Have you ever regretted sailing another line?

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

I've never left HAL for another cruise line and hated it. My philosophy is to make the best of any cruise I am on. I have the most cruises on HAL but Princess is a close second. Although Princess ships are generally larger, what I like better about them is that there are lots of activities during the day and evening. HAL, in recent years, has cut back on their activities and I have found myself looking for something to do on HAL - not so on Princess.

 

Food and service are generally the same between those two lines but I give HAL crew being more friendlier a big plus.

 

Since you seem reticent about changing lines and HAL has the same cruise in the same year, I would advise waiting for the HAL cruise if it will fit into your schedule.

 

Whatever you decide, I hope your cruise is wonderful. For that length of time, you should be visiting fabulous ports.

[TraelorMex]

Many cruises on HAL. One on Princess. Spent the entire time on Princess cruise wishing we has sailed HAL ;)

[richstowe]

Many cruises on HAL. One on Princess. Spent the entire time on Princess cruise wishing we has sailed HAL ;)

Perhaps you are closest in temperment to the OP . I don't understand that attitude for myself but do get that some like what they like .

Truely if you go into something with great misgivings , it just might not be for you .

[Tatka]

We always cruise with HAL, Princess or Celebrity, depending on itinerary and price. However, last year we decided to try NCL Breakaway to Bermuda. We have always sailed on Celebrity Summit to Bermuda so we thought we needed a change. WRONG! Everyday we walked by Summit with tears in our eyes. NCL is just not a good fit for us......disliked everything.

 

 

 

We've learned our lesson and now we stick with the Big Three!

 

 

 

Well, I love Summit more than any NCL ship, but I and I am not alone much prefer Jewel class (Jewel, Gem, Perl, Jade and to some extent Dawn and Star) of NCL to Breakaway...

Completely different experiences which start from the way ships designed. Almost like two different companies.

[murphy4]

My point is that RCCL is now an entry level cruise line as is Carnival and NCL. I am comparing the RCCL of twenty plus years ago to what it is today.

 

 

 

I honestly think that the food on Carnival is better than the food on RCCL, my last two cruises on Royal the food was not good! That's why I tried Celebrity (food and ship were amazing). Now I am trying HA!

 

 

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[The-Inside-Cabin]

LOL - that was in 1976. However, the last cruise I was excited about trying was the MSC Divina cruise in 2016.

 

 

 

The line still was maintaining its Italian heritage as to food and leisurely dining. The passengers came came around the world. Service was European, not the fawning of USA cruise lines.

 

 

 

And we enjoyed the cruise. Too bad the line "Americanized" on the last cruise in 2017.

 

 

 

What is the difference between European and American service?

 

 

http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[Tatka]

LOL - that was in 1976. However, the last cruise I was excited about trying was the MSC Divina cruise in 2016.

 

 

 

The line still was maintaining its Italian heritage as to food and leisurely dining. The passengers came came around the world. Service was European, not the fawning of USA cruise lines.

 

 

 

And we enjoyed the cruise. Too bad the line "Americanized" on the last cruise in 2017.

 

 

 

We thought Divina was too Americanized in 2014 after our cruise on MSC Poesia in 2013 also from Florida.

Now ... that was Italian cruise with all Italian smaller scale entertainment, real Italian tenor etc. This is why in 2014 we drove to Florida again to experience this. Divina was a gorgeous ship... but it was not the same.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I have been on 7 different lines, loved them all and would sail on any if them again. We are trying Crystal and Seabourn next year. Want to try Disney and Carnival after that.

 

 

http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[Cruizer Bill]

I have enjoyed every cruise we have been on.

[Underwatr]

We love HAL and we love Princess, but I have to say that the 28 day trip on Princess has 17 sea days. Wowser! Too many for us.

 

We are booked on the 14 day HAL trip around French Polynesia (from Tahiti). Only 3 sea days and lots of wonderful places to visit.

After one cruise on Holland America one of the few negative observations I had was that HAL doesn't do as good a job as Cunard to keep you busy on a sea day. A 7-day transatlantic on Queen Mary 2 is all sea days so I guess Cunard has more practice. I've done one 7-day Princess cruise but I don't recall what we did on sea days that trip.

[Barrheadlass]

I have enjoyed every cruise we have been on.

Me too. We left HAL to try Oceania and absolutely loved it. In the last couple of years I’ve cruised twice with Hurtigruten, again really enjoyed, but it is too dissimilar to HAL to compare. This year I spent a few days on the Stella Australis, only 110 passengers and a wonderful experience.

If I were you, I’d go to Princess with an open mind.

[Tinknock50]

I have cruised over 40 times and never regretted cruising on different lines because, well....I am on a CRUISE!;p

[Mickb]

We have sailed HAL ( 4 times) Cunard (6 times) Celebrity (2 times) , Regent SS ( 2 times), P&O and NCL. We loved the first 4 but would not sail P&O or NCL again. Their offering does not suit us.

HALs product has changed in recent years and it does not appeal to us as much as it once did - but variety is the spice of life and every cruise line has its own plus and minus points. Don’t be afraid to try - you might be delightfully surprised!

[Storylady]

I have only ever cruised with HAL and recently we have been looking at Princess because of an itinerary we like, but something's off and I can't get excited about it, we just love HAL ships, the line, the corporation, every aspect of the experience is like family, anyone else feel like that? Or did you adapt to the different ships and services? I'd hate to spend all this money on a lengthy cruise and feel stuck. I know it's a highly subjective matter but we love the quiet ambiance of HAL's ships and fear not finding it elsewhere.

 

The cruise we're booked for is 28 days on the Emerald Princess and still refundable, it's during the school year so I'm inclined to think it will be a calmer crowd but I don't know the line or the ships. HAL is offering the same itinerary a few months after ours so it's doable on HAL if we can manage the time of year.

 

Have you ever left HAL and hated it? Were you filled with envy in port as you looked over to the HAL ships that were docked? Because we always feel lucky on HAL's ships and always snicker a bit at the pax filing on/off the gargantuan Princess and RCL ships.

Do you like Holland America's small ships or their big ships like the Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Koningsdam? If you like the larger ship, then I would go for it. But if smaller ships are your preference, I would choice one of HAL's similar itineraries. Princess does go to American and Western Samoa, but it also misses some of the ports in Tahiti. If you don't mind flying and are willing to go on the Maasdam, I would take a look at their itinerary starting in September 2018. You could spend two days at Easter Island, see the Marquesa Islands, the Tuomotos, Raiatea, Huahine (have never seen this on HAL's Polynesian itineraries) and several other islands in French Polynesia. Plus, see some of SA's West Coast and Pitcairn Island from the ship.

 

As others have said, try Princess on a slightly shorter cruise when the kids are in school to find if you like it. 3,111 passengers seems like an awful lot to me. But then I like the smaller ships so we will eventually try them. Right now we keep finding itineraries we like on HAL.

[Homosassa]

What is the difference between European and American service?

 

 

www.theinsidecabin.com

If you have been on Carnival, RCCL, or NCL, the staff is constantly in your face to buy a drink and begging for a good rating. Tipping is expected (beyond the daily service charge automatically added to your account).

 

On MSC, while there is a daily service charge (which can not be taken off your account), additional tipping is discouraged.

 

Service is discreet. Waitstaff will not approach unless summoned. You may not ever see your cabin steward, but the cabin will be impeccable.

[Sea girl 23]

Surprised to hear people call Princess' crew rude..they were just as nice as Holland America's. But then again I'm not always wearing HAL coloured glasses.:o

[Homosassa]

We thought Divina was too Americanized in 2014 after our cruise on MSC Poesia in 2013 also from Florida.

Now ... that was Italian cruise with all Italian smaller scale entertainment, real Italian tenor etc. This is why in 2014 we drove to Florida again to experience this. Divina was a gorgeous ship... but it was not the same.

 

On our last Divina cruise, a manger in the buffet area realized that we were experienced cruisers and had some valuable comments about the experience on MSC (2016 vs 2017) and about the cruise experience on other lines.

 

He started coming to our table during breakfast or lunch with a list a questions he wanted our input on. He told us he was meeting with other management each day and our comments were discussed and the questions were coming from that group.

 

In any case, he agreed with our assessment of the Divina 2017 changes and told us we needed to cruise MSC in Europe for the real MSC experience. He also said the Divina experience may also change again as MSC tries to find the US market that best suits its plans.

[haladdict]

We have done a lot of Hal. Also, we have cruised quite a few times with Cunard, Celebrity, Princess and RCL. All the lines do things a little differently and we have always had fun.

By going with other lines, we have realized just how wonderful the Indonesian and Filipino crew are.

Sandra

[denatravels]

If you have been on Carnival, RCCL, or NCL, the staff is constantly in your face to buy a drink and begging for a good rating. Tipping is expected (beyond the daily service charge automatically added to your account).

 

 

 

On MSC, while there is a daily service charge (which can not be taken off your account), additional tipping is discouraged.

 

 

 

Service is discreet. Waitstaff will not approach unless summoned. You may not ever see your cabin steward, but the cabin will be impeccable.

 

 

 

Other than my stateroom attendant barging into my room at 7am on the last day to get a good rating (I was naked and did not give a good one at all), I’ve never been harassed for a rating. This was on celebrity. Haven’t done carnival yet but never experienced this on NCL or RCCL.

I would only try another line if you’re open to it. I’ve done celebrity, princess, HAL, NCL, and RCCL (and upcoming Cunard)— I have different expectations on each cruise, and therefore find a way to enjoy them all.

 

 

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[kazu]

Surprised to hear people call Princess' crew rude..they were just as nice as Holland America's. But then again I'm not always wearing HAL coloured glasses.:o

 

Everyone's experience can be different from one cruise to the next. Just because you didn't experience it doesn't mean it didn't happen to someone else nor that their experience should be discounted.

 

No one needs to wear HAL coloured glasses to experience it. I certainly saw it on a premium cruise line. And others who are afficionados may say they never saw it or experienced it but they weren't on our cruise ;).

[Sea girl 23]

Apparently HAL's crew is above reproach.. but everyone else is second rate and grumpy and rude. Okay...

[hrhdhd]

Apparently HAL's crew is above reproach.. but everyone else is second rate and grumpy and rude. Okay...

 

Your hyperbole is not necessary.

 

I have had great service, good service, and just okay service on HAL, Princess, and Celebrity. I can't remember having anything other than great service on my Azamara cruises.

 

I do agree that a 28-day cruise with a new cruise line may be more of a commitment than the OP seems willing to make.

[Sea girl 23]

Agreed..from what I've read it seems HAL does longer cruises the best.

[sammiedawg]

Apparently HAL's crew is above reproach.. but everyone else is second rate and grumpy and rude. Okay...

 

We’ve encountered one rude employee in all the years we’ve cruised. It was a dining room manager on Prinsendam.

[Tatka]

We sailed with HAL twice. On two years old Zuiderdam ... beautiful ship with less than perfect service in 2004, when service crew was nice, but cabin wasn’t made till 1 pm three times during 7 Days cruise and cheerful wait team was making mistake after mistake.

And with great service on Veendam last year, there were huge problems with hot/cold water, sewer and some upkeep. We understand she is an older ship, so we won’t have similar problems on newer ones.

We did enjoy ambiance and some other nice things on both, so we are looking for more cruises with HAL in the future.