe deck, had a huge semi covered balcony.  This was an anomaly.  

 

We have done a mini suite on Sun Princess.  It was much larger than the standard balcony cabin and had a corner, triangle tub in the bathroom.  Most of our Princess balcony cabins have been balcony guarantees.

 

, I cannot think of a standard balcony on any cruise line that we have enjoyed that did notit have a love seat or fold out sofa. We had a chair only once but it was on an RCI outside cabin.

Edited March 1, 2019 by iancal

[cruisemom42]

This is a pic of the standard balcony cabin on Caribbean Princess (from Princess website:  https://www.princess.com/html/global/book/ships/cb/submeta/BR/

 

I've been on both Caribbean and Star Princess and this is (or was) the standard:  two beds together or separate, an armless desk chair, a rounded chair with arms, two small bedside dressers, and a small glass-topped table.

 

[rkacruiser]

2 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

This is a pic of the standard balcony cabin on Caribbean Princess (from Princess website:  https://www.princess.com/html/global/book/ships/cb/submeta/BR/

 

I've been on both Caribbean and Star Princess and this is (or was) the standard:  two beds together or separate, an armless desk chair, a rounded chair with arms, two small bedside dressers, and a small glass-topped table.

 

 

That is the exact room arrangement that I experienced on Star Princess.

I have a standard veranda booked on Coral Princess for this Summer.  I am now curious to see what I find.

[TriumphGuy]

OP here. No barrel chair in standard balconies and inside cabins on the Crown. Our stateroom did not have one as of last month. Fleet wide decision. Mini-suites and above will retain their seating. (maybe deluxe balcony too?)
Ridiculous. I cancelled our 2020 Australia Princess cruise over this policy. Not flying halfway around the globe for a cabin with no place to sit.
There's a 530+ reply thread on the Princess forum here about this. Enjoy.

[Bemidji Ty]

Had the barrel chair last Nov on the Ruby in a balcony cabin.  So go figure. 

 

Excited to be sailing on HAL first time next month.  

 

Cheers.

[iancal]

What we liked about the mini suite on Sun Princess was that it had a large triangle shaped soaker tub and a good sized shower stall.

 

We think that both are good cruise lines.  Slightly different in some ways but on balance very equal.  Both can provide good cruises.  And both can screw up from time to time.    Keep in mind that we do not have blinders on nor do we believe in loyalty to any corporation.  We do not wear ‘rose colored glasses’ when it comes to any cruise line.

Edited March 2, 2019 by iancal

[peiguy48]

We have cruise both lines twice since 2015.  I love the Regal/Royal Princess ships they are a class act for sure.  The MDR (we ate most dinners in the lido buffet as it was more relaxing and a lot and I mean a lot of items to choose from) is so so however,  but the Crown Grill is amazing.  The ships themselves are very well laid off, spacious feeling as was our mini suite.

 

The Nieuw Amsterdam is smaller, quieter, MDR food is much better, lido buffet isn't as good as Princess, casino is very small and smoky.  However,  if you are going on a cruise to relax have a few drinks and some good food  for a reasonable price you cannot go wrong with Holland America.  We are booked on them again for later this year as their prices are lower than the other lines we have been on (Celebrity, NCL, and Princess) for a balcony stateroom with beverage package and  speciality dining.  

[BJzink]

So glad I read this thread today.  I had decided to break ranks & book a cruise/tour to Australia/NZ on Ruby Princess next winter.  But after reading these comments and a few of them on the Princess Boards, I'm staying with HAL.  The itinerary on HAL isn't exactly what I'd prefer, but at least I'll be happy with the cruise/ship.  

[Perkins52]

On 2/26/2019 at 4:49 AM, Aquahound said:

 

My biggest beef about Princess is the size of their cabins.  Unless you book a mini suite, the cabins are very cramped and don't have a couch.  And now they're removing the chair?  Oy vey!  I don't know about HAL's oldest ships but every ship I've sailed (Vista, Signature and Pinnacle Class) had a couch in the cabin. 

 

From how you described your preferences, I think HAL will be a perfect fit for you.  

 

[Perkins52]

We have a cruise to Mexico booked with HAL for this year but also like the California Coastal from Vancouver so use Princess for that one.  I think you can drive yourself crazy doing too much of a comparison between lines---find the trip you want at the price you are willing to pay and enjoy.

[BarbinMich]

On 2/27/2019 at 7:53 PM, rkacruiser said:

My experience on Star Princess:  the barrel chair did hinder a quick access to my veranda at times. 

I think you may have hit the nail on the head--there's really no convenient place for that barrel chair in a balcony cabin.  Either it blocks access to the veranda or to the refrigerator.  HAL's cabins are deeper so there's room for a sofa (can be converted to a single bed).  We've sailed on both lines as well as Celebrity, the first line we sailed on, but most cruises were on Princess because their price point was better (we did 3 cruises/year for many years, after having done many road trips in the US and Canada).  These lines all have their pluses and minuses.  I must say the slots were very "kind" to me on our last cruise, which was on the HAL Zuiderdam in 2017 <g>.  

Edited March 4, 2019 by BarbinMich

[Hlitner]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2019 at 5:12 PM, BJzink said:

So glad I read this thread today.  I had decided to break ranks & book a cruise/tour to Australia/NZ on Ruby Princess next winter.  But after reading these comments and a few of them on the Princess Boards, I'm staying with HAL.  The itinerary on HAL isn't exactly what I'd prefer, but at least I'll be happy with the cruise/ship.  

Interesting!  :).  You are reading a thread on the HAL blog which generally means you are going to get a lot of favorable comments on HAL.  If you were to go to the Princess board and find a similar thread you would likely find many more favorable comments on Princess.  It would be the same on the Celebrity board (it would favor Celebrity), etc etc.  It is simple the nature of CC where each cruise line has a substantial number of so-called "cheerleaders" who are usually active on their favorite line's board.

 

Hank

[OlsSalt]

HAL loyalists might be  a better term than "cheerleaders". I believe HAL has one of the most loyal repeat passenger ratio in the industry, which might be why its loyalty perks are much thinner than other cruise lines. HAL still offers such solid basics, they don't have to entice with extras.  This may change now that they are competing with the much larger less personal,, more limited itinerary ships recently added to their fleet.

 

HAL loyalists are not blind to the HAL product, just loyal because that loyalty has been earned by the friendly and gracious crew, staff professionalism, the homey, low key feel of their ships, and their always wonderful special itineraries. The overall HAL package lets a lot of us (but by no means all of us) overlook things when occasionally "ship happens" from time to time, particularly on the older, smaller ships. We always want to hear the other side of the story too.

[rkacruiser]

4 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

HAL loyalists are not blind to the HAL product, just loyal because that loyalty has been earned by the friendly and gracious crew, staff professionalism, the homey, low key feel of their ships, and their always wonderful special itineraries. The overall HAL package lets a lot of us (but by no means all of us) overlook things when occasionally "ship happens" from time to time, particularly on the older, smaller ships. We always want to hear the other side of the story too.

 

A superb post!  

[rkacruiser]

1 minute ago, rkacruiser said:

We always want to hear the other side of the story too.

 

And as the late Paul Harvey in his radio broadcasts used to say:  "Now, for the rest of the story".  I do as well!

[BJzink]

5 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Interesting!  :).  You are reading a thread on the HAL blog which generally means you are going to get a lot of favorable comments on HAL.  If you were to go to the Princess board and find a similar thread you would likely find many more favorable comments on Princess.  It would be the same on the Celebrity board (it would favor Celebrity), etc etc.  It is simple the nature of CC where each cruise line has a substantial number of so-called "cheerleaders" who are usually active on their favorite line's board.

 

Hank

Actually I wrote that I consulted the Princess site on CC.  Lots of complaints re. cuts & constant upsells.  There was even a comment about their new CEO's changes, not for the good.…….

[Hlitner]

12 minutes ago, BJzink said:

Actually I wrote that I consulted the Princess site on CC.  Lots of complaints re. cuts & constant upsells.  There was even a comment about their new CEO's changes, not for the good.…….

I do not completely disagree with some of the negative Princess comments.  On the other hand, we could also write a long post about HAL issues.  Bottom line is that we still cruise both lines (among others) despite their shortcomings.   There are certainly pros and cons to each line (and other lines).  But unfortunately, cut-backs have become the norm on just about all the mass market lines.  In our case it has also driven us to book other lines which are more up-market and more expensive.  Since we do a lot of cruising we find that a mix of many lines best meets many of our personal cruise wants.   I will admit that our latest cruise on MSC's Divina (in their Yacht Club) really blew me away!  We knew that the Yacht Club had received many good reviews here on CC, but were not completely prepared for how much we loved the experience.    I think the good news for cruisers is the added competition from MSC (especially their Yacht Club), Viking Cruises, and the soon to come Virgin Cruises will hopefully drive the other lines to improve their product...rather then continuing the constant parade of cut-backs.

 

Hank

[BJzink]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

I do not completely disagree with some of the negative Princess comments.  On the other hand, we could also write a long post about HAL issues.  Bottom line is that we still cruise both lines (among others) despite their shortcomings.   There are certainly pros and cons to each line (and other lines).  But unfortunately, cut-backs have become the norm on just about all the mass market lines.  In our case it has also driven us to book other lines which are more up-market and more expensive.  Since we do a lot of cruising we find that a mix of many lines best meets many of our personal cruise wants.   I will admit that our latest cruise on MSC's Divina (in their Yacht Club) really blew me away!  We knew that the Yacht Club had received many good reviews here on CC, but were not completely prepared for how much we loved the experience.    I think the good news for cruisers is the added competition from MSC (especially their Yacht Club), Viking Cruises, and the soon to come Virgin Cruises will hopefully drive the other lines to improve their product...rather then continuing the constant parade of cut-backs.

 

Hank

Well - this is what is really great about having so many choices of cruise ships.  I dislike the huge mega-ships, don't like any ship over 2000 passengers.  So, that and the unique longer itineraries are the things I like very much about HAL...... Happy sailing, whatever you choose!  

 

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, BJzink said:

Well - this is what is really great about having so many choices of cruise ships.  I dislike the huge mega-ships, don't like any ship over 2000 passengers.  So, that and the unique longer itineraries are the things I like very much about HAL...... Happy sailing, whatever you choose!  

 

I actually agree with you about the mega ships.  Given a comparable choice we would prefer a smaller ship which is why our next cruise will be on the 450 passenger Seabourn Sojourn.   But because we do a lot of cruising and do have a limited annual budget, we must compromise on some cruises.  The Prinsendam has long been our favorite HAL ship and we have about 200 days on that vessel.  But, alas, she is soon to be history.  We have also had our share of issues (some major) on other HAL vessels including malfunctioning A/C in our cabin, bad plumbing,  dark nights (when HAL had nearly zero entertainment), etc.

 

HAL is not perfect!  Neither are the other cruise lines.  That is why we truly love lots of variety on our cruises.  I would add that not all larger ships (we would not call 2000 passengers a mega ship) are the same.  We have been on some ships in the 2000 - 3000 range that actually had more quiet areas then we can find on much smaller HAL vessels.  And if I am on Princess ship (what you would call a mega ship) and wake-up at 5 am...it is nice to know that I can quietly slip out of my cabin, go down to the International Café (open 24/7) and have a pasty and freshly made cappuccino.  That is why I like to say that all lines have their pros and cons.  And not all large ships are bad (many are).   We were recently on the MSC Divina (21 days) which is a 139.000 ton 3500 passenger vessel.  I assume you would call this a "mega ship" and we might actually agree.  But we were in their Yacht Club which is essentially a ship within a ship.  There were fewer then 200 passengers in the YC where we had our own small restaurant, our own private sun deck, our own gorgeous expansive lounge (with a forward view) which had entertainment eveyr night and a changing buffet 20 hours a day.  Within the YC nobody asked to see a cruise card, drink requests were quickly filled (even if it meant French Champagne), and our own Concierge desk was open 24 hours a day.  Mega ship.....perhaps.  Service and amenities that blew away the Neptune Lounge......absolutely!  And for only $300 per passenger day.

 

As you say, there are many choices among cruise ships (and class of service).  We still enjoy HAL (our next HAL cruise is on the Westy) but there are some other terrific options.   I do agree with you on the longer HAL itineraries.  But consider that MSC is now expanding at the rate of 2 new ships per year (and will soon include 4 small high-end Yacht Club vessels).  And lines such as Viking Cruises already have medium size ships doing some very interesting (HAL like) itineraries.  

 

HAL has traditionally tapped a market of discriminating customers who have demanded great service, decent cuisine, and great itineraries.  But this market is no longer limited to HAL.  We think that HAL needs to either do a better job maintaining their older vessels, or replace them with comparable newer ships.  But the newer HAL ships are much larger (economies of scale enter into the equation) so the HAL that many of us know and love is going to gradually fade into the seas.

 

Hank

[hunt182644]

It appears that my wife and I are in the easy to please category. We have sailed Holland and Princess equally and enjoyed both. There are differences in the two but not enough to choose one over the other. When we choose a cruise it comes down to Itinerary and price . Life and a cruise sometimes are like that line Forrest Gump used, life is like a box of chocolates. Smile enjoy and make the best of it, after all you are still breathing and you are on a cruise..

[Aquahound]

19 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

I believe HAL has one of the most loyal repeat passenger ratio in the industry...

 

I've heard that claim on every cruise line I've sailed.   

[racnwdow]

Up until this next cruise I have loved RCI.  No major complaints. Notice a decline in food.  But RCI was my first cruise and what I compare others too.  We did one Princess and disliked (hated) it immensely.  Some was trouble with mechanics  of the ship, some was the fact that Noro was rampant, but also found the clientele (out of Miami) very old and obnoxious.  We have sailed with many older people (we are in our upper 50's) and this was the first time we found such a large group to be rude.  Because I am sailing with a group of women and they had already decided on HAL is the reason I am willing to try HAL.  I know I won't like some parts and will love some parts.  I don't plan on any of it ruining my trip.  But I know I will still compare to RCI because it is my first and majority cruise.  How many of you are partial to your first experience and tend to compare to that experience?