Thinking of 'straying' again ....

[Vic The Parrot]

This time, on Princess


Got a real good offer (not sure how ..... I never sailed with them .. :confused: ) and it includes an on board credit to use.

So, after doing some research, found a nice trip that appeals to me.
One of the 9 dayers from NY on Crown Princess.

Good prices right now, too ... guess they're desperate to fill up that new ship.
I'll be pondering this over the weekend, and let ya'll know.


:)

[Vic The Parrot]

Oh yea ....


Thought I should give my deepest thanks to Dorothy, and a few other Princess regulars for thier help in my research. It's great to be in contact with folks like these!


:)

[Copper10-8]

This time, on Princess


Got a real good offer (not sure how ..... I never sailed with them .. :confused: ) and it includes an on board credit to use.

So, after doing some research, found a nice trip that appeals to me.
One of the 9 dayers from NY on Crown Princess.

Good prices right now, too ... guess they're desperate to fill up that new ship.
I'll be pondering this over the weekend, and let ya'll know.


:)

Jumping ship??? :eek: Don't do it Vic! There's help availabe!;)

[Bramcruiser]

Oh he may sleep around but we know he'll come back to HAL. The best beds are with us!

[Grumpy1]

We've never sailed on Princess, but have very good friends that do... and they think Princess is really great. But then they haven't sailed on another line so they can't make a direct comparison to anything else.

Would we sail on Princess? Price isn't that important, so other factors like convenience and ports would be the things to consider. I realize that it would be a different experience, but there is nothing I've heard about Princess that would make me say "NO WAY!" I would say that, if you like the price, convenience and itinerary, you should go for it. Broaden your horizons, become better informed, mingle with the masses... oops, how did that slip in here?:rolleyes: ... all that stuff. You may enjoy some things more than on HAL, some less, but you'll never know for sure if you don't try it.

[travellady]

We've sailed Princess and thoroughly enjoy it. Our top 3 cruiselines are HAL, RCCL, and Princess. All provide different experiences, all good. HAL strikes us as the more classic and more formal of all cruiselines. Princess provides flexibility with their Anytime Dining but service and food are good as well. I don't believe you can go wrong with Princess, yes, it will be different than HAL, but based on my experience, not in a negative way.

[jhannah]

I agree with travellady. We've sailed Princess and enjoyed our cruises. They offer a good product. Different from HAL, but still good.

[grannynurse]

Vic,
Where the heck are you? I answered your last email months ago and haven't heard from you since.
I'm considering a solo trip on the Zaandam with Ruth and group (Voyage of the spammed), but haven't decided yet.
Please keep in touch.
Love,
GN

[Marbella]

Just completed a 2 week HAL cruise with 2 other couples who had sailed on Princess several times. It was their first cruise with HAL. We haven't had a chance to do an indepth comparsion, but in short, they will return to Princess. We were on red alert the entire cruise, and I did ask them to make allowances for some changes in the usual service (the staff worked very hard during this difficult time). They would return to HAL again, based on the itinerary, but they do like Princess very much.

So after all that rambling, I say go for it! Variety is the spice of life and it sounds as if Princess has some nice things to offer. :D

[HeatherInFlorida]

Hi, Vic! I know many people who absolutely love Princess. And they've cruised other lines so no one can accuse them of knowing nothing else. If it's a good trip, ports you would enjoy and a price that you like, why not?

I know many disagree with me but I still say variety is the spice of life. And, besides, if you don't try different things how can you ever know you're in the right playground?:)

[KAKcruiser]

Don't do it! You will be disappointed. Princess was my favorite cruise line until I tried Hal about 7 years ago. Now I won't go back. Princess was nice but much more crowded. I strayed a few years ago and went on Celebrity Century. The whole time I wished I was on HAL. There is a warmth and feeling of comfort and safety that is available only on HAL.

[caribbean girl]

This time, on Princess


Got a real good offer (not sure how ..... I never sailed with them .. :confused: ) and it includes an on board credit to use.

So, after doing some research, found a nice trip that appeals to me.
One of the 9 dayers from NY on Crown Princess.

Good prices right now, too ... guess they're desperate to fill up that new ship.
I'll be pondering this over the weekend, and let ya'll know.


:)

You have to let us know what you think for sure, Vic. Princess has some intriguing cruises from Phila to Bermuda which are inexpensive and interesting. And we could avoid flying, which was our big issue last time. :rolleyes: (Now go easy on me, Copper!! No comments from YOU!!)

[RlrCstr]

This time, on Princess
Got a real good offer (not sure how ..... I never sailed with them .. :confused: ) and it includes an on board credit to use.
So, after doing some research, found a nice trip that appeals to me.
One of the 9 dayers from NY on Crown Princess.
Good prices right now, too ... guess they're desperate to fill up that new ship.
I'll be pondering this over the weekend, and let ya'll know.
:)

I got a great price on the Crown in July, shipboard credit as well as my stockholder credit (at least I am keeping it in the CCL family).
I liked the intinerary--a good mix of sea days and ports that included Bermuda, where I haven't been before.
So I will give them a try. although slightly apprehensive about a mega-ship.

[cruisequeen10]

Having sailed with Princess 15 times, RCCL one, NCL twice and HAL once, I prefer Princess, NCL, RCCL and HAL in that order. Princess being the number 1 cruise line of my choice.

[airlink diva]

Hi Vic, I just returned from a seven day cruise on Carnival. I had a good time and enjoyed the ports. I had great tablemates at dinner, including an 86 year WW II vet that was at Normany (sp?) who was a true delight. The price was right, but I hate to say it, I was mentally comparing the cruise with my HAL trips!
The first thing that was different than HAL, was at the boat drill. I grab the lifejacket and went to the correct location. The crew gave a demo and the overhead announcement concerning safety were made. After this, we were dismissed. I was waiting for the roll call that HAL does to make sure everyone attended. In fact I met someone later that week that boast that she never attend the drills and find somewhere to hide.
Another thing was my room steward. He was ok, but it's a big letdown after being on a HAL ship where you are used to a certain level of service. I like the fact that the HAL stewards come by your room, introduce themselves and ask if you have any special request.
I also miss the service in the Crow's Nest and any of the other lounges on board the HAL ships. If you went for a drink before dinner, the lounges offered hor dours and you never had to look for a server.
Like I said, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my trip but I'm glad that my next cruise is with HAL!!

[bruce-r]

Go for it. Princess does offer a nice product, and if you can get a good deal, so much the better.

[Bramcruiser]

I also miss the service in the Crow's Nest and any of the other lounges on board the HAL ships. If you went for a drink before dinner, the lounges offered hor dours and you never had to look for a server.
Like I said, don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my trip but I'm glad that my next cruise is with HAL!!

Hmmmm. I had completely the opposite experience in the Crow's Nest. I waited and waited and waited for someone to serve my partner and I at a time the place was nearly empty. I eventually had to walk up to the bar to get served. The Crow's Nest was the only place I truly thought the service was substandard compared to the rest of the cruise.

Which only goes to show that each person has a different experience and each ship within each line can be different. Even then different cruises on the same ship can end in different results.

Vic, enjoy whatever you choose to do! I too agree that variety is the spice of life and how will you know that HAL is the best if you don't try out others.

[Copper10-8]

You have to let us know what you think for sure, Vic. Princess has some intriguing cruises from Phila to Bermuda which are inexpensive and interesting. And we could avoid flying, which was our big issue last time. :rolleyes: (Now go easy on me, Copper!! No comments from YOU!!)

Moi?? :eek:

Vic, been on Princess and they're fine (just not as good as HAL;) ) Only thing I didn't like on the Ocean Princess, then a brand spankin' new ship, was the size of the shower. It was one of those "soap up the walls and do the hokey pokey turn around" deals. I like HAL's combo shower/tubs better!

[bepsf]

Vic--

How do you get all this time off from the insurance world? :confused: ;)

Scotty's doing a cruise w/ his Sis this summer on Super Princess (or is it Mega Princess? ;) ) out of Florida. He's been on them a couple times and with the Elite perks and $200 shipboard credit it's not a bad deal.

Go have a good time - just dont forget where your home is!
;)

[FlorenceItaly]

But, I have dear friends who have. They cruised on the Zuiderdam(in a suite) in December, and reluctantly booked a cruise on the Dawn Princess for March. They were just sure Princess could not compared, but they LOVED it. We met up in San Diego the day I was boarding the Oosterdam, as they were on a port stop there. They were loving the cruise. And, they had an inside on the Dawn and was still able to say that. They did miss the thermal suite/pool area though. John posts here so perhaps he will see your post and jump in a bit.

Marie

[Krazy Kruizers]

It is obvious from your signature that you have not always sailed HAL exclusively. So why worry about straying to another cruise line?

Since 2000, we have sailed only on HAL, but after some issues this past January, we no longer know that we are considered among HAL's loyal customers and now have no regrets about sailing on other cruise lines.

[Copper10-8]

It is obvious from your signature that you have not always sailed HAL exclusively. So why worry about straying to another cruise line?


Since 2000, we have sailed only on HAL, but after some issues this past January, we no longer know that we are considered among HAL's loyal customers and now have no regrets about sailing on other cruise lines.

Only Vic the chicken plucker can confirm this Yonnie, but I'm pretty sure he is presenting his "dilemma" tongue in cheek and his only worries are whether he can fix it so he will have rough seas in the Atlantic ;)

[Tricia724]

Go for it, Vic. We currently have two HAL cruises booked but the one after that will possibly be Princess. My dream cruise is Polynesia....specifically Tahiti and Bora Bora. Princess has the itinerary we want at a price we can handle, so if that same itinerary is available in 2008 and we're healthy, in all probability we'll book it.

We're getting into some longer, more varied itineraries, and HAL will probably get the lion's share of our business in the years to come simply because they have the package we want. But....and this is a big BUT....we're open to a good deal on any major cruiseline if the itinerary, price, and timing is right. I love spaghetti....but I don't necessarily want to eat it for every meal!

[bobpatj]

We're booked on our first Princess cruise, next Jan. After checking HAL and X, Princess had the right itinerary, (14 days), at the right time of year. We've been very spoiled by HAL, but are hoping to have a good experience on Princess.

[Tatka]

We are going on Caribbean Princess in July.. (it wasn't my original choice , but we had to book something quickly, and had only 1 specific week)

Crown is a new sister to Caribbean ... They feature very nice pools and choices of dining. Only one thing that make sme worry is a number of people. After experiencing 3500+ ppl on Carnival Liberty (even though ship, service, food, cabins were great) I am afraid I will have panic attacks again.:o

Crowns itinerary is great. I am happy more and more ships are sailing out of NYC.. maybe some day we won't have to worry about airfair and flights? :)

Have a great cruise!!!

[RevNeal]

My parents have cruised Princess several times. While preferring HAL, they both liked it fine. Mother is partial to HAL, though, and so they spent more time on HAL than any other line.

Princes, along with HAL, participates in the Dialysis-At-Sea program. Mom and I are trying to get Dad to realize that, if they want to cruise again, Dad CAN by booking on one of the cruises that Dialysis-At-Sea has an operation aboard. Right now the battle is psychological ... Dad is so depressed about his condition that he refuses to consider cruising again. But ... Mom and I are working on him, and we'll see what happens. If Dad agrees, Princess has some excellent Alaska offerings hosting the Dialysis-At-Sea program.

[NHCruisr]

We've cruise Princess many times and enjoy the ships, the food and the service. We've also been on HAL and enjoyed that experience too. We've liked Celebrity as well. We sailed once on NCL and did not enjoy that.

Overall, if you know what the product is you're buying and have done your research, you'll be fine. Go, enjoy yourself. I try not to spend a lot of time comparing the line I'm on with another line while I'm sailing. It's just a different product. It's like driving down the highway in different luxury cars. Each has features and comforts that are unique.

[Cruise prn]

We sailed on the Caribbean Princess last September. The ship's size didn't bother us and we enjoyed the movies under the stars. BUT...there was a large party of pax in their late 20's/early 30's who were pretty rowdy. Once we counted 18 in the hot tub at the same time (not sure how they accomplished that), and on formal night some of the men wore their tuxedos without the shirts-YUCK:eek:

[Opinions]

[QUOTE=caribbean girl]Princess has some intriguing cruises from Phila to Bermuda which are inexpensive and interesting. And we could avoid flying, which was our big issue last time. /QUOTE]

Princess does not sail from Phila. Royal Caribbean and NCL do sail fron Phila. to Bermuda.

[bepsf]

Dad is so depressed about his condition that he refuses to consider cruising again. But ... Mom and I are working on him, and we'll see what happens.

Greg--

I can surely understand why your Dad is down about this, but I'm glad that you're working on getting him up and on w/ life - after all, what's the point of living if you aren't gonna do anything w/ the time that you have left on this pretty blue ball?

(just buy tons of travel insurance for him...)
;)

[Himself]

Vic:

People who have travelled both lines tell me that the food is better on HAL.
If you jump ship and go to Princess may you look at the HAL ships and say with General MacArthur: "I shall return!"

[Grumpy1]

Thinking of 'straying' again .... Vic, you know what happens to "strays"... they get hauled off to the pound and get neutered:eek:

[Teresa Price]

Hi Vic,

get to go with HAL yet but been on Princess several times. You will either love or hate the movies uder the stars thing. The screen is on all day as well with films and concerts - I hated it. Large Princess ships are okay if you like cold soup - it usually is.

Me I can't decide between HAL Noordam and Sea Princess next spring - someone help here??? Noordam would be cruising out of NY which is better for me as I'm flying the pond to get there and hate flying. But can't decide. Anyway able to tell me how long it would take to go by train to Boston from NY? Sorry to be so ignorant but htought it would be a good place to see if i do this one,
cheers Teresa

[Vic The Parrot]

Hi Vic,

get to go with HAL yet but been on Princess several times. You will either love or hate the movies uder the stars thing. The screen is on all day as well with films and concerts - I hated it.


Ear plugs ... and very dark Ray-Ban shades!

:D :cool:



But thnks for the heads up .... I noticed that Jumbotron was on the entire day when the Sea Princess was docked next to us in Tortola. Even in the POURING RAIN!!! :eek:


Can anyone say e-l-e-c-t-r-o-c-u-t-i-o-n ???




I have to admit, I was admiring that ship. Nice lines ... cool colouring ... pax seemed happy. It looks like I'll be more than prepared when I step on board Crown Princess.

And returning the favor to you ... I heartily recommend the Noordam!
You'll love that ship! (Been on her twice, and it was worth it)
Very classy and elegant.

[caribbean girl]

[quote=caribbean girl]Princess has some intriguing cruises from Phila to Bermuda which are inexpensive and interesting. And we could avoid flying, which was our big issue last time. /QUOTE]

Princess does not sail from Phila. Royal Caribbean and NCL do sail fron Phila. to Bermuda.

Ooops...you're right! :o Been a while since I looked at this...

Good luck planning, Vic!;)

[seabourndt]

This Is David Here So You Are Off On Amnother Creuise. I'd Like To Know Why You Let Me Down???????
Dave

[kryos]

We've sailed Princess and thoroughly enjoy it. Our top 3 cruiselines are HAL, RCCL, and Princess. All provide different experiences, all good. HAL strikes us as the more classic and more formal of all cruiselines. Princess provides flexibility with their Anytime Dining but service and food are good as well. I don't believe you can go wrong with Princess, yes, it will be different than HAL, but based on my experience, not in a negative way.
I sort of agree with you. I too have sailed Princess ... and basically enjoyed the experience. There are some things I liked about Princess and felt they did better than HAL, while there were other HAL touches that I really missed. While I would certainly sail Princess again given a good price and itinerary, I think that for right now, anyway, HAL will be my cruise line of choice. Can't beat those new beds, the larger cabins, the Explorations Cafe and the Lido!

Blue skies ...

--rita

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Vic, I say "Go for it" You have plenty of Hardware from HAL, so go check out Princess. You can be our HAL FAN SPY:D

[caribbean girl]

Did you decide yet, Vic? You have to let us know, now that you've started this!:rolleyes:

[dsawyer]

Have a great time on The Crown Princess!!! I am confident you will have a fabulous experience. Are you going to Bermuda?

[Vic The Parrot]

This Is David Here So You Are Off On Amnother Creuise. I'd Like To Know Why You Let Me Down???????
Dave


No ..... I'm not on another cruise.

Sorry that I 'let you down' , but I had a bad virus of some sort.
Guess you never spoke with Cory on the trans-At ... he was on board Noordam with me, and knows what happened to me.

Welcome home

[madelinerose]

Approximately 4 hours:

http://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak/FareFinder?_tripType=Return&_origin=NYP&_depmonthyear=2006-05&_depday=18&_dephourmin=1900&_destination=BOS&_retmonthyear=2006-05&_retday=19&_rethourmin=1900&_adults=1&_children=0&_infants=0&_searchBy=schedule&x=22&y=9


But can't decide. Anyway able to tell me how long it would take to go by train to Boston from NY?

[dsawyer]

Have you chatted with Cory since he left on the Transatlantic? He may be still in Europe as he planned on doing some extensive touring following the cruise.

Vic, I sure hope you are feeling a lot better. You would never let anyone down intentionally. :cool:

In a selfish sort of a way, I am glad you were a little under the weather for a while because we got to meet you. It was a pleasure. :)

[stanford's girl]

Vic Baby!!! :D :D Long time, no hear from!! Miss seeing your posts!!:(

It's been a while since I sailed on Princess but it was great when I did. You might want to post on our Westerdam 10/29 group cruise and asked Ziggy. She did a B2B last year and had a great time.

[Vic The Parrot]

Hello there Dorothy, and my "lovely Rita, meter maid..." !! :)


Thanks for your good wishes, and kind words. It has been a rough 5 months, but everything is looking much better.

Rita: Thanks for the tip ... I'll email Deb.

Dorothy: Thanks again for everything. It would be beyond great to sail with you and DH again!


I'll be in touch ......


-hugs-


:)