Is HAL highly recommended?

[Chade5772]

Okay I put a post like this on Celebrity, and Princess. But we are HUGE Celebrity fans, in our 30's not drinkers, we like to unwind and be together (my wife and I) we leave the kids with grandparents. We love food and we are active. We like Celebrity primarily because of the atmosphere and FOOD.

 

Because of Itinerary issues we are choosing between Veendam and Grand Princess. Any suggestions? Any one cruise on both? Suggstions are needed! Thanks in adavance.

[uncialman]

Hey there!

 

My wife and I are in our mid-30's and have cruised Celeb., HAL and Princess (The Golden).

 

We found the S-Class Ships (which the Veendam is) to be our favorite type of ship for several reasons.

 

1. The Passenger load is low compared to the other lines

2. No crowds

3. Quiet Atmosphere

4. Larger cabins compared to the other lines mentioned

 

Although the GP was a beautiful ship, we felt crowded - especially around dinner time. You will find the Veendam to be a very intimate, classy vessel.

 

The food is not quite as good as Celebrity's although the service will be almost on the same par. Celebrity is the best in the food category and can really only rate my last HAL meals as 'so-so'; but not bad by any means. The Princess meals were ok, but nothing to write home about.

 

Hope this helps.

[F5Loar]

Any cruise line is recommended if you are a cruiser! You are really comparing apples to oranges as the Grand Princess is a really big ship beside all the HAL ships expecially that class of the Veendam. We really enjoyed the Grand but your food would be better on the Veendam. I would put the service at about the same but there is so much more to do on the Grand and it is a really wonderful beautiful ship. My choice would be to do them both.

[jhannah]

I've sailed HAL and Princess, and I feel HAL is a cut above. Not that Princess is sub-par by any means. It's just that you see a little more refinement aboard HAL ships. The fresh flowers throughout the ship are beautiful, and the artwork is spectacular. I find the food a bit better on HAL also. We, like you, enjoy our quiet times in the cabin and on the veranda. While this can be done on either line, the Holland America experience is a little more formal, IMO.

[sail7seas]

We have cruised Princess about five times and Holland America Line about 40. Clearly we think HAL superior. Our last cruise we found the food on Princess to be a big disappointment but have always enjoyed HAL's dining room and very much enjoy HAL's Lido.

[Peter D]

We found the food on the Volendam (June 2004) as good , and in some cases better than that which we experienced aboard the Mercury ( August 2002 ). Having read previous posts which focused on the topic of food quality and the comparisons thereof, the majority of passenger complaints could be attributed to the law of averages. You cannot always expect consistent perfection unless your destination is Utopia.

[Krazy Kruizers]

:) Princess verses HAL

 

We have done quite a few cruises on Princess (we are in the top category) - twice on the Grand Princess including her inaugural cruise in 1998 from Istanbul to Barcelona.

 

The food at that time was very good. But you have to remember that "Personal Choice" cruising wasn't their theme.

 

On our last cruise on the Grand in 2000 we didn't think the food was that great.

 

For the last few years we have cruised HAL exclusively. We love their food, the friendliness of the crew and the larger cabins.

 

:)

[doone]

I sailed the Veendam over two years ago and loved it. My family had their first cruise with me on the Veendam and were so impressed with the ship, service, food and the entire cruise experience, they were planning another cruise before they even got off the Veendam. We are now planning to set sail again as a family in February 2006 (they needed time to save). I don't think you will be disappointed in the Veendam, as a matter of fact, I think you will enjoy it.

 

As for the food, food is very subjective no matter where you eat. What I like, you may not like. I look at it this way, if I don't have to cook it and clean up the mess, I am happy!!!!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise on the beautiful Veendam.

[kelmac]

Like you, my wife and I are huge Celebrity fans! We have cruised 16 ships, including Princess, NCL, RCI, HAL and Celebrity. We did Celebrity cruise number seven this summer, and I still feel they have the best food and service. Having said that, we feel HAL rates second in the food/service department, with RCI, Princess and NCL in a distant third...,

We were on the Veendam last Christmas and had a great time. We are scheduled to cruise the Volendam, for New Years, and the Mercury for Spring Break. At the present time, we are going to stick to Celebrity and the larger ships of HAL. My problem with the Veendam is the atmosphere is a bit too "old school." The ship is not that old, but it has a 1950s feel to it. Muted colors...,

I like larger ships, with a bright open feel.

We did the Star Princess and loved the interesting decks spaces; the food was so so and whole Personal Choice thing does not work well for a variety of reasons (I won't go there). No such thing as a bad cruise, just different experiences. Having said that, we are looking at a cruise on the Tahitian Princess next summer!:rolleyes: Enjoy! Kel

[superstein61]

Okay I put a post like this on Celebrity, and Princess. But we are HUGE Celebrity fans, in our 30's not drinkers, we like to unwind and be together (my wife and I) we leave the kids with grandparents. We love food and we are active. We like Celebrity primarily because of the atmosphere and FOOD.

 

Because of Itinerary issues we are choosing between Veendam and Grand Princess. Any suggestions? Any one cruise on both? Suggstions are needed! Thanks in adavance.

 

I would suggest choosing based on the best itinerary and price. While you will find minor differences, both experiences should not differ significantly