cruznon
April 23rd, 2007, 09:51 PM
Bags unpacked. Laundry is a continuing and my first day back at school has been completed. Yep, reality has set in!
Here are some thoughts on our Princess experience as seen from a cruiser that loves HAL... It is a bit long, but then I've NEVER been one to be at a loss for words!
HAL/Princess: Variations/Comparisons
Golden Princess--April 12-22nd
This was our first Princess cruise after four HAL experiences. We chose this cruise for its itinerary/length and my excitement about sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge! I knew it would be different from HAL, but I planned to keep an open mind and “go with the flow.”
Wed, April 11th we had a morning flight to San Francisco. I love California and it was a true joy to fly along the coastline of this beautiful state. We landed in rain, but the sun came out as we drove into the city for a lovely day.
Embarkation:
We were supposed to be able to board at 11:00, but received a call a few days before departure, telling us that we shouldn’t arrive until at least 12 noon. There were two Princess ships and the traffic along the embarcadero was horrific, at best. We arrived at pier 27 at 1:15 to find a crush of cars, people and luggage. Lucky for us, we located a porter who took our luggage and we headed inside. We were handed a brief health survey and then TA DA--we found NO line inside the terminal. We went straight to a rep and within minutes were on board and then to our cabin. (We learned later from other passengers that by 2:00 the lines were incredibly long with wait times of more than an hour!)
Accommodations:
We had a cabin with a huge balcony(approx 10’ x 11’) that had partial cover/partial uncovered areas.. We had four metal/mesh chairs and table--very nice. We noticed that all the wooden railings were badly weathered and in dire need of varnish!
Cabin was cozy, but well appointed, done in soft shades of blue and cream. (No sofa, but a small upholstered chair.)
Comfy bed with wonderful cream-colored linens and the WORST pillows known to mankind! (There just aren’t words to adequately describe these rectangular clumps!)
There was a tiny bathroom (similar to the one we had on the Statendam.) We liked the open, walk-in style closet--lots of space/easy access. Bedside tables had lamps with dimmers--very nice.
Our cabin steward, Roselle, was the best we’ve ever had on any cruise. She was pleasant, efficient and quickly fulfilled any request we made.
“When are we sailing?“
We were told we would sail at 4:00. At 4PM, there were still dozens of pallets of provisions and hundreds of bags sitting on the pier. At 4:30 the captain told us that there was an electrical failure, which we holding up loading in the ship. After that was fixed (within a few minutes)the dockworkers were over their work day, so new crew/overtime. That’s when the scene on the pier became almost laughable! NONE of the forklift drivers seemed in the least interested in working efficiently. (I later heard that this was not uncommon on this pier.) Captain then told use he hoped to depart by 7PM. At 8PM--still luggage being brought out of the terminal building! DARK--so much for the much-desired beautiful sailing under the Golden Gate! AT 8:30 we went to dinner. At approx. 8:45 the engines started, which triggered cheering and applause in the dining room! ( Only 5+ hours late) I had my appetizer, soup and salad then excused myself to go up on deck and watch as we went under the Bridge. Then back to finish dinner.
Dining rooms/food:
The food and service in the dining rooms was excellent. I was especially impressed with the varied seafood: halibut, fillet de sole, talapia, lobster, king crab legs, sea scallops through out the week. The food doesn’t have HAL’s beautiful presentation or table settings.
There are several dining rooms--three traditional and others for anytime dining. There is nothing positive I can say about the physical dining rooms themselves. They are simply rooms--with four small windows on each side and wood paneling. My comment to my DH was that they looked like a department store. (Just take out the tables/chairs and put in counters and display cases and you have a Macy’s!) No elegance, no personality, no pizzazz! Not ugly, but not attractive.
Room service: excellent food and service BUT a very limited menu. Five sandwiches, three deserts and continental breakfast--that’s it!
The Horizon Buffet was an absolute zoo! There are several “stations” to get food. The theory is that you only go to the stations that have the food you wish. Yeah, right! Basically it was masses wandering around, checking out what was available, THEN there was the folks darting in and out, jumping from section to section. After an attempt at two breakfasts, we pretty much gave up on this experience. We had breakfast and lunch in the dining room most days--much more civilized. ( Also kept me from loosing my cool when, yet again, another person zoomed in on a wanted food item in front of m as I maneuvered through the buffet maze!) Also NO trays in the buffet--oblong platters, that you balance, along with napkin, flatware and then perhaps a salad plate. This was my LEAST favorite spot on the ship!
This is a BIG ship!!! Fantastic entertainment!
109,000 tons-2700+ pax. Really too big for my tastes--but, hey, NOW I know that! There were many terrific public areas throughout the ship. The three-story atrium was a focal point of this ship. There was almost continual music there, classical trio, a violinist, pianist, etc. I spent a couple of hours on the last sea day in the atrium with a book a mimosa in a comfy chair listening to lovely, soft, LIVE music.
Several nights, an entertainer by the name of Maritzio, play classic rock on the bottom level of the atrium. Hundreds of pax lined the multi-level rails and staircases, listening, singing along or dancing on the dance floor. I’ve never seen that before on a ship--truly joyous moments. The entertainment on this ship was the best I’ve ever seen/heard on any ship. The production shows were great. The singers could actually SING and the dancers were fantastic. The emphasis was on the performers talents--NOT lots of set changes and elaborate costumes. Several performers were brought in for show and, they too, were excellent. I never heard any negatives comments about the entertainment on this cruise.
There were four different dance floors/dance and music venues and they were filled! There were ballroom dance lessons each day. We went to the samba lesson and there were about two people there! Ballroom dancing was everywhere.
Movies were also a biggie! There were afternoon and late-night movies of the recent Oscar winners. We saw Dream Girls in the Princess Theater--the theater was filled. Films were played at different venues throughout the week.
HAL ships are beautiful and elegant. The Golden Princess was BIG and SHOWY. (Those are just the adjectives that come to mind.) When we were in Puerta Vallarta, The Oosterdam was docked. Now THAT”S a beautiful ship--classic lines and style! We both commented that wished we were on her. She’s my favorite ship and I feel comfortable there. I looked out at the tendered Golden and saw a big white ship, that lacks the classic lines of an ocean liner. (I will admit that there are some very pleasant areas on board that big, showy ship.)
The balconies on the HAL ships are private and usually quiet--though you can sometimes hear others on their balconies. ON this ship the balconies are tiered outward along the sides. Part of our balcony jutted out about 2-3 feet from the decks above, an the deck below(the mini suites) had all of their balconies extended beyond ours--totally uncovered. We couldn’t look down to the water-just onto their balconies. The uncovered balconies could be very noisy. We had four cabins below us with connecting balconies. Throughout the warm days everyone in our area heard their rather loud cocktail hours after their port golf games. But on the positive side, the staggered decks became conversation communities as we gathered before sailing on our balconies. I learned their were many Princess veterans who were very unhappy with Princess. One couple had sailed 8 times with Princess and said they planned to not return. Another couple were lamenting the cut backs and changes. I suggested they might like the Oosterdam. (They told me they planned to take a look a at the Oosterdam for a future cruise. )
The Golden Princess reeked of smoke when we got on board--I heard many pax talking about this.) The smell did disappear within a day. But I have never seen as many smokers as on this ship--everywhere it seemed (even just outside the entrance to the dining room.)
Some random observations:
No seating/benches/chairs on the promenade deck. The Promenade deck doesn’t go all the way around the ship. Near the front, you must climb up a set of stairs to complete a walk around the deck.
NEVER, ever had cold orange juice--in buffet OR the dining room. I finally asked the waiters and learned that apple juice was chilled. I don’t know why, just reporting facts.
There’s FREE ice cream only one hour a day.
Didn’t see the maintenance work on board as on HAL ships.
Library was minuscule and located in a rather busy, noisy area of the ship.
No DVD or VCR’s in balcony cabins--only in suites and minisuites.
At times the ships staff seemed somewhat disorganized--many vet Princess cruisers commented on this.
There was a wonderful enclosed pool--with a second floor called the Conservatory--that was glorious--but it did get a bit noisy. I could just imagine an Alaskan cruise and being in this warm, lovely area and looking out at glaciers….
Princess is great at self-promotion. On the last few days of the cruise. One of the channels was devoted to the 2007-08 itineraries--great travelogs of the ports and the ships. VERY smart! Also on the last day, we were given a packet welcoming us to the Captain’s Circle of Princess cruisers. Included in the packet gold cards with our names and Princess CC # and a gold Princess pin. It was a nice touch and great promotion.
The most horrific coffee EVER was delivered by room service and as the buffet--later learned that they used coffee syrup(according to postings on Princess boards) Coffee in the dining room was delicious, however.
Life boat drill was VERY different. We were instructed to carry jackets to our muster station. (Ours was the Wheelhouse Bar) There an announcement and live demo instructed us HOW to put them (which we then were instructed to do.) We were told how we would be taken to lifeboats in case of abandon ship situation. It was also demonstrated HOW to step off the ship into the water if necessary. We were told they felt this was a more convenient way to do this drill. No roll call taken. We were told that a cabin search was made to make sure everyone attended.
On formal nights, approximately 50+% 0f the men were in tuxedos! I saw only two or three men in pants and shirt(no tie and jacket) Ladies dressed well.
In conclusion:
The first couple of days on board, I found myself wanting to repeatedly say/think, “HAL does it this way” or “HAL does it like that.” Then I realized, I needed to stop the comparison and just enjoy…. Different cruise lines have different approaches. We chose to venture out and try something new. We found definite differences. There were things we didn’t care for and some things we liked. We expanded our cruising experiences. We enjoyed our cruise. Was it better than HAL? No Would I sail Princess again? Probably--if it's a great itinerary, time, etc.
If given two similar cruises, I'd chose HAL over Princess, because I find HAL comfortable. It "fits" us.
I did learn some things on this cruise: I love the personal service and elegance of HAL and I missed that. I did, however, appreciate the great shows and music that Princess provided. I missed HAL's beautiful art. (The art on the Golden was pathetic in comparison.)
I missed the elegant, two-story dining rooms aboard HAL's ships and the atmosphere they create. But, the Golden's dining rooms were filled with warmth, laughter, good food and service.
This different cruise experience was still an enjoyable one. We laughed, lounged on the balcony (falling asleep with a book), gazed at the stars at night, enjoyed sharing dinner with new-found friends, danced, sipped champagne and thilled at the sound of the ship's horn as we slipped out of port! It was a good ten days.
Here are some thoughts on our Princess experience as seen from a cruiser that loves HAL... It is a bit long, but then I've NEVER been one to be at a loss for words!
HAL/Princess: Variations/Comparisons
Golden Princess--April 12-22nd
This was our first Princess cruise after four HAL experiences. We chose this cruise for its itinerary/length and my excitement about sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge! I knew it would be different from HAL, but I planned to keep an open mind and “go with the flow.”
Wed, April 11th we had a morning flight to San Francisco. I love California and it was a true joy to fly along the coastline of this beautiful state. We landed in rain, but the sun came out as we drove into the city for a lovely day.
Embarkation:
We were supposed to be able to board at 11:00, but received a call a few days before departure, telling us that we shouldn’t arrive until at least 12 noon. There were two Princess ships and the traffic along the embarcadero was horrific, at best. We arrived at pier 27 at 1:15 to find a crush of cars, people and luggage. Lucky for us, we located a porter who took our luggage and we headed inside. We were handed a brief health survey and then TA DA--we found NO line inside the terminal. We went straight to a rep and within minutes were on board and then to our cabin. (We learned later from other passengers that by 2:00 the lines were incredibly long with wait times of more than an hour!)
Accommodations:
We had a cabin with a huge balcony(approx 10’ x 11’) that had partial cover/partial uncovered areas.. We had four metal/mesh chairs and table--very nice. We noticed that all the wooden railings were badly weathered and in dire need of varnish!
Cabin was cozy, but well appointed, done in soft shades of blue and cream. (No sofa, but a small upholstered chair.)
Comfy bed with wonderful cream-colored linens and the WORST pillows known to mankind! (There just aren’t words to adequately describe these rectangular clumps!)
There was a tiny bathroom (similar to the one we had on the Statendam.) We liked the open, walk-in style closet--lots of space/easy access. Bedside tables had lamps with dimmers--very nice.
Our cabin steward, Roselle, was the best we’ve ever had on any cruise. She was pleasant, efficient and quickly fulfilled any request we made.
“When are we sailing?“
We were told we would sail at 4:00. At 4PM, there were still dozens of pallets of provisions and hundreds of bags sitting on the pier. At 4:30 the captain told us that there was an electrical failure, which we holding up loading in the ship. After that was fixed (within a few minutes)the dockworkers were over their work day, so new crew/overtime. That’s when the scene on the pier became almost laughable! NONE of the forklift drivers seemed in the least interested in working efficiently. (I later heard that this was not uncommon on this pier.) Captain then told use he hoped to depart by 7PM. At 8PM--still luggage being brought out of the terminal building! DARK--so much for the much-desired beautiful sailing under the Golden Gate! AT 8:30 we went to dinner. At approx. 8:45 the engines started, which triggered cheering and applause in the dining room! ( Only 5+ hours late) I had my appetizer, soup and salad then excused myself to go up on deck and watch as we went under the Bridge. Then back to finish dinner.
Dining rooms/food:
The food and service in the dining rooms was excellent. I was especially impressed with the varied seafood: halibut, fillet de sole, talapia, lobster, king crab legs, sea scallops through out the week. The food doesn’t have HAL’s beautiful presentation or table settings.
There are several dining rooms--three traditional and others for anytime dining. There is nothing positive I can say about the physical dining rooms themselves. They are simply rooms--with four small windows on each side and wood paneling. My comment to my DH was that they looked like a department store. (Just take out the tables/chairs and put in counters and display cases and you have a Macy’s!) No elegance, no personality, no pizzazz! Not ugly, but not attractive.
Room service: excellent food and service BUT a very limited menu. Five sandwiches, three deserts and continental breakfast--that’s it!
The Horizon Buffet was an absolute zoo! There are several “stations” to get food. The theory is that you only go to the stations that have the food you wish. Yeah, right! Basically it was masses wandering around, checking out what was available, THEN there was the folks darting in and out, jumping from section to section. After an attempt at two breakfasts, we pretty much gave up on this experience. We had breakfast and lunch in the dining room most days--much more civilized. ( Also kept me from loosing my cool when, yet again, another person zoomed in on a wanted food item in front of m as I maneuvered through the buffet maze!) Also NO trays in the buffet--oblong platters, that you balance, along with napkin, flatware and then perhaps a salad plate. This was my LEAST favorite spot on the ship!
This is a BIG ship!!! Fantastic entertainment!
109,000 tons-2700+ pax. Really too big for my tastes--but, hey, NOW I know that! There were many terrific public areas throughout the ship. The three-story atrium was a focal point of this ship. There was almost continual music there, classical trio, a violinist, pianist, etc. I spent a couple of hours on the last sea day in the atrium with a book a mimosa in a comfy chair listening to lovely, soft, LIVE music.
Several nights, an entertainer by the name of Maritzio, play classic rock on the bottom level of the atrium. Hundreds of pax lined the multi-level rails and staircases, listening, singing along or dancing on the dance floor. I’ve never seen that before on a ship--truly joyous moments. The entertainment on this ship was the best I’ve ever seen/heard on any ship. The production shows were great. The singers could actually SING and the dancers were fantastic. The emphasis was on the performers talents--NOT lots of set changes and elaborate costumes. Several performers were brought in for show and, they too, were excellent. I never heard any negatives comments about the entertainment on this cruise.
There were four different dance floors/dance and music venues and they were filled! There were ballroom dance lessons each day. We went to the samba lesson and there were about two people there! Ballroom dancing was everywhere.
Movies were also a biggie! There were afternoon and late-night movies of the recent Oscar winners. We saw Dream Girls in the Princess Theater--the theater was filled. Films were played at different venues throughout the week.
HAL ships are beautiful and elegant. The Golden Princess was BIG and SHOWY. (Those are just the adjectives that come to mind.) When we were in Puerta Vallarta, The Oosterdam was docked. Now THAT”S a beautiful ship--classic lines and style! We both commented that wished we were on her. She’s my favorite ship and I feel comfortable there. I looked out at the tendered Golden and saw a big white ship, that lacks the classic lines of an ocean liner. (I will admit that there are some very pleasant areas on board that big, showy ship.)
The balconies on the HAL ships are private and usually quiet--though you can sometimes hear others on their balconies. ON this ship the balconies are tiered outward along the sides. Part of our balcony jutted out about 2-3 feet from the decks above, an the deck below(the mini suites) had all of their balconies extended beyond ours--totally uncovered. We couldn’t look down to the water-just onto their balconies. The uncovered balconies could be very noisy. We had four cabins below us with connecting balconies. Throughout the warm days everyone in our area heard their rather loud cocktail hours after their port golf games. But on the positive side, the staggered decks became conversation communities as we gathered before sailing on our balconies. I learned their were many Princess veterans who were very unhappy with Princess. One couple had sailed 8 times with Princess and said they planned to not return. Another couple were lamenting the cut backs and changes. I suggested they might like the Oosterdam. (They told me they planned to take a look a at the Oosterdam for a future cruise. )
The Golden Princess reeked of smoke when we got on board--I heard many pax talking about this.) The smell did disappear within a day. But I have never seen as many smokers as on this ship--everywhere it seemed (even just outside the entrance to the dining room.)
Some random observations:
No seating/benches/chairs on the promenade deck. The Promenade deck doesn’t go all the way around the ship. Near the front, you must climb up a set of stairs to complete a walk around the deck.
NEVER, ever had cold orange juice--in buffet OR the dining room. I finally asked the waiters and learned that apple juice was chilled. I don’t know why, just reporting facts.
There’s FREE ice cream only one hour a day.
Didn’t see the maintenance work on board as on HAL ships.
Library was minuscule and located in a rather busy, noisy area of the ship.
No DVD or VCR’s in balcony cabins--only in suites and minisuites.
At times the ships staff seemed somewhat disorganized--many vet Princess cruisers commented on this.
There was a wonderful enclosed pool--with a second floor called the Conservatory--that was glorious--but it did get a bit noisy. I could just imagine an Alaskan cruise and being in this warm, lovely area and looking out at glaciers….
Princess is great at self-promotion. On the last few days of the cruise. One of the channels was devoted to the 2007-08 itineraries--great travelogs of the ports and the ships. VERY smart! Also on the last day, we were given a packet welcoming us to the Captain’s Circle of Princess cruisers. Included in the packet gold cards with our names and Princess CC # and a gold Princess pin. It was a nice touch and great promotion.
The most horrific coffee EVER was delivered by room service and as the buffet--later learned that they used coffee syrup(according to postings on Princess boards) Coffee in the dining room was delicious, however.
Life boat drill was VERY different. We were instructed to carry jackets to our muster station. (Ours was the Wheelhouse Bar) There an announcement and live demo instructed us HOW to put them (which we then were instructed to do.) We were told how we would be taken to lifeboats in case of abandon ship situation. It was also demonstrated HOW to step off the ship into the water if necessary. We were told they felt this was a more convenient way to do this drill. No roll call taken. We were told that a cabin search was made to make sure everyone attended.
On formal nights, approximately 50+% 0f the men were in tuxedos! I saw only two or three men in pants and shirt(no tie and jacket) Ladies dressed well.
In conclusion:
The first couple of days on board, I found myself wanting to repeatedly say/think, “HAL does it this way” or “HAL does it like that.” Then I realized, I needed to stop the comparison and just enjoy…. Different cruise lines have different approaches. We chose to venture out and try something new. We found definite differences. There were things we didn’t care for and some things we liked. We expanded our cruising experiences. We enjoyed our cruise. Was it better than HAL? No Would I sail Princess again? Probably--if it's a great itinerary, time, etc.
If given two similar cruises, I'd chose HAL over Princess, because I find HAL comfortable. It "fits" us.
I did learn some things on this cruise: I love the personal service and elegance of HAL and I missed that. I did, however, appreciate the great shows and music that Princess provided. I missed HAL's beautiful art. (The art on the Golden was pathetic in comparison.)
I missed the elegant, two-story dining rooms aboard HAL's ships and the atmosphere they create. But, the Golden's dining rooms were filled with warmth, laughter, good food and service.
This different cruise experience was still an enjoyable one. We laughed, lounged on the balcony (falling asleep with a book), gazed at the stars at night, enjoyed sharing dinner with new-found friends, danced, sipped champagne and thilled at the sound of the ship's horn as we slipped out of port! It was a good ten days.