cjsegninir Posted August 1, 2019 #1 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Hello everyone, We are planning for a cruise with our small daughters (3 and 1 yo) to Australia/New Zealand, but we are unsure about which ship to take. We are debating between Noordam and Ruby Princess. We loved our only HAL cruise on the Zaandam and didn't like too much our only Princess on the Diamond. However, both were a bit affected by the itineraries, so we are a bit biased to HAL. Providing they are similar itineraries and prices, which one would you choose? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expatcat Posted August 1, 2019 #2 Share Posted August 1, 2019 We recently faced this dilemma although our children are a bit older. We decided to go with Noordam...we don’t sail until January next year though! The itinerary was a winner for us. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsegninir Posted August 1, 2019 Author #3 Share Posted August 1, 2019 Thanks Expatcat, normally itinerary is the most deciding factor for us. In this case both are quite similar, each one with its own pros and cons. That's why I'm not sure which one to choose hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crystalspin Posted August 1, 2019 #4 Share Posted August 1, 2019 I think HAL's staterooms are better equipped than Princess's. I don't know the Ruby Princess personally, but Princess has recently removed the second chair from all or most ships in Balcony, Oceanview, and Insides. Just for example. If you're in a MiniSuite or larger, you will have a sofa AND two chairs so don't need to worry. We sailed a TransAtlantic on Noordam's sister Zuiderdam, and really liked the layout of the ship. Can't speak of having young children along though! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kira5 Posted August 1, 2019 #5 Share Posted August 1, 2019 My main concern with some HAL ships (Nieuw Amsterdam, for example). is the open railings. No plexiglass behind them on the promenade decks. A small child (say under 4) might climb them or slip between them. You have to watch them all the time. I don't know the situation on Princess ships. Compared to MSC or Royal Caribbean there are not a lot of child centred activities on HAL. My son raved about MSC recently for his children, 7 - 13. I don't think it goes to Australia. I think some HAL ships, for example, upcoming Maasdam Japan cruise has no programs for children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted August 1, 2019 #6 Share Posted August 1, 2019 1 hour ago, kira5 said: I think some HAL ships, for example, upcoming Maasdam Japan cruise has no programs for children. Maasdam with it’s EXEC cruises is the only ship not offering Club HAL to the best of my knowledge. OP’s 3 year old is old enough for Club HAL. (Minimum age). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsegninir Posted August 4, 2019 Author #7 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Yeah, I checked and the Noordam has the kids club from 3 years old, so she will be fine. Might be the only one there though haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Gail & Marty sailing away Posted August 4, 2019 #8 Share Posted August 4, 2019 It depends on the itinerary? I would go with Holland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicd1969 Posted August 4, 2019 #9 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Room size: HAL ( esp the J class interior) Food: HAL ( better burgers and ice cream in terms of kid foods, but also better buffet and MDR) Swimming Pool for kids: Princess Daytime Activities: Princess Service: Push, slight nod to HAL Ship layout: HAL Noordam If you are Catholic: HAL has onboard priest Not sure if you will be able to participate in night-time events with kids so young, if so Princess will have more offerings. So the choice depends on what cruise feature you deem more important. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted August 4, 2019 #10 Share Posted August 4, 2019 1 hour ago, vicd1969 said: Room size: HAL ( esp the J class interior) Only the J- (and K-) categories on Main Deck, though. It's important to point out that distinction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted August 4, 2019 #11 Share Posted August 4, 2019 On 7/31/2019 at 10:26 PM, cjsegninir said: Hello everyone, We are planning for a cruise with our small daughters (3 and 1 yo) to Australia/New Zealand, but we are unsure about which ship to take. We are debating between Noordam and Ruby Princess. We loved our only HAL cruise on the Zaandam and didn't like too much our only Princess on the Diamond. However, both were a bit affected by the itineraries, so we are a bit biased to HAL. Providing they are similar itineraries and prices, which one would you choose? Cheers We just finished a family cruise with our 3 year old grandson on another cruise line and one question you may want to ask is whether or not HAL or Princess has babysitting services and/or children programs for those that are NOT potty trained. And if they have babysitting services, do you have to take them somewhere or will they come to your room? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted August 4, 2019 #12 Share Posted August 4, 2019 (edited) We did a Princess cruise from Sydney and then a few weeks later a last minute Aus/NZ cruise from Sydney. We enjoyed both. One difference was the on board currency. Our Sun Princess cruise had AUD as the on board currency. RCI used USD as the on board currency. We really noticed the difference-net 30-40 percent delta for most things. Edited August 4, 2019 by iancal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted August 4, 2019 #13 Share Posted August 4, 2019 One other thing...we saved a considerable percentage, adjusted for currency, over what our on line NA TA quoted us ( net of OBCs) by calling RCI in Sydney and booking directly with them. Just over 30 percent on a cruise booked 3-4 weeks out. Not certain what the Princess or HAL policy is on booking outside your country of residence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsegninir Posted August 9, 2019 Author #14 Share Posted August 9, 2019 Decided to bite it and chose the one we felt more inclined, Holland. Hopefully it will be fine with the little ones. Thanks all for your comments 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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