CB vs. Nieuw Amsterdam???

[kl630]

My husband and I are considering cruises on Caribbean Princess and HAL Nieuw Amsterdam. Cost and itineraries are not deciding factors as they are pretty similar in price and each has ports that we are interested in seeing. We've sailed Princess twice before but have never been on HAL and were hoping that someone could provide some insight as to the pros and cons of each. My husband is 42 and I'm 34 and we're looking to just relax. We're concerned about being the youngest on the ship if we go with HAL, but if we go with CB, we're concerned with the ship being older and complaints about rooms being uncomfortably warm. Does anyone have any thoughts either way? While these may seem to be trivial concerns, we just want to make the right decision for us.

 

Thanks for your help!

[flag fan]

I haven't been in the Niew Amsterdam, but I have been on sister ship Eurodam as well as the Caribbean Princess. I enjoyed both, but I would give a slight edge to the Eurodam/Niew Amsterdam, based on little things like bathtubs as well as showers in the bathrooms, cool towels after returning from a cruise, and other little things that I can't remember but made it seem more like a premium line. On the other hand, Caribbean Princess had the Movies Under the Stars, which I thought was great. On my cruise on Eurodam (a 7-day Caribbean cruise), there was not a particularly older crowd than on the Caribbean Princess (a 7-day New England cruise), but this would probably vary depending on the itinerary, length of cruise, and time of year. I enjoyed them both and think you'll do well with either ship.

[Pam in CA]

It really depends on the cruise timing and itinerary. HAL does tend to have older cruisers and it's a shade more sedate than Princess, but over holidays and times when families cruise, both cruise lines will have an age range.

 

You're familiar with Princess so here are some pluses for HAL: full breakfast and dinner room service, you can order anything off the dining room dinner menu and have it delivered to your cabin, bar service is excellent and HAL offers a drink card ($45 for $50 worth of drinks) that's good for any beverage, including wine and alcoholic drinks. You buy it and it works like a gift card.

 

The cabins on HAL have more living space and have a couch or settee, depending on the cabin. The bathrooms are larger and many standard cabins have a tub/shower combo. There is a make-up mirror at the desk. However, there is less storage in HAL cabins.

 

Most of the differences are minor, depending on your preferences. You can't go wrong with either.

[techsearch]

One MAJOR difference in my humble opinion is the HAL beds!! Outstanding! And I think the Pinnacle Grill for $20 per person is by far the best specialty restaurant value at sea today. I would go HAL all the way. Newer ship ALWAYS appeals to me and you simply can not go wrong with HAL. Previous posters have been right-on in their comments. Good luck!

[JanetAlice]

Unless it's a seven day or holiday cruise I would stick with Princess. While we liked our New England cruise, the ship was closed by 9:30 each night.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

The age on that cruise will not be a problem If it was a cruise out of FL. That would be a different story.