Princess or HAL??

[lindy sails]

We are looking at booking the Crown or Noordam for a holiday cruise on Dec. 23. Both are doing a Western Caribbean itenerary. We've done several cruises on other lines but not these. Our favorite ship so far is the Celebrity Solstice. I really liked reading about the Sanctuary and the 2 swimming pools that have steps instead of ladders, Int. Cafe & chef's table on the Crown. On the other hand I've heard the cabins are larger and beds were very comfy on the Noordam with excellent food & service. One cruise is currently priced about $300 less. Which isn't the deal breaker. Please let us know your experiences on these ships. We appreciate any help that you can give us that we'll help us make our decision. The dates are perfect for our work schedules.

Thanks!

Lindy

[geoherb]

I go with price. I like both Princess and HAL. Both do some things better than the other. For Princess, it's the number and variety of activities, especially after dinner. But I miss the Yum-Yum Man and his treats at the end. My DH misses the free cappucinos at dinner.

 

We've had great waiters on both, and some not so great ones. The food was better on both than on our last Celebrity cruise. We had better cabin stewards on Princess than on HAL. Princess has freshwater pools, including beautiful adult only pools.

[pris993]

We are elite on Princess, will be elite on Celebrity after our next cruise and have 3 stars on HAL.

 

Have not been on the Crown Princess but have been on many other Princess ships including the Grand, Golden, Sapphire, Star, Ruby to name a few. We have also been on the Equinox last fall and Eurodam in the spring.

 

We took the Westerdam twice, a sister to the Noordam - we have rebooked the Ruby because we enjoyed it so much. We are also booked on the Rotterdam in the future, along with the Eclipse.

 

That being said, we agree each line has its strengths and weaknesses but basically the 3 lines are very similar.

 

Suggest you read the reviews of each ship on cruise critic and make a choice based on your likes and dislikes. Don't think you can go wrong on either ship.

[Appygirl]

I'd say go for the one with $300 off the price tag. My preferences are HAL for their food and Princess for their activities. Everything else being equal with price and ports of call my own preference would be HAL due to the food choices. That being said, food is subjective. What one person likes, another won't. You won't go hungry on either ship. But if it was Princess that was a few hundred bucks cheaper, I'd choose them.

[shepp]

Ive been on the Crown and the Zuiderdam and Westerdam. As others have said, more similarities than differences. I liked the Dams' decor a bit more, the Crown is bigger and newer-seeming. The main difference to me was ambience: HAL is slightly more traditional, formal, and staid. Princess is more relaxed, the service a bit friendlier and less subservient than HAL's. Half Moon Cay is a bit prettier than Princess Cay. Go for price, really.

[Infi]

Have sailed the Westerdam and Emerald/Ruby, sisters of the ships you're considering. The cabins are indeed larger on HAL, and the beds are to die for - wonderfully soft and comfortable. I also like that all of the cabins have DVD players and free DVD library onboard you can borrow from. Unfortunately, HAL doesn't have anything comparable to the International Cafe or Chef's table. I would rate the HAL food in general a cut above Princess' food, however. There are only two pools as opposed to the four on Princess, but it works because the ship is also significantly smaller than the Crown and most of the folks onboard aren't really interested in laying out in the sun all day. ;) Like you, I love the S-class on Celebrity, but it's hard to find a ship that is similar to them. I have found HAL to have a similar onboard atmosphere to X - subdued, less activities in the evenings, emphasis on service. Princess is definitely more lively, and after two Christmas cruises with them, I will tell you they do an excellent job with celebrating the holidays onboard. Good luck with your choice, I'm sure you'll enjoy either cruise.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Have sailed the Westerdam and Emerald/Ruby, sisters of the ships you're considering. The cabins are indeed larger on HAL, and the beds are to die for - wonderfully soft and comfortable. I also like that all of the cabins have DVD players and free DVD library onboard you can borrow from. Unfortunately, HAL doesn't have anything comparable to the International Cafe or Chef's table. I would rate the HAL food in general a cut above Princess' food, however. There are only two pools as opposed to the four on Princess, but it works because the ship is also significantly smaller than the Crown and most of the folks onboard aren't really interested in laying out in the sun all day. ;) Like you, I love the S-class on Celebrity, but it's hard to find a ship that is similar to them. I have found HAL to have a similar onboard atmosphere to X - subdued, less activities in the evenings, emphasis on service. Princess is definitely more lively, and after two Christmas cruises with them, I will tell you they do an excellent job with celebrating the holidays onboard. Good luck with your choice, I'm sure you'll enjoy either cruise.

Infi, we're taking our first HAL cruise in November. I appreciate your comments, as you and I are so often of similar minds when it comes to Princess and Celebrity. :)

[tennisobo]

We were on the Crown this past January and on the Noordam the preceding June. I thought the two lines were more alike than different. The ships are not the same size but the look of them is very similar which makes sense since they were constructed at the same shipyard.

 

If the bed issue is an important one, then go with HAL. That said, we slept very well on both. As long as the bed is fairly hard we are fine.

 

I liked the food slightly better on HAL. My husband liked the food better on Princess. The bottom line is that it is very good on both.

 

Princess has more variety of evening entertainment. HAL does have a roomier cabin with a small sofa and coffee table (that is height-adjustable) in case you want to eat your room service meal at a table.

 

Have a great time, whichever you choose. :)

[Comptech]

I will bring up the age thing.... We have sailed on both lines many times and you will get an older crowd on HAL ships vs. Princess. Also I think the activities on Princess are geared toward the younger crowd.