HAL vet tries Princess

[mikefang]

DW (the Fang part of mikefang) and I have 127 days on HAL over several years and some Carnival cruises before that. I have seen a lot of 'will I like HAL/Princess/etc' posts so I thought I would post my impressions of our first Princess cruise taken on short notice-the Sapphire Princess repositioning from Vancouver BC to Los Angeles, 7 days, 9/20-9/27.

 

Short story, we enjoyed it and would do Princess again without hesitation. We found some differences which prompted this post and hopefully will be of interest to others. Caveat: This is one cruise and one ship only. I think we have all been on enough cruises to know there are differences aplenty between ships let alone cruise lines.

 

We had to cancel our planned HAL Med trip this year due to medical problems and DW exhausted herself taking care of me; so when this last minute email from Princess came in with a great deal and even better air we decided to take the break. All arrangements were completed the weekend prior to the cruise. We usually use a TA but it was Saturday and we just did it-I would continue to use a TA however. The email offered $99 air to/from Vancouver so we decided to drive to Vancouver from Central Oregon, park at the airport and fly from LAX back to Vancouver. This all worked including the discount parking coupon on the Vancouver airport website with only one speed bump. The day after booking and paying Princess we received a call saying our air was 'not available' on the normal Princess carrier. When DW expressed some displeasure at being charged more for 'going outside' a supervisor offered a full refund then cancelled the extra charges and arranged air for us all in one call. The Princess online immigration forms, boarding passes and e-tickets made documents quick and easy.

 

Transfers from the airport to the pier were a little cumbersome probably due, we were told, to several cruise ships in port that day (Saturday). HAL passengers had their luggage collected at the HAL kiosk (next to Princess) while Princess passengers handled their own, in the rain, enroute to a bus that was overcrowded with HAL passengers already on board and Princess luggage was left on the curb-in the rain-with complaints dismissed with "...the truck will be right here." Hanging up damp clothes that evening was an irritant but not terrible. Embarkation was what I would call 'pierside normal'. No untoward delays other than trying to get by the normal photographers. Princess had them set up in two spots so just as you congratulated yourself on slipping by the second group pounced.

 

Our last minute deal gave us a small inside cabin. We have been in most cabin classes between HAL and Carnival from inside to suite. This was the smallest but was adequate for the break we so needed. In room refrigerator, ice bucket kept in the refrigerator and always full of ice, 2 electrical outlets on dressing table, lots of mirrors. No bathrobes though i think you could ask the steward for them, and no complimentary shopping bags were provided. Room was clean and when booking you can request a second cleaning to ensure no smoking odors. I would want an outside for a longer cruise and maybe for another 7. Interestingly enough DW found the closet space better than a mini-suite on Oosterdam.

 

The obligatory lifeboat drill consisted of taking your lifejackets to one of the lounges where lectures were given and only at the end were the jackets put on. No muster was taken.

 

Sapphire Princess is a clean, comfortable ship and well maintained from a passenger standpoint as well as a that of a 25 year Navy guy. Fittings and such were not painted over and appeared to be in good shape, yes it is a pretty new ship but Navy types will tell you poor maintenance occurs rapidly.

 

Well, this is kind of long and DW says I talk too much and no one will care anyway so I will add to this tomorrow. Mike

[Jade13]

Looking forward to hearing more.

[seafun]

What does your DW mean, "no one will care anyway" -- of couse we care, we're Cruise Addicted! :D

I've never tried Princess, although I get a lot of their advertising as well, and I appreciate the time you're taking to share the things you learned.

Keep up the good work!

[Krazy Kruizers]

There are some of us here who care!

I appreciate you taking the time to tell us about your Princess deal.

Do hope that you will tell us more about the ship -- food -- dining -- etc.

[gelo7]

Princess is on our list of lines to try, so I'd like to hear more. I hope that you have recovered fully.

[jhannah]

Thanks for your report. We have sailed Princess, and feel they offer a fine product. Different personality than HAL, for sure, but a nice experience. We'll look forward to more of your compare-and-contrast.

[Druke I]

We also have sailed both Princess and HAL, and like both.

 

Princess does have a wider range of itineraries, which certainly gives one more choices.

 

Both lines have their strong-points, with Princess being somewhat more relaxed or laid back than HAL.

 

That said, I think we prefer Oceania to both Princess and HAL. Oceania, with only three ships (and two under construction) has more limited itineraries.

[rpjkw11]

We've sailed on the Caribbean Princess several times and were more than happy/satisfied. I like the meals on Princess a little more than HAL, but other than that.....

 

One area I really LOVE about HAL is one doesn't feel like a sardine. The Caribbean Princess is approximately the same size as the Zuiderdam, but has almost twice the passengers. That could explain the very limited room service compared to HAL's FULL service. Worst of all is the waiting for an elevator on the CP.

 

My suggestion to those who have to endure long lines and frequent waits in their everday life: Try HAL. Afterall, it's a vacation as much as a cruise and vacations, in my mind, should be rejuvinating.

 

My $0.02.

 

Bob

[Druke I]

Caribbean Princess and Zuiderdam are not close to being same size.

 

Zuiderdam is 85,000GRT, while Caribbean Princess is 115,000GRT.

 

Relative PSR (passenger space ratio) is 45.99 for Z'Dam, and 44.23 for Caribbean Princess.

 

Apples and oranges.

 

A fairer comparison might be Coral Princess/Island Princess with Zuiderdam.

 

Coral/Island 92,000GRT, 1970 PAX, PSR 46.7.

[Tampa Girl]

Caribbean Princess and Zuiderdam are not close to being same size.

 

Zuiderdam is 85,000GRT, while Caribbean Princess is 115,000GRT.

 

Relative PSR (passenger space ratio) is 45.99 for Z'Dam, and 44.23 for Caribbean Princess.

 

Apples and oranges.

 

A fairer comparison might be Coral Princess/Island Princess with Zuiderdam.

 

Coral/Island 92,000GRT, 1970 PAX, PSR 46.7.

 

I'm not sure the above is really apples and oranges. Both ships are the same length - 951 ft. However, the Caribbean Princess has a 118 beam, and the "Z" has a 106 ft. beam. The passengers, 2 per cabin, are 3,114 on the CP; and 1848 on the Z. I guess the question is: How many more cabins, given the 12' additional beam, can Princess squeeze into their ship? Their cabins are smaller than HAL's, I think.

[airlink diva]

Thanks for your report! Since December of last year, Princess have sent me e-mails,snail mails and call about sailings. I want to try them, but the few people that I know that sailed them had mixed reviews. However these reviews are from a few years past.

I will keep an eye out for the rest of your report.

[Akheila]

when dealing with our TA she has stated HAL is the best for many reasons, she would recommend Princess and RCCL. But is willing to book whatever we want, those are simply what she prefers. and she directed us to HAL for our first. when we mentioned another line due to price and she did have plenty of these brochures in her office she made a face and was very clear...you get what you pay for.

having said that we love HAL and think we should try something just to know what others are like. but would do a short cruise...just in case! and really we don't meet the "traditional" Hal demographics....all the better for us:D

so please continue your review...

[sueclark]

I enjoyed reading your post. We most often sail HAL or Celebrity, but did do a Grand Princess cruise a few years ago. My thoughts were that there was nothing wrong with it, but I preferred HAL or Celebrity.

 

We are now booked on the Royal Princess World Cruise for Jan 2008 so I'm really hoping your thoughts and my memories will prove to be true. The price was so good we couldn't pass it up and we really love the small ships.

[Druke I]

I'm not trying to be argumentative - remember I did say I liked HAL.

 

That extra 12' in beam is very important, in that it means Caribbean Princess (which is CB in Princess parlance, not the mnemonic CP, assigned to the Sea Princess) cannot fit in the current locks of the Panama Canal, hence is classed as a postpanamax ship.

 

That is why I threw in Coral/Island Princess, as they are much closer to Zuiderdam in dimensions, gross registered tonnage, and passenger load.

 

Princess cabins are generally smaller than HAL, and unless you go into mini-suites or above you do not get a couch. (The exception being the 3 Renaissance class ships, which do have sofas in most cabins.)

[Tampa Girl]

I enjoyed reading your post. We most often sail HAL or Celebrity, but did do a Grand Princess cruise a few years ago. My thoughts were that there was nothing wrong with it, but I preferred HAL or Celebrity.

 

We are now booked on the Royal Princess World Cruise for Jan 2008 so I'm really hoping your thoughts and my memories will prove to be true. The price was so good we couldn't pass it up and we really love the small ships.

 

Whoops! January 2008? How large is the Royal Princess?

[mikefang]

DW (Fang) laughingly says that since I talk too much and often too long people lose interest to which I reply that by the third night of a cruise the tablemates often feel sorry for me;). I have to be good though because she devoted herself to to my care over the last 12 months and in the Navy I learned many years ago to never irritate someone who feeds you, pays you or sticks a needle in you-to which I must add take takes great care of you!

 

The Sapphire Princess (SP) is a large ship and cannot be compared to smaller HAL ships so I am trying to look at some questions previous posters have asked about trying another line.

 

Demographics: This was a repositioning cruise, Alaska to Mexico, and the ages on board were more what I have expect on HAL. There were more folks needing assistance in wheelchairs, scooters etc than on my last HAL cruises. The crew took good care of these folks and in a 2 tender port 7 day cruise I observed a great deal of crew involvement in getting these folks in and out of tenders safely. The kids area on the SP is very large and I must presume they usually have more children-a current post on the Princess board shows about 20 kids on our cruise and over 100 on the first Mexico trip. I would say they have a good program for youngsters so if you are concerned about bringing the old folks (me) or the younger the SP crew is prepared.

 

Entertainment: Many of you have cruised HAL lately and we have, regretfully, have not; but I have noticed some comments about dance cast size as well as cruise staff. The SP is a large ship and the cruise staff numbered 5-6 plus the cruise director. They were visible, active and made good efforts to interface with passengers. I think they are used to a younger group or at least with more younger folks. The ship's orchestra numbered 7 or 8 as I recall-I tend to look at the girl dancers more than the orchestra! One night the string quartet played with the orchestra for a band total of 12-good sound. The dance cast had 4 singers and 12 dancers. In 7 days they put on 3 production shows. All were good and I would describe the shows as a little more modern than HAL. More modern dancing and their oldies are more 80's and 90's than 50's and 60's. We did the second show/10:15 and the theater was well attended. Incidentally the large theater was used for movies during the day. The other entertainment was 'cruise ship fleet average' depending on your taste for comedy and magic. Sample joke: "My wife is so ugly I gave her a hickey and got a mouthful of fur". As the saying goes I report you choose. I saw nothing to indicate the 2 show venue on Princess is going to be changed and seemed quite popular.

 

I'll try later and comment on Food, Lounges, Disembarking and a fascinating experience called the 'outlet sale'!

Mike

[Druke I]

The new Royal Princess, one of the Renaissance class ships, is 30,277GRT, 710PAX.

 

The old Royal Princess, now P&O's Artemis, was one of my favorites. She is 46,000GRT, 1200PAX.

[rianna26]

DW (Fang) laughingly says that since I talk too much and often too long people lose interest to which I reply that by the third night of a cruise the tablemates often feel sorry for me;). I have to be good though because she devoted herself to to my care over the last 12 months and in the Navy I learned many years ago to never irritate someone who feeds you, pays you or sticks a needle in you-to which I must add take takes great care of you!

 

The Sapphire Princess (SP) is a large ship and cannot be compared to smaller HAL ships so I am trying to look at some questions previous posters have asked about trying another line.

 

Demographics: This was a repositioning cruise, Alaska to Mexico, and the ages on board were more what I have expect on HAL. There were more folks needing assistance in wheelchairs, scooters etc than on my last HAL cruises. The crew took good care of these folks and in a 2 tender port 7 day cruise I observed a great deal of crew involvement in getting these folks in and out of tenders safely. The kids area on the SP is very large and I must presume they usually have more children-a current post on the Princess board shows about 20 kids on our cruise and over 100 on the first Mexico trip. I would say they have a good program for youngsters so if you are concerned about bringing the old folks (me) or the younger the SP crew is prepared.

 

Entertainment: Many of you have cruised HAL lately and we have, regretfully, have not; but I have noticed some comments about dance cast size as well as cruise staff. The SP is a large ship and the cruise staff numbered 5-6 plus the cruise director. They were visible, active and made good efforts to interface with passengers. I think they are used to a younger group or at least with more younger folks. The ship's orchestra numbered 7 or 8 as I recall-I tend to look at the girl dancers more than the orchestra! One night the string quartet played with the orchestra for a band total of 12-good sound. The dance cast had 4 singers and 12 dancers. In 7 days they put on 3 production shows. All were good and I would describe the shows as a little more modern than HAL. More modern dancing and their oldies are more 80's and 90's than 50's and 60's. We did the second show/10:15 and the theater was well attended. Incidentally the large theater was used for movies during the day. The other entertainment was 'cruise ship fleet average' depending on your taste for comedy and magic. Sample joke: "My wife is so ugly I gave her a hickey and got a mouthful of fur". As the saying goes I report you choose. I saw nothing to indicate the 2 show venue on Princess is going to be changed and seemed quite popular.

 

I'll try later and comment on Food, Lounges, Disembarking and a fascinating experience called the 'outlet sale'!

Mike

 

 

Thanks for the info so far, however we are comparing princess and hal right now for the med, we are 36 and 39 years of age and have never cruised yet and are leaning more towards hal as we are hearing better food, service etc

 

 

any more info mike to help us make our final pick please write

[sueclark]

Whoops! January 2008? How large is the Royal Princess?

yup, 2009... sometimes the fingers go faster than my brain!

 

Royal Princess is 30,277 tons - about 700 passengers. She is slightly smaller than Prinsendam, but carries pretty much the same passenger load. She is the old R8 of Renaissance.

 

We actually canceled the Prinsendam S. America Grand voyage to do this world cruise as the price was so much better. I'll do S America another time.

[mr green]

We have sailed Princess a little more than HAL, and we prefer Princess. We feel more 'at home' with Princess, and some of its 'Front Office Policies' suit us better than HAL's.

Having said that, we would sail HAL again, if the cruise seemed right for us.

 

john

[san diego sue]

We go back and forth between Holland America and Princess.

It really depends on the ship you are on, the itinerary, and size of ship. So hard to look at differences. On Holland America we prefer the Vista class ships. On Princess I really like the smaller ones. Again because of Itinerary. If there are lots of tender ports, I don't like the huge passenger ships. for Europe, the smaller the better and have only done Princess so far(Royal).

The cabins on Princess , balcony, have no sofa (except on the Royal), and not really comfortable for breakfast in room. There is loads of storage on Princess, Holland America (Vista class) very little.

We have always had a wonderful time on any of these ships whether Holland America or Princess. Sailed Princess 6 times and HAL 6 as well.

Food has been the same. Evening entertainment on Princess more varied

and slightly better.

We are doing a 32 day transatlantic with HAL next year and am concerned with no laundry, but there is always the Laundry bags to stuff so we are probably fine.

San Diego Sue

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Mike thanks so much for reporting in about the SP. As many know we too our big HAL fans and while we have just too RCL cruises under our belt from our beginning cruising days it has only been HAL the last 16 or so cruises. But interestingly enough you brought her back to Southern California on her repo cruise we will be taking our first ever Princess Cruise on the Sapphire in May next year for her repo back to Vancouver. So I found your comments very interesting and we look forward to doing a comparison ourselves.

Thanks :)

[jhannah]

We were on her sister, Diamond Princess, last year. It was a very nice ship. Quite lovely, really. The first big difference you'll notice is the massive atrium on Princess ships. A little glitzier, too, than HAL standard. Not better ... not worse. Just different. I know you and Tom will have a great time.

[MightyQuinn]

I think we prefer Oceania to both Princess and HAL. Oceania, with only three ships (and two under construction) has more limited itineraries.

Druke - Do you know if the Prinsendam is essentially the same ship as the former Renaissance vessels that currently sail for Oceania, Azamara & Princess? They all seem to be smaller, more intimate & classic ships. Are there any real differences? Thanks!

[Druke I]

No, Prinsendam is not one of the Renaissance class ships, of which there were eight.

 

Princess has three, the Royal Princess, the Pacific Princess, and Tahitian Princess, which is to be renamed Ocean Princess.

 

Oceania has three, Insignia, Nautica, and Regatta.

 

Azamara has two, Journey and Quest.

 

Prinsendam was built for Royal Viking Line, and while similar in size, has a different hull form & superstructure.