Princess

[caltnl]

Thoughts on Princess as we have almost always said on HAL

Edited January 11, 2017 by caltnl
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[geoherb]

We're primarily Princess cruisers. We like the ships a lot. Our upcoming HAL cruise will only be our fifth one on a HAL ship. Almost all Princess ships are larger than HAL ships. There are more things going on day and night. Food and service are about the same. The things on HAL that I miss on Princess are the thalassotherapy pool and culinary arts center. (The Royal and Regal now have the thalassotherapy pool for a fee, like HAL.) I miss our Princess perks when we sail on HAL--free internet minutes and laundry and free mini bar setup, especially.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Thoughts on Princess as we have almost always said on HAL

 

I have completed three cruises on Princess and five on HAL. I have twenty days booked on Princess and seven on HAL. However, my choice of cruise line seems to be more and more itinerary driven.

 

That said, I believe the HAL experience is more tailored and elegant than Princess. HAL ships are smaller, HAL crews seem less harried, staterooms are more refined, and there are fewer passengers aboard. And there are fewer children. Given a choice of HAL or Princess, I would tend toward HAL.

 

Princess is more mass market. Uniforms are shockingly ill fitting. Ships are much larger than HAL ships. There's a Tuscany meets the country club decor vibe on Princess ships that either works for you or it doesn't. Lots of cappuccino colors. There's more entertainment in the evening, and Movies Under the Stars, or MUTS.

 

I would ask yourself, do you want more mass market or a little smaller and more refined? That's the biggest difference for me. But both can work.

[RMLincoln]

Overall, we think HAL and Princess are more similar than they are different.

 

What ship? Their regular ships are larger, not counting the small ship Pacific Princess. Larger has the advantages of more choices: more entertainment choices, more dining choices, more spaces on the ship to enjoy.

 

What types of rooms are you interested in? We tend to go for the lesser room types: IN, OV and maybe balcony (once). No couches until you get to a mini-suite (except on Pacific Princess). But I like the room layouts. The balcony we had on Star Princess was on Caribb deck and the balcony was quite large and half covered, half open, so very versatile and comfortable.

 

Access off and on at ports was better than HAL and usually had 2 gangways.

Pools I think are salt water which is chemical free (or less chemicals) and more buoyant but needs a shower directly afterwards.

 

Room service breakfast is more like continental, IIRC. Other room service comparable.

 

Food is very similar, entertainment maybe better but usually two different shows nightly - one in the show lounge, one in a smaller lounge.

 

Service very similar but crew is from more countries if that matters to you but we found them very attentive and caring. Got to know some of them a bit more personally on our longer cruises, similarly to on HAL.

 

Muster is inside. No Crow's Nest but they have a very similar room up top, aft which we enjoyed similarly. Promenade decks are different, fewer loungers.

 

That's off the top of my head. Any specific you have in mind? m--

[xlxo]

Differences I noticed/remember...

• HAL has photo packages.... Princess does not.
  
• one has you wearing life jackets at muster.... the other does not.
  
• Princess allows me to stay in my room longer for debarkation
  
• HAL's smaller ship meant shorter lines for MDR. On Princess.... I think the lines start 40 minutes before meal time for anytime dining.
  
• Princess is more family oriented with quad rooms on the larger ships
  
• HAL's smaller ships allow you get to more smaller ports than Princess
  
• HAL does more 7 day Alaskan return trips than Princess.
  

 

@caltnl: Where are you looking to sail too?

Edited January 11, 2017 by xlxo

[umuva]

As a three star mariner on HAL And elite on Princess, I clearly prefer Princess. HAL gives you very little for loyalty. Princess gives internet, laundry, mini bar setups, more OBC. Better entertainment. The ship is still alive after nine. More activities and asst cruise directors to keep things going. And definitely a younger clientele.

 

 

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[Lady Arwen]

We rotate between HAL, Princess and Celebrity. Princess is probably our favorite because we've never, ever had a disappointing cruise. Food is comparable with all three lines. Cabins are very similar in size. Entertainment is better on Princess and Celebrity. HAL has the best itineraries.

 

Service is very good on both Princess and HAL, perhaps a little better on HAL. Love the layout of the MDRs on Princess and the fact that the buffet is always open with a huge selection. International Cafe on Princess is wonderful. Love the Crows Nest on HAL.

 

You can't go wrong with either one, but I would give the edge to Princess.

[3rdGenCunarder]

HAL is quieter!

 

I don't mean just the lack of late entertainment, I mean peace and quiet. EVERYWHERE we went on Princess, except our balcony, there was (recorded) music playing, and it was loud enough to be annoying if we wanted to sit in a deck chair and read. Announcements, especially for Bingo, were endless. Shows were so overmiked we gave up on them (same problem with BB King on HAL).

 

Front desk and tour staff were rude. Front desk would tell any lie they could to make you go away so they wouldn't have to actually DO anything helpful. HAL's Front desk staff are always gracious and helpful. Staff in general are more pleasant and helpful on HAL.

 

It would have to be a fantastic itinerary to get us back on Princess.

[umuva]

In almost 40 Princess cruises have never had a rudeness problem or any problem with staff. Only problem was with some cruisers and their feelings of entitlement

 

 

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[avian777]

Thoughts on Princess as we have almost always said on HAL

 

HAL has a Roman Catholic priest on board every one of its cruises, and Princess does not. So, if spiritual renewal is an important component of your vacation experience, Princess may be a disappointment.

Smooth sailing ...

[matadams4u]

I agree Princess would benefit from having a priest on board. My mom has fond memories of the priest on a HAL cruise and many passengers were disappointed mass was not available on a recent Princess cruise.

 

 

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[Lady Arwen]

In almost 40 Princess cruises have never had a rudeness problem or any problem with staff. Only problem was with some cruisers and their feelings of entitlement

 

 

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Agree with you 100%! Never encountered any staff or crew who was not polite and gracious. The staff at the excursion desk were very helpful.

[iancal]

The only real difference we see is the ships and the loyalty plan. Pick a ship based on your preferences.

 

If customer loyalty rewards are high on your list then stick with Princess. Unless you consider a lapel pin, a medallion, or a crowded free lunch on a ship where food is inclusive worthwhile benefits. Oh, and a glossy sales brochure masquerading as a travel magazine.

Edited January 11, 2017 by iancal

[Tom O.]

We consider service and food and overall quality of the cruise to be about the same for HAL and Princess.

However, we do not like the design of Princess ships.

First, we don't like large ships. Princess has a couple of smaller ships and a few midsize ships, but mostly they have very large ships. The most recent additions are really huge. If you like being on a ship with thousands of other passengers that is fine, but it is not for us.

Secondly, many Princess ships have large numbers of uncovered balconies. We always get a balcony, and we find the uncovered ones unacceptable. It is not protection from the elements that we are after, it is privacy. In an uncovered balcony, the people above you have a view of your complete balcony, and often you have a view of the balcony below you too.

Of course, if you know, in advance which balconies are uncovered, you can avoid them, by reserving a particular room. This requires research, which Princess doesn't make easy, because they will not tell you which balconies are uncovered. People who book guarantees often end up in uncovered balconies.

If I had written this a few months ago, I probably would have rated Princess higher, because HAL allowed smoking on balconies. But now, with HAL's new smoking policy in effect (no longer allowed on balconies), I give the nod to Princess.

[Ken the cruiser]

We're in our early 60's and have been on 6 HAL cruises and 2 Princess ones. There is definitely more to do on Princess on sea days than HAL and with two shows at night, Princess wins in the entertainment department hands-down. Princess also seems to cater to a slightly younger crowd (60+) which probably explains the entertainment edge whereas HAL especially on longer cruises has a much older crowd averaging 75+.

 

As far as food goes, the MDR courses were about the same, but Princess definitely offered you more time to eat at the buffet as opposed to HAL. However, the quality of the buffet food seemed better to us on HAL. As far as service goes, we've always had great service on either cruise.

 

But, the one thing that keeps us picking HAL is their longer and more specialized itineraries. Yes, Princess has long itineraries as well, but Princess stops at less ports from what we have noticed. But they do have a nice cruise around the UK where as HAL doesn't right now.

 

We are also finding some of the luxury lines like Azamara and Crystal offer comparable veranda prices on SOME of their cruises, so we're starting to book some of theirs as well. We didn't realize that until we started looking at the veranda price/person/day averages of all the various cruise lines that interest us.

 

The bottom line is if you are cruising with your best friend, you will always have a great time on any cruise you choose! I know we do!

[jhannah]

We have sailed Princess five times. Enjoyed every cruise. Princess has huge atriums, and decor is more "chrome and glass" compared with HAL's "wood and brass." Give them a try.

[geoherb]

I had some additional thoughts after reading responses from others. For us, price and itinerary are the leading deciding factors. We don't have unlimited funds for travel, so we like to get good value. Princess and HAL both provide that. On our upcoming HAL cruise, the price was $800 less for us to sail on the Zuiderdam than the Coral Princess. For that amount of money, we can buy an internet package, do a load of laundry in the self-service machines, buy a few drinks that we would not have if we had a free mini bar setup, plus have enough left over to pay for our gratuities and a couple of excursions.

[Tom O.]

I give the nod to Princess.

 

Oops, I made an error and now it is too late to edit.

I should have said, I give the nod to HAL.

[iancal]

Price is one of the drivers for us. We are going on a South American cruise in a few weeks. Princess had a very attractive offer for Canadians, given the sad state of our dollar. HAL and Celebrity were literally thousands more for a very similar product. Money talks, We booked Princess. I am certain that we will enjoy it equally as much as we would have enjoyed the HAL or Celebrity cruises.

 

There are some many commonalities between these cruise lines. We could nit pick our way thru the differences but for us after itinerary, ship and price are the deciding factors. The cruise line only becomes a factor when, based on our preferences, everything else is equal. And this is seldom the case.

[CJcruzer]

We're in our early 60's and have been on 6 HAL cruises and 2 Princess ones. There is definitely more to do on Princess on sea days than HAL and with two shows at night, Princess wins in the entertainment department hands-down. Princess also seems to cater to a slightly younger crowd (60+) which probably explains the entertainment edge whereas HAL especially on longer cruises has a much older crowd averaging 75+.

 

As far as food goes, the MDR courses were about the same, but Princess definitely offered you more time to eat at the buffet as opposed to HAL. However, the quality of the buffet food seemed better to us on HAL. As far as service goes, we've always had great service on either cruise.

 

But, the one thing that keeps us picking HAL is their longer and more specialized itineraries. Yes, Princess has long itineraries as well, but Princess stops at less ports from what we have noticed. But they do have a nice cruise around the UK where as HAL doesn't right now.

 

We are also finding some of the luxury lines like Azamara and Crystal offer comparable veranda prices on SOME of their cruises, so we're starting to book some of theirs as well. We didn't realize that until we started looking at the veranda price/person/day averages of all the various cruise lines that interest us.

 

The bottom line is if you are cruising with your best friend, you will always have a great time on any cruise you choose! I know we do!

 

Actually the British isles cruise was the only princess cruise we have taken! At the time, 2009, it was the best itinerary around for that area.:)

[cruisemom42]

Just off Regal Princess (Princess's newest ship) for a New Years cruise. It was my first time on this new, larger class and I have to admit it didn't float my boat... I found the decor to be somewhat gaudy (more like a Vegas hotel). And while Princess undoubtedly has more activities than HAL both during the day (sea and port days) and in the evening, there is also a lot of reliance on "passenger talent" -- such as doing their version of "The Voice" and many, many different game-show parodies. Lots of opportunity for trivia lovers, though.

 

Some areas where Princess came out ahead (for me) included having a WIDE variety of live music available, including a house band, a string quartet, two pianists, another quartet, and the Princess orchestra who played at shows. I also liked the atrium, which was bustling and included Princess's great International Cafe (light snacks available 24/7) and also their no up-charge pizzeria, which is excellent for pizza at sea, following in the old Sitmar tradition....

 

Food, for me, was fairly equal. We had some hits and some misses on Princess. Long waits at times for Anytime dining, but I chalk that up to a VERY full New Years cruise.

 

Balconies were tiny. I'd ten times rather have a balcony that's uncovered or partially covered than one so small there's barely room for two chairs.

 

We couldn't help comparing with the New Years cruise on Celebrity Silhouette of two years ago -- Celebrity came out miles ahead for us in terms of ship decor, friendliness of staff/servers, food, and entertainment. I haven't been on a HAL holiday cruise, so can't really compare the two specifically.

 

 

HAL is quieter!

 

I don't mean just the lack of late entertainment, I mean peace and quiet. EVERYWHERE we went on Princess, except our balcony, there was (recorded) music playing, and it was loud enough to be annoying if we wanted to sit in a deck chair and read. Announcements, especially for Bingo, were endless.

 

Not sure when you were last on Princess, but announcements have been few and far between for years. Other than the noon announcement from the bridge, and of course announcements when the ship was cleared or was ready to sail away, there weren't many. Perhaps 1-2 other ones per day. Only one bingo announcement, and that was on the last day for the 'big' jackpot.

[iancal]

On Princess we always try for a Caribe level balcony on ships where the balcony is not only greatly extended but partially covered.

 

On Celebrity we try for one of the extended balconies, sweet sixteens I think they call them. Oddly enough, on both our most recent late booking Celebrity bookings we were able to get two of them together for a fire sale price. Perhaps they upgraded the previous asignees! We are waiting for our balcony gty assignment on our cruise. Not too worried since with have a minimum balcony cat. gty.

[mek]

We just returned from Eurodam last month. It's been about 5 yeas since we sailed on HAL and Princess is overall our favorite line.

 

The Eurodam cruise was just too low keyed for me. I found myself searching for things to keep me entertained during the day - really not much happening.

 

That's great if all you want to do is sit by the pool all day or read, but neither of those is what I want to do on vacation, so I was bored.

 

I might go on HAL again if the itinerary was exotic/port intensive, but I will never go to the Caribbean or an itinerary with many sea days again on one of their chips.

[Tom O.]

We just returned from Eurodam last month. It's been about 5 yeas since we sailed on HAL and Princess is overall our favorite line.

 

The Eurodam cruise was just too low keyed for me. I found myself searching for things to keep me entertained during the day - really not much happening.

 

That's great if all you want to do is sit by the pool all day or read, but neither of those is what I want to do on vacation, so I was bored.

 

I might go on HAL again if the itinerary was exotic/port intensive, but I will never go to the Caribbean or an itinerary with many sea days again on one of their chips.

 

This is why we have different cruise lines. Each has it's own niche. When we go on a cruise, on at sea days, we spend the entire the entire time on our balcony. We usually only leave to eat or take a walk. On port days, we usually go ashore, but not always. For us, a cruise is a time to relax and watch the scenery. We do go on excursions in ports we haven't been to.

We never see shows or participate in any on board activities.

So for us, HAL is perfect, for others who like all those activities it is not.

[Ken the cruiser]

We just returned from Eurodam last month. It's been about 5 yeas since we sailed on HAL and Princess is overall our favorite line.

 

The Eurodam cruise was just too low keyed for me. I found myself searching for things to keep me entertained during the day - really not much happening.

 

That's great if all you want to do is sit by the pool all day or read, but neither of those is what I want to do on vacation, so I was bored.

 

I might go on HAL again if the itinerary was exotic/port intensive, but I will never go to the Caribbean or an itinerary with many sea days again on one of their chips.

 

We're with you. HAL cruises are getting more boring rather than less but we still keep booking them if there is a great itinerary like Antarctica, sailing to the Polar Ice Cap and their Voyage of the Vikings cruise. We would travel more on Princess or Celebrity if they had some cool boutique cruises. Another HAL cruise we were looking at circumvents Australia. We were looking to see if there were any other cruises that did that cruise and we only found one, Oceania, which does it with their Regatta. Unfortunately in talking with other Oceania enthusiasts, it's more boring than HAL with very little to do on sea days. Hopefully, Princess might consider doing that cruise one day.