HAL v. Princess

[rkhtex]

Help! We're contemplaiting a New England/Canada cruise in the fall. Holland America and Princess have a similar itinerary - 10 night - NEw York to Quebec - similar pricing. Can anyone offer me some reasons why I should do one over the other.

[Krazy Kruizers]

You need to look at the 2 ships - do you want a large ship or a smaller ship?

 

How long are you in the various ports on each itinerary?

[FlorenceItaly]

You need to look at the 2 ships - do you want a large ship or a smaller ship?

 

How long are you in the various ports on each itinerary?

 

I agree, and another thought is, would one of these lines be a new line for you? It is nice to experience a change, every now and then.

 

Marie

[Maryandi]

Have been on both and took Princess from Montreal to FLL last year.

 

HAL is so much better, the crew, ambiance, menu, cabins - you name it.

 

But Princess does have a following - so try one then another time try the other. Don't agonize over it , Princess is not bad just that IMO HAL is far better.

[RuthC]

Is the HAL ship the Amsterdam? I think so. She's a lovely ship! Co-flagship of the line, and rightfully so. Although she's as large a ship as I care to sail on, she's rather small by other standards. This is good. It's easy to find your way around; easy to get from one place to another quickly; easy to get from the dining room to the show lounge (and all those lovely lounges in between!;) ).

The food, ambiance, and service are fine. Do you like a traditional-type ship? If so, this will be a good choice. As this itinerary is so port-intensive you will be happy to come "home" every night to the Amsterdam.

[rkhtex]

Thanks so much for all your comments. We did sail Princess years ago to Alaska. No complaints. We recently did Celebrity to Panama Canal - LOVED it. I'm leaning towards HAL for the next one. Lots more research to do. Thanks again!!

[flashdog_1]

Celebrity also has New England cruises in the fall.

[dsawyer]

Our favorite cruiseline is Princess. We have sailed with Princess 11 times. However, we also like to try other lines and have found that HAL is our second favorite line.

 

Some of the things we preferred about Princess over HAL have now changed such as a more convenient tipping policy, easier and faster embarkation and more flexible dining. So who knows what our feeling will be after our upcoming cruise on The Noordam. Its been 3 years and we are excited.

 

However, one area that Princess has over Holland is the entertainment choices and that makes them superior in that department. Also, on some port intensive itineraries, we really enjoyed anytime dining.

 

I think you will be happy with either cruiseline. :)

 

Which Princess ship will be doing your itinerary?

[KAKcruiser]

We had cruised many times with Princess and then we tried HAL about 7 years ago. We always sail HAL now. We just like the atmosphere better. Also, the crew is much more friendly and reliable on HAL.

[krewzin]

We've cruised both, and love both -but must give the edge to HAL. I think you'll find that sevice is somewhat more personalized on HAL, the atmosphere a tad bit more sophisticated.

 

I find Princess to be more "mainstream" than HAL.

 

Contingent on what you're looking for on a cruise, you'll find that one will suit your needs slightly more than the other.

 

There are generally more kids on Princess cruisings, although the larger HAL Vista class ships are attracting a more family oriented passenger base.

 

Either way, you can't really go wrong.

 

An opinion.

[rkhtex]

Celebrity also has New England cruises in the fall.

 

The Celebrity itinerary has way more "sea days" - not as many ports. On this trip I'd much rather have the ports.

[funforsun]

Can any of you here compare the Thermal Suites of Princess to HAL? I have been inside the Thermal Suites of X and Princess, but not HAL. The ones on HAL look newer, and I am interested in your experiences from the facility and the "quiet" nature of the area.