Should I save 1100 bucks by switching lines?

[uglybutgoodbakery]

I'm posting this here and on the HA board.

We're booked on a 7-day on the Princess Ruby in April, two cabins for four of us, my husband and 2 teenage sons.

 

We can go on a very similar itinerary, almost the same dates on the Westerdam for $1100 less. HOWEVER, that would be the four of us in an outside OV quad on Main deck. They have a great deal on this particular cruise where the 3rd and 4th passengers pay only $99. Princess does not give you any break with four in a cabin, or I would have done so to save $$$, so we took two outside obstructed view cabins. The inside cabins on Princess are still 1000 more than on the Westerdam.

 

Price IS a huge consideration.

 

Any thoughts? I have no experience with Holland America, but have cruised on the Caribbean Princess on two cruises, b2b. (I'll be giving up $300 in onboard ship credits if I switch lines, because of the FCCs we were going to use.)

[leoandhugh]

Have you given careful consideration to 4 people and only one bathroom. Even with teenage sons, that can take a lot of scheduling when you all want to shower, shave and dress using one bathroom. But you know your sons and the time they take better than anyone here does. It involves a lot of very close quarters and space 24/7 for 7days.:)

[Toto2Kansas]

Have you given careful consideration to 4 people and only one bathroom. Even with teenage sons, that can take a lot of scheduling when you all want to shower, shave and dress using one bathroom. But you know your sons and the time they take better than anyone here does. It involves a lot of very close quarters and space 24/7 for 7days.:)

 

You took the words right out of my mouth. lol ONE BATHROOM with two teenagers and two adults. :(

 

I would also think about how late these teens sleep. All in one room might make for a very tough morning on some days.

[uglybutgoodbakery]

At this point I think it's the difference between cruising in April and not. We really just want to cruise for our oldest son's senior graduation gift. But the chance to save the $$ is worth having smaller accomodations to me.

 

I'm worried about the amenity differences, ship differences. My kids are not "kids club" participators. They hang with us. If there was a game room, that'd be great, but they don't need organized activities, and we definitely don't either.

 

Is the Westerdam a smaller ship? Older?

 

We'll shower and dress in shifts. I lay everyone's clothing out, pack and unpack. I am overly organized.:o So no worries there.

[robgvic]

I dont think i woudl want to be in a cabin with two teen age sons and i doubt they would want it either. I know that $700 is a lot of money but i think your trip may be much more enjoyable with the two cabins, either on princess or holland america

[Lynda90]

Sounds like you've already made up your mind. I wouldn't want to spend a week in one cabin with 3 others no matter who they are, but that's me. If it's doable for you and your family, then do it. HA is is very nice cruiseline but the Ruby is a brand new ship and absolutely beautiful. I think you have to make your own decision here along with your DH.

[Marmarjudy]

I'm posting this here and on the HA board.

We're booked on a 7-day on the Princess Ruby in April, two cabins for four of us, my husband and 2 teenage sons.

 

We can go on a very similar itinerary, almost the same dates on the Westerdam for $1100 less. HOWEVER, that would be the four of us in an outside OV quad on Main deck. They have a great deal on this particular cruise where the 3rd and 4th passengers pay only $99. Princess does not give you any break with four in a cabin, or I would have done so to save $$$, so we took two outside obstructed view cabins. The inside cabins on Princess are still 1000 more than on the Westerdam.

 

Price IS a huge consideration.

 

Any thoughts? I have no experience with Holland America, but have cruised on the Caribbean Princess on two cruises, b2b. (I'll be giving up $300 in onboard ship credits if I switch lines, because of the FCCs we were going to use.)

 

Have you thought about the difference...ship experience/atmosphere....for your sons between Holland and Princess? We like Holland a lot and think it is comparable to Princess, but much more sedate/boring/older passengers and that is for US and we are just 60. It's fine for us, but what about your boys? I know our 36 year old daughter and 14 year old granddaughter would be pretty bored on Holland.

 

And one bathroom/one room/4 people?.....I'd stick with Princess.

 

Judy

[Times Prince]

At this point I think it's the difference between cruising in April and not. We really just want to cruise for our oldest son's senior graduation gift. But the chance to save the $$ is worth having smaller accomodations to me.

 

I'm worried about the amenity differences, ship differences. My kids are not "kids club" participators. They hang with us. If there was a game room, that'd be great, but they don't need organized activities, and we definitely don't either.

 

Is the Westerdam a smaller ship? Older?

 

We'll shower and dress in shifts. I lay everyone's clothing out, pack and unpack. I am overly organized.:o So no worries there.

We took our daughter, then 21, on a Holland America for a graduation gift. Big Mistake as she was the ONLY person in her age group on the entire ship. The crew, closer to her age, were NOT allowed to socialize with her unless actively serving her, even when she was the only person in the disco. She quite naturally did not want to spend 24 hours a day with us but there was really nothing for her to do. It was the only cruise where we did not consider it money well spent. She cruised with us later on the Grand Princess after completing college and had a wonderful time.

 

The Ruby Princess is a brand new ship, and the Westerdam is a much older smaller ship.

 

Consider the fact you are cruising in April - probably most youth will still be in school, so there may not be that many young people on board - Princess has many more options for entertainment of teens.

 

I would recommend you choose the quality of the experience over the cost. Go with Princess.

[3GR8Sons]

At this point I think it's the difference between cruising in April and not. We really just want to cruise for our oldest son's senior graduation gift. But the chance to save the $$ is worth having smaller accomodations to me.

 

I'm worried about the amenity differences, ship differences. My kids are not "kids club" participators. They hang with us. If there was a game room, that'd be great, but they don't need organized activities, and we definitely don't either.

 

Is the Westerdam a smaller ship? Older?

 

We'll shower and dress in shifts. I lay everyone's clothing out, pack and unpack. I am overly organized.:o So no worries there.

 

If the difference is cruising vs. not cruising and you want to go then go. Any vacation, even a less than optimal one, is better than no vacation.

[Cruzman]

Haven't been on Ruby or Westerdam, but I have been on their sisters; Caribbean Princess, Zuiderdam. Personally, I found the passenger demographic to be similar on both ships except on the CB there were a lot more school aged children. The Westerdam is one of four Vista Class ships that was purposefully designed to attract a younger demographic and all reports suggest considerable success. The ship, at 85,000 tons was launched in 2004 and designed to hold just over 1900 passengers; outside cabins are 194 sq ft on average. By comparison, the Ruby is 116,000 tons designed for 3120 passengers, and launced in 2008; OV cabins are 158 sq ft on avg. Considering that you plan to cruise in April when many schools will still be observing spring break, I would expect many younger folks than usual on board either ship. There are large game rooms, as well as teen discos on both ships. Since saving $ seems to be a big priority, and having 4 in your cabin (I've done the same thing once) isn't a problem for you, I say go on the Westerdam. Incidentally, I think you can recover your FCC by applying it to a different Princess cruise in the near future.

[Beyondships]

Both HAL and Princess offer good upscale products. However, the products are much different in terms of the features they offer and the atmosphere onboard. Thus, you need to decide which cruising style fits with your personal style.

 

Westerdam is a Vista class cruise ship of approximately 80,000 tons. Ruby Princess is a Grand class of 113,000 tons. Thus, both ships are large ships but Ruby is significantly larger.

 

Westerdam carries approximately 1,800 passengers whereas Ruby carries 3,100 (assuming double occupancy of all cabins). As a result, there is somewhat more space per passenger on the HAL ship.

 

However, Princess' philosophy is to divide the public space into smaller venues. As a result, there are more bars, lounges, dining venues, pools etc. on Ruby than on Westerdam.

 

Westerdam entered service in 2004. Ruby, of course, just entered service. Thus, both are new but Ruby is newer.

 

HAL's Vistas attract a younger crowd than HAL's other ships. However, there are still relatively few children or teens except during holidays and school vacations. There is a teen club called The Loft on Westerdam. They also have computers and video games. Ruby also has these type of facilities. The Princess ships tend to have more families with teens than the HAL ships.

 

The HAL Vista's are contemporary in design. There is a good art collection with European and Asian pieces. Also, they have lots of displays of fresh flowers.

 

Ruby is similar to Caribbean Princess in decor. However, Ruby has the spectacular Italian-inspired Piazza, the beautifully done Sabattini's and Adagio area overlooking the stern and the English club-like Crown Grill. It also has the Sanctuary adult retreat area. (Caribbean will be getting some of these facilities but since your frame of reference is past voyages on Caribbean, I am just mentioning some of the things that Ruby has but that Caribbean did not have when you sailed upon her).

 

The lifestyle on HAL tends to be sedate and somewhat formal. My feeling was that Ruby is (very) slightly more relaxed than Caribbean.

[jfv379]

I'm posting this here and on the HA board.

We're booked on a 7-day on the Princess Ruby in April, two cabins for four of us, my husband and 2 teenage sons.

 

We can go on a very similar itinerary, almost the same dates on the Westerdam for $1100 less. HOWEVER, that would be the four of us in an outside OV quad on Main deck. They have a great deal on this particular cruise where the 3rd and 4th passengers pay only $99. Princess does not give you any break with four in a cabin, or I would have done so to save $$$, so we took two outside obstructed view cabins. The inside cabins on Princess are still 1000 more than on the Westerdam.

 

Price IS a huge consideration.

 

Any thoughts? I have no experience with Holland America, but have cruised on the Caribbean Princess on two cruises, b2b. (I'll be giving up $300 in onboard ship credits if I switch lines, because of the FCCs we were going to use.)

 

 

When you booked the Ruby, you must have been happy with the price.:)

Don't have buyers remorse because you found something less expensive but not as accomodating. :confused: Stick with Princess IMHO:D

[dutchess43]

I would never sail with 2 teenagers in the same cabin & only 1 bathroom. Also I have been on the westerdam many years ago & on the Crown this past May my vote would be to stick with the Ruby.

[Tak8]

Others have already mentioned the 1 bathroom. That's the big difference that stands out to me. Princess is my first choice for cruising, but I enjoy HAL. I was on the Zuiderdam twice, a sister ship of Westerdam. My son, who was a pre-teen, at the time went along and another couple with a teenager. There weren't as many children/teenagers on the HAL as on Princess but there were over 200. Enough for the teenage boy to have too many teenage girls after him and enough for my son to find kids his own age to hang out with at times.

The food is similar. I like the main dishes on Princess more, but the Lido buffet on HAL is excellent. Lots of variety.

With similar itineraries and the savings, I would give HAL a try. It's nice to compare cruise lines from time to time.

[wdrl]

I recommend staying with Princess, afterall it is to celebrate that your son is in his senior year. When we sailed on HAL we met a family that the teenage sons were very unhappy with the cruise line. They felt the excursions and the lack of youth onboard was ruining their cruise. I understand that HAL has improved the selection on excursions for the more active but I still think Princess is for the young and young at heart.

 

Maybe your TA could call Princess to see if you can get any more of discount since you are considering switching to another cruise line due to the cost? Princess seems to be lower the cost of cruises daily.

[jhannah]

I think you should give the Westerdam a try. She's a fine ship with a good youth area (Club HAL.) Your sons can do their own thing or participate with others as they see fit. I'm assuming this will be during spring break. If so, there should be a fair number of teens.

 

The Westerdam holds around 1850 passengers ... not a tiny ship by any means. Visit the HAL forum and see the thread about their ships. Click here to link directly to it.

 

We have sailed both Princess and Holland America. We like them both although they have different "personalities." The crew on HAL are outstanding, IMO. If you don't mind 4 in a cabin, then I'd say the savings is well worth it.

[hubofhockey]

OP indicates that price is a huge consideration and one cabin/bathroom is not an issue. $1,100 is a lot of money. Going for one cabin on HAL sounds like a small sacrifice for a lot of money.

 

I made the opposite decision on my Princess cruise. Originally, I booked a balcony cabin for the four of us (my kids are 5th and 3rd graders). I got a look at pictures of the cabins and upgraded to a mini-suite for another $450 or so. Bathrooms can be an issue and that is one of the reasons I went for anytime dining. On port days, we would rush to get back to make our early seating time and it was a big hassle getting everyone showered and dressed in time. I even used the shower in the gym (pretty nice on Carnival Liberty) to help out.

[NevadaHiRoller]

Highly recommend you go with Princess on this one considering all your circumstances. It's also a new and gorgeous ship. Hal will have a much older crowd also, and sharing a bathroom with 4 will not be good.

[ocnlvr3]

Patti- In 98 we went on the NCL SS Norway for a 2 week Med cruise. Our 2 teenage sons were in our small room with DH and I. They were 17 and 16. The ship had an older crowd but they hung with us and had fun. BUT it was cramped in the small room and was hard to hide 4 huge suitcases as well. They had to let mom get ready first before the guys could get ready for dinner. It is doable but I would have preferred 2 rooms. That being said if you really need to save the money I'm sure you will all have a great cruise.

 

 

 

Andrea

[goodml]

We've had four in a small inside cabin before. It's all relative. At the time that's what we could afford and it didn't bother us a bit. If you think it would be awful then don't do it. People complain about way less ruining their vacations on these boards. You sound sort of like us. You'd likely do fine with one bathroom and if need be the boys can shower at the gym from time to time anyway.

[4canucks]

Hello

I would go for the cheaper...We have taken 5 cruises with our kids

and shared the cabin. The kids are teenagers now and the solution for us was book a cabin right under the pool/gym area. My daughter and I would grab a steam and shower in the gym while the guys showered up in the cabin. And we would rotate. Worked out perfect. We were not on top of each other. No one was ever in the gym showers or steam at that time of day so no waiting. No one rushing you to shower in the cabin..all good.

Good luck

1100 is fun money for excoursions, flights etc..It all counts

[Joules1111]

It sounds like the co$t has become an issue (and who isn't feeling a pinch right now with the economy).

 

In regards to the 4 people, 1 bathroom issue. I have started using the showers in the Spa sometimes, even when it is only me and the hubby in the cabin. They are usually bigger and nicer.

 

Maybe using the spa showers for a couple of you would alleviate the problem of having 4 people in one cabin?

 

ETA: Or what 4canucks said!

[4canucks]

PS...

Having travelled on the Holland in the past I would do it again in a heart beat. The food was amazing and the rest is what you make of it.

[RN1986]

I feel your delimma. Just yesterday I came to final payment and had to decide between 700 more for the Ruby. I chose the Ruby. We have 2 teenage girls and I think there is more to do for them than rome around the boat at night. I love the Movies under the Stars. We chose 2 separate cabins. For us, it was really about the boat and what it offered for my girls.

[DrivesLikeMario]

We've done 16 cruises so far with our sons and there is no way we'll cruise with 4 of us in one cabin. It's just way too crowded for us to even consider.

 

Either cruise line is a good choice. HAL's Vista Class oceanview cabins are nicer than Princess' (larger space, bath tub and couch), but if I were you, I'd seriously consider getting two cabins with either cruise line instead. If price is a big factor, then get 2 inside cabins with HAL. They're very nice and the beds are to die for!