Differences between HAL and Princess

[Gaprofitt]

Thinking of trying HAL for our next Alaska cruise, have been on RCCL, Princess and Carnival before. We really like princess, can someone who has been on both princess and hal give us a pro's and con's comparing the two.

Thanks,

[O2B@C]

I can't help you myself - I hope someone who can will chime in soon - but in the meantime, here are links to two relatively recent threads on the subject:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=793337

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=782515

Whichever you pick - happy cruising to you!

[MSMcDuffy]

"Thinking of trying HAL for our next Alaska cruise, have been on RCCL, Princess and Carnival before. We really like princess, can someone who has been on both princess and hal give us a pro's and con's comparing the two."

I've been on Princess once (Star-Mediterranean) and HAL twice (Volendam & Oosterdam-both Alaska).

IMO HAL's service is better, their staterooms bigger (including the bathrooms), their beds more comfortable, and their ships more elegant.

Princess tends to be less expensive.

The food is very similar.

I've heard they both do Alaska very well.

I would go more for itinerary, but if itineraries are similar, I'd go for HAL.

[Northshorecruisers]

We have sailed both and are going back to HAL. They seem to be very happy to assist you and provide great service. We found that wasn't the case when we were on Princess.
They both offer a good product, we just prefer HAL

[CruiseLiz]

We've sailed on both HAL and Princess. I enjoyed both lines and would do either again. My husband says that there was no "wow" factor on Princess, so he didn't like it as much. I guess he just felt that everything was very vanilla and status quo, but I liked the Princess ship a lot, so take that as you will.

I enjoyed Princess and would do it again. I found the food just a little bit better than on HAL (of course this is highly subjective) but the service and bedding on HAL is much better. I also liked the specialty restaurant better on HAL.

You find more "little extras" on HAL than you find on Princess. Stuff like truffles after dinner in the lounge, free cappucino in the dining room, hot hors d'ouvres passed by waiters at happy hour, real teak decks, the list goes on...You also feel more like you're on an ocean liner on the HAL ships. They have a nautical elegance if that makes any sense.

Also, IMO Princess has a slightly younger crowd than HAL.

[Jade13]

We love HAL but are considering a Princess cruise in a couple of years because they have some itineraries and ports that you will not find on HAL unless you are on a World cruise. I am specifically interested in the Royal which I think someone said was originally built for Renaissance?

[CruiseLiz]

We love HAL but are considering a Princess cruise in a couple of years because they have some itineraries and ports that you will not find on HAL unless you are on a World cruise. I am specifically interested in the Royal which I think someone said was originally built for Renaissance?

Yes, the Pacific Princess, Tahitian Princess and Royal Princess were all originally Renaissance ships. They have been updated with Princess's touches of course.

One of the big benefits of Princess is the wealth of entertainment available. Where on a HAL ship you may have 2 or 3 choices of what to do after dinner, on Princess you have 5 - this may vary ship to ship though, I was on the CB and she is BIG.

I like trying different lines. I'll keep going back if I find something that is special, but I'm never opposed to trying something new.

[Jade13]

Yes, the Pacific Princess, Tahitian Princess and Royal Princess were all originally Renaissance ships. They have been updated with Princess's touches of course.

One of the big benefits of Princess is the wealth of entertainment available. Where on a HAL ship you may have 2 or 3 choices of what to do after dinner, on Princess you have 5 - this may vary ship to ship though, I was on the CB and she is BIG.

I like trying different lines. I'll keep going back if I find something that is special, but I'm never opposed to trying something new.

Thanks!

[Pam in CA]

We love HAL but are considering a Princess cruise in a couple of years because they have some itineraries and ports that you will not find on HAL unless you are on a World cruise. I am specifically interested in the Royal which I think someone said was originally built for Renaissance?Yes, the Royal Princess is a former "R" ship. IMHO, it's very similar in size, # of passengers and ambiance to the Prinsendam. The oceanview cabins aren't quite as big (but they're bigger than on many other Princess ships), the closet is a wardrobe and the bathroom is small, but it's a very nice ship. The library is large and beautiful, overlooking the pool area and it has windows on three sides, making it light and airy. There are plenty of chairs to sit and enjoy a book. There is one dining room so that there isn't Anytime dining (similar to "As you wish") but the buffet is open in the evening with sit-down dining and a limited menu, which I found delicious. Unlike the Prinsendam, the buffet is all on one level, making it easy to walk from one side to the other. The Horizon Lounge is very similar to the Prinsendam's Crow's Nest although it has entertainment there in the evening and after dinner.

Here are some photos of my oceanview cabin on the Royal:

[Jade13]

Yes, the Royal Princess is a former "R" ship. IMHO, it's very similar in size, # of passengers and ambiance to the Prinsendam. The oceanview cabins aren't quite as big (but they're bigger than on many other Princess ships), the closet is a wardrobe and the bathroom is small, but it's a very nice ship. The library is large and beautiful, overlooking the pool area and it has windows on three sides, making it light and airy. There are plenty of chairs to sit and enjoy a book. There is one dining room so that there isn't Anytime dining (similar to "As you wish") but the buffet is open in the evening with sit-down dining and a limited menu, which I found delicious. Unlike the Prinsendam, the buffet is all on one level, making it easy to walk from one side to the other. The Horizon Lounge is very similar to the Prinsendam's Crow's Nest although it has entertainment there in the evening and after dinner.

Here are some photos of my oceanview cabin on the Royal:

Thanks Pam, and thank you for posting the pics of your Royal cabin. I like the cabin. In fact it does not look anything like the modern looking exterior of the ship.

You wouldn't know anything about the Amazon cruise would you. I can't figure out how far these mid sized ships get through on the amazon river.

[RlrCstr]

IMO:
Entertainment is better on Princess.

Everything else is better on HAL:
Food, beds, smaller size of ships, crew.

Both offer a good product. But all of the little details
are the reason I have only done 2 Princess and have
none booked for the future versus many more HAL
and 2 more booked.

[Copper10-8]

Personal experience only; it's been a while since our last cruise on Ocean Princess

HAL: Better (more gracious Indonesian) service, Better alternate restaurants i.e. PG, Explorations Cafe, Bigger bathrooms, most with combo shower/tub

Princess: Better entertainment, more nightlife, more modern atriums with lots of glass (nice), smaller bathrooms especially showers (no tubs), different type of (International) service

Even Draw: Food

[Pam in CA]

Thanks Pam, and thank you for posting the pics of your Royal cabin. I like the cabin. In fact it does not look anything like the modern looking exterior of the ship.

You wouldn't know anything about the Amazon cruise would you. I can't figure out how far these mid sized ships get through on the amazon river.Actually, yes. :) I've done the Amazon cruise twice, both times on the "old" Royal Princess (not the current one.) Actually, the "new" Royal is not a mid-sized ship. As I mentioned, it's about the size of the Prinsendam and there are about 750 passengers, pretty much the same as the Prinsendam. The "old" Royal, which was transferred to P&O three years ago had 1250 passengers and was larger than the "new" one.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Amazon cruises I took. If I were to do it again, I would seriously consider doing a R/T from FLL. Flying to Manaus is not the most fun experience in the world and you pretty much have to take the Princess charter flight(s) since it's not easy to fly to Manaus from the U.S. We flew down and arrived on the ship by mid-afternoon, but then I was on the first charter flight. The later charter flight arrived during the evening. We then had the next day to take tours of Manaus and the Amazon. I've done the city tour and the "Meeting of the Waters"; the Opera House really needs to be seen and on the other tour, we went on a small boat down the Rio Negro to where the Amazon meets it. The two rivers are very different and essentially incompatible so that the water meets but even with strong currents, stay separate for miles and miles. Also on that tour, we went in a small dugout type of craft into the Amazon itself, going through the jungle.

On my first cruise on the Amazon, we stopped at Boca de Valeria and Santarem. The second cruise, we just stopped at Boca de Valeria. If you think you've seen poverty before, you haven't seen anything to compare. We anchored both times and tendered in since there wasn't a dock at either village able to accommodate a ship.

It takes several days to sail down the Amazon. You think you're seeing the distant shore but then are told that's just another island, the shore is way beyond that.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll try to remember the answers. :)

[Pam in CA]

Princess: smaller bathrooms especially showers (no tubs) Actually, all mini-suites and full suites have tub/showers and larger bathrooms. :) On the Grand-class ships, there are lots of minis and I intend to enjoy mine thoroughly on the Crown Princess in a few weeks.

Another comment re: Princess is that many years ago, all of the dining staff and cooks were Italian so there's still a very strong Italian influence in the dining room. The pastas and pizza are excellent and the tableside-prepared pasta is to die for.

[Jade13]

Actually, yes. :) I've done the Amazon cruise twice, both times on the "old" Royal Princess (not the current one.) Actually, the "new" Royal is not a mid-sized ship. As I mentioned, it's about the size of the Prinsendam and there are about 750 passengers, pretty much the same as the Prinsendam. The "old" Royal, which was transferred to P&O three years ago had 1250 passengers and was larger than the "new" one.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Amazon cruises I took. If I were to do it again, I would seriously consider doing a R/T from FLL. Flying to Manaus is not the most fun experience in the world and you pretty much have to take the Princess charter flight(s) since it's not easy to fly to Manaus from the U.S. We flew down and arrived on the ship by mid-afternoon, but then I was on the first charter flight. The later charter flight arrived during the evening. We then had the next day to take tours of Manaus and the Amazon. I've done the city tour and the "Meeting of the Waters"; the Opera House really needs to be seen and on the other tour, we went on a small boat down the Rio Negro to where the Amazon meets it. The two rivers are very different and essentially incompatible so that the water meets but even with strong currents, stay separate for miles and miles. Also on that tour, we went in a small dugout type of craft into the Amazon itself, going through the jungle.

On my first cruise on the Amazon, we stopped at Boca de Valeria and Santarem. The second cruise, we just stopped at Boca de Valeria. If you think you've seen poverty before, you haven't seen anything to compare. We anchored both times and tendered in since there wasn't a dock at either village able to accommodate a ship.

It takes several days to sail down the Amazon. You think you're seeing the distant shore but then are told that's just another island, the shore is way beyond that.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll try to remember the answers. :)

Thanks. We are still working and can not do the 28 nights. The 14 night is nice as it goes weekend to weekend and starts with an overnight in Brazil and you explained why. I asked someone else and they said the flights were prohibitive. Can you fly international on your own and just purchase Princess's in-country flight (which someone told me was $400.00 this year)? So, this cruise spends more than one day on the Amazon?

I am sure I will have more questions. Btw, we have seen plenty poverty in India...

[Sea Island Lady]

"Thinking of trying HAL for our next Alaska cruise, have been on RCCL, Princess and Carnival before. We really like princess, can someone who has been on both princess and hal give us a pro's and con's comparing the two."

I've been on Princess once (Star-Mediterranean) and HAL twice (Volendam & Oosterdam-both Alaska).

IMO HAL's service is better, their staterooms bigger (including the bathrooms), their beds more comfortable, and their ships more elegant.

Princess tends to be less expensive.

The food is very similar.

I've heard they both do Alaska very well.

I would go more for itinerary, but if itineraries are similar, I'd go for HAL.

We took the Princess Coral to the Panama Canal and thought the ship was the most elegant we have ever been on out of 15 cruises, and the entertainment and service was outstanding! However, the food on our last HAL cruise beats all! ;) On our first HAL cruise, the food was not very good, nor was the service. I really think it is a hit and miss thing and depends on the ship and the itinerary. :)

I do agree that the mini suites were not as spacious as the HAL SS, nor are the bathrooms as big. The mini suite baths, equalled the bathroom I just had in a Verandah Suite.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks. We are still working and can not do the 28 nights. The 14 night is nice as it goes weekend to weekend and starts with an overnight in Brazil and you explained why. I asked someone else and they said the flights were prohibitive. Can you fly international on your own and just purchase Princess's in-country flight (which someone told me was $400.00 this year)? So, this cruise spends more than one day on the Amazon?

I am sure I will have more questions. Btw, we have seen plenty poverty in India...Flights to Manaus aren't prohibitive but there just aren't many of them and you make at least one or two stops from even the most southernmost U.S. city. Several stop in Panama before Manaus while others go to Sao Paolo and back to Manaus. Your flexibility is very limited as are available flights. I'm not sure what you mean by the in-country flight. Do you mean within the U.S.? And yes, the cruise spends at least 4 - 5 days on the Amazon as you are cruising almost 2,000 miles.

[Jade13]

Flights to Manaus aren't prohibitive but there just aren't many of them and you make at least one or two stops from even the most southernmost U.S. city. Several stop in Panama before Manaus while others go to Sao Paolo and back to Manaus. Your flexibility is very limited as are available flights. I'm not sure what you mean by the in-country flight. Do you mean within the U.S.? And yes, the cruise spends at least 4 - 5 days on the Amazon as you are cruising almost 2,000 miles.

I meant can you book your own flight to Rio and then have Princess put you on the charter in Brazil such as Rio to Manaus ("in country")?

[Pam in CA]

I meant can you book your own flight to Rio and then have Princess put you on the charter in Brazil such as Rio to Manaus ("in country")?No. There are only two or three charter flights to/from Manaus and FLL. If you book your own flight to Rio, you would extend that to Manaus at your own expense. I know people who have done that, i.e., flown to Rio for a few days before their cruise.