Holland America or Princess?

[CinWin]

I'm trying to decide between booking the new Eurodam or the Crown Princess which is a much larger ship. I don't know very much about Holland America's ships. Am used to cruising on Celebrity, Carnival and Royal Carib. and want something different now. What is so special about HAL? I need to make the decision soon. :confused:

Cindy

[cruzin girl]

I love them both. I do tend to give a slight edge to Hal because I think their service is better, their beds are heavenly and they are a little more upscale without being stuffy. Just my opinion.:)

[agabbymama]

I agree with cruzin girl. HAL ships are loaded with brass & wood like a sailing ship should be, teak wood promenade deck all the way around the ship, FRESH FLOWERS (orchids on our cruise) on all the tables inside and outside, chimes ring to announce dinner, plush terry robes for all cruisers regardless of cabin, exceptional attentive staff, even deck boys to make sure you had everything you needed while on deck, the overall ambiance of an ocean liner of old (of which HAL used to be) going on a voyage, not just a vacation and the beds are heavenly!

 

My first cruise was on the "old" Noordam only about 50,000 tons (I think) and we loved it. So easy to walk from bow to stern and explore. Second cruise was on the Zuiderdam 90,000 (about the same size as the Celebrity Constellation) and it was good too.

 

My first Princess cruise on the Grand will be in Oct '08, not too sure about the size being over 110,00 tons, but it was the itinerary we wanted so had no choice.

 

I don't think you could go wrong on a HAL ship. They are very close to Celebrity in my opinion.

[innlady1]

I agree with the other two who have posted.

 

I like both, but much prefer HAL. We love all the brass/wood as opposed to glass/chrome for starters. The fresh flowers everywhere, the service, and oh my, the divine beds!

[Sailor Gal]

We've sailed the Crown Princess a couple times as well as NCL, RCCL, and Carnival. Loved the Crown. It suited us perfectly with the mix of classiness and fun things to do. They offer some very good itineraries - which is usually our main concern. We're are currently booked on the Eurodam for the very same reason you've expressed. We want to have a different type of cruise experience. More sedate and laid back with better food and service (we hope). Hoping for a different look and feel of the ship. To be honest I may not have booked HAL if I had read the boards first. I'm a bit worried about the age group and it appears that long time HAL fans are not at all happy about the As You Wish Dining. We're positive people and value flexibility like anytime dining. I hope there's no majority onboard complainng about AYWD and that those who wish can obtain set dining tables and times. ALso doesn't look like as much entertainment in the evenings. We can make our own fun and are travelling with another couple so we're not too concerned. I don't think you can go wrong with either the Crown or Eurodam.

[bruce-r]

I love them both. I do tend to give a slight edge to Hal because I think their service is better, their beds are heavenly and they are a little more upscale without being stuffy. Just my opinion.:)

 

I agree. Not to disparage Princess in any way. I really enjoyed our cruise on the Grand, but I would definitely pick the Eurodam over the Crown Princess based on size alone. Considering that the Crown is nearly the same as the Grand, but with an extra deck of passenger cabins, that is just too many people for my tastes.

[innlady1]

I'm trying to decide between booking the new Eurodam or the Crown Princess which is a much larger ship. I don't know very much about Holland America's ships. Am used to cruising on Celebrity, Carnival and Royal Carib. and want something different now. What is so special about HAL? I need to make the decision soon. :confused:

Cindy

 

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess which is the same size and class as the Crown Princess. The Eurodam is a little bigger than the Noordam. Size for size, I enjoy a smaller ship/fewer pax.

 

The difference is noticeable particularly when disembarking in the ports.

[newmexicoNita]

We've sailed the Crown Princess a couple times as well as NCL, RCCL, and Carnival. Loved the Crown. It suited us perfectly with the mix of classiness and fun things to do. They offer some very good itineraries - which is usually our main concern. We're are currently booked on the Eurodam for the very same reason you've expressed. We want to have a different type of cruise experience. More sedate and laid back with better food and service (we hope). Hoping for a different look and feel of the ship. To be honest I may not have booked HAL if I had read the boards first. I'm a bit worried about the age group and it appears that long time HAL fans are not at all happy about the As You Wish Dining. We're positive people and value flexibility like anytime dining. I hope there's no majority onboard complainng about AYWD and that those who wish can obtain set dining tables and times. ALso doesn't look like as much entertainment in the evenings. We can make our own fun and are travelling with another couple so we're not too concerned. I don't think you can go wrong with either the Crown or Eurodam.

As for the long time HAL fans remember, change is sometimes hard to accept plus to mand traditional dining is a bit classier or maybe refined is a better word. This doesn't have to be the case. I have found out if people are doing too much complaining just change the subject or let them know how much you are loving your experience. That will usually cause them to somewhat re-think their views.

 

As for the age again it is a matter of what you do and do not like t do. Yes, the passengers will be older and the activities more subdate, but there are things to do and the food is wonderful in my opinion. Our only problems with HAL happens to be the age thing and lack of activities. This would not keep us from sailing them again and again. We have been on all mass marketed lines, HAL is our second favorite.

 

Nita

[eh2zed]

We sail mostly HAL but have done several others including Princess. There are certainly differences but we have never had a bad cruise. As for HAL versus Princess I think the most instructive thing is that these two cruise lines and several others have the same owner. The owner (Carnival Corp) markets HAL as a premium cruise line and Princess as a regular cruise line. This simply means that it is at least half a star higher in most regards. However, personal preferences may not identify this or might in fact accentuate it. In the final analysis you can't go much wrong either way.

[CinWin]

Well, I made my decision and just booked the Eurodam for Jan. 3, 2009. I think it might be the better choice for us. Will be interested to read the reviews of the ship when she comes out.

Cindy

[cmacf1]

Congrats on booking with HAL!! I got in a little late to give my review before you booked, but I agree with what everybody has said. I'm not a frequent cruiser, but I have been on the Crown Princess and on the Zuiderdam (and on the Disney Magic, but that was in a totally different [very wild, noisy and active] class of its own! I found the Crown Princess to be beautiful, but far larger than what I seem to prefer. I also preferred the service on the Zuiderdam, the layout of the ships, the food. That's not to say I didn't like the Crown because I did. I just preferred the Zuiderdam.

[Northshorecruisers]

Having sailed both HAL & Princess - we will go with HAL. The Princess cruise is good, but the HAL cruise is GREAT!

[Coral]

I posted on the Princess thread yesterday.

 

Congrats on your booking - I think you made the right choice!

[CinWin]

Thanks to everyone who answered and expressed opinions. It helped me make the decision to try an unfamiliar cruiseline and on a brand new ship.

Cindy

[bailey57]

I'm looking at a HAL cruise, and who should I find lurking on the boards... :D

Peg

[Jsipes]

Always go with the smaller ship, regardless of cruise line. They are more intimate. :) Jer the Bear:)

[newmexicoNita]

Thanks to everyone who answered and expressed opinions. It helped me make the decision to try an unfamiliar cruiseline and on a brand new ship.

Cindy

just the brand new ship part is worth it.

 

Nita