Compare Princess to Holland America

[Pettifogger]

I'm very familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of Holland America cruises, but not at all with those of Princess, by comparison. Any help you could give me to become more familiar with those of Princess would be greatly appreciated.

[powderhorn]

I did a review of our back to back cruises last Feb on the Eurodam and the Ruby Princess. This may give you some help.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=58965

[Gabrielle R.]

I did HAL before I tried Princess. We did a 14 day aboard the Rotterdam in 04. The ship was pretty, we felt the food lacked flavor. My aunt and Uncle who did HAL last Spring (Both in their 80's) Felt the same way.

 

I felt Princess has better food, and better entertainment. We will be on our 5th Princess cruise and have been happy with them

 

I think HAL and Princess have the same type of service. I felt that we had generally good service- If we needed anything on either line we have always been given prompt service.

 

That is what I've noticed Hope that helps. You might want to let the group know more specific questions you may have. I know I was kind of general. Gabrielle

[1FatPER]

We've been on several Princess cruises as well as a 10-day cruise on the Ryndam. Here are our thoughts on the main differences:

 

 

• HAL generally has a slightly older clientele
  
• HAL has the Neptune Lounge (great!)
  
• Food is better on Princess
  
• Entertainment is better on Princess
  
• HAL ships have fewer passengers
  
• HAL offers tours of the Bridge
  
• Friendliness of the crews are equal
  
• Booze is more expensive on HAL
  
• Princess has a better frequent cruiser program
  

All things considered, you can't go wrong with either. Neither has a rock climbing wall or water slide, and hopefully never will.

[Pettifogger]

Thank you all, your comments were very reassuring, but one comment could be read a couple of different ways. Should I interpret "HAL ships have fewer passengers" as HAL ships are smaller or they're not as crowded? Of course, it could mean both.

[geoherb]

We took two cruises last year--one on HAL and one on Princess. Both were great. We did the Westerdam during spring break and the Emerald Princess during Thanksgiving. I prefer dining on HAL since we have always had great tablemates at the size table we like. Princess' "personal choice" dining has not worked for us, and I hate that HAL is going to something similar.

 

Our next cruise is going to be spring break on the Crown Princess. Price and free Internet access won us over any that HAL offered.

[justluv2cruisewithhubby]

I've been on two HAL cruises and one Princess cruise, soon to be two. We first sailed on the Oosterdam and I wasn't too impressed it was an older ship and needed a good refurbishing. I decided to give HAL another shot and sailed the smaller ship "Ryndam" and we loved that cruise. Their are benefits to both I've listed some pros and cons:

 

The seating plan in the Princess theatre was a bit difficult to walk through and find a seat. We had our elderly parents and with a wheelchair it made it very difficult for them to enter the theatre.

I enjoyed the entertainment better on HAL

The food on both were very good

The service on both was very good

On Ryndam (HAL) they did have Happy Hour every night from 4-5pm (we loved that!!):)

HAL offers drink cards to purchase (wine/mixed cocktails):)

The library on the Ryndam was huge and the set up was excellent

Specialty Restaurants were very good for both

Cabins are BIGGER on HAL ships

Better set up in the GYM on how the exercise machines are placed

Princess had a great steam room/sauna/dressing room with nice private showers

Princess had good on board sales for passengers

Mattress comfort was better on HAL (Oosterdam)

 

We did enjoy both cruise lines and would sail both of them again.

[Shifra]

I love both, but give Princess the slight edge. I find food and service about the same. Princess has more to do in the evenings. Hal has better space ratios. You really can't go wrong with either.

[Pettifogger]

geoherb brought up a critical point that I should have but didn't; "flexible" vs. fixed dining. I am one of those who cannot face new tablemates every evening. I'm aware that many people feel just as strongly the other way, but for me it's a "dealbreaker," the only one in my case. Would someone please tell me what "personal choice" dining means?

[teachergal29]

I've been on two HAL cruises and one Princess cruise, soon to be two. We first sailed on the Oosterdam and I wasn't too impressed it was an older ship and needed a good refurbishing. I decided to give HAL another shot and sailed the smaller ship "Ryndam" and we loved that cruise. Their are benefits to both I've listed some pros and cons:

 

The seating plan in the Princess theatre was a bit difficult to walk through and find a seat. We had our elderly parents and with a wheelchair it made it very difficult for them to enter the theatre.

I enjoyed the entertainment better on HAL

The food on both were very good

The service on both was very good

On Ryndam (HAL) they did have Happy Hour every night from 4-5pm (we loved that!!):)

HAL offers drink cards to purchase (wine/mixed cocktails):)

The library on the Ryndam was huge and the set up was excellent

Specialty Restaurants were very good for both

Cabins are BIGGER on HAL ships

Better set up in the GYM on how the exercise machines are placed

Princess had a great steam room/sauna/dressing room with nice private showers

Princess had good on board sales for passengers

Mattress comfort was better on HAL (Oosterdam)

 

We did enjoy both cruise lines and would sail both of them again.

 

First wanted to invite you to our group of Las Vegas cruisers. Link is in my signature.. We try to meet for dinner about once a month, next one is this coming Sunday.

 

We have cruised many times on both HAL and Princess. I like both very much. It depends more on where the cruise is going, what ship it is that is sailing, what cabin is available, and when the cruise is.. We favor the aft section of any ship but especially love the wraparound suites on the Vista class ship on HAL.. I probably feel that you will not go wrong with either cruise line. It is a cruise after all, right??:)

[Pettifogger]

teachergal29: Thank you for your kind invitation, but I live a little too far away to attend on any kind of a regular basis, but perhaps, if I am going to be up that way at the right time, I could contact you in advance for permission to visit. So far as I know, there is nothing about me that would make you want to exclude me and my wife even has some positive qualities.

[Pam in CA]

I'm very familiar with the advantages and disadvantages of Holland America cruises, but not at all with those of Princess, by comparison. Any help you could give me to become more familiar with those of Princess would be greatly appreciated.

I've taken quite a few Princess cruises and now have 67 days on HAL, soon to be more (in March/April.)

 

The two lines are more similar than dissimilar. Some things are subjective, some concrete. I don't think any of them are a deal breaker but that's my opinion.

 

The standard cabins on HAL ships are larger than most Princess ships (exceptions being the Royal, Pacific and Ocean Princess) but they are also laid out differently. HAL bathrooms are larger and quite a few cabins have tubs; on Princess, the bathrooms are a lot smaller and have a shower. Princess cabins don't have the small couch sitting area; it's a small tub chair and table. On the other hand, Princess cabins are designed so there is a good-sized open closet/dressing area outside the bathroom. Many seem to like the HAL beds, I get sciatica from their beds; Princess beds are harder, which I prefer.

 

HAL has wine and liquor cards, Princess doesn't. The Princess unlimited soda card is a much better deal than the HAL soda card, which is limited and you get only a small glass of soda.

 

HAL has hot hors d'oeurves served in bars/lounges pre-dinner; Princess does not although I read they were going to start doing it.

 

I much prefer the HAL "As You Wish" dining to the Princess "Anytime"; it's much better managed on HAL. So, I just opt for Traditional dining on Princess.

 

IMHO, Princess has much better daytime activities, entertainment and the food quality is much better. I have also found the Princess cabin stewards and waitstaff much better than on HAL (although some on the HAL board would disagree.)

 

I prefer cruising on Princess as overall, I think the cruise experience is better, but HAL offers some great itineraries and cruises.

[Pettifogger]

Pam in CA:

Thank you very much. I was warming up to the idea of Princess when it suddenly occurred to me that maybe they didn't have any fixed dining. Now I'm breathing easier.

I was just a little surprised at your preference for the Princess dining room and cabin stewards, because I've always thought Holland America's school in Indonesia was one of the great cruise industry ideas of all time. (I haven't sailed Princess yet, so I didn't intend any negative implication.) Do you, by any chance, know whether Princess has a similar school or even perhaps that it is a Carnival school and all of the subsidiaries can draw from it?

[teachergal29]

teachergal29: Thank you for your kind invitation, but I live a little too far away to attend on any kind of a regular basis, but perhaps, if I am going to be up that way at the right time, I could contact you in advance for permission to visit. So far as I know, there is nothing about me that would make you want to exclude me and my wife even has some positive qualities.

 

I'm sorry, I really meant my comment about our LV cruising group to "Justluv2cruisewithhubby" from Las Vegas.. I'm not sure where you are from, but you are more than welcome to join us if you are ever in LV during our get-togethers.:):)

[Pettifogger]

Pam in CA:

Glancing over your "record," I noticed that we almost met once. On October 30, 2008, you were disembarking the Prinsendam in Piraeus as my wife and I were waiting to embark.

That transatlantic "Farewell to Europe" was probably the best cruise of my life. Thank you for leaving the ship in such good condition.

[Pettifogger]

teachergal29: Looking back, I see that it should have been perfectly clear that you were addressing "Justluv2cruisewithhubby." I get a little careless sometimes.

[teachergal29]

teachergal29: Looking back, I see that it should have been perfectly clear that you were addressing "Justluv2cruisewithhubby." I get a little careless sometimes.

 

No problem at all. Invitation is always open though...:):)

[redlac]

geoherb brought up a critical point that I should have but didn't; "flexible" vs. fixed dining. I am one of those who cannot face new tablemates every evening. I'm aware that many people feel just as strongly the other way, but for me it's a "dealbreaker," the only one in my case. Would someone please tell me what "personal choice" dining means?

 

Hello Pettifogger!

As a rule, Princess has one diningroom for Traditional Dining (same time, same tablemates and same servers each evening, first seating around 6pm, second seating around 8pm), and another dining room for Anytime Dining (aka personal choice dining) (walk in at your convenience, anytime, different tablemates and servers each evening). As Princess states on their website....

"In addition to the Traditional Dining, Princess has cooked up a revolution in cruising called Anytime Dining. This means that you no longer have to appear at a fixed time in the dining room. Instead, the choice of when and where you wish to enjoy our award-winning cuisine is up to you."

[jetwet1]

The one big difference to us is the bed, the HAL bed is great, the Princess bed is horrible.

 

We enjoy cruising on both lines, if I had to pick it would be Princess, but as with a lot of things it is highly subjective.

[Coral]

I have only done one HAL cruise (oosterdam) and several Princess cruises.

 

HAL has bigger cabins, better beds, DVDs in rooms. I find Princess's beds uncomfortable and ask for an egg crate mattress pad.

 

I like HAL's layout of their buffet but prefer Princess's buffet times.

 

I prefer HAL's breakfast and lunch menus but prefer Princess's dinner menu. Princess has very limited room service menu.

 

My service on HAL was fine, equal to Princess but I believe you can have good and not so good on either line.

 

I prefer the layout of HAL ships Vista class.

 

I think the 2 lines are pretty similar.

[tjcox9]

I'd definitely say that HAL has the edge here with their schools in Indonesia and the Philipines. Princess does a lot of on the job training it seems.

[Sanibel*Gal]

We did our first HAL cruise last fall on the Westerdam after sailing with Princess many times. We choose the cruise basically due to itinerary, price and wanted to give HAL a try. The differences that we noted most were in service, food and the ship itself.

 

Service was extremely slow, especially in the dining room, we did do their version of Anytime dining so not sure if this was a factor. However, we also ate at the Pinnacle Grill (paid $10 per pax extra) to dine there and had the same experience with slow service.

 

The food in the Lido buffet was good, along with good options but dining room food seemed to lack flavor.

 

Ship décor – The Westerdam is more stately with dark woods & accents while Princess ships are more elegant with subdued colors.

 

However, the cabin & bathroom size is great and the beds are the best we have ever slept in!

[Pam in CA]

I was just a little surprised at your preference for the Princess dining room and cabin stewards, because I've always thought Holland America's school in Indonesia was one of the great cruise industry ideas of all time. (I haven't sailed Princess yet, so I didn't intend any negative implication.) Do you, by any chance, know whether Princess has a similar school or even perhaps that it is a Carnival school and all of the subsidiaries can draw from it?

I realize that you can get "great", "good" and "poor" service anywhere on any ship at any time, depending on who is serving you. I can only relate to my own personal experience with the worst cabin steward I have ever encountered anywhere while on a HAL cruise (he must have skipped the "school" training), and on every HAL cruise, have had excrutiatingly slow or poor service. I can remember one night that our service was so slow that by the time the waitstaff took our order, they'd run out of appetizers. When it came time for dessert, they'd run out of the special dessert for the evening. They made us wait 45 minutes for our appetizers while they made up fresh stuff so that everyone else was almost done with their entrees before we got our first food. There were no apologies, no alternative appetizers offered, nothing. I've also had a couple of bad experiences with the buffet at night. One night, we got to the buffet at 7:15pm, ordered our entree, got our appetizer and salad and sat down. Our entrees didn't come until just before 8pm, when they close. My steak was raw. Not rare; raw. I went up to the Maitre d' and asked to have it cooked a little more and she said, "No. We're closed. You should have come earlier." She was nasty and belligerant as though I was asking for something special. They'd closed up everything tight and stopped cooking. No other food was available, not even dessert. Another time on another HAL cruise, we went to the buffet at night and ordered our entree, etc. Ate our appetizer and salad, and waited, and waited, and waited. We asked several times and were told "It's coming." We finally gave up after almost an hour and started to walk out. I went to the Maitre d' to let him know we hadn't received our entree and he, too, got belligerant, saying, "Yes, you did. It was served 1/2 an hour ago. I've got it marked down here." I politely told him we didn't so he then started almost shouting that I was questioning his service. I just left. It wasn't worth it. I've had poor service on Princess, too, but nothing as nasty as I've had on HAL.

[Cruising Carol]

Did two Panama Canal cruises this year -- one in Spring on Westerdam and one in December on Coral Princess. Princess came off better than HAL with the overall experience. However, HAL is better in room size, tub with shower and bed comfort. HAL was deficient in entertainment -- two production shows in 20 nights versus five on Princess in 15 nights. Our room steward on HAL was a complainer -- too many rooms and too little time. Our room was made up sometime between 9 am and 4 pm. Never consistent. On Princess, our steward learned our schedule and we came back from breakfast to a made up room. We did miss the forward lounge that HAL has -- Explorations Cafe, etc. The food seemed about the same -- Princess does have fewer items to select from in their buffet. My next cruise is on Princess.

[mikjr]

I'd definitely say that HAL has the edge here with their schools in Indonesia and the Philipines. Princess does a lot of on the job training it seems.

 

Not that Princess doesn't have a good staff, I really have to concur with this statement...

 

We spent 30 days on a HAL cruise... and the Indonesian staff worked as hard on day 30... as they did on day 1! One evening, the staff put on a talent show, and the passengers were treated to an outstanding evening of Indonesian talent and culture! It was as good as any production show!!

 

They are all extremely friendly and love to serve with a smile!