HAL vs Princess (2k vs 3,600 passengers) for Alaska

[redroses]

We are pricing out cruises between HAL and princess, family of 4. Very laid back, quiet family.  Is there a difference between a cruise of 2,000 vs 3,600 people?  2,000 is a lot of folks so is it noticeable the crowds on a Princess vs HAL ship?

 

Last cruise I was on a while ago (South America/Antarctica) had only less than 600 people.  

 

HAL is $700 more than Princess, both are balcony.  We would either do Westerdam or Eurodam, since we want to do Seattle RT.  thanks!

[NattilyAttired]

Is there a difference between a cruise of 2,000 vs 3,600 people?

 

Yes. The difference is 1600 more people.

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. But yes, there is a difference. More crowds, more kids (if it's summer), and decreased food quality on Princess. HAL costs more because it's a better product. Eurodam is a great ship, and I look forward to returning to it two weeks from today.

[zhuangcorp]

12 minutes ago, NattilyAttired said:

Is there a difference between a cruise of 2,000 vs 3,600 people?

 

Yes. The difference is 1600 more people.

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. But yes, there is a difference. More crowds, more kids (if it's summer), and decreased food quality on Princess. HAL costs more because it's a better product. Eurodam is a great ship, and I look forward to returning to it two weeks from today.

I'm curious, what specifically makes you think the food quality on Princess is lower?

[Mutumbojimbo]

I've never cruised with Princess but to us cruising on a ship with 2000 people will almost always top cruising with 3600. You might consider watching a few videos on Youtube. I have seen several videos of Princess ships in Glacier Bay and the open decks look very crowded to me. Of course, the larger ships can offer features that smaller ships don't, so you'll need to decide what is important to you.

[Hlitner]

39 minutes ago, zhuangcorp said:

I'm curious, what specifically makes you think the food quality on Princess is lower?

We have cruised many times on both lines (5* with HAL and Elite with Princess) and think that the food quality on the two lines is more comparable than not!  Each line has their pros and cons (in terms of cuisine).  

 

Hank

[CruiserBruce]

Food is totally subjective. We are also 5 Star with HAL, and Elite on Princess, but we think HAL's food is better. We think HAL does beef and fish better, although the beef has slipped some over the last few years. 

 

Again, totally subjective.

[rkacruiser]

The number of people on a ship makes little difference except when one disembarks in a port.  What makes a difference for an Alaskan cruise is the onboard programming  Princess and HAL, both do a good job, but, based on my 2019 Alaskan cruises on Coral Princess and Westerdam, Princess wins that race.  A major advantage to a HAL ship is the availability of forward viewing areas that the Princess ships do not have.  

Edited August 20, 2022 by rkacruiser

[Hlitner]

52 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Food is totally subjective. We are also 5 Star with HAL, and Elite on Princess, but we think HAL's food is better. We think HAL does beef and fish better, although the beef has slipped some over the last few years. 

 

Again, totally subjective.

We are at a disadvantage since our last 3 HAL bookings have been cancelled by HAL!  So, I cannot speak to the current situation with HAL food other than to note that HAL seems to have a relatively new habit of "add-on prices" in the MDR and Pinnacle.  This is something we have routinely encountered on other cruise lines (we cruise on many different lines).  I can speak to Princess since we were on the Enchanted Princess in Dec 2021, for 20 days!  During that time, we ate in both open MDRs and all of their alternative restaurants.  

 

I will be very honest and say we have never been "wowed" by the food on either Princess or HAL.  Perhaps that is why we now prefer Seabourn and MSC's Yacht Club (the food is hit or miss).  We also keep looking for the right opportunity to cruise on Oceania which has an excellent reputation for their cuisine.  

 

The truth is that we do not cruise on HAL for their food or their entertainment!  When we have cruised on HAL in the past 10 years it was because of the itinerary and price.  If we were making our decision on food and/or entertainment there are probably a dozen cruise lines, we would rate over HAL.  

 

Hank

[BermudaBound2014]

How crowded it will feel will depend on the size of each ship. Which ships are you thinking about? Sometimes larger ships have lower space ratios so we can't just assume that more people means more crowded. 

 

Example: 4 people in a Yukon will feel much more roomy than fitting the same 4 people in a Chevy Spark.

 

Unless one of the ships you are considering has an extremely low space ratio, I think itinerary is much more important.

[vicd1969]

If Princess is cheaper by $700 for your family, i would go on Princess and use some of the savings on dining a few nights in the for-charge restaurants. Both lines do Alaska very well compared to the other mainstream lines. Make sure you choose the itinerary that goes to Glacier Bay.

[ShipWalker]

Returned off the Eurodam to Alaska last week and it seemed for the most part we got the better/closer berths in town than the two Princess ships that stalked us the entire week.

Edited August 21, 2022 by ShipWalker

[RD64]

It’s not just the number of passengers - it is the design of the ships. HAL ships - at least the older ones have the Crow’s Nest observation lounge - up top and forward. Plus stewards walking around serving traditional pea soup - perfect spot to watch from inside.

 

If nothing else -HAL wins because they open up the bow of the ship for additional upfront viewing - this is reason enough to book with HAL for Alaska. Princess ships have more of an interior ship focus.

[redroses]

OP here, I'm looking at Princess Royal.  The $700 in savings over HAL would help offset the plane tickets to Seattle.  Only thing is Victoria is such a short top, Royal does go to Glacier Bay.

 

https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=1315N

[disneyochem]

In general, I prefer smaller ships but in this case I would pick Princess because of Glacier Bay.  Glacier Bay is a must-do, IMO.

 

I was on the Royal, the Zuiderdam and the Koningsdam this past summer in Alaska. Of the three cruises, we preferred the Royal.  There were more people than our Zuiderdam cruise but it didn’t feel like it.  The layout of the ship was nice for glacier viewing and other activities.  It never felt as crowded as the Koningsdam.  The Royal doesn’t have a Crows Nest or bow-viewing area, but there are plenty of outdoor viewing areas.  We had a table in Crooners for cards and drinks in Glacier Bay, and were able to pop outside for our viewing.  
 

I enjoyed the Alaskan experience more on the Royal than the other ships.  While HAL had naturalists and Alaskan theming to some presentations, Princess was so much better!  In addition to a naturalist onboard, the Royal had Alaskan seafood at every meal (one night Tracy’s Crab shack was featured), Alaskan beer and spirit tastings, brought sled dog puppies onboard (yes, puppies to cuddle!), had Libby Riddles give a talk, an Alaskan folk singer and multiple lectures on wildlife/geology/culture.

 

 

[sunviking90]

We’ve been in a number of HAL and Princess cruises, but I would pay more for the HAL for this itinerary. HAL ships have the retractable roof over the pool, meaning your family can use it even in poor weather-it looks like you’re planning on May. You’ll also have much more deck space for viewing on the Eurodam. As far as staterooms, HAL veranda cabin will be larger and the balcony will be much larger too. The Standard balcony cabins on the Royal Princess are very small, the deluxes a little bigger, but for most the balconies are tiny. I don’t see your family enjoying time out there viewing wildlife comfortably. We don’t travel with our son anymore, but when we did we took HAL to Alaska and it was nice to have more space. We love the Royal class ships, but I just don’t think they’re suited to Alaska.
As far as food, they each have their strengths, and we’ve always been able to find enough that we like. 
I realize HAL is more expensive in this case, but prices fluctuate. Deals come up all the time. HAL isn’t necessarily a “more expensive” line than Princess. Your itinerary may go down. We used to be able to take advantage of some great “kids sail free” offers with HAL. We used to joke that if they knew how much our son ate, they would never have let us have that offer!

Good Luck!

[crystalspin]

The Eurodam 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/A3E07A/D330.html

May 6-13 currently has Kids Sail Free promo and hits Glacier Bay and the less common ports of Icy Strait Point and Sitka. Sitka is my favorite Alaska port of all time! ISP is an evening call (the sun is up late!), but Sitka is a nice long day. We did the three-part Otters and Eagles and Bears (Oh My) tour but the Sea Otters & Wildlife Quest is featured and would probably be more affordable.

[deliver42]

For comfort in the cabin alone, go with HAL. Sitka is a BIG plus.

[BetsyS.]

17 hours ago, redroses said:

We are pricing out cruises between HAL and princess, family of 4. Very laid back, quiet family.  Is there a difference between a cruise of 2,000 vs 3,600 people?  2,000 is a lot of folks so is it noticeable the crowds on a Princess vs HAL ship?

 

Last cruise I was on a while ago (South America/Antarctica) had only less than 600 people.  

 

HAL is $700 more than Princess, both are balcony.  We would either do Westerdam or Eurodam, since we want to do Seattle RT.  thanks!

I have never been on Princess, but I am currently on the Niew Statendam. There are 

2,100 passengers. My stepfather and I have breakfast and lunch in the Lido every 

day.  It takes time to walk around looking for a table because it's very crowded, even

on port days.  However, the food is good and the crew are very efficient.  One day, 

there were long lines waiting to get on the tender from the ship. All the crew who work on the tenders are very helpful. Almost every shore excursion was sold out before 

we boarded the ship. By the day after we boarded, all restaurant reservations for both 

MDR and specialty restaurants were booked solid. My stepfather and I were lucky 

thst we have the same table and waiters in the MDR every night. I would not want 

to be on a ship with 3,600 passengers. It would be okay for you if you don't mind

waiting on long lines every day.  My stepfather and I have enjoyed our cruise.

The food is great and all the crew are top notch.

[BermudaBound2014]

52 minutes ago, BetsyS. said:

. I would not want  to be on a ship with 3,600 passengers. It would be okay for you if you don't mind waiting on long lines every day. 

 

As mentioned, the space ratio is much more important than number of guests. I've been on Oasis class cruises with 5,000 plus passengers and experienced no lines. It's all about the space ratio and ship design. 

 

 

[lcand1923]

I’ve done Alaska cruises on both lines.  In my opinion, the food is comparable.  HAL has the better cabins and tends to get the better berths.  Princess has more onboard activities than HAL.  Shore excursions are comparable.  I would look at the itineraries and see which cruise takes me to places that interest my family.

[dchip]

Be aware that the Royal Princess has blue glass everywhere on the outside decks. It is very difficult to photograph through this glass. The spaces where you can avoid the glass, will be packed with people.
 

We have cruised with Princess 34 times but switched to HAL for many reasons several years ago. We just booked a Mexican cruise with HAL that is $700 more than Princess but the itinerary and a few perks not to mention cabin comfort make all the difference to us. 

[luvteaching]

Good morning, 

We've done Alaska many times on both lines and are leaving in 6 days for a week on the Crown Princess and a week on the Eurodam. We did a week on the Westerdam in July. 

We prefer HAL for a number of reasons. However, we're doing Princess so DH can go to Skagway and ride the train! 

The Princess ships, to me, feel so big and so crowded. I don't care for the layout of the buffet area - it feels cramped and closed in to me. I do like the entertainment on Princess and the people they bring on - Libby Riddles in Juneau, Scott Hite (I think that's his name) in Skagway, etc.

 

On HAL we love going to Sitka - so unspoiled. We also liked, on the Westerdam, the partnering with the Raptor Center for an on-board presentation. The Lido Buffet area is much more spacious and user friendly. The cabins are more spacious as well. HAL does well with accessibility. 

Make your decision based on ports and what you  want to see. 

 

Karen

[Andi Land]

I’m not sure it matters all that much. The 2100 HAL cruisers and the 3600 Princess cruisers will all be in port at the same time anyway making for crowded port areas. So, pick the ship, itinerary, and price that work best for your family. 

[MISTER 67]

HAL, Princess and Celebrity are our favorite lines but I love the 2,000 passenger Signature Class ships of HAL like the Eurodam, even when full they never feel crowded plus they have the traditional promenade decks which for me is a big plus. All 3 lines I mentioned give you a solid cruise product and for or us it all comes down to price, the line that gives me the itinerary that I'm looking for and at a good price gets our business.

 

[geocruiser]

Are you thinking of four people in one balcony cabin on Princess?