Princess cruisers trying HAL

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

My DW and I have been sailing primarily on Princess for years. But, all good things must come to an end. We were looking for a European cruise for 2020, but every port was the same as we’ve already done. We saw an interesting itinerary on HAL and decided to try it. I know I’ll probably have many questions, but I’m not going to try to post them all now. I’ll follow this board and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot as I have on the Princess board. We are very excited to be trying a new adventure. 

 

I do have to ask one question now. Am I missing something on the HAL website? It seems like information I take for granted on the Princess site is missing from HAL. Is there a different website somewhere? I was just trying to find something simple like tipping rules and couldn’t find it. I was trying to fine which cabins were available in a category, but it seems that I can only get a small preselected group of cabins. I know in this day and age, I must be doing something wrong. No website can be that difficult to use or find information. Thanks for any help anyone can provide. 

[PSR]

18 minutes ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

My DW and I have been sailing primarily on Princess for years. But, all good things must come to an end. We were looking for a European cruise for 2020, but every port was the same as we’ve already done. We saw an interesting itinerary on HAL and decided to try it. I know I’ll probably have many questions, but I’m not going to try to post them all now. I’ll follow this board and I’m sure I’ll learn a lot as I have on the Princess board. We are very excited to be trying a new adventure. 

 

I do have to ask one question now. Am I missing something on the HAL website? It seems like information I take for granted on the Princess site is missing from HAL. Is there a different website somewhere? I was just trying to find something simple like tipping rules and couldn’t find it. I was trying to fine which cabins were available in a category, but it seems that I can only get a small preselected group of cabins. I know in this day and age, I must be doing something wrong. No website can be that difficult to use or find information. Thanks for any help anyone can provide. 

 

You are going to get a lot of comments about HAL's web site. They "upgraded" it about 8 months ago (!) and it is still not working for a lot of folks, especially if you don't have a recently updated browser. Even if you do, most HAL cruisers have difficulty using the site because it is very hard to navigate compared to the old web site. Most of us feel there was nothing wrong with the old site.

 

You are not doing anything wrong. Unfortunately, the site is doing nothing to attract new HAL cruisers (unless you are very computer savy, I guess). I do think you will enjoy a HAL cruise. We used to sail Princess a lot, but now prefer HAL. I love the Princess web site, though!

 

 

 

 

Edited November 12, 2018 by PSR

[boulders]

I sometimes check travel agencies' websites to scope out the available cabins.  The online TAs' will show more availability than the HAL website. There is one European TA I know of that will show all the available cabins. 

[OlsSalt]

The truly awful new HAL website might be one of the reasons the Rotterdam could not fill up a ship leaving from Tampa.  At some point the erosion of new bookings for those who have come to rely on the company website to explore and book cruises has to be showing up.

 

Shame if  HAL cruise ships and their always wonderful  staff and crew might possibly be suffering the consequences from this ongoing HAL Seattle website incompetence. How will we ever know?

[crystalspin]

@Poulsbo Cruisers

Here is the Know Before You Go pdf -- link to which is found on the FAQ page, which can be found by clicking Help in top right of screen OR Frequently Asked Questions on the very bottom of most screens, under Travel Resources. The info on tipping that you are seeking is not a FAQ (oh really?) but is found in the PDF which is at least indexed to jump to what you click in the table of contents.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/manage-my-cruise-already-booked/faqs/KBYG.pdf

 

Save the PDF to your computer! It says: "For sailings departing on or after December 1, 2018, the daily Hotel Service Charge is $14.50* per guest per day for non-suite stateroom guests and $16.00* per guest per day for suite guests." and the footnote is that the rate is subject to change. So check back and re-download the PDF every so often.

 

All non-free beverages have a gratuity added to them at purchase, as do upcharge restaurants and spa services. If you buy the Signature or Elite Beverage Package, the gratuity is on the cost of the package, not on the drinks you actually buy. If you book under the Explore4 (or other promotion that has included SBP), the gratuity is also included. 

 

Here's a funny one -- we are HAL fan-kids, but have booked the Emerald Princess 28-day South Pacific, Feb 2020, for the itinerary! I guess you and I are swapping places!

Edited November 13, 2018 by crystalspin

[mcrcruiser]

17 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

@Poulsbo Cruisers

Here is the Know Before You Go pdf -- link to which is found on the FAQ page, which can be found by clicking Help in top right of screen OR Frequently Asked Questions on the very bottom of most screens, under Travel Resources. The info on tipping that you are seeking is not a FAQ (oh really?) but is found in the PDF which is at least indexed to jump to what you click in the table of contents.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/manage-my-cruise-already-booked/faqs/KBYG.pdf

 

Save the PDF to your computer! It says: "For sailings departing on or after December 1, 2018, the daily Hotel Service Charge is $14.50* per guest per day for non-suite stateroom guests and $16.00* per guest per day for suite guests." and the footnote is that the rate is subject to change. So check back and re-download the PDF every so often.

 

All non-free beverages have a gratuity added to them at purchase, as do upcharge restaurants and spa services. If you buy the Signature or Elite Beverage Package, the gratuity is on the cost of the package, not on the drinks you actually buy. If you book under the Explore4 (or other promotion that has included SBP), the gratuity is also included. 

 

Here's a funny one -- we are HAL fan-kids, but have booked the Emerald Princess 28-day South Pacific, Feb 2020, for the itinerary! I guess you and I are swapping places!

We were thinking  of the Princess  South Pacific cruise on Emerald Princess until we saw the smallest balcony cabins ever . check it out  .google : Cruise ship  deck plans & then check The Emeralds princess balcony cabin sizes   ,just 168 sq ft of cabin  & 46 sq ft of balcony . Got to go to a mini suite 277 sq ft & balcony also  46 sq ft  to get a decent size cabin 

Edited November 13, 2018 by mcrcruiser

[crystalspin]

Yes, I know -- I always say: Holland America -- big room on a small ship; Princess -- small room on a big ship. But the choice was the Island Princess a couple months later and the reviews and opinions of the Island over on the Princess board are so dreadful since she was remodeled adding more cabins for more people at the expense of public space for them to occupy.

 

Since we aren't getting a mini-suite or even balcony, the public space is very important to us -- me to knit and dr'spin to read! So hoping to find some favorite spots for those activities.

[Walfam]

On 11/11/2018 at 7:02 PM, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

. I know in this day and age, I must be doing something wrong. No website can be that difficult to use or find information. Thanks for any help anyone can provide. 

It's not you.  It's the revamped website that is very frustrating to navigate.  No doubt it was designed by and appeals to a younger generation. I prefer straightforward information with no slide show type features for that info.

 

IMHO, the Celebrity website is just as bad, if not worse.  I recently visited it, to see what they had to offer, threw my hands up in the air and decided it was. Not. Worth. It.  Life is getting too short.

[fishin' musician]

As someone who also migrated from Princess to HAL and now bounces back and forth, and has sampled most other mainstream lines; I find the two lines to be the most similar of any two out there. 

[Sonora5]

We decided to try Princess last year for a 29 day TA on the Pacific Princess. Loved the ship, although it was not as nicely kept and clean as HAL. Loved our steward and the low level staff. Middle management were awful. Fellow cruisers wonderful. Food mediocre.

 

Back to HAL this fall for a 26 day TA and we were pleasantly reminded of how hard the crew work on HAL. Someone is always cleaning something. Staff wonderful, food really good. Fellow cruisers great as well. We will probably not go back on Princess unless there is an unbeatable itinerary.

[lcand1923]

Finding out what cabins are available on HAL's website is almost impossible, even before the so-called upgrade! 

 

I read this tip on Cruise Critic years ago and have found it the most useful.  Try the travel website that is very close to encyclopedia (it begins  with EX and ends the same way as encyclopedia).

 

I'm a HAL fan and tried Princess earlier this year.  My impression was the two lines were quite similar.  I'm sure you will find HAL quite acceptable.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

15 hours ago, crystalspin said:

@Poulsbo Cruisers

Here is the Know Before You Go pdf -- link to which is found on the FAQ page, which can be found by clicking Help in top right of screen OR Frequently Asked Questions on the very bottom of most screens, under Travel Resources. The info on tipping that you are seeking is not a FAQ (oh really?) but is found in the PDF which is at least indexed to jump to what you click in the table of contents.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/content/dam/hal/marketing-assets/manage-my-cruise-already-booked/faqs/KBYG.pdf

 

Save the PDF to your computer! It says: "For sailings departing on or after December 1, 2018, the daily Hotel Service Charge is $14.50* per guest per day for non-suite stateroom guests and $16.00* per guest per day for suite guests." and the footnote is that the rate is subject to change. So check back and re-download the PDF every so often.

 

All non-free beverages have a gratuity added to them at purchase, as do upcharge restaurants and spa services. If you buy the Signature or Elite Beverage Package, the gratuity is on the cost of the package, not on the drinks you actually buy. If you book under the Explore4 (or other promotion that has included SBP), the gratuity is also included. 

 

Here's a funny one -- we are HAL fan-kids, but have booked the Emerald Princess 28-day South Pacific, Feb 2020, for the itinerary! I guess you and I are swapping places!

 

Thank you. That helps a lot. 

[eclue]

We are elite on Princess and truly LOVE Princess...no complaints at all, but I saw that HAL is returning to port in Kusadasi, Turkey, in 2019 so went ahead and booked on the Veendam for a 24 night on May 15th......the itinerary is good...I ihave not seen  one comparable on Princess so we are giving it a shot even though I have heard that the Veendam is not a very nice ship....coming out of dry dock in April, 2019 , so hopefully it will be nice.....but we have plans to return to Princess after this....too many perks there for us..

 

[OlsSalt]

2 minutes ago, eclue said:

We are elite on Princess and truly LOVE Princess...no complaints at all, but I saw that HAL is returning to port in Kusadasi, Turkey, in 2019 so went ahead and booked on the Veendam for a 24 night on May 15th......the itinerary is good...I ihave not seen  one comparable on Princess so we are giving it a shot even though I have heard that the Veendam is not a very nice ship....coming out of dry dock in April, 2019 , so hopefully it will be nice.....but we have plans to return to Princess after this....too many perks there for us..

 

 

Veendam is a nice ship -small and older. Just adjust your expectations. 

[crystalspin]

@eclue

Have not been on the Veendam, but sailed twice on her sister ship, the Statendam (no longer with the fleet). All of the Dam ships are nice ships! The S-class -- two remain in the fleet, Veendam and Maasdam -- are just smaller ships. Look at it this way, you will learn your way around in no time! Remember that the Luxury Lines all run small ships, too.

 

Also your cabin will be of nice size; both of our Statendam cruises we had three adults in an INSIDE!

[eclue]

Thank you for the positive posts on the 

veendam…..it is such a port intensive itinerary, I figured that we would be fine..only 3 sea days and 21 long days in so many great ports.....we booked a lanai cabin which will be new for us.....Looking forward to this.