Just back from HAL cruise

Hello,

My mom and I are just back from a 10 day HAL cruise on the Maasdam and I thought I'd share some thoughts on how I thought HAL compares to Princess.

This was our second HAL cruise, with the first one being in 2011. Enough time had passed that neither one of us could remember much about the first cruise. We chose this cruise because we prefer 10 days around this time of year and all we found from Princess was 9 day offerings that were basically a 4&5 day B2B. No thanks. HAL offered a great 10 day with 2 ports that I had not yet visited. I'm 33 and maybe saw 5 or 6 couples my age. Out of the 1200 people, there were 14 kids on board.

These are just some of my thoughts and opinions on how the two lines compare.

-The loyalty perks on Princess are unbeatable. I really missed the free internet minutes that I get with being Platinum. I like that on Princess, you can receive perks no matter what type of cabin you are in. HAL seems to offer certain perks to guests in suites, like discount beverages and laundry services. I look forward to becoming elite and receiving all the great perks Princess offers!

-I thought the library/internet area was really good on HAL. I also enjoyed having the mini newspaper to read each day. I found myself reading both the US and Canadian editions and I also noticed editions in other languages. I'm a librarian and liked that HAL had a librarian on board. On my last few Princess cruises, the books seemed to be more self checkout by writing your name and cabin number on a piece of paper.

-I've always thought Princess wasted too much paper with ads and handouts. HAL made recycling easier with having a separate section in the trash can for paper.

-The food on HAL was excellent! I always found something to eat and everything was tasty. I did miss the IC that most Princess ships offer.

-I had read that Half Moon Cay was nicer than Princess Cays. I didn't think so and think that Princess Cay is easier to navigate.

-I like that Princess has a refrigerator in the room. HAL doesn't but we did receive ice in the bucket each day.

-The room stewards on HAL were wonderful! I had forgotten that there is a main guy and an assistant. Both were great! I've never had a bad steward on Princess but the HAL guys were awesome.

-The entertainment on board was great! They had a comedian, juggler, and a fantastic singer on different nights. I think the entertainment on Princess is a little stale. I've seen Rollin' Jay Moore and the guy who sang with the beach boys too many times.

That's all I can think of for now. I still feel like a very dedicated Princess girl but will continue to sail HAL in the future....especially the smaller ships :-)

Thanks for the comparison.

Princess seperates recyclables below decks so no more waste then any other cruise line. :)

Elites on HAL get perks, including free laundry, discounted specialty restaurant meals and other perks, no matter what level cabin they are in. Yes, suite pax get certain perks, some of which are duplicated with elite status. But 4 and 5 star (and above) Mariners get many perks no matter what cabin they are in.

We left Princess 15+ years and 8 cruises ago for HAL due to HAL offering more to suite pax. We are trying Princess again this August (Dawn) to see what has improved or changed, as Princess had an itinerary that appealed to us. After this cruise we will have status with Princess, but will be traveling in a suite, so will be enjoying suite perks.

Sounds like you found a lot to like. It's interesting that there's no refrigerator. I've come to expect them after having one on every ship we've been on. One thing I miss on Princess is the couch that everyone else seems to have.

Did the HAL ship have a sofa? How about cabin size? I think I've heard HAL has generous sized cabins.

Jim

The way to get a full size couch on Princess is to book a suite or mini-suite which will also have a tub in the bathroom thus larger shower space.

All Princess cabins have a mini-fridge.

To get the space of a HAL verandah cabin, you need to book a mini-suite on Princess. Closet space on Princess is larger and more convenient in a mini-suite than it is in a HAL verandah cabin.

Princess is a better all around fit for us but we still very much enjoy cruising on HAL from time to time ... especially on port intensive cruises when we want to get to bed early. :)

LuLu

Sounds like you found a lot to like. It's interesting that there's no refrigerator. I've come to expect them after having one on every ship we've been on. One thing I miss on Princess is the couch that everyone else seems to have.

 

Did the HAL ship have a sofa? How about cabin size? I think I've heard HAL has generous sized cabins.

 

Jim

The R- and S-class HAL ships only have refrigerators in Deluxe Veranda cabins and Suites. As they are all close to 20 years old (or in Prinsendam's case, 30) they lack some amenities but have others of their own--like sofas and bathtubs in standard oceanview cabins. I was on Maasdam two years ago and can vouch for how much roomier the cabin and bathroom were. Having the beds together rather than twins does not reduce space like on Princess. Only quibble was the lack of drawers and other storage space other than hanging in the closet.

Like the OP, the perqs keep me loyal to Princess but I would happily sail the smaller HAL ships again. While somewhat geared to an older crowd I also was pleased by the variety of music and entertainment on a 1200 pax ship and felt that it was actually scheduled better for those who prefer to eat late than on Princess.

Thanks for the review. On sea days what is the entertainment like around the pool.:)

Sounds like you found a lot to like. It's interesting that there's no refrigerator. I've come to expect them after having one on every ship we've been on. One thing I miss on Princess is the couch that everyone else seems to have.

 

Did the HAL ship have a sofa? How about cabin size? I think I've heard HAL has generous sized cabins.

 

Jim

Can't believe I forgot to mention the sofa. Yes, our room had one and it was really nice to have in the room instead of sitting at the desk chair or on the bed. I liked the layout of the cabin and thought it was plenty spacious.

Thanks for the review. On sea days what is the entertainment like around the pool.:)

Unlike Princess, there isn't MUTS and I didn't notice any pool games. It seemed to be mostly music around the pool. Steelpan music was played as we sailed away from ports and the HAL Cats played at other times.

All though Princess is our line of choice , having a lot to do with their ships and our Elite perks, we still sail and enjoy both Celebrity and HAL in spirts every couple of years, in the last year we've sailed about 30 days on HAL where we are 3 Stars Mariners and receive very little in the way of perks , but enjoy their ships & cabins and their more varied exotic itineraries. Also in the last year we've sailed another 25 days on Celebrity where we also Elite, and enjoy perks very similar to Princess, but find the ships, though beautiful, cold and a bit sterile after a few cruises in a row.... So by in large for us Princess is the best fit and a cruise experience that suits us best, and the line we keep returning to.

Nice to have choices.. All are good , Some are better :)

Srpilo

Thank you for your review and comparisons. I have cruised HAL once but it was on a really old and small ship the Statendam I think was the name. There were things I enjoyed about HAL, however that ship wasn't great and the evenings were absolutely dead. I'd like to try HAL again to get a better comparison.

Princess loyalty perks are top notch, all the free Internet minutes for platinum and higher. and free laundry and a bar set up for elites, just fabulous.We are three star Mariners and it is difficult to identify any worthwhile perks other than a discount on liquor, 25 per cent. Four star mariners get good benefits but you need two hundred days, we will never ever accumulate that much time on that line.

Thanks for this thread! After 4 Princess cruises, our next cruise is booked on HAL and I'm trying to absorb as much info as possible.

Thanks for this thread! After 4 Princess cruises, our next cruise is booked on HAL and I'm trying to absorb as much info as possible.

The best place to be "absorbing" would be on the HAL board!

Thank you for your review and comparisons. I have cruised HAL once but it was on a really old and small ship the Statendam I think was the name. There were things I enjoyed about HAL, however that ship wasn't great and the evenings were absolutely dead. I'd like to try HAL again to get a better comparison.

I can't say much for the night life since I only attended one late show and two late movies. From what I could tell the ship was pretty quiet by 10:30.