HAL is still my Favorite Cruise Line

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Hi HAL friends:)

I know I have not been here much lately from being so busy but as many of you know Tom and I took our first Princess cruise on the Crown Princess.

We traveled with friends Frank and Michelle aka CC member fcorey who have cruised with us twice before for the Yum Yum Man Worshippers cruises. We had a great time with perfect weather and fantastic ports but came away with being very disappointed with Princess while it had some good things over all it was not nearly as good as HAL.

Maybe we have been on far too many HAL cruises but I tried very hard to be impartial. HAL just does more thing a bit better although there were some things that Princess did better but overall HAL won.

You can look over on the Princess board on my LIVE from thread to see what my final report said. I think some Princess lovers may be shocked. Sorry Princess fans :o

Oddly I did not feel like the ship was too big or had too many passengers. The ship rode nice and actually had hardly any vibration like all of the HAL ships tend to have. Princess does do a few thing better than HAL but has far more things they do better and have that are better.

HAL really has a superior product overall. :)

I have also posted pictures that you can view here.

Click on the picture.
http://thumb6.webshots.net/t/69/769/7/8/96/2894708960028362306SQZdWA_th.jpg (http://travel.webshots.com/album/576548979PTLjAv)

[mrsltg]

Thanks for the review, Lisa!

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'll have to go over and read your report.

I clicked on the picture -- nothing happened.

[KAYEF]

Hi HAL friends:)

I know I have not been here much lately from being so busy but as many of you know Tom and I took our first Princess cruise on the Crown Princess.

We traveled with friends Frank and Michelle aka CC member fcorey who have cruised with us twice before for the Yum Yum Man Worshippers cruises. We had a great time with perfect weather and fantastic ports but came away with being very disappointed with Princess while it had some good things over all it was not nearly as good as HAL.

Maybe we have been on far too many HAL cruises but I tried very hard to be impartial. HAL just does more thing a bit better although there were some things that Princess did better but overall HAL won.

You can look over on the Princess board on my LIVE from thread to see what my final report said. I think some Princess lovers may be shocked. Sorry Princess fans :o

Oddly I did not feel like the ship was too big or had too many passengers. The ship rode nice and actually had hardly any vibration like all of the HAL ships tend to have. Princess does do a few thing better than HAL but has far more things they do better and have that are better.

HAL really has a superior product overall. :)

I have also posted pictures that you can view here.

Click on the picture.
http://thumb6.webshots.net/t/69/769/7/8/96/2894708960028362306SQZdWA_th.jpg (http://travel.webshots.com/album/576548979PTLjAv)
I clicked on your photo AND got the photos but also ads all over the right side with REALLY LOUD noise/music/talking; tried it twice and can't get rid of the ads.

[kakalina]

Welcome back Lisa and Tom. HAL will always be home no matter what else you try and like.

[JAMS1]

Lisa, enjoyed reading your "live from".
We are just off the Diamond Princess and felt pretty much the same as you did.

Last September we were on the Zaandam for an Alaskan Cruise, it felt so good, crew was smiling all the time and greeting you around the ship, calling us by name on the second day. Diamond crew was professional, smiled when you smiled at them first, and seem very stressed the first 2 days. I even commented on the survey they had in my room on the second day, "The crew was very efficient but, did someone yell at them or something. Most seemed not happy at all." Front desk purser called me and asked which departments seem not so happy, I told her it was the entire ships personnel. She said, " Most folks aren't natural smilers, its just the crew's demeanor."

On the Zaandam, I had a different wonderful salmon dish every night of the cruise, (favorite was the Mango Salmon, don't miss it if you get the chance) no fishy taste to the fish as it was on the Diamond. Dining got to be so frustrating by the end of the Diamond cruise. The best thing I found besides one desert and one shrimp dish was the waffles in the afternoon. I hate buffets. Sandwich bread was dry during teas. just frustrating food. I shouldn't to eat wheat or milk and can easily do this in the MD without special arrangements on HAL, but realized soon on that I should have on the Diamond, gave up and ate whatever and took my pills.

The Diamond was booked solid, never felt crowded, but you might have breakfast with someone and never see them again. The ship was just too big for us. Thank goodness for all the CC folks onboard & our M&G's.

The wonderful thing is there are many cruise lines and ships to suit everyones taste, Princess & HAL have their loyal fans due to their differences.
CCL PLEASE keep it that way, incase you are listening.

[jtl513]

Nice pictures - thanks! I haven't read your report yet, though.

I clicked on your photo AND got the photos but also ads all over the right side with REALLY LOUD noise/music/talking; tried it twice and can't get rid of the ads.:confused:I didn't get that. No sound at all, in fact.

[localady]

Glad to hear Lisa, as with almost 4 star level here at HAL, I'd be hard pressed to convert! ;) :D

[dchip]

Hi Lisa

I enjoyed your Live thread and also your comparisons between Princess and HAL. We cruised with Princess 6 times before cruising with HAL and I loved HAL right from the get go. I agree with most of what you say. We have been lucky to always have friendly people to deal with on Princess, however.

HAL has better robes, towels in the public restrooms, fresh flowers everywhere, real Promenade decks, bigger cabins and bathtubs. We like the food much better on HAL. Although we do okay with Princess, too.

Princess does a much better job with shore excursions. I do like that we have free Internet as Platinum passengers with Princess.

Even though I am still cruising with Princess....driven by price and itinerary...my heart has been given to HAL. We even loved the Westerdam :D :eek: :D

Cheers, Denise

PS: Will look at your photos when I can sit and savor them!!!

[SandyMc]

I followed your entire live thread and completely enjoyed it. We have only done one Princess cruise, a much smalller ship, and enjoyed it very much but not as much as any of our HAL cruises.

I will be very interested in your upcoming NCL cruise since I have to admit that our NCL cruise on the Jade was one of our very favorite cruises! You always write a very balanced report and they are always fun to read, Lisa - thanks for doing it!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Lisa - Enjoyed your live from and final report very much.

We sail both HAL and Princess, more recently we sail HAL and much prefer their smaller ships especially the S class. Since Princess does a very nice coastal cruise on the Sapphire, we do that once or twice a year. Have found Princess crew to be very friendly - perhaps it was a bad week on the Crown. I think all lines are cutting back which may be the cause of what you experienced.

Thanks again - always like your insights.

[mechcc]

Lisa - Enjoyed your "Live From" thread and your analysis of HAL versus Princess. HAL is also our favorite but do like cruising different lines for different experiences. Your comparison of the 2 lines lets us understand what to expect from Princess.

[Casey12]

Maybe we have been on far too many HAL cruises but I tried very hard to be impartial. HAL just does more thing a bit better although there were some things that Princess did better but overall HAL won.


I think this is the situation. You have been on one line so many times that everything is compared to the one line as opposed to looking at each line individually for their own merits.

[lorekauf]

Your comparison of the 2 lines lets us understand what to expect from Princess.
I wouldn't rule out Princess based on this if that was your thought. I'm going on my forth Princess cruise and none of them so far have been anything like Lisa described. I have however heard people going on the Crown being disapointed. I'm hoping my Feb. cruise will be the same as the others. I find HAL and Princess to be on fairly equal footing. I'm not an easy marker...I've tried Celebrity and didn't like it at all.

[island pat]

I would like a comparison between Celebrity and Holland America...has anyone done both of these lines?
We cruise for the dining and dancing experience plus visiting all the ports and just love the whole cruising experience.

[cruzin girl]

We have been on Princess several times and Hal once and every one we have come away very happy. Both are a different experience, but very good in my opinion. 2 weeks ago we sailed on RCI and we did not like it as well as Princess/Hal and felt the same when we went on Celebrity. My Aunt that travels with us is handicapped and I was a little let down that not one time on Royal Caribbean was I offered help carrying her tray to a table. To me, this should be automatic, regardless of cruiseline.
Glad to hear that you had a good time!

[localady]

I would like a comparison between Celebrity and Holland America...has anyone done both of these lines?
We cruise for the dining and dancing experience plus visiting all the ports and just love the whole cruising experience.

Have cruised on both and find them very comparable. Both have there good points, and we would cruise either in a heartbeat.......

That said, HAL still feels more like home...... :)

[Cruise Fanatic]

Laffnvegas,
I always enjoy reading your posts. My partner Paul and myself (Larry) also enjoy HAL very much. I am now working towards my 4 star level. Anyway this past December, we were on the Golden Princess Hawaii cruise. It had been a few years since I had sailed on Princess. It was the first for Paul. It was a very enjoyable cruise. There were several things on Princess that they don't do on HAL (i.e. very few public annocements, repeat of some of the shows in different venues, their "silent disembarcation") As another poster stated, I would sail them again. But HAL has my heart.

[shandryl]

Great review Lisa, loved all the pictures! I almost felt as if I was there. Many thanx:D

[many cruises]

Thanks for the great review...I enjoyed reading your live posts. Since HAL & Princess are our two favorite cruise lines, we enjoyed reading your comparisons. We agree with you that the HAL service is friendlier, but we feel there is definitely more to do on Princess ships. Another thing to keep in mind is that HAL tends to cost more than any Princess ship we have sailed on. They are both great cruise lines & each stands out for different reasons! Please don't base your opinion on one Princess cruise...we're glad we didn't do that with HAL. Our first HAL cruise was on the Westerdam & based on that cruise, we probably wouldn't have cruised HAL again for the price we paid. Our next two HAL cruises were on the Maasdam & our cruise experience was very different from the Westerdam. The Maasdam staff was wonderful & friendly and that is the only ship we have ever sailed on more than once. :)

[woody14h]

I would like a comparison between Celebrity and Holland America...has anyone done both of these lines?
We cruise for the dining and dancing experience plus visiting all the ports and just love the whole cruising experience.

90 days on HAL, 10 cruises on X plus others.

These two lines are interchangeable IMHO. Subtle differences. ex. X has better sushi, HAL has better drink prices, HAL has better beds, X has better fish dishes HAL has a embarkation mariner lunch based on indonesian dishes with some spice to it. Plus other nuances.

I do mean subtle differences. We only choose based on the itinerary and/or price. One can't go wrong between these two.

[themerle]

Another thing to keep in mind is that HAL tends to cost more than any Princess ship we have sailed on. They are both great cruise lines & each stands out for different reasons! Please don't base your opinion on one Princess cruise...we're glad we didn't do that with HAL.


I totally agree with you! Both are my favorites too!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Another thing to keep in mind is that HAL tends to cost more than any Princess ship we have sailed on. They are both great cruise lines & each stands out for different reasons! Please don't base your opinion on one Princess cruise...we're glad we didn't do that with HAL.


I totally agree with you! Both are my favorites too!


I have to disagree on the price thing. Princess prices appear cheap if you purchase Inside or Obstucted Ocean View Guarantee cabins. Which BTW the Obstructed Ocean View cabin Guarantee is mostly what they have. If you want to select a cabin assginment you have to purchase early and pay more for a cabin than you would for HAL in a similiar cabin. Princess Balconies again are cheaper than HAL but they are also much smaller and again most of them are Guarantee cabins if you want to select your cabin location you will pay similiar dollars to HAL. They do not have an SY/SS but have a Mini Suite again HAL's Superior Verandah cost more most of the time but you are getting far more cabin and balcony than you get with a Princess Mini Suite. Then you jump to Princess Full Suites, the prices there are almost identical if not in some case more money than HAL but the Princess cabins are a bit nicer in my opinion than HAL's especially the bathrooms but also comparing in many itineraries they are similiar and some are also more expensive than a SA on HAL. Princess does not have a Pent House like HAL.

Most Princess ships have a large perntage of cheap Guarantee Inside and Obstructed View cabins. The newer Princess ships have very view NonObstructed view cabins but rather would have you bump up to the Obstructed Balcony cabins. HAL very seldom sells Guarantee cabins unless that particular category is sold out.