Princess Lover trying HAL

[karatemom2]

Hello HAL experts. We are experienced cruisers who have been on several lines, but pretty much settled in on Princess as a favorite for our family. We have a 10 and a 16 year old who we have raised to be devoted cruisers!

 

We have decided to give HAL a try next summer on the 14 day Alaska itinerary. We have often admired the HAL ships when we have been in ports with them and this seemed like a good opportunity to give it a try since we just can't resist the great itinerary. We will be on the Amsterdam.

 

We would love to hear what HAL devotees love about the line, any good tips we should know and for those who have cruised with Princess as well what the similarities and differences might be. I'm looking forward to spending time on this board now as we learn all about HAL!

[Assateague Island Princes]

Welcome! I think you will love HAL - particularly its wonderfully comfy beds, and the amazing, thoughtfull, cheerful and extraordinary crew! Larger cabins (I'm told) than Princess provides, terrifc and varied 24 hour room service menu, elegant and understated public areas, interesting and well-stocked library, best seats in the house with amazing views (which is GREAT for Alaska) in the Crows Nest, delicious bread pudding....hmmmm....did I mention the fantastic beds???? Wow! Which sailing are you booked on? We are going on this cruise as well, the May 31st sailing, for our third time to magnificent Alaska. Can't wait! Hope you enjoy HAL as much as we do!

[fann1sh]

Greetings! I truly hope you enjoy HAL. Because I usually travel with 3 adults in a cabin, I'm embarrassed to say I haven't yet tried Princess. We need 3 lower beds (rather than a Pullman upper for passenger #3). That kind of accommodation is "seldom to none" on Princess.

 

In most HAL cabins for 3, the sofa seat + back fold together, then down, to form a comfortable single bed. In all but suites, the 4th bed is a Pullman upper.

 

So, if either or both your children are with you, one of them may enjoy a different kind of bed than Princess.

 

I have no idea which of your favorite Princess touches you'll miss, but I hope HAL has a few pleasant surprises.

[momofmeg]

I just want to say-HAL is a very nice line, and more upscale than Princess. Many do not realize this because the two lines were on par-but when Carnival corp. bought Princess, they did not want the two lines in competition. So Princess became the happy medium between HAL and Carnival.

 

HAL is a wonderful line, however, they do not cater as well to children. Young adults do love the disco and karaoke, my twenty something daughter does, but your children,will be too young to be allowed these activities. They may find HAL "boring" in comparison to Princess.

 

In this case, I do think you may should pick Princess or RCI. Save HAL for when it is just the two of you, or else when the kids are older. I speak from experience. My then 16 year old daughter HATED our HAL Statendam Alaska cruise-but fast forward 8 years later, when she was over 21 and could enjoy the lounges, and she absolutely loved HAL Westerdam.

 

BTW, as much as she loved the Westerdam, she says Princess is her all time favorite line. she prefers Princess over RCI, Carnival, Disney, NCL, and HAL. Those are the 6 lines she has cruised.

 

Now hubby and I, we also took 2 Celebrity cruises without her, and we like HAL and Celebrity equally the best. The 2 lines are very similar. I do believe, even if my daughter had cruised Celebrity, Princess would still be her favorite, as Princess has a "younger" vibe.

[karatemom2]

Thanks so much for the feedback. We are very much looking forward to the larger cabins, comfy beds (my one big complaint with Princess) and the more extensive room service menu. We have also hear raves about the warm and wonderful crew service. We will be on the July 26, 2010 sailing from Seattle.

 

I know that HAL probably skews a bit older than Princess, but as far as our kids go I'm not at all worried. They are quite experienced cruisers at this point and although they enjoy aspects of the kids programs it is not necessarily a focal point of their vacation. I'm sure they will enjoy Club HAL even if it is less active. We spend a lot of family time together doing family activities. My 16 year old is actually quite a good trivia player and spends a lot of time in the library. My daughter likes to go to afternoon tea with me and we spend a lot of quality time together. They love some of the more traditional aspects of cruising, so I don't think they will be bored, especially on such a port intensive cruise. Also, I'm sure since it is the middle of summer there will be some other kids onboard that they can interact with. I know Princess will probably still be their favorite, but it's good for them to try something new.

[momofmeg]

Thanks so much for the feedback. We are very much looking forward to the larger cabins, comfy beds (my one big complaint with Princess) and the more extensive room service menu. We have also hear raves about the warm and wonderful crew service. We will be on the July 26, 2010 sailing from Seattle.

 

I know that HAL probably skews a bit older than Princess, but as far as our kids go I'm not at all worried. They are quite experienced cruisers at this point and although they enjoy aspects of the kids programs it is not necessarily a focal point of their vacation. I'm sure they will enjoy Club HAL even if it is less active. We spend a lot of family time together doing family activities. My 16 year old is actually quite a good trivia player and spends a lot of time in the library. My daughter likes to go to afternoon tea with me and we spend a lot of quality time together. They love some of the more traditional aspects of cruising, so I don't think they will be bored, especially on such a port intensive cruise. Also, I'm sure since it is the middle of summer there will be some other kids onboard that they can interact with. I know Princess will probably still be their favorite, but it's good for them to try something new.

 

One thing you need to know-if the ship is older, the staterooms are large. I know our Statendam had a good sized ocean view. However, our Westerdam deluxe balcony was mcuh smaller and pretty much the size of other lines.

 

The difference in Princess, is the bed is a berth over your bed-but on HAL, it is a pull out sofa. sounds better right? The problem though with that-is the sofa blocks the door to the balcony-so it is almost impossible to go out on the balcony while the sofa bed is pulled out. so it is a trade-off, either your kids are sleeping above you-or you can't used the balcony in the evening after turn down.

 

Now, on NCL Pearl, we had a mini suite-about equal to a deluxe balcony. In that case though, we had a sofa futon-and so the way it pulled out-left room to go out on the balcony. However, NCL is not as nice a line on other things. It does seem everything is a "trade -off"-some things will be better, but other things not as good. That is why we cruise all the lines, we have not found that "perfect" line yet.

 

Perhaps you could book a suite instead of a balcony? Or perhaps a balcony along with an inside across the hall? If you can afford to do this-it will be more comfortable.

[karatemom2]

Perhaps you could book a suite instead of a balcony? Or perhaps a balcony along with an inside across the hall? If you can afford to do this-it will be more comfortable.

 

We actually booked on ocean view quad on the Amsterdam. Do you happen to know what the room set up is like in those rooms?

[momofmeg]

We actually booked on ocean view quad on the Amsterdam. Do you happen to know what the room set up is like in those rooms?

 

Maybe someone else can help you-all I could find is she was built in 2000, and she jumps from oceanviews to suites- no balconies-so I am guessing she is not vista class. If she is same class as Statendam-you will have a nice sized room. Size wise you will be fine-the room is a good size and you also have a small bathtub, instead of a tiny shower. I did find out the oceanviews start at 197 square feet on that ship. It seems like that was what the Statendam was but my memory is going back to 2001.

[karatemom2]

Maybe someone else can help you-all I could find is she was built in 2000, and she jumps from oceanviews to suites- no balconies-so I am guessing she is not vista class. If she is same class as Statendam-you will have a nice sized room. Size wise you will be fine-the room is a good size and you also have a small bathtub, instead of a tiny shower. I did find out the oceanviews start at 197 square feet on that ship. It seems like that was what the Statendam was but my memory is going back to 2001.

 

Thanks momofmeg! That is quite a bit larger than what we are used to on Princess which is about 168 sq. feet. It will be nice to have extra space.

[momofmeg]

The way the Statendam was set up was after you come in - and pass the bathroom and closet, was the sofa that makes a bed, on one side and the dresser area on the other and then the bed was against the window-but the window was a big "picture" window. It had a good sized ledge. My daughter and I both would climb up on the ledge and whale watch. We only had her, so no oth rchild, but our room did have a berth, it seems like it was over the sofa-so if I am correct-the berth will not be over you and your hubby.

 

In the newer vista class, the actual room was 185 square feet, (rest of the square feet is the balcony) with a love seat instead of the chair (like Princess)-still though, there only was slightly more room-the sofa took more space than the chair, and as I said you could not use the balcony (and I am comparing a Princess grand class balcony room to a HAL vista class deluxe balcony room) when the bed was pulled out. The bathroom IS better on the vista class-but forget that great closet space-it is very limited on the vista class.

 

I do think, too, as your ship is around 9 or 10 years old, it should still be nice, and not have some of the sewage problems people are complaining about the ships have that are over 15 years old, and so much older than the Amsterdam.

[alpal1993]

Please remember to come over to the Roll Call board we have a thread for all of us 14 day Amsterdam where we post all our questions about the new cruise itinerary.

 

This will be my first cruise on HAL June 14,out of 18 previous most on Celebrity/RCCL.I am sure we will like it as well.

[AirGorilla]

You'll enjoy HAL. We've been on both lines multiple times, and have enjoyed every cruise. I think the average HAL ship is smaller than the average Princess ship, but still has plenty to do. Both lines have been in Alaska for a LONG time, so you're not being short-changed there.

 

The crew is more diverse on Princess. Most HAL crew are Indonesian or Filippino (spelling???), while Princess draws their crew from many nations. However, both crews are friendly and service-oriented.

 

Enjoy!!

 

AG

[RuthC]

Maybe someone else can help you-all I could find is she was built in 2000, and she jumps from oceanviews to suites- no balconies-so I am guessing she is not vista class.

The Amsterdam is an R-class ship, and is the co-flagship of the line. Just like the S-class ships, the R-class has balcony cabins, that can be considered mini-suites, as well as full suites, outsides, insides, and the penthouses.

The cabins on the R-class are the same as those on the S-class, so they are much larger than comparable categories on the Vistas and the E-dam.

Karatemon2, you will find that Alaska is the destination on this cruise, so the importance of the amenities of the ship lessen. There are things to do during the day, as well as simply sitting outside enjoying the scenery. That can become a full-time job in Alaska! By the time evening comes, there isn't much time before you fall into bed to get ready for another day.

The 14-day itinerary is an exciting new one for HAL. All the new ports, going to both Glacier Bay and Hubbard, the refined, gracious service on the ship, should make for a great family vacation and a wonderful memory.

Have a great time in the Great Land.

[geocruiser]

Hi,

 

You will love Amsterdam and Alaska. We did a 14 night cruise to Alaska on Tahitian Princess last June. Loved the ship but I felt that the food was better on Amsterdam.

 

Maria

 

Enjoy all the planning. Alsaka is beautiful.

 

Maria

[karatemom2]

Thanks everone for all the wonderful information. We are really looking forward to cruising on the Amsterdam.