Did I Err in Booking HAL Instead of Princess?

[Hlitner]

When we cruise on Princess we do not say, "we wish we were on HAL."  And when we cruise on HAL we do not say, "we wish we were on Princess."  Each line (and ship types) have their pros and cons.  

 

Hank

[JeffElizabeth]

12 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

HAL may not be for everyone ( we prefer HAL over Princess), but I would suggest a little more in depth reading before questioning your booking. On both boards....not everyone finds Princess perfect, but Princess may be better for you.

True. You often don't know if it was a good trip until the end. 

[carolina_yankee]

6 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

The Rotterdam has the newer type promenade deck like on all the newer ships in the industry where basically the life boats block most of the views on the promenade deck. We just sailed on the Rotterdam in March and there were no steamer chairs on the promenade deck and it's not covered like on the HAL Vista and Signuture  class ships

 

6 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

You might be looking at the old Rotterdam, which did have the full prom with steamer chairs.  The new Rotterdam has a narrower wraparound prom, without the chairs.  The trade-off is that you get the music walk, additional eating establishments, and awesome walk-in glass showers.

Oh, that's a bummer. We loved the promenade and loungers on the Disney magic.

[tundra1]

My sister and her husband was on the Majestic Princess in May.  The food was okay but several times the hot food was cold or undercooked.  The production show was good but the venue was crowded, and the trivia games were so packed they could not find a seat.  It was tough to get a good view from the outside deck on Glacier Bay day, and again, those areas that they found were crowded.  The internet was very spotty and they really struggled to get their on-line covid testing done the day before they landed in Vancouver, even though they had upgraded to the premium package, and the staff said "I don't know" or "you will have to figure it out" more often than they provided any guidance. 

 

They were first time cruisers, but they still had fun.  They never met their cabin steward, so could not comment on him/her, but their cabin was clean and tidy each day.  They met some very nice people and enjoyed the music. Their luggage made it to their cabin and they loved their Alaskan excursions.  I don't think it was enough to keep them from sailing Princess again, but they now want to try HAL for their cruise.

 

I think that is because they also experienced a lot of stress from trying to figure out things on their own, and their medallion app never figured out where to deliver their drinks, LOL!  They saw drinks that they ordered being delivered to other tables, and the customers looking surprised to get them.  But when they went over to the crew member who delivered them, the crew member said that she delivered them correctly.  After not getting drinks a second time, they just gave up on that feature.  I would think cruise lines would be patient and welcoming to first time cruisers, since they want their repeat business, but my sister did not get that impression.  She knew she did not have the experience to know certain things that come naturally to regular cruisers, but she would leave the customer service desk after asking a question about the internet or her bill feeling like she was an imposition.  

 

We have always had impressive customer service on HAL.  Our Alaskan vacation is not until August this year, but judging from past experience, I think you will be happy sailing with them!

 

 

[iancal]

Despite what many say we have found little difference in the level and the quality of service between HAL, Princess, or Celebrity.

 

Food and entertainment are subjective, and varies widely between ships and trips on the same cruise line.  If entertainment is your thing HAL may  not be your best choice. 

 

We find more differences between ships in the same cruise line and between on board ship personnel than we do between cruise lines.  The itinerary matters as well. Especially the time in port on some routes.

 

Pre covid we felt that these lines were quickly on their way down to the lowest common denominator in order to keep fares competitive with each other.  

 

Edited June 22, 2022 by iancal

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, Hlitner said:

When we cruise on Princess we do not say, "we wish we were on HAL."  And when we cruise on HAL we do not say, "we wish we were on Princess."  Each line (and ship types) have their pros and cons.  

 

Hank

That is a very common sense approach.

[FlaMariner]

We've cruised on both.....Never again Princess.  We love HAL, understand why, and will never cheat on her again.

 

Glad we have choices.  We choose HAL.  It fits us.  Period. 

[johnlcruise]

I have been on both and like them both. But I go on with a positive attitude.

A CRUIES IS WHAT YOU WANT TO MAKE IT.  So have fun and don't think about the negative things. Just have fun. 😀

[HELENPSL]

Just back from my 3rd cruise on Princess and probably the last one.  It was a casino offer and too good to turn down since we only live a little over an hour from the port.  There were some good points from the cruise:

1.  Service was excellent.  Although our cabin steward was always wearing a mask you could tell that he always had a smile on his face.  The cabin was always spotless and he was there twice a day.

2.  We met some wonderful people on the cruise and one in particular that is now a friend.

3.  We had made reservations in the DR for 6:20PM every night and never had to wait more than 5 minutes.  If we arrived early it was never a problem.

 

The down side for us:

4.  The food in the dining room was always cold.  After a while you just get tired sending it back.

5.  MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT - HAL has spoiled us for having food plated by the staff in the lido.  We like to eat breakfast in the lido (same exact thing every day) but this was a free for all.  There were people taking bread, picking it up, looking at it, deciding they wanted something else and putting it back.  Much of the food was pre-cooked and put under heat lamps like the eggs benedict.  We are used to the food being cooked fresh right in front of us even if we had a wait an extra couple of minutes.

6.  I was very disappointed in the entertainment.  Princess's entertainment was always considerably better that HAL's.  They had the same comedian for 3 nights, a magician for 1 night and a production show for 1 night which was fabulous.  I expected more.

 

It may not be fair to do comparisons between lines but it is impossible to avoid it.  For now we have 3 HAL cruises booked of which 2 of them have been delayed for 2 years.  I do think though that everyone has to cruise a line for themselves to make their own comparisons.

Helen