Thinking of jumping ship

[charliedalrymple]

Some of you may know from my "Live From" our NZ cruise on Majestic that we are fed up with the noise levels and shrieking children on Princess (although many pointed out that the latter was because that cruise was during school holidays). We are considering dumping Princess as our preferred cruise line, but I'm not sure that we're ready to pay the hefty fares on Viking, Virgin and the premium lines. 

 

It seems that Holland America is the most sedate of the mass market cruise lines, and we are thinking of giving them a try. Can any Princess loyalists comment on the differences between the two?

[elaine5]

We just got off a 9 day HA in the Carib. It is similar to Princess in quality, with a bit older demographics. It was not school holiday in USA, so very few children. I do not know what it would be like for school holidays. We were on Rotterdam, there is a good discussion of our sailing (comparing to Celebrity) recently on the HA board. Overall, we much prefer Princess and found HA to be a bit too quiet for us, with the entertainment is severely lacking. Food was very good. 

Here is a recent discussion:

 

Edited January 21 by elaine5

[Wishing on a star]

If you think you would prefer Princess...  we have had no issues with kids, families as we choose the weeks where most all kids have to be in school...  

Are you really wanting to cruise during summer, spring break, or Holidays???

Which, of course, might be the date of choice for some.. especially if they are traveling with family.

 

It is said that fewer families take longer itineraries.

 

I will say this...  Our last cruise, which was when very very few families vacation, there was ONE family, with a pre-school/kindergardener onboard...  the Piazza was her 'playground' every night.  To the point of running all around, interfering with the evenings entertainment and enjoyment, etc...  Her parents must have been sitting to the side thinking that everyone must be so impressed with how cute and wonderful she was.

Just know that sometimes it only takes one!

Edited January 21 by Wishing on a star

[charliedalrymple]

20 minutes ago, elaine5 said:

Here is a recent discussion:

 

Thanks so much for that link--it's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.  And based on that, I think that HAL is exactly the kind of cruise we are looking for.  What many people cite as cons on HAL would actually be pros for us.  Very helpful!

 

Edited January 21 by charliedalrymple

[charliedalrymple]

9 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

 

Are you really wanting to cruise during summer, spring break, or Holidays???

 

Unfortunately, we have to travel during school holidays, as DH is a teacher.

10 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

the Piazza was her 'playground' every night.

 

Yes, I definitely know what you mean.  We observed this several times on our recent cruise as well.  

[jennybenny]

We too have considered not making  Princess our first choice. We have high expectations of our Sun Princess cruise in August. We have cruised Oceania recently and absolutely loved it. Loved the specialty dining, the service, the crew, the people, the ship (Vista). Price wise, it’s more expensive but we used to cruise mostly holidays (with kids) and so we were used to a slightly inflated price point at Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years. I wouldn’t say we will ditch Princess forever, but we are considering looking elsewhere first. 
Our children are older now, one in college, one in High School, and they have not cruised Oceania with us, but in a few years, I think they will like it. 
I liked our last Oceania cruise more than our Princess cruises, I didn’t feel nickel and dimed, I loved the service, the ship, and the people on board. Maybe doing a European cruise was the difference, but it was enough to make use want to book Oceania. Our August cruise will be telling. Looking forward to it. 

[georgiavol]

13 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

Unfortunately, we have to travel during school holidays, as DH is a teacher.

 

Yes, I definitely know what you mean.  We observed this several times on our recent cruise as well.  

Oh, the irony!  I bet some on this thread cheered for the child catcher in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

[elaine5]

There is also a recent comparison with Celebrity on the HA board. Celebrity is a better fit for us; it has a good mix of activity, more than HA or even Princess, but less than Royal C, Carnival, or NCL. Pricing is usually better on Princess so we tend to stick with Princess for similar itineraries. For ex, on a NZ cruise, a balcony on a 13 day P was $1K less than an OV on 12 day C for the same ports. We have always had a good experience and feel P delivers a quality product. But, there are many loyal HAers, who feel the same for HA. 

Edited January 21 by elaine5

[memoak]

The Royal class ships have the huge piazza and the sound just echoes like crazy. We much prefer the Grand class ships which are a little smaller and less deafening. The only times we have had issues with children are on Alaskan cruises in the summer. But what is even worse are adults who carry around backpacks everywhere even in the MDR. I have been hit in the face many times in elevators

[Sea Hag]

1 hour ago, charliedalrymple said:

It seems that Holland America is the most sedate of the mass market cruise lines, and we are thinking of giving them a try. Can any Princess loyalists comment on the differences between the two?

 We finally did a cruise on HAL last September, and it was great. We're a big fan of Club Orange. This link takes you to a page that explains it. Club Orange Program Benefits (hollandamerica.com)

 

We liked our cabin a lot. This was on the Westerdam, and on that ship there're two cabins that sell as insides but have a window looking out on a walkway. This provides the natural light that my hubby has to have and the price is excellent. These cabins are on Observation deck, just a short walk away from the Crow's Nest where you can get coffee and pastries. 

 

We liked the food. Most of it was very good, and some of it was outstanding. I ordered an Indian plate for breakfast one morning, and that was one of the outstanding items. Had to rope my hubby in to help eat it, since it was huge.

 

It was quiet. No rowdy drinkers or such. The passengers seemed to be a bit more down-home than the average Princess cruiser, which was fine with us. 

 

We plan to sail with HAL again, probably more than with Princess since my hubby liked it better.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Just my opinion (and it's probably not worth 2 cents!) but if you are limited to traveling during school holidays then you're going to have some disappointments on *any* cruise line you pick.

[Hobby3333]

51 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

Thanks so much for that link--it's exactly the kind of information I was looking for.  And based on that, I think that HAL is exactly the kind of cruise we are looking for.  What many people cite as cons on HAL would actually be pros for us.  Very helpful!

 

We love HAL but going to cruise Princess for the first time July.  Service on HAL is very good and the food is good.  I would advise you to do Club Orange if the ship you choose has a separate dining room for Club Orange.  We are looking forward to experience the difference between Princess and HAL.  

[Alsmez]

17 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Just my opinion (and it's probably not worth 2 cents!) but if you are limited to traveling during school holidays then you're going to have some disappointments on *any* cruise line you pick.

 

Except Virgin. We refuse to cruise during school holidays because we don't enjoy sharing a ship with children or entitled parents. We took our first VV cruise over New Years this year and the adults-only aspect was AMAZING. As someone mentioned upthread, it only takes one obnoxious child or entitled parent to ruin a venue, and the absolute guarantee that that would not happen on VV was fantastic. There were other things about the cruise and ship that we didn't love, but the adults-only policy is beyond fabulous. I don't think I would consider any other line if cruising during a school holiday.

[charliedalrymple]

1 hour ago, elaine5 said:

There is also a recent comparison with Celebrity on the HA board.

 

Thanks for flagging that, Elaine. I've read through the entire thread, and I'd say we would still choose HAL over Celebrity--although Celebrity sounds like an improvement over Princess (at least for us).

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

Some of you may know from my "Live From" our NZ cruise on Majestic that we are fed up with the noise levels and shrieking children on Princess (although many pointed out that the latter was because that cruise was during school holidays). We are considering dumping Princess as our preferred cruise line, but I'm not sure that we're ready to pay the hefty fares on Viking, Virgin and the premium lines. 

 

It seems that Holland America is the most sedate of the mass market cruise lines, and we are thinking of giving them a try. Can any Princess loyalists comment on the differences between the two?

There are also children on Holland America cruises during school holidays.  

[charliedalrymple]

1 hour ago, Sea Hag said:

We finally did a cruise on HAL last September, and it was great. We're a big fan of Club Orange. This link takes you to a page that explains it. Club Orange Program Benefits (hollandamerica.com)

 

Thanks, Sea Hag!  I like the idea that these perks are available to all passengers (not just suite/elite passengers like on Princess).  That's a pretty reasonable price and we would definitely be inclined to try it.

[charliedalrymple]

4 minutes ago, TRLD said:

There are also children on Holland America cruises during school holidays. 

 

I'm sure that's true, and it's unavoidable on any cruise line (aside from those that are truly adults only).  However, I would hope that it's far fewer than the 600 we encountered on Princess this Christmas.

[TRLD]

While one cannot avoid kids on any of the main stream lines during school holidays there are ways to reduce the number on board. If one is not willing to go to the premium lines, including those that are adult only.

 

1. More adult focused lines  (Hal, Celebrity, Princess)

2. longer cruises tend to have fewer children than shorter cruises.

(avoid longer cruises made up of shorter segments they are really not longer cruises)

3. Cruises that end in a different area requiring at least one flight

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

I think everyone should try a variety of cruiselines, based on their budget.  
Everyone enjoys something different.  While we don’t exactly relish having a ton of screaming kids onboard, obnoxious adult passengers can be so much worse. So, our style of cruising is actually met quite nicely on Princess,  that wasn’t always the case.  We loved Celebrity and have a have elite status on that line.  But, last year we went on Celebrity, followed up with a Princess cruise.  We stepped onto Princess and felt at home and entertained after being rather bored on Celebrity.  To each his own, I say!  We didn’t used to feel that way so there are constant changes on every cruise line happening.  
Cruise on another line or two, maybe even on 3 or 4 different lines.  See what works best for you!  That just speaks to good planning and choices.  
You’ll easily find something that fits your style.  We all work too hard to save our money only to be disappointed with our vacation choice.  Bon voyage with whatever you choose.  

[Hobby3333]

4 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

I'm sure that's true, and it's unavoidable on any cruise line (aside from those that are truly adults only).  However, I would hope that it's far fewer than the 600 we encountered on Princess this Christmas.

For full disclosure, we have only sailed HAL 3 times.  Westerdam to Alaska in September 2022.   There were only 10 teenagers on the ship and almost zero small children.  In July 2023 we cruised the Rotterdam from Amsterdam and there were a few children and never had any issue.  They were very well behaved and 5he parents acted like parents.   Most enjoyable.   This past December we cruise on the Rotterdam again and there were a few more children but never experienced a problem.  There is a kids club on HAL but no water park.  Really enjoyed the music on HAL.  

[suzyed]

1 minute ago, Cruise Raider said:

I think everyone should try a variety of cruiselines, based on their budget.  
Everyone enjoys something different.  While we don’t exactly relish having a ton of screaming kids onboard, obnoxious adult passengers can be so much worse. So, our style of cruising is actually met quite nicely on Princess,  that wasn’t always the case.  We loved Celebrity and have a have elite status on that line.  But, last year we went on Celebrity, followed up with a Princess cruise.  We stepped onto Princess and felt at home and entertained after being rather bored on Celebrity.  To each his own, I say!  We didn’t used to feel that way so there are constant changes on every cruise line happening.  
Cruise on another line or two, maybe even on 3 or 4 different lines.  See what works best for you!  That just speaks to good planning and choices.  
You’ll easily find something that fits your style.  We all work too hard to save our money only to be disappointed with our vacation choice.  Bon voyage with whatever you choose.  

I agree....we have tried several different lines over the years. When our kids were younger and we lived a hop, skip and a jump from Port Canaveral, we frequently sailed on Carnival and Royal Caribbean...just so convenient!  We've also done, Celebrity, MSC, Cunard, NCL and of course Princess.  We just feel at this stage in our lives, Princess is what fits with our needs...we like the itineraries, the ships, the routines onboard, and yes, it feels like home!

[PescadoAmarillo]

If you love smaller ships, HAL is definitely a better choice. It you really enjoy production shows, Princess is. Live music?  Definitely HAL. Educated, informed destination specialists and enrichment speakers?  Princess. Food and dining ease?  HAL, all the way. Longer, more interesting itineraries?  HAL. Crews are about even. Years ago, HAL crews seemed stiffer, but that’s changed quite a bit. We’ve found them to be as welcoming as on Princess (where they are nearly always great). 
 

I would cruise solely HAL;  DH likes Princess. So we cruise more on Princess but are always watching for HAL cruises that might work for us. 

[charliedalrymple]

5 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

If you love smaller ships, HAL is definitely a better choice. It you really enjoy production shows, Princess is. Live music?  Definitely HAL. Educated, informed destination specialists and enrichment speakers?  Princess. Food and dining ease?  HAL, all the way. Longer, more interesting itineraries?  HAL. Crews are about even. Years ago, HAL crews seemed stiffer, but that’s changed quite a bit. We’ve found them to be as welcoming as on Princess (where they are nearly always great). 

 

Thanks, Pescado.  Yet another post that makes me think HAL is for us.  (By the way, thanks for reading my "Live From" post on Majestic this Christmas!)

[charliedalrymple]

24 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Cruise on another line or two, maybe even on 3 or 4 different lines.  See what works best for you!  That just speaks to good planning and choices.  
You’ll easily find something that fits your style.  We all work too hard to save our money only to be disappointed with our vacation choice.  Bon voyage with whatever you choose.  

 

Great perspective, Raider. Thanks for the reminder.

[dog]

3 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

Some of you may know from my "Live From" our NZ cruise on Majestic that we are fed up with the noise levels and shrieking children on Princess (although many pointed out that the latter was because that cruise was during school holidays). We are considering dumping Princess as our preferred cruise line, but I'm not sure that we're ready to pay the hefty fares on Viking, Virgin and the premium lines. 

 

It seems that Holland America is the most sedate of the mass market cruise lines, and we are thinking of giving them a try. Can any Princess loyalists comment on the differences between the two?

Well, I sailed on the Oosterdam twice.

Like night & day each time.

Old, bug bite in bed, had package- they cancelled my excursion and none suitable as a replacement they said- would no t let me use excursion credit elsewhere on ship.  Can water.  No Diet Coke until second day. No bacon for 2 weeks.  Food quality  suffered a lot. A newer ship maybe much different. TA was like a retirement home atmosphere to us.  But hey, I paid less then $900 pp CAD fare plus the package.

Princess has come out with newer ships that will attract families.SUN. Adding:

I was not able to make dining reservations pre cruise. Long line ups. I asked at restaurant & GS and was told we could eat up in the buffet on formal night.

 

Glad to see others have had enjoyable cruises on HAL like I did the first time.

 

 

Edited January 21 by dog