Holland America vs. Princess?

[Old As Dirt Mom]

...... We're on the Noordam in December and can't wait to experience HAL...my in-laws love HAL and recommended them highly. Again, we'll just be tuning out the "art" and the "gold". I'm a Karen, also. ;)

 

Hi Madelinerose/Karen:) :

 

I hope you have a great experience with HAL. I'm on the Noordam this summer, going to Alaska, and I'm really looking forward to experiencing that ship. I haven't tried Princess at this point, only done HAL, but Princess has some tremendous itineraries at some really good prices! All I need is more time and money, and I'd be happy to experience all the various lines out there:D !

 

Karin

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Every time I take a cruise and it's been on many different lines....I see the pictures EVERYWHERE and that "gold on a rope", it's in the halls, in the stores, in the lobby; blocking the pathways.....with mobs of people clamered around it.....I don't get it.........

 

The art work can be interesting (not) but it's another way to get free champagne.....go to the auction....get your champagne, enjoy and move on!

 

Now, if they would just serve champagne while buying that rope junk!!! ;)

 

Roz, I just want you to know that I enjoy your posts; you are frequently so on-target and just plain funny! I hope you have a great time on your first HAL cruise this year!:)

 

Karin

[hammybee]

Please see my review of the Amsterdam. We were most disappointed with that ship as compared to other lines. This is not to say that all HAL ships would get this rating as we have only been on the Amsterdam.

 

Griswalds

 

I just read your review of what is my favorite HAL ship. It just goes to show you how a different crew and timeframe can make or break a cruise regardless of ship or cruise line.

 

I also got a kick out of your pool comments. I always considered the Lido pool to be the main one as this is where the bar, entertainment and food are at. The aft pool is however, usually the best place to snag a chair.

 

Sorry to hear you will not be retuning to HAL.

[wizard-of-roz]

Karin: You are so sweet and thank you for the good wishes....I'm in the countdown mode.........

I sometimes wonder if posts are being read......I know that not all posts require a response....but, it can seem as if we're just going into cyberspace!!!!

You have proven that we do exist, we truly do! Yahoo!!!!!! :p

[fsalzer]

We were lucky to get traditional seating. I heard several people who had anytime dining complaining about the one to two hour waits, no matter which alternate restaurant they went to. I fear it will be the same when/if HAL migrates to this offering.

We never had a wait for open seating on our Oosterdam cruise. We hope As You Wish Dining goes fleet-wide because HAL has some attractive itineraries.

 

There must be more to the story for anyone having to wait one to two hours.

 

Fred

[DFD1]

The casual lifestyle that has become the norm in the United States is bound to finally linfluence the dining arrangements on the major cruise lines, in my opinion.

 

I believe movement away from traditional dining to a more casual, relaxed dining system is simply a way to deal with what the American market is requesting.

 

It would not surprise me if the dress code weren't the next thing to begin to change.

[Tina G]

Well, I know I have a high post count, but we've only cruised twice...Carnival Miracle in 2004 and the Grandeur of the Seas in 2006 (the Baltimore port is a 10 minute drive and both ships left from Baltimore). The Miracle, ioho, far surpassed the Grandeur in every aspect...make of that what you will. On the Grandeur, the pax were 3-4 deep in a very long line actually waiting for the faux gold salesperson to arrive. We found it very amusing and quite incredible. No, we'd never spend a penny at either venue. You're right, we're definitely in the minority and have decided that RCI nor Carnival are the right fit for us. We're on the Noordam in December and can't wait to experience HAL...my in-laws love HAL and recommended them highly. Again, we'll just be tuning out the "art" and the "gold". I'm a Karen, also. ;)

 

Small world! I live in Laurel. DH retired and we are trying to sell the house and move to rural Colorado! I will miss the incredibly cheap airfares you get out of BWI!!:)

[ohionana26]

Thank you for your information! Does Holland America have those tacky "art" auctions? Gold (plated) chains by the inch? EEW!:(

 

Just off the Volendam and yes they had those things..and I totally agree with your assessment.

 

Even worse, IMO, is being constantly bombarded by the photographers. One lady said..."Every time I come out of a bathroom stall, I expect to see a photographer there to take my picture". One formal night you had to go through three set ups to get into the dining room....ENOUGH already!! At this stage of our lives, the last thing I need is more photos.

 

Someone mentioned the wall where you could watch where the ship is at all times. One evening while we were sitting watching that wall and the ticker above it giving us info, one of the photographers came with his huge backdrop screen rolled up....they are stored in a cupboard behind the ship screen. He seemed to be mad about something and threw his screen in...and he must have hit some wiring, as our side of the wall went blank and never worked again the rest of the cruise.

[madelinerose]

Hi, Tina....slow time for real estate, but it will sell. Rural Colorado, wow! That's quite a difference from Maryland. Good luck to you! ;)

 

(My apologies for the ot).

 

Small world! I live in Laurel. DH retired and we are trying to sell the house and move to rural Colorado! I will miss the incredibly cheap airfares you get out of BWI!!:)

[marco]

We've been on both lines many times. We think they are pretty comparable. Some differences that may make a difference ....or not.....

 

HAL has glass domes over the main pools on all of thier ships. If wether is inclement, close the dome.

 

HAL ships have a fresh water pool and a salt water pool.

 

Princess: Pools and hot tubs are open 24/7

 

Service on both (I think) is comparable

 

FIt and finish overall on HAL ships is a notch above Princess

 

HAL: variety and presentation of food is better, quality is comparable

 

Princess: Food court is open 24/7

 

HAL: category vs category, cabins are bigger

 

HAL: cabins have dvd player in cabins

 

Princess has one "anytime dining" restaurant while HAL, althoggh not exactly anytime/with anyone, offers four dining times.

 

Bottom line: I would't hesitate to cruise on either

[jocelysue]

We have cruised on both cruise lines and found them to be equal but different.

 

We like to take baths; we simply are not shower people. That means that if we want to have a tub, we have to book a minisuite on Princess, whereas large outside cabins and up on HAL off er these. We found that for a comparable cruise, Princess offers better pricing. In other words, there is a premium cost for HAL. If all you want is an outside abin, or an inside cabin, and it doesn't matter if you have a bth, then Princess offers the better deal. One caveat though. HAL offers a sofa in every stateroom (at least on every ship we've been on) whereas Princess rarely does, unless in a minisuite up.This can be important to some. Cabins definitely larger on Hal.

 

We booked back to back cruises to Alsaka, northbound on Princess, southbound on Hal so that we could compare both lines within a week of of each other. It was extremely easy to get off both lines for shore excursions on both lines.

 

There definitely was more glitz on Princess. Vegas type shows far superior. Surprisingly even a better and wider selection of books. Another surprise: afternoon tea was much more "British" style on Princess than on HAL. More choice of sandwiches. Waiters better trained, white gloves, etc. Loved this particualr aspect of Princess. Also Princess had a great string quartet playing during afternoon tea which made the experience ever so pleasant.

 

Live musicians were equally good on both lines, but HAL offered a pianist into the wee hours of the morning which Princess didn't.

 

We did not go to the casin on either line during this particular cruise so cannot talk on that score. Princess had a greater variety of DVD's, but HAL had first run movies with popcorn.

 

Both lines are great. I would suggest you first decide upon ports of call, then upo whether or not a particular type of cabin is important to you. For example, we will be cruising to SA this February. We are going on Hal because it has the additional choice of going to Rio in addition to Buenos Aires. That was the clincher for us.

 

Then look at pricing. As a philosophe once daid ""Gnote seoton" or "Know yourself". You are the one who knows your order of priorities. We want a bath, but would do without one if there was a great deal on Princess.

 

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask additional questions. And no mattter what: enjoy yourself. Accept the fact that there will be glitches. There always are.

But there is always the upside. And that's what's to remember.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food wise, steaks wer larger and more tender, lobsters larger on Princess. However, service was more refined on Hal and there was more variety in the Menu. Al fresco dining much better organized on Hal with a greater choice of food. Breakfast buffets much better.

 

Dinner companions on Princess were lovely people but we had absolutely no interests of any kind in common. All of us asked to be changed, but were not able to. No one wanted free style dining so we stayed together but mealtime was quite dull for everyone.

On Hal, we had friends who wanted us to be seated with them. We were upstairs, and they were downstairs. The maitre d suggested a compromise. DH and I continued to have our main meal alon at a table for two which we had requested, but went downstairs to join our friends for wine, dessert and coffee.

 

There were more talks available on HAL.

[wizard-of-roz]

My DH and I are, well let's just say, we're both over 40...and, I LOVE the pictures.....I treasure every vacation we take together and enjoy the pictures both at home and in my office....my friends also enjoy looking at them.....especially the formal shots....I spend a fortune on them.....(way too much), I've learned to be more conservative, in this area! :rolleyes:

I have started an album of cruises ONLY.....it's so much fun!....and, when I'm feeling "down", I just take out my album, thumb through it and, "waalaaa", I find my smile, again! :p

To each his own.....but, I would be very disappointed if they didn't take those fabulous pictures for us to remember our magic moments! Sometimes I don't feel like whipping out my camera and when they come to our dinner table and ask to take a picture, I'm grateful! It's my choice to buy it or not!

My parents are gone now, and they vacationed a lot. I don't have any pictures of them on their trips and I would have loved to have shared some of their experiences, at least from a camera's point of view! My sisters and brothers feel the same. Not to mention sharing them with our grandchildren, who will never know them........:o

[DFD1]

Wizard of Roz, You make a great point about the photographers. We often read negative comments about them on various threads. Your's is one of the few positive ones I have read. I think you are right on target.

 

The photographs are an easy, if not inexpensive, way to be sure you have a rememberance of your cruise. Why not!

[DFD1]

Double post.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

My DH and I are, well let's just say, we're both over 40...and, I LOVE the pictures.....I treasure every vacation we take together and enjoy the pictures both at home and in my office....my friends also enjoy looking at them.....especially the formal shots....I spend a fortune on them.....(way too much), I've learned to be more conservative, in this area! :rolleyes:

 

I have started an album of cruises ONLY.....it's so much fun!....and, when I'm feeling "down", I just take out my album, thumb through it and, "waalaaa", I find my smile, again! :p

 

To each his own.....but, I would be very disappointed if they didn't take those fabulous pictures for us to remember our magic moments! Sometimes I don't feel like whipping out my camera and when they come to our dinner table and ask to take a picture, I'm grateful! It's my choice to buy it or not!

 

My parents are gone now, and they vacationed a lot. I don't have any pictures of them on their trips and I would have loved to have shared some of their experiences, at least from a camera's point of view! My sisters and brothers feel the same. Not to mention sharing them with our grandchildren, who will never know them........:o

 

Wizard of Roz, You make a great point about the photographers. We often read negative comments about them on various threads. Your's is one of the few positive ones I have read. I think you are right on target.

 

The photographs are an easy, if not inexpensive, way to be sure you have a rememberance of your cruise. Why not!

 

Please bear with me: I'm experimenting with the new "multi-quote" feature.

 

I agree with both Roz and DFD1. I enjoy the fact that if we wish to have a photo remembrance of our cruising (after all, many cruises are part of a special family event) then that option is available to us through the ship's professional photographers. In my experience, I have not found the photographers onboard HAL to be either aggressive or pushy. If I say, "no thank you", then they move on. The choice to buy or not is ours.

 

Karin

[Pam in CA]

This is an interesting thread. I've cruised quite a few times on Princess but also on RCI. This summer, we are trying HAL because the equivalent Princess cruise was shortened from the 2006 itinerary and the ship changed from the Sea Princess to the Grand Princess.

 

My expectation is that no matter what, we'll have a great time and are looking forward to our HAL cruise. Yes, there will be some differences but we'll be at sea on a small ship, won't starve to death, will go to sleep every night to the rocking of the ship, and will meet other great people. What's not to like?

[snownyet]

Weve sailed both and have had a great time on both( IMO its your own fault if you dont) however anyone whos been on a number of cruises will tell you no two ships from the same line are alike, so making broad comparisons is somewhat difficult.. We loved the sun princess but didnt care for the sea princess.. identical ships but a whole different experience. The same applies to HAL, we had a great time on the Volendam but had an incredible time on the zuiderdam.... which is why were booked on another vista class Hal ship. What draws me to HAL are the little things for example individual cloth hand towels in public bathrooms, fresh cut flowers everywhere, the very rich feel of the cabins and ship as a whole and the beds... princess isnt even close.. On both of our princess cruises the service was good, but not HAL good. The one thing that I noticed right away on HAL was the crews attentiveness, however sometimes it made me uncomfortable, almost as if the crew felt subservient to us. To me theyre just people doing a job, Im no better than them nor is anyone else on the ship. When it gets down to the nitty gritty, its a cruise and outside of unusual events Id say whats not to like about it? Youre pretty much in control of the amount of fun you have and theyre all better than working!!!

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Dayum, these posts on the bottom of a page always get hung, these days...

 

Trying to BUMP, so folks can read the "invisible" posts....

[NHCruisr]

We've cruised both and enjoy both. HAL is a bit more upscale and I think that the food is better. HAL has better beds, bigger cabins and better room service - especially for full menu breakfast. HAL's ships are more to our liking also - more intimate spaces, beautiful artwork and flowers. Princess has anytime dining, which we enjoy, and the entertainment is usually quite good. I would sail either if the itinerary and price were right. Although, after 10 Princess cruises and 2 (with two more booked) HAL cruises, I do seem to be leaning toward HAL.

[madelinerose]

Do you all think it's odd that Carnival and HAL have fabulous beds, but Princess doesn't? :confused:

[wizard-of-roz]

Call me "simple" but I loved our Princess beds. They were certainly better than Celebrity.

Now, mind you, we're not traveling in the "suite" catergory, we're in amongst the "percentage on board folks" so, I can only compare apples to apples.

Beds: On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being a solid bed with a good nights sleep!)

Celebrity:....1 (it was an army cot, not that I've been in the army, but if you were to bump into it, it literally moved into the wall!) Upon further examination, under the bed...it had fold out legs...give me a break!

Carnival:.... 5

RCCL:........ 6

Princess:.... 9+

NCL:......... 4 (a bit "squishy")

Beds may be as subjective as dining. I don't like my bed to be a "cot" and I don't like it to be too "squishy!" I'm a bit like "Goldilocks", I like it to be "just right!"

 

When we get into a hotel room, the first thing we do (it's somewhat anal, maybe), we sit on the beds to test them!!!!!! No laughing, please! :cool:

I'm truly looking forward to the beds on HAL (not that we spend that much time in bed), it's just so nice to come back to a comfortable and inviting nights sleep. :p

[Old As Dirt Mom]

......

 

 

....I'm truly looking forward to the beds on HAL (not that we spend that much time in bed), it's just so nice to come back to a comfortable and inviting nights sleep. :p

 

As I've said before, the beds on HAL are good for a whole lot more than just sleeping!;)

[wizard-of-roz]

middle-aged-mom: YEAH!!!!!! I'm gonna be the happiest woman in the whole USA!!!!! :D :D :D

[Tina G]

DH and I usually cruise in the cheap inside cabins. The last one on the Dawn Princess was TINY!:eek: I know ships vary, but how are the inside cabins on HA?

[Aussie Gal]

The inside cabins on HAL ships are quite roomy. We have never stayed in one but have friends who often do and they are very happy with them.

 

Jennie