HAL vet tries Princess redux

[mikefang]

DW (Fang) and I have 127 days with HAL and several Carnival cruises prior to HAL. In the fall I reported favorably on the last minute repositioning cruise we took for our first Princess trip. We just completed our second Princess cruise, 7 days on the Golden Princess, Alaska, Seattle to Seattle. Very little of what I discuss will be different than I reported in the fall but there always seems to be interest when fans on one line cruise on another. IMO it is very difficult to compare cruise lines in that comparisons between ships within lines can be difficult let alone trying to compare one line to another using limited snapshots.

 

That having been said it remains my opinion that if you enjoy HAL you will enoy Princess and vice versa. The second cruise has given me a little wider picture to consider and so here goes:

 

PRE CRUISE: We used our TA and booked a window cabin on the Plaza deck, deck 5, which for reference is one the embarkation/debarkation decks depending on the tides. The cabin was well forward and one of the least expensive unobstructed view room available. We used Princess insurance and requested late (8pm) traditional dining. We used the Princess web site cruise personalizer and requested foam mattress toppings (eggcrates-strongly recommended) and robes in the room. The same site also allows for the making of special arrangements such as birthdays and anniversaries as well as printing off boarding passes-the site does not allow boarding passes to be printed until all the personal/immigration information has been inputted. Travel documents, including luggage tags, were received through our TA about 2 weeks prior to our May 9th departure.

 

UPGRADE FAIRY STRUCK: 3 days prior to the cruise our TA called and advised that we had been upgraded to a balcony cabin on the Lido deck, deck 14-or as I call it, deck ‘F’ for food deck. For you photo fans who check out the Golden we had L311, on the starboard side, almost directly below the big ‘G’ in Golden Princess. Nice place convenient to the chow line, hamburger bar, pizza bar and ice cream bar.

 

EMBARKATION: We live in Central Oregon and drove to Seattle making pre cruise parking reservations with Republic parking ($20 per day including shuttle service) adjacent to the newly opened Pier 91-used by HAL and Princess. They request you drop off luggage and passengers at the pier then drive to the parking area-a distance of about ½ mile using their courtesy (if you call $20/day for parking courtesy) shuttle to return to the pier. NOTE: No assistance with baggage was available from the parking area onto the shuttle, or off at the pier. (SEE DEBARKATION) Due to heavy congestion, long lines and unexplained delays it took 2 hours from dropping off DW (Fang) to getting on board. Most of that was waiting in long lines. Fang had great difficulty getting a porter as they all seemed to servicing the HAL ship on the other side of the pier. After finally succeeding we noticed a lot of people dragging their bags through the first of 3 lines leading to our pierside check in. IMO the problems seemed to be Port of Seattle related than Princess related. Had the weather been cold or rainy embarkation could have been very unpleasant. More on Pier 91 on DEBARKATION.

 

Will write more later. Mike:)

[BCEagle78]

Mike,

 

Thanks for the report. I found it very interesting. We have been on HAL many times and lately find ourselves being drawn to Princess as well. A different experience on each cruise line but both quite enjoyable.

[Pam in CA]

Mike, thanks for the first part of your review. As you say, if you like Princess, you'll like HAL and vice versa. There are some differences but overall, I don't think one is "better" than the other.

 

BCEagle... great name. :) I moved from the Boston area to CA a couple of years ago and got so fed up with all the license plate holders with USC and UCLA on them that I got a BC Eagles holder. :):) Made me feel a whole lot better.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the comments.

[mikefang]

EMBARKATION (CONT) Pier 91, at least for Princess, is 2 story process. On the ground floor you are given the health form to fill out then you proceed up an escalator to the check in floor with the normal multiple check in spots. We entered the line outside the ground floor at approximately 1:10. 45 minutes later we had progressed to the health form and took the escalator to the 2nd floor where we entered another line which eventually split into individual check in lines. From the top of the escalator to the check in person was another 45 minutes. I think everyone or at least most everyone knew the Pier 91 process was new and all the Princess personnel were courteous and as helpful as they could be under the circumstances.

We learned on board that a good number of people had short waits, or virtually none at all, while many had long waits.

 

ON BOARD: The Golden was fresh from drydock and a 4 day shakedown cruise. A beautiful ship. We experienced no problems with post drydock work though the steakhouse area was still under construction. Our room was a small balcony room, comfortable-particularly with the eggcrates and our robes were hanging in the closet when we arrived. Closet space was good and there is adequate storage for luggage. Bathroom smaller than on HAL. The traditional dining room is all the way aft and somewhat difficult for Fang to access. She has a bad knee and goes downstairs with discomfort. Only 2 elevators access the dining room and there is no access from forward. The International Café was new to the Golden and we found the coffee card to be a great value. The shops are mostly higher end.

 

FOOD: We found the food overall to be excellent. Fang says, and I agree-after 38 years I ain’t stupid-that they are somewhat soup challenged. IMO the food on the Golden was better than the Sapphire last fall and I would be hard pressed to choose between HAL and Princess. The Horizon Court/Lido still has a confusing traffic flow complicated by a couple of tour groups that had no concept of what a line is for but the food was good but I would not waste my time in the waffle bar line. Good selections and only limited difficulty finding seating. Our tablemates tried the steakhouse, temporarily located on the Lido aft section and raved about it the next night.

 

SERVICE: Our room was immaculate when we arrived and despite my best efforts the room steward kept it that way. Our dining room waiter was excellent as was his assistant. Both provide the service that brings back customers. International Café service was good but still shaking down a little. Bar service was slower than expected possibly due to some staffing cutbacks. Purser’s desk provided good service when we had questions.

 

CC MEET AND GREET: Thanks to an active roll call board Sharon set up an excellent meet and greet on Sunday. It was attended by around 40 CC types, the CD and Asst CD-both of whom were impressive and very customer oriented. They set up another meet and greet on the last day with a dedicated area, snacks and some gifts. Fang and I spent some time with the CD and his Assistant; both of whom we thoroughly enjoyed. We also had the opportunity to thank two of the senior chefs who came to the meeting. Sharon and her husband Lee were also 2 of our tablemates and contributed greatly to our CC meetings and our overall cruise enjoyment. Thanks and KUDOs to Sharon and Lee.

 

I will finish this off tomorrow-we came home to having new carpets put in and I am tired! Mike

[Shifra]

Thanks so much for sharing your Princess experience. Although I have been cruising with Princess mostly I also love HAL. Both lines offer dh & I what we like most about cruising.

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds like a great time.

[Druke I]

Thanks for the review.

 

My wife and I also like HAL - although we do think Princess generally has a better range of itineraries.

[ggarlene]

Mike, you said you requested foam mattress toppings on the Princess personalizer site. I'd like to do the same, but can only find "robe" and nothing about mattress toppings. Where did you find that?

 

Thanks, and looking forward to your next post about the cruise.

[Pam in CA]

Mike, you said you requested foam mattress toppings on the Princess personalizer site. I'd like to do the same, but can only find "robe" and nothing about mattress toppings. Where did you find that?

I believe it's something you have to fax in to request. I never have; if I want an egg crate, I just ask my cabin steward the first time I see him and it's on my bed by the time I get back from dinner.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Mike,

 

Thanks for your comparison..we are thinking of going to HAL for a January Panamal Canal cruise due to better itinerary for us and better pricing, so are very interested in what you have to say!

[wizard-of-roz]

Mike: Thanks for sharing your voyage (in formation) with us.

We love the Golden, she's one of our favorites. Big but not too big!

I totally understand the difficulty with the Dining Room, it took me until the 2nd day to figure out that not all the aft elevators go to there! And, just like Fang, my knees and back hate to go down stairs.

I love HAL, DH not so much. So, we are destined to do Princess because they're his favorite line.

We're driving to Seattle, in September to board the Golden and are a bit upset to hear about the difficulty with luggage and finding porters. We have a lot of luggage, since we travel with a Service Dog and, her needs are best met by bringing along a separate set, just for her.

There's no way we'd be able to "push" or "shove" the luggage along any lines.....I certainly hope they work out those "kinks" before September.....or we'll be in deep "do-do!"

We'll see!

[Donder1]

When you travel with a service dog on a ship, where does she have to go to relieve herself. Is it some designated area? BTW, I love dogs!

[wizard-of-roz]

When you travel with a service dog on a ship, where does she have to go to relieve herself. Is it some designated area? BTW, I love dogs!

 

Way off topic....but, I totally understand the curiosity [most asked question, when people see us]....

Quickly: The ship provides a 4x4 wooden box, filled with mulch/wood chips/wood shavings or sod. The box is placed either on your veranda or in a stairwell, deck [away from the public], or, in a closet down the hall from our cabin [usually used by the crew!]

Very convenient and the cruiselines are so accommodating and thoughtful!

Cruising with our SD is a pure joy!

[BCEagle78]

Mike, thanks for the first part of your review. As you say, if you like Princess, you'll like HAL and vice versa. There are some differences but overall, I don't think one is "better" than the other.

 

BCEagle... great name. :) I moved from the Boston area to CA a couple of years ago and got so fed up with all the license plate holders with USC and UCLA on them that I got a BC Eagles holder. :):) Made me feel a whole lot better.

 

Pam, I grew up in the Boston area and have lived in the Orlando area for the past 20 years. Glad to see you are a BC fan, even though you are surrounded by USC/UCLA fans.

 

Paul

[mikefang]

Okay, back again to finish this off. Fang always says I talk too much and reviewing my typing I have to agree.

 

Wizard-see my comments on Pier 91 in this post maybe they will help.

 

Ggarlen-I may have used the 800 number for eggcrate request, I do remember it was very simple.

 

DRESS: Most people were nicely dressed and the 2 formal nights saw some tuxes, lots of suits and sportcoats with ties. Ladies dressed in nice evening wear. As always a few exceptions but overall more formal than I expected for Alaska. I opted for my old guys outfit of Navy blazer, dark gray slacks, tie. Fang was in nice evening wear, dresses. Non formal for us slacks, polos for me, dress for Fang. We were comfortable. One of the couples at our table was from England and he wore a coat and tie every evening-dinner jacket on formal nights.

 

PIER 91: We were expecting some teething problems and we were not disappointed; however, most of the luggage issues we saw, IMO, will be smoothed out. We used Republic Parking and their request is that extra passengers and luggage be dropped off before going to parking-no luggage assistance in the parking lot area, which is what we did. For embarkation however there is luggage loading on the pier which would eliminate getting your vehicle and returning to the pier-we did not note this before I jumped on the shuttle.

 

Pier 91 does have separate lanes for private vehicles, shuttles, tour buses but one lane leading into the pier before you get to these individual lanes. Please note that this one access lane is also used by semis and other delivery vehicles bringing supplies and stores for whatever ship/ships in port-2 in our case. This was at best a nightmare and I should have noted the luggage difference earlier and just loaded it onto the shuttle to eliminate the zoo I encountered trying to reclaim Fang and luggage. I do not know about service animals in that situation but if you drive I recommend the method I did not use to make your morning easier. We noted vehicles blocking traffic lanes to load and unload-arriving passengers and departing were well mixed up in the traffic pattern-or lack thereof.

 

I have directed these comments to those who use pier parking. Shuttles, taxis and buses seemed aplenty and more power to you.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Good, large dance cast and we enjoyed their shows including the Motown show. Active and pleasant cruise staff.

 

IN SHORT: We like HAL and Princess and expect some differences. I think there are better/or perhaps more entertainment choices on Princess but that is, after all, personal choice and yours may be appropriately different. Our lifeboat drill station was the casino and I had a vision of being the man remembered for yelling as the water closed over my head “daddy needs a bigger life jacket”!

 

Enjoy Princess, we do! Enjoy HAL, we do! Just enjoy. Mike and Fang

[mikefang]

My error, sorry. The luggage assist on the parking shuttle was for debarkation not embarkation. Not only was there someone to help put it on the shuttle they had a compartment with exterior access available that did not seem to be used when embarking from the kiosk area of the parking lot.

Sorry for any confusion:

Embarkation: No luggage assist

Debarkation: Luggage assist

Mike

[stellalimelight]

Okay, back again to finish this off. Fang always says I talk too much and reviewing my typing I have to agree.

 

Wizard-see my comments on Pier 91 in this post maybe they will help.

 

Ggarlen-I may have used the 800 number for eggcrate request, I do remember it was very simple.

 

DRESS: Most people were nicely dressed and the 2 formal nights saw some tuxes, lots of suits and sportcoats with ties. Ladies dressed in nice evening wear. As always a few exceptions but overall more formal than I expected for Alaska. I opted for my old guys outfit of Navy blazer, dark gray slacks, tie. Fang was in nice evening wear, dresses. Non formal for us slacks, polos for me, dress for Fang. We were comfortable. One of the couples at our table was from England and he wore a coat and tie every evening-dinner jacket on formal nights.

 

PIER 91: We were expecting some teething problems and we were not disappointed; however, most of the luggage issues we saw, IMO, will be smoothed out. We used Republic Parking and their request is that extra passengers and luggage be dropped off before going to parking-no luggage assistance in the parking lot area, which is what we did. For embarkation however there is luggage loading on the pier which would eliminate getting your vehicle and returning to the pier-we did not note this before I jumped on the shuttle.

 

Pier 91 does have separate lanes for private vehicles, shuttles, tour buses but one lane leading into the pier before you get to these individual lanes. Please note that this one access lane is also used by semis and other delivery vehicles bringing supplies and stores for whatever ship/ships in port-2 in our case. This was at best a nightmare and I should have noted the luggage difference earlier and just loaded it onto the shuttle to eliminate the zoo I encountered trying to reclaim Fang and luggage. I do not know about service animals in that situation but if you drive I recommend the method I did not use to make your morning easier. We noted vehicles blocking traffic lanes to load and unload-arriving passengers and departing were well mixed up in the traffic pattern-or lack thereof.

 

I have directed these comments to those who use pier parking. Shuttles, taxis and buses seemed aplenty and more power to you.

 

ENTERTAINMENT: Good, large dance cast and we enjoyed their shows including the Motown show. Active and pleasant cruise staff.

 

IN SHORT: We like HAL and Princess and expect some differences. I think there are better/or perhaps more entertainment choices on Princess but that is, after all, personal choice and yours may be appropriately different. Our lifeboat drill station was the casino and I had a vision of being the man remembered for yelling as the water closed over my head “daddy needs a bigger life jacket”!

 

Enjoy Princess, we do! Enjoy HAL, we do! Just enjoy. Mike and

Fang

 

 

Mike,

 

You are correct. They are working out the problems with embarkation. My mom does security there and says that is has become less chaotic. They have new signs posted on the Magnolia bridge entrance and have made adjustments to the way the direct the traffic for drop offs. They are still working on a couple of more things and hopefully it will get even better.

 

Shelley