Princess vs. HAL? Help please!

[Sam75]

I have cruised on HAL and loved it but now am planning a cruise for the two of us. Princess looks to be a comparable line and I want to choose the best for both of us.

 

What would the experienced cruisers have to say about the two lines? I am comparing Oosterdam and Sapphire Princess. Price is about the same, identical itineraries.

 

Thanks for any and all guidance!

[Atomica]

The Princess/HAL experience is very similar. The main difference I've found is that Princess tends to have more activities/entertainment in the day and evenings than HAL does. Service is very comparable; I'd give HAL the edge on staterooms as they are slightly larger than on Princess.

 

Give them a shot; you should have a great time.

[mikefang]

Sam, we cruised on the Sapphire Princess a few weeks ago when they repositioned from Vancouver to Los Angeles. It was our first on Princess after a good number on HAL. You are comparing good to good and if you enjoy HAL I think you will enjoy Princess and vice versa. Both offer pretty similar experiences. I think HAL has the edge in service, about the same in food though we prefer the Lido buffet on HAL, and you would have some difficulty in telling the difference in entertainment-Sapphire was a larger ship and a larger dance cast/orchestra. We like a drink before dinner and the Sapphire had more options-again probably related to size. Shopping on both appears to be overpriced and under utilized. We prefer HAL but would not hesitate to try Princess again.

Mike and Fang

[KLLund]

Those happen to be my two favorite ships in the world .. so I would be deciding on itinerary and price. Either one would be a great cruise.

[Sam75]

Thanks everyone! These comments tend to confirm my research. Here's one question...Sapphire is about a third larger than Oosterdam...does that make a significant difference in the feel and ambience? In other words, does Oosterdam feel more closed in than Sapphire?

 

I've also read that the show lounge in Sapphire is too small for the number of passengers...any thoughts on that?

 

Thanks again

 

Sam

[rarescrambler]

". . .does that make a significant difference in the feel and ambience? In other words, does Oosterdam feel more closed in than Sapphire?"

 

Not to hijack this thread, but this is along the same lines - - I'm wondering the opposite - is the Sapphire too large? We prefer the smaller ships, but recently returned from a week on the Westerdam and were quite disappointed in the decline in the quality of the food in the dining room compared to our previous trip 4 years ago.

 

We're now searching for another line to try. We're considering Celebrity, and now because of this thread, possibly Princess. There are some absolutely awesome sales on now, but the best ones are for pretty quick sailings. We're not able to go again until the spring, so hopefully some comparable deals will come along for that time period.

 

Back to the topic of comparing Princess to HAL. If I may add in my query here as well - a HUGE part of our experience is the fine dining, so I'm very interested in feedback in that regard.

 

I know this is very subjective - we've read where others on CC who were on our same trip very much enjoyed the dining room selections, but all in our party were very disappointed. That really puzzles me because I truly don't feel like we're finicky eaters, and my impression is that there are some very "sophisticated" pallets on this board - people who enjoy fine dining on land way more often than we do.

 

In reading threads on other lines, I'm starting to wonder if our expectations are too high. I realize that all the lines have had to undergo cost-cutting, but has the dining experience suffered to an equal extent on all lines?

 

Thanks in advance for your input.

[rpjkw11]

Between HAL & Princess, I have to give the nod to Princess on the food in the dining room. I'm very picky about seafood; on Princess I'll enjoy seafood every night. Also, having to watch my sugar intake, Princess has a MUCH greater variety of sugar free/no sugar added desserts. HAL has Princess beat on the midnight buffet, though.

 

Other than those items, I would rate the two very comparable. My favorite cruise lines, however, are RCCL and Regency.

 

Bob

[sammiedawg]

We go back and forth between HAL and Princess. They are both nice lines. We have been on both Sapphire and Oosterdam. Flip a coin.

We loved the Oosterdam, we did the Mexico trip.

Sapphire we did the LA to Vancouver repositioning a few years ago and loved it.

No line is perfect, no ship is perfect.

We've tried more than a few lines, we prefer HAL and Princess. Someone mentioned Celebrity, we thought it was vastly overrated.

[rarescrambler]

Greatly appreciate the input and various opinions. Nothing is black and white, is it? But from this I'm really starting to consider Princess - hadn't even given them a thought before. For some reason, I thought they weren't on par with HAL, but I obviously was wrong in that thinking.

[richnorto]

We love both lines! We've been on HAL 2 times (in the last 3 years) and Princess 1 time (two years ago). Biggest differences we noticed but which may have changed are:

 

1) HAL has bigger nicer cabins and the steak tasted better.

 

2) Princess has more activities and a band by the pool every afternoon. We loved hanging out listening to the tunes and watching some folks dancing!!

 

You should enjoy either.:)

[BalconyBumz]

To me the only noticeable differences are that HAL's cabins are nicer, HAL has a lot more older people in general, so it's a less action cruise. Personally I feel that Princess has better food in the evening dining rooms, but that's a matter of taste. Both lines are very nice, but have a different feel.

[mr green]

Its a toss up, however, I favour Princess, as I find the staff easier to get along with, they give just a little extra.

 

john

[Sailor Gal]

As you can see from my signature block we're Princess fans. Just returned from our first HAL cruise on Eurodam. We would take Princess if the itinerary and price were comparable. Many more activities and nightlife onboard. Livlier but classy feel to the ship. We were disappointed in the service and dinning room food on our first HAL cruise. Princess had much better food in the dinning room. (Specialty restaurants were excellent on both lines). Liked Movies under the Stars on Princess (but did not like loud movies during the day). We just went to the rear pool to avoid that noise. On HAL there was a much older and quieter crowd. Ship was dead after 10:00, but no big deal if that doesn't matter to you. On Eurodam - pool area was too narrow and Lido too narrow and crowded.

[newmexicoNita]

wow, amazing how people are all over the board on this one: again, it is a matter of opinion and both lines have a lot to offer, I do think HAL is a little better line but Princess has better entrees if you are big seafood lovers. I think the buffet on HAL is 100 times better than on PRincess..

 

Definently the cabins on HAL are nicer and larger, as well as the service is better.

Princess offers many more activities, is geared to a little younger (but not young) crowd and we enjoyed the entertainment better.

 

The one thing that sticks in my mind, not that it would bother many is the dress code. HAL passengers dress according to the suggested code for the evening, we saw people (more than once) on Princess wearing shorts and flip flops to dinner. On formal nights most people dress in formal evening attire on HAL, on Princess cruises we have seen almost anything (no shorts those nights though) We did see men in turtle neck shirts thinking that is what formal means.

 

If none of the above things bother you, go and enjoy. We like both lines and depending on the price and itinerary would cruise either again, in fact we will be on PRincess at least once next year...

 

Nita

[eh2zed]

Both lines are good and depending on personal tastes one might prefer one over the other. Both lines are owned by Carnival Corp and are marketed as mass market lines. What might be instructive is that Carnival Corp markets Princess as a standard cruise line and positions it against Royal Caribbean's RCCL. Carnival Corp markets HAL as a premium cruise line (a half to one star higher) and positions it against Royal Caribbean's Celebrity Cruise Line.

Once again personal preferences can easily make those marketing differences less or more important. You will have a good time on either.

[Pam in CA]

As long as you understand that it's not going to be the same experience, that there will be some differences, both good and bad, if you like HAL, you'll like Princess.

 

While it's true that the Princess cabins (except for the Royal, Pacific and Ocean) have a smaller main cabin size, they have a really nice open closet/dressing area outside the bathroom. All cabins do have a chair and table but except for mini-suites and higher categories, they don't have the mini-couch so it's really a matter of cabin design.

 

Food is very subjective and I think HAL does some things better, Princess has much better Italian food, such as pizza and pasta.

 

You can have a good steward and/or waitstaff or a bad one on either HAL or Princess. Overall, I think the service is pretty equal. I prefer the Princess buffet because I can go to whichever type of food I want and serve myself rather than have to wait in line. On an early port day with everyone trying to get off the ship, it's much more efficient than on HAL.

 

In general, people who like HAL like Princess and vice versa. You'll find a similar thread on the Princess board posted by the OP, and you'll find Princess cruisers saying pretty much the same thing as here: you'll like both. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=874433

[nevis92]

My two experiences on HAL were FAR superior to my experience earlier this year aboard Caribbean Princess. I'd put Princess a class below HAL. We are back to HAL for our next cruise.

[Sam75]

Thanks to everyone! This thread has been invaluable; I really appreciate it.

[Stevesan]

wow, amazing how people are all over the board on this one: again, it is a matter of opinion and both lines have a lot to offer, I do think HAL is a little better line but Princess has better entrees if you are big seafood lovers. I think the buffet on HAL is 100 times better than on PRincess..

 

Definently the cabins on HAL are nicer and larger, as well as the service is better.

Princess offers many more activities, is geared to a little younger (but not young) crowd and we enjoyed the entertainment better.

 

The one thing that sticks in my mind, not that it would bother many is the dress code. HAL passengers dress according to the suggested code for the evening, we saw people (more than once) on Princess wearing shorts and flip flops to dinner. On formal nights most people dress in formal evening attire on HAL, on Princess cruises we have seen almost anything (no shorts those nights though) We did see men in turtle neck shirts thinking that is what formal means.

 

If none of the above things bother you, go and enjoy. We like both lines and depending on the price and itinerary would cruise either again, in fact we will be on PRincess at least once next year...

 

Nita

 

Odd you'd say "all over the board" when the large majority agree to an equivalence between the two lines.

 

I've only had five cruises w/Princess, but I've NEVER seen shorts or flip flops in the Anytime or Traditional dining rooms during the evening meal.

I don't you but, based on my admittedly limited experience, that would be an extremely rare occurence.

 

I have, however, seen biker clothes, shorts and tank tops on HAL ships (notably Zuiderdam) on formal evenings.

I actually see more formal to semiformal dress around the ship on Princess during formal nights.

Probably because the Captain mixes with everyone in the main atrium prior to the champagne waterfall.

 

HAL is still my favorite line (as long it's not a Vista ship) but Princess is a very close second.

Now that I travel solo I find Princess fares much more user friendly, but I'd return to HAL in heart beat if the price was right. :)

[boards]

We would certainly agree with comments made by "Stevesan". Our favourite line is Hal, mostly because the cabins we stay in are larger than what I have read they are on the Princess line and of course the people we have met. We have not cruised on a Princess ship, but we do have a future cruise booked for March 2010 circuminavagating Australia. Certainly would be great to see a cruiser we met with on a past Hal cruise.

[Stevesan]

We would certainly agree with comments made by "Stevesan". Our favourite line is Hal, mostly because the cabins we stay in are larger than what I have read they are on the Princess line and of course the people we have met. We have not cruised on a Princess ship, but we do have a future cruise booked for March 2010 circuminavagating Australia. Certainly would be great to see a cruiser we met with on a past Hal cruise.

 

Hi, Borden. Long time no see. Did you book the Danube cruise with Viking? They had an excellent deal with an up front final payment.

 

The Australia cruise sounds great, but I couldn't possibly survive the twenty hour flight!!!:eek: I barely endured the ten hours from London last year.

[boards]

WE booked our River Cruise with Uniworld and just today have read some comments about Uniworld and they were good. Our flights are booked and hotels in Prague and Budapest as ell. Yes the flight is long and Monica does have a little problem but she has managed because she wants to go to Australia. Best wishes for the upcoming season. Sorry folks for having taken this a little off topic. Stevesan thank you, glad to have heard from you.

[matondo]

I too have been flirting with the idea of Princess. I have heard that the ships seem more crowded though. How does it work with 3,000 people getting on and off the ship with ports of call especially when tenders are used?

[Watty]

I have no doubt that most people that like Hal cruises also are positive about Princess. My wife and I are not among them. We have been on 5 HAL cruises and 3 Princess cruises, so have some basis for comparing them. Perhaps it depends on one's individual experiences, but we would not hesitate to take another HAL cruise and will never take another Princess cruise. Princess ships are generally larger, which we see as a big disadvantage. Their cabins are smaller. We have not found their help anywhere near as friendly as the Indonesian crew on HAL. Princess tends to nickel and dime passengers more than HAL. The only plus we have found with Princess is that it often has more attractive itineraries. Granted, some people may not have had the cold, don't give a damn attitude we have experienced on Princess, but my wife and I just don't see the cruise lines as being equal, even if that is a minority attitude. We don't think HAL cruisers should ever assume they are going to like a Princess cruise.

[usha]

I have no doubt that most people that like Hal cruises also are positive about Princess. My wife and I are not among them. We have been on 5 HAL cruises and 3 Princess cruises, so have some basis for comparing them. Perhaps it depends on one's individual experiences, but we would not hesitate to take another HAL cruise and will never take another Princess cruise. Princess ships are generally larger, which we see as a big disadvantage. Their cabins are smaller. We have not found their help anywhere near as friendly as the Indonesian crew on HAL. Princess tends to nickel and dime passengers more than HAL. The only plus we have found with Princess is that it often has more attractive itineraries. Granted, some people may not have had the cold, don't give a damn attitude we have experienced on Princess, but my wife and I just don't see the cruise lines as being equal, even if that is a minority attitude. We don't think HAL cruisers should ever assume they are going to like a Princess cruise.

I agree with you, just shy of saying we'll never take another Princess cruise. :o

I'd cruise on Princess again...if there was absolutely nothing available on HAL or =X= for the timeframe/itinerary I was looking for.