For HAL, Princess, and Cunard alum, a question..

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

My DH and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in May. We are thinking of doing the 2 week Hawaii Circle with one of the 3 cruise lines mentioned. I will have been on Cunard and Princess but never HAL. HAL is looking like my favored pick right now, but I will receive benefits for being a past customer with the other 2 lines.

I have noticed that after the spring season, HAL has a different ship doing the Hawaii circle and there is a large difference between the price of an oceanview compared to the verandah staterooms. We aren't planning on going until fall of next year. Why is there such a large discrepancy in prices on the Zaandam as opposed to the Oosterdam? And which cruise line would you choose for this sailing?

Thanks in advance for your kind input.

[innlady1]

The larger the ship, the better the price. The smaller, S-Class ships are more expensive. Decidedly worth it with only about 1200 passengers. However, the Vista class ships are lovely, too, and only about 2000 pax. Either one is a good choice!

[tcook052]

My DH and I will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary in May. We are thinking of doing the 2 week Hawaii Circle with one of the 3 cruise lines mentioned. I will have been on Cunard and Princess but never HAL. HAL is looking like my favored pick right now, but I will receive benefits for being a past customer with the other 2 lines.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1500933&highlight=princess+status

 

You will be considered a returning 1* Mariner, and will receive Mariner pricing, if it's available on your cruise. You may be able to eat lunch in the dining room on embarkation day, and you may be invited to the Mariner Brunch later in the cruise, and get a tile.

 

But you will also start at the beginning as to number of cruise days. Your Princess days will not count on HAL, just as your HAL days won't count on Princess.

[mr green]

I have not sailed Cunard. HAL or Princess? My vote goes to Princess, I feel more 'at home' with that line, and, for a 30th anniversary the age group might be better for you.

On our last cruise with HAL, we were the youngest couple at a table for eight. I knew that you would ask, I will just say that my wife and I have been married for well over 50 years.

 

john

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

Thanks for explaining the difference. HAL has a very visually appealing line. Her ships are reminiscent of the older ocean liners. My DH doesn't care for the ships that "look like floating boxes".

I like the idea of trying different cruise lines. DH and I both love sea days so we are really leaning toward HAL for this trip.

The space in the staterooms looks pretty close to our QM2 balcony and the Princess mini suite.

I do like the idea of trying different cruise lines and having a wide frame of reference.

Thanks again for your quick and helpful responses.

[rafinmd]

I have not sailed Princess, but last summer did transatlantics with both HAL and Cunard. Certainly the choice of a ship/cruise line is a personal decision. What is it you like/dislike about Princess and Cunard?

 

I'll offer a few observations:

 

Cunard's "Insights" enrichment program is head and shoulders over anything I've seen on HAL. If that's important to you it should be a factor.

 

HAL's R and S class ships (Including the Zaandam) are smaller and more intimate than either the Vista/Signature ships or Cunard. That more personal service is attractive to me, it may or may not be to you.

 

How do you feel about formal nights. You would likely have about 3 on your itinerary and a 8 on Cunard, with the remaining nights on Cunard much more formal than HAL's casual nights. Does that attract you or repel you,

'

While this is a personal decision, I would gladly do the cruise on either HAL or Cunard. My order of preference would be:

Zaandam

QE or QV

HAL Vista or Signature ships

QM2

 

Your mileage may vary.

 

Roy

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

I have not sailed Cunard. HAL or Princess? My vote goes to Princess, I feel more 'at home' with that line, and, for a 30th anniversary the age group might be better for you.

On our last cruise with HAL, we were the youngest couple at a table for eight. I knew that you would ask, I will just say that my wife and I have been married for well over 50 years.

 

john

 

I have been told to expect a more 'seasoned" traveler on HAL, but I always say, with age goes wisdom. I would also venture to guess that many of the passengers that are older than me could probably run circles around me :)

We would probably be less comfortable on the ships that cater to the beer bong crowd...not that there's anything wrong with folks who indulge in beer bongs on cruises :o

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

"While this is a personal decision, I would gladly do the cruise on either HAL or Cunard. My order of preference would be:

Zaandam

QE or QV

HAL Vista or Signature ships

QM2"

 

Very good advice. I enjoyed the enrichment programs and also prefer smaller ships. However, I would always prefer an ocean liner over a cruise ship, so size doesn't matter in that case!

Again, I love dressing up. I even wore a ball gown one night on QM2. As long as we can enjoy a couple of formal nights with the elegant casual on other nights, we'd be fine.

Thanks for giving me more food for thought:)

Roy