Carnival, Princess, Hal - who's sailed all 3?

[fmax]

Trying to book a new year cruise which is filling up fast.

 

Have only cruised Royal Caribbean but for this cruise am considering Carnival Freedom, Ruby Princess or HAL eurodam. As Princess and Hal aren't in service, yet, not expecting reviews of ship.

 

Love, Carnival's price and HAL's route.

 

Just want to hear from anyone who's cruised all 3 lines to get their opinion. I know it's all personal choice and you can have a variety of opinions from people sailing on exact same cruise but just wanted to hear the overal positive and negatives of the lines.

 

Looking at general input on Cabin Size, decor, entertainment, spa/pool areas, atmosphere etc.

 

I know I'm going to love the cruise no matter what, but one of the group has never sailed before so want it to be a good first experience.

 

Frances

[jimbug]

Well, I have cruised Princess twice and HAL once, and will embark on Carnival in 57 days! So, hopefully I can be of help...keep in mind I am a 25-year-old female who has been on 4 cruises overall. (My 4th was on RCCL last year.)

 

Cabins:

Carnival supposedly has the largest standard cabin sizes on any cruise line, so keep that in mind. You can always go to the individual cruise line websites to see exact cabin dimensions. However, that said, my vote in the cabin department is for HAL because on most ships, you get a full bathtub (not just a coffin-sized shower) even in a regular cabin. We've always had balconies, so I can't verify that for oceanviews and inside, but you can check for sure. HAL's cabins also just have kind of an elegant feel, I think, and the balcony furniture is very nice. Another HAL cabin perk: each person gets a complimentary HAL tote bag in the cabin. If you are sailing in the off-peak season, you can usually find HAL mini-suites and suites for great prices. They are really roomy and nice.

 

Overall decor:

Out of my experiences with the two, Princess wins this game. I just love their overall ship decor and general feel. To me, it epitomizes the elegance of cruising but with a not-too-stuffy attitude, because a lot of the nightclubs and other spaces are "hip". That said, however, I'm not in a hurry to go back on Princess because all of their ships are decorated exactly the same. Seriously. As you know, Carnival ships are all different, and RCCL ships are somewhat different, though not a lot, depending on class of ship. However, since this would be your first time on Princess, I'd highly recommend it, especially for decor. HAL's decor is usually a little weird--the Zuiderdam and other Vista-class (newest) ships are very eclectic, and even though it grew on me, I still kind of missed a grand atrium and open spaces. It was a little bit closed in.

 

Spa:

I am a HUGE spa-using person, and I can also give the win here to HAL. Their spas are amazing. Keep in mind that all major cruiseline spas are run by Steiner, so you will see similarities on every line, but I think it's nice how the individual lines (and even ships) have different touches and appeals. I also found that HAL had some of the best spa specials. I had a scalp massage, foot/ankle massage, and facial for $70 on a sea day. It was amazing...all of their treatment rooms have windows looking out on the water, and the decor in them is just so calming and luxurious.

 

Pools:

Princess probably wins here, just for sheer number of pools and availability. Even though I haven't been on Carnival yet, I'd still vote for Princess in this category because they have more pools, and the two times I sailed them (in peak seasons), they were never over-packed. Another plus: the adults-only pool and hot tub by the spa on Grand-class ships. The adults-only policy was enforced on both of my cruises, and as such, the pool was hardly ever used. It was perfect to go and relax there. There are also super-nice wicker pool loungers in that area as well. On the flip side, if you sail HAL, chances are the pools will be even more empty because of the decidedly older clientele on most sailings (but not all).

 

Service:

HAL wins, hands-down. Everyone we encountered, from our cabin steward to people at the purser's desk, were so amazing and had excellent customer service skills. An anecdotal tidbit: Our CC roll call group e-mailed HAL's shipboard service department prior to the cruise requesting a room space for a meet-n-greet. They gladly emailed back with details and agreed to provide punch and cookies for free. Well, apparently there was a mix-up between shipboard services and ship personnel regarding the time, and no one showed up when the ship personnel thought it was supposed to happen. We got a call from the Food & Beverage Manager onboard, and he was so apologetic. He even invited the 3 of us from my cabin down to a bar for drinks (it was closed at the time, so we had a private room, basically), where we were able to drink "on the house" for a quite a long time while we chatted with him about ship life, Cruise Critic, cruising in general, etc. In fact, this manager was so generous, he even offered to cater my cabin-mate's future wedding if she would have it onboard. He was completely serious, but she still doesn't have a significant other, so we may never take him up on that...haha.

 

General atmosphere/feel:

This is really hard, since I have now been on 3 (almost 4) cruise lines, everyone always asks me which is my favorite, and I can never decide because I have enjoyed them all. I think Princess is an excellent "first cruise" choice, because their ships are so majestic and beautiful, while HAL might be for the more discerning traveler who expects a higher level of individualized service. (Side note: I also enjoyed the food better on HAL.) So, take my words with a grain of salt, and truth be told, I'm of the opinion that no cruise is a bad cruise. :)

[Jolimont]

I was on the Freedom last summer (Mediterranean) and it was absolute bliss, would go again tomorrow if that was an option. I've also been on the Diamond Princess (Alaska) and didn't like it much, definitely wouldn't do that again, older crowd, everybody ready for bed by 9pm, not my idea of a good vacation. Never tried Hal, have the notion that RCCL would be fun some day.

[Kurbanfan]

I have been on Carnival and Princess but not Hal yet:D

You can't go wrong with either one. I would find the itinerary you want to sail on and go from there.

My Princess cruise rocked! It was definitely no snooze cruise:p

As far as cabins...it depends on what one you book. With all the newer ships out now they are pretty comparable. The balconies are bigger on Princess then Carnival. Princess has more pools and they are fresh water. With youth security I might add.:p

Carnival has better itineraries IMO. And cheaper prices. Carnival definetly wins the bigger bathroom category.:p Princess decor is awesome while Carnivals is.....well Carnival.

I wouldn't hesitate to sail either.....

Good luck!!

[jimbug]

Princess in Alaska and Princess in Caribbean/Mexico are totally different. Alaska cruises in general draw an older crowd, and yes, our Princess Alaska cruise was very, very sleepy...which was okay, because it was our honeymoon. :)

 

However, the next year, I did Mexican Riviera on Princess and it was hopping! I can bet the Caribbean would be the same.

 

I also second the youth security on Princess. I had forgotten about that, but now that I'm reminded...it was awesome knowing that there were people monitoring hallways, stairwells, and public areas for out-of-hand kids and teens. The adults-only policies were definitely enforced in all areas where applicable.

[fmax]

Security is reassuring as it's a new year's cruise so expect there to be more teens given that it's school holidays.

 

Thanks, and keep the feedback coming.

 

 

Frances

[Cruzman]

I've been several times on all three. I actually prefer HAL primarily because the overall ambiance and service are unparalleled on a mainstream cruise line. I also appreciate the fresh water pools on both HAL and Priincess. The downer with Princess and the newer Carnival ships is the size. They are simply too large for my liking; toooo many passengers. I do enjoy the Carnival Spirit Class however. Having said all of that, one can readily see that most of my cruises have been on Carnival, but know that most of those have been on the Fantasy and Holiday Class. Also know that I am a sucker for a good deal and Carnival usually has some really good ones!

[scopewest]

I've been on all three. We don't cruise to lie by the pool and get a tan, drink in the bars, dance in the disco, or critique the food. (So you're thinking what's left?!) We cruise for the activities because we're pretty stay-at-home people who have demanding jobs and don't want to go out and party after work, and so when we're on vacation we want a variety of entertainment activities to choose from, whether we participate or not.

 

Carnival wins hands down for variety and number of activities every hour. HAL, Princess, they don't even come close.

 

I will say that HAL's extensive library/coffeeshop type area is unbelievable. Since I love to read I have to be yanked out of there and reminded hey, we're docked at the port.

 

Keep in mind that HAL has an older age demographic than Carnival and we've encountered this on our cruises. However, no one can really predict who sails when (except possibly spring break!).

[cabin gal]

We have cruised all three.

There are definately three different classes of ships here. The previouse reviews are right on. For service and "class" I would take HAL over the others. Tea time is to die for on HA. I am in the "older" class so lots of loud music (I am a musician), pool parties and games and discos are not something we would rush right out to take part in. However, that said, we just got off Carnival yesterday and enjoyed it very much. Princess IS a large ship and if you can walk and stand in lines you will find they are beautiful ships and offer many activities to the customers. Bargin wise...it's Carnival!!!

Good luck and have fun, no matter which line you choose!

AliceN

[cruisinjerseygirl]

My parents in their 60s have been on all 3 of them...my mother liked Princess quite a bit as well she really liked Carnival but was just on HAL about 3 weeks ago and told me that she will never go back...she went with another couple their age who sailed HAL before and said it was great but my mother said she felt as though it was bland and boring and that the other pax on the ship were extremely rude...not that the pax are the same on each cruise but the whole experience left a bad taste in her mouth...she happens to be a Carnival/RCCL/NCL fan...NCL being her favorite for the freestyle and Carnival and RCCL for the food and entertainment. I don't know how much this will help you make up your mind as I personally don't know much about the other two lines but I can tell you that I have heard many talk about how comparable the RCCL are to Carnival and if you are an RCCL fan then maybe that is what you should try as it is what you are more used to.

[Captain Funtime]

All things considered.....no comparison..... Princess ! Been on all of them and Princess is my fav !

[Pineapple Princess]

We have taken two Caribbean cruises with Princess. We are in our mid 50's and our children who sailed with us are in their early 30's. Everyone had a great time! A Caribbean cruise on Princess won't be "sleepy". We will be on the Carnival Freedom in February. I hope we enjoy it as much as our Imagination cruise last fall. We chose Carnival both times because of the great price. I thought the Princess ship to be more upscale, but the 24 hour ice cream on Carnival is hard to beat. The Eurodam will probably be stopping at Half Moon. That's reason enough to go with HAL. I think you will have a great cruise on any of those three ships. Just flip a coin and let the countdown begin!!! :)

[fmax]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

 

Frances