Nieuw Amsterdam vs. Regal Princess

[lwright991]

We are currently booked for a Western Caribbean on the NA departing on Nov. 15 but for a couple of reasons have been rethinking it and considering booking the Regal Princess instead for same dates with slightly different itinerary. We have cruised HAL twice in recent years on Eurodam but haven't cruised Princess since 2007. Any insights would be appreciated. Especially interested in Princess speciality restaurants and also comparisons of balcony or mini-suites vs HAL verandahs. Thanks.

[regnig]

To partially answer your question a regular balcony cabin on HAL is comparable to a Mini-suite on Princess. Additionally if you will do a search on the Princess board you will discover that the balconies on the Regal are very very narrow. Some have commented that they couldn't even sit facing the ocean on them. If you are interested is speciality restaurants, none better than the Pinnacle on HAL IMHO.

[taxmantoo]

To partially answer your question a regular balcony cabin on HAL is comparable to a Mini-suite on Princess. Additionally if you will do a search on the Princess board you will discover that the balconies on the Regal are very very narrow. Some have commented that they couldn't even sit facing the ocean on them. If you are interested is speciality restaurants, none better than the Pinnacle on HAL IMHO.

 

Do not quite agree with that assessment of the cabin sizes. We have been in both a Regal Princess mini-suite and a Nieuw Amsterdam regular Verandah Cabin (Category V) and Nieuw Amsterdam Signature Suite (Category SS). The Princess mini-suite is more like a HAL signature suite in size. Definitely more space than a HAL regular balcony .

 

Do agree however that the Regal balconies are very tiny.

[xznwfd]

We loved, loved, loved the Regal Princess. The new mini suite design is fabulous, with a curtain to divide the living and sleeping areas so one person can sleep and the other can watch TV. We at at both the Crown Grille and Sabatini's and they were both fabulous. When we sail HAL we get a Signature Suite, but like the design of the Princess mini suites better. Regal also has another free optional restaurant, Alfredo's, which we also really enjoyed. We had one of the angled balconies on our mini suite so it was quite comfortable for 2 and we had plenty of space to stretch out. Highly recommend!

[PZetz]

You can't go wrong with either ship!

The Regal is beautiful with good service and food choices. There are approx. 1000 more passengers on the Regal than the NA....the ship is huge and lots of walking involved to get from A to B. We had an Owner's Suite on the back of the ship....didn't think it was worth the extra cost (plus too far away from everything).

I personally prefer the NA. It has a modern styling to go with all the HAL "traditions". I also prefer the HAL specialty restaurants to those of Princess.

That being said, both of these ship are at the top of their league!!

[geocruiser]

I have been on both ships. I just love Regal. I have never seen such a wonderful buffet as they have on Regal.

[Cruzaholic41]

I've been on both and I recommend sticking with NA. It is absolutely true Regal's staterooms are considerably smaller, and the balconies are pathetic.

 

larsen is absolutely correct in stating you have to book a mini-suite on Regal to get a room comparable to a standard balcony on NA. Regal's standard balcony rooms are tiny and don't have a couch. The balconies, you have to turn the chairs sideways to sit, unless you want your knees smashed up against the glass.

 

Neither ship is particularly impressive but given the choice, I'd rather cruise NA.

 

However, what Regal does have going for it is, no smoking on balconies!!!!!

Edited April 10, 2015 by Cruzaholic41

[hrhdhd]

Some balcony staterooms on the Regal have couches; I had one in December on Marina Deck. I believe they are called Deluxe Balconies or something like that.

 

I have not been on the Nieuw Amsterdam, but I will tell you that the Regal is a beautiful ship. The thermal suite was terrific (much larger than the ones I've seen on other HAL ships), and the public areas are bright and spacious.

 

The specialty restaurants are good (I like the Crown Grill; Alfredo's is okay, but the pizza on the Lido Deck is much better). They have a Crab Shack night in the Lido with a special menu (for an upcharge, but worth it). They also had barbeque at the burger area on the Lido one night. And the buffet is overwhelming, with lots of choices.

 

The one problem I had with the Regal that no one's mentioned is the lack of a midship stairway. I had a midship cabin, and walking forward or aft to the stairs (I take the stairs) was more of a pain than I thought it would be. Also, there's a stairway in the middle of the casino that leads to the shops, so some smoke travels up to the shops.

 

But I'd sail the Regal again in a heartbeat.

[qsuzi]

While it is true that HAL balcony cabins are generally larger than Princess cabin balconies one factor some forget is the price difference. To have a better comparison compare the type of cabin you can get for a comparable price. The HAL balcony price is generally comparable to the Princess Mini Suite price.