HAL vs. PRINCESS

[mappa2]

we have cruised primarily princess in the past and are currently looking
at a european cruise with HAL. can someone who has cruised with both
give me a comparison? we heard HAL was a bit stuffy but we have a completely open mind.

[FlorenceItaly]

I have not sailed Princess YET, but sailed HAL in June and August(both times solo, btw)....I am VERY middle class. I did not find HAL or it's passengers stuffy at all.

Marie

[jhannah]

We have sailed both, and like both for different reasons. In no way do I find HAL stuffy. Yes, it's a more "refined" cruising experience, but far from up tight. We've found the crew to be really hard working and dedicated to pleasing the passengers. The fresh flowers and superb artwork throughout HAL ships are a hallmark. All add up to make them a cut above Princess, IMO. The shipmates we've been fondest of have been on HAL ships. HAL offers good value. Would we sail Princess again? Sure, if the itinerary and price are right. But our cruise line of choice is Holland America.

[Cinder]

I agree with JHannah and would sail both lines, depending on the trip. If you like a lot of nightlife, Hal is quieter. Remember, too, that the ships are often significantly smaller than Princess', so there's a lower activity level. Europe is port intensive, though, so you probably won't spend too much time aboard.
If you are a Princess cruiser, remember that Carnival owns them all now, so that should net you mariner discounts on your cruise.

[Aussie Gal]

I also agree with Vegas Jim. We have sailed both and enjoyed them equally as much. They are different and yet similar. The itinerary to us is the most important factor and the cruiseline is a close second. We loved our trip on the Tahitian Princess and we have booked on the Regal for our South American cruise but we always come back to HAL and probably if the two intineraries were exactly the same and the dates the same we would choose HAL.

We like the quieter approach to life on HAL. Not so much loud music around the pool and when we leave port. It is a more refined cruising experience but I wouldn't say stuffy. We have always enjoyed ourselves on HAL and have made some great friends.

Jennie

[CMHF]

Hi Mappa2,
We have sailed both many times, both very nice cruiselines. But we we perfer Princess, have have been sailing mostly Princess that last 7 years. We are in our early 40's and find Princess suits our tastes better. Also the higher level perks are better on Princess.
Harvey

[Cally]

We have done 5 Princess cruises and 1 on HAL and Princess wins hands down. My favorite is Celebrity.

[slineberry528]

I have just returned from the Maasdam and in the summer we sailed Alaska and used the Dawn Princess. There are some differences. Both I enjoyed very much and would sail both again in a hearthbeat. HAL has some premium coffees and have the coffee bar that Princess charges for. When we sailed Alaska we didn't have need for much ice cream. HAL had the movies everyday which was nice. The shows on Princess were great. All in all I had a wonderful time on both ships.
Susan

[lwnbwlr]

I've sailed 12 times on Princess and twice on HAL (last 2) with another one scheduled for this month. I found the HAL staffers to be much friendlier than Princess. It's hard to put into words but HAL is like being welcomed into the home of a longtime friend while Princess is like visiting an aquaintance who's obvious preference is to be alone. You certainly get your money's worth on Princess and they have wonderful intineraries. My preference, however, lies with HAL.

[mappa2]

thanks for the replies - helped me decide.
i have another question! our cruise (mediterranean) has some long
port days. i wondered how the dining works with people getting
back kinda late etc. - is there some arrangement or do you just miss eating?
maybe a dumb question but i am a novice at this.

[OCruisers]

mappa2 .... We've sailed on BOTH Princess and HAL ... but have only done the European cruises on Princess so this may not be lots of help. We totally enjoy BOTH of these cruise lines and would have no problem with doing Europe with HAL ... the timing just always worked better for us on Princess.

We book LATE seating so we've never had a problem with long port days. Everyone is different ... but, for us, this late dining time works best on port intensive cruises.

Have a wonderful time planning! Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[~Nereus~]

We've done 150 days on HAL, 153 on Celebrity, 105 on Princess...

For 2005 we have booked 2 HAL, 4 Celebrity, Zero Princess...

Princess cruises would be OK if the prices were low enough compared to our first two choices... Princess goes more place though..

[wander]

Having sailed multiple times on HAL and on Princess, I like them both and would say there are trade-offs between them. However, since I prefer ships with less than 1500 passengers, Princess is losing ground in my priority list, but the newest ships are lovely.

Looking at these two lines, the length of the cruise and the destinations have a greater influence on my cruise experience than does HAL vs Princess. One week or less cruises have a different ambiance and crowd than do longer cruises on both lines. (For example, a two week cruise in Europe has a different feel for me than a seven day cruise in the Caribbean. All types of cruises have been great experiences for me, but they are different experiences.

[Roadwork]

We like both cruise lines for different reasons, but the PC dining is not our cup of tea. Holland America wins hands down for food.

For a European cruise, PC dining might work better.