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Your recommendation wanted: Princess or Holland????


Kitty Witty
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Hey all--

 

Newbie to the board. We are looking to book an Alaskan cruisetour when DH retires. Probably 2020. From what I've gathered so far it looks like Princess or HAL are a couple of the better cruiselines to use. (Unless you can recommend a better non-luxury line)

 

The dilemma: It looks like HAL is geared more towards an older crowd?? Don't get me wrong, because, hey, we won't be young either (we'll be 58 &62) but very young at heart. :cool::cool::cool: We LIKE adventure- we like casinos, music fests, rock and roll, and riding Harley's So yeah, not your typical 'old farts' Lol. ALSO, I've read that the on-board entertainment is somewhat lacking and I've also read some not-so-stellar reviews about the attitudes of some the the crew. Your comments appreciated......

 

Also, we are not into the fancy schmancy stuff. We do not eat in the main dining room when on a cruise because we don't want to 'dress up". DH wears a Harley t-shirt every day. We are your typical jeans and t-shirt kind of folk. No frills necessary. So what would your recommendation be for a good 'fit' for our cruise????. We don't want others to snub us based on their interpretation.

 

Details: We are looking to do a land first- southbound cruise. (somewhere between end of May-mid June) At this point I am thinking a 12 day may be ideal. I am looking to book our cruise as soon as they become available for 2020 for best location for stateroom and so that we can begin paying on it now and then research for possible excursions. What can I say....I AM A PLANNER!!! . I am already obsessed with this vacation, but becoming a little overwhelmed trying to narrow down which cruiseline.

 

So yeah, just looking for your feedback. Thanks in advance.

.

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I’m a jeans and a T-shirt girl, and I take my parents on cruises. They’re slightly older than you and my mom doesn’t even wear jeans without an elastic waist. And my dad loves the buffet. So I get you!!

 

We do Royal, and will be doing it in Alaska this year. We will also be going southbound, but are doing our own thing beforehand. I’ve cruised NCL before and also felt comfortable. My parents were ok with Carnival, but I don’t think they’re in Alaska.

 

 

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Hey all--

 

Newbie to the board. We are looking to book an Alaskan cruisetour when DH retires. Probably 2020. From what I've gathered so far it looks like Princess or HAL are a couple of the better cruiselines to use. (Unless you can recommend a better non-luxury line)

 

The dilemma: It looks like HAL is geared more towards an older crowd?? Don't get me wrong, because, hey, we won't be young either (we'll be 58 &62) but very young at heart. :cool::cool::cool: We LIKE adventure- we like casinos, music fests, rock and roll, and riding Harley's So yeah, not your typical 'old farts' Lol. ALSO, I've read that the on-board entertainment is somewhat lacking and I've also read some not-so-stellar reviews about the attitudes of some the the crew. Your comments appreciated......

 

Also, we are not into the fancy schmancy stuff. We do not eat in the main dining room when on a cruise because we don't want to 'dress up". DH wears a Harley t-shirt every day. We are your typical jeans and t-shirt kind of folk. No frills necessary. So what would your recommendation be for a good 'fit' for our cruise????. We don't want others to snub us based on their interpretation.

 

Details: We are looking to do a land first- southbound cruise. (somewhere between end of May-mid June) At this point I am thinking a 12 day may be ideal. I am looking to book our cruise as soon as they become available for 2020 for best location for stateroom and so that we can begin paying on it now and then research for possible excursions. What can I say....I AM A PLANNER!!! . I am already obsessed with this vacation, but becoming a little overwhelmed trying to narrow down which cruiseline.

 

So yeah, just looking for your feedback. Thanks in advance.

.

 

Welcome to CC.

 

Since Denali does't fully open until the first week of June, you might want to adjust your land portion a bit or do the cruise first and arrive in Denali afterwards.

 

Alaska is port intensive with docking usually at 7:00 AM for HAL which translates to being up around 5:00 AM every day. "Early to bed and early to rise" is the norm for those heading out for Alaskan excursions early each morning. Since the main Alaska season occurs while kids are not in school, the "older' crowd reputation for HAL is not applicable.

 

The meals served in the HAL Main Dining Rooms (MDR) are also available through Room Service each evening if you wish to eat in your stateroom or on your balcony. The HAL dress code in the MDR is smart casual (jackets and ties are not required even on Gala Nights).

 

As far as being snubbed, who cares? You will not see any of your fellow passengers ever again, so no need to impress anyone. Alaska cruising is flannel shirts, jeans, rain gear, hiking shoes, sweatshirts, and bathing suits for the indoor pools.

 

Here is a link to my daily activities brochures from June 2017 to give you idea of what to expect while aboard:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/on-locations-specific-cruises/alaska-2017-noordam-when-where-daily-activities/

 

 

Feel free to ask lots of questions as the more you know what is available/possible, the better you are in making choices.

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I'm in your age category and cruised HAL last summer in Alaska. I'd like to go back to Alaska again and will probably look at Princess or Celebrity for a second trip.

 

HAL gave me long port times and they were good with my transfers after the cruise. Food and service was average and entertainment was average or below. I didn't care for most of the shows in the theater. I spent more time in BB Kings and listening to classical music. I don't see myself on HAL again.

 

Enjoy Alaska!

 

Patti

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Since the main Alaska season occurs while kids are not in school, the "older' crowd reputation for HAL is not applicable.

 

Alaska cruising is flannel shirts, jeans, rain gear, hiking shoes, sweatshirts, and bathing suits for the indoor pools.

 

 

My HAL cruise last summer was in July. I can't tell you exact numbers but there weren't many children or teens on our cruise. It was definitely adults and slower paced onboard.

 

Dress is casual. I wore a dri-fit t-shirt with jeans and a flannel shirt or sometimes a long sleeve shirt under the flannel with leggings. Also, get a waterproof jacket. I only had rain one morning but I wore the jacket every day as a wind breaker. I also bought some fishing pants and wore them occasionally when my legs needed an extra layer of warmth.

 

I'm a planner also. Keep researching and you'll end up with a good trip for you and yours!

 

Patti

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While Alaska is primarily about the itinerary and ports, based on what you said, I would choose Princess over HAL. We found the variety and quality of food and entertainment on HAL below what we experienced on other lines (Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess and NCL). You may take a look at Celebrity as an option, if you can find a good itinerary.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Hey all--

 

Newbie to the board. We are looking to book an Alaskan cruisetour when DH retires. Probably 2020. From what I've gathered so far it looks like Princess or HAL are a couple of the better cruiselines to use. (Unless you can recommend a better non-luxury line)

 

The dilemma: It looks like HAL is geared more towards an older crowd?? Don't get me wrong, because, hey, we won't be young either (we'll be 58 &62) but very young at heart. :cool::cool::cool: We LIKE adventure- we like casinos, music fests, rock and roll, and riding Harley's So yeah, not your typical 'old farts' Lol. ALSO, I've read that the on-board entertainment is somewhat lacking and I've also read some not-so-stellar reviews about the attitudes of some the the crew. Your comments appreciated......

 

Also, we are not into the fancy schmancy stuff. We do not eat in the main dining room when on a cruise because we don't want to 'dress up". DH wears a Harley t-shirt every day. We are your typical jeans and t-shirt kind of folk. No frills necessary. So what would your recommendation be for a good 'fit' for our cruise????. We don't want others to snub us based on their interpretation.

 

Details: We are looking to do a land first- southbound cruise. (somewhere between end of May-mid June) At this point I am thinking a 12 day may be ideal. I am looking to book our cruise as soon as they become available for 2020 for best location for stateroom and so that we can begin paying on it now and then research for possible excursions. What can I say....I AM A PLANNER!!! . I am already obsessed with this vacation, but becoming a little overwhelmed trying to narrow down which cruiseline.

 

So yeah, just looking for your feedback. Thanks in advance.

.

Hi. We did both HAL and Princess in Alaska. From your description above, definitely Princes. We didn't find people on HAL to be snobby, but it's not overall jeans and t-shirts type of crowd. Princess is more casual and they do have very good enrichment programs on board.

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Interesting discussion. We have been on both Princess and HAL (in AK). First thing is that we noticed HAL to be more casual in AK than when we used them in Canada/New England. Also, maybe NCL is driving the market but in the last couple of years we have noticed a trend to be more casual in the MDR (although everyone has their rules). That all said, based on what I have read here I also think that Princess would be a better match for you.

 

Just as reference we have been on 15 cruises with little brand loyalty. We find the differences to be minor.

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These same posts, surface regularly. ;) I find far more similarities. than differences between Alaska demographics.on all the cruise lines.

 

Not sure, why it matters? I find, the strong claims of one line over the other, before- you have figured out what you want out of your trip- simply ONE point of view. Sometimes, based on very limited Alaska cruising.

 

Bottom line, Alaska is a raved about destination- on ALL the crusies. The "superior" thinking that comes across, I find, sometimes. shooting yourself in the foot, by eliminating choices- too early. There is NO perfect- one, cruise. It depends on the individual, only and what, they want out of their trip. Many many choices.

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I would go with princess. I haven’t sailed Hal, but our princess cruise was “fancy enough”

Granted it was on the Majestic.... 3rd sailing out of Rome formed cruise in April.

So maybe my experience was not the regular princess. But I can say it reminded me of what my grandparents said of their cruises. Fancy dress( was Europe in April tho) lots of atrium dancing. Great people watching.

But like my 69 year mom says..... we are not that old;p

Kerri

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Seem princess is far superior than HAL.

I will go with HAL this year, I feel i am wrong with it.

I experienced princess once in Asia, I think i like it.

I feel like I would not be happy with HAL, don’t know why! But just feel so.

As I read here, it might seem boring. But why HAL can still sell the room.

Princess had waterfall champagne, movie under the star and nice entertainment at the main hall, what about HAL?

 

I am 42 and my mom is 80 years old. I might be suitable with Princess.

 

 

 

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I'm with you. I did my first HAL cruise this January, and the crowd did seem "old" (in a sedentary, early-to-be way, not a chronological way, since I'm their age). There was almost nothing to do after the late dinner and the ship was deserted. We're doing Carnival to Alaska because of the grandchildren, and Carnival does a great job with the kid's programs.

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We did HAL in May of 2016. I believe we were one of the first ships up and the only ship in the ports when we stopped. To me, that would be more important than the entertainment, etc. on any ship. The ports are not large cities. If you choose a bigger ship and a time when there are several larger ships in port, your experience at the port may not be as great as you will be constantly surrounded by crowds. I guess if you don't mind that, it doesn't matter. We were on the Noordam which had roughly 2000 people. There were all ages on it and most people were pretty casual in their dress. We liked the food and had no issues with it--actually liked all the choices and options. Found it far superior to RCCL and a ship of comparable size. We've not been on Princess, so can't compare, but I know that for us a passenger count of 2000 is plenty big enough.

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I don’t mean to highjack this post, but my question seems similar:

We are a 16 person extended family already booked on HAL for Alaska in July. I know opinions vary but it seems like more people prefer Princess. Our family members are mostly 40 something’s with teens and elementary kids. How can we jazz up our HAL cruise on our own if it is indeed “stodgy, older crowd” kinda of pace?

Our cruise sales person sold us on HAL based on Glacier Bay and that many more families with kids are on the HAL Alaskan cruises.

 

 

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To clarify my earlier post: I’m completely fine with hanging out with an older crowd, however, looking at some sample cruise/at sea day activities- it does seem kinda of old school on HAL. Idk. But I have searched and read more posts and plenty of people say HAL in Alaska when school is out does have more younger families. I’m just wondering if they change up their on-ship programing when they know they will have a shift in age ranges?

 

 

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