Princess vs HAL

[zookiebird]

DW and I have been loyal HAL passengers and have totally enjoyed all our cruises with them. We are now considering a British Isles cruise on the Caribbean Princess in May, 2013. Would greatly appreciate any comparisons of HAL vs Princess and insight on this particular cruise. Many thanks.

[BobT172]

We have only been on HAL twice so it would be difficult to draw a comparison other than in general terms HAL was good but we prefer Princess (19 cruises).

 

As far as the British Isles cruise, it was good but did not compare to the Med and Baltic cruises in my opinion. Except for Normandy, the ports did not excite us as much as the Med and Baltic. One thing we were disappointed in was that the casino was closed the vast majority of the time because of not being in international waters (but in retrospect that may have been a good thing and saved us $$$).

 

To us, the best part of the British Isles cruise was crossing the pond 4 days early and spending time enjoying London.... we would rate as being our favorite city.

[pmd98052]

We've sailed once on both now and enjoyed both. Princess was better on evening entertainment but that can vary depending who is on your cruise - We really lucked out on the Sapphire to Hawaii in early March.

 

But HAL had the edge in other areas like having MDR food delivered as room service (handy with kids on formal nights etc). I also enjoyed the HAL New York Times daily "newspaper" and the unlimited laundry for a set $50-ish for the 7 days. Oh and the regular coffee was drinkable on HAL. Not so with Princess!

[0bnxshs]

DW and I have been loyal HAL passengers and have totally enjoyed all our cruises with them. We are now considering a British Isles cruise on the Caribbean Princess in May, 2013. Would greatly appreciate any comparisons of HAL vs Princess and insight on this particular cruise. Many thanks.

 

We've found them to be enough alike that we don't fret booking one over the other. We are, however, firstly, itinerary driven.

[Pam in CA]

DW and I have been loyal HAL passengers and have totally enjoyed all our cruises with them. We are now considering a British Isles cruise on the Caribbean Princess in May, 2013. Would greatly appreciate any comparisons of HAL vs Princess and insight on this particular cruise. Many thanks.

I'm Elite on Princess and a 3-star Mariner on HAL. I've been to several of the ports on the British Isles cruise on both lines and to me, it makes little difference which cruiseline between the two to take on this itinerary.

 

There are more similarities between them than differences, but there are differences.

 

-- Princess cabins are set up differently with much more storage space and less "living" space and a smaller bathroom, unless you book a mini-suite which on Princess is more like a Deluxe Verandah on HAL.

 

-- Princess room service is much more limited than on HAL. No hot breakfast and no ordering off the dinner menu. On the other hand, the Princess buffet opens earlier and doesn't close until 11pm or Midnight. The buffet is far more self-service so it's much quicker and easier to get what you want with few lines. This makes a big difference at breakfast if you plan to be off the ship early. You can order eggs prepared any way you want but that's about the only wait you'll experience. Princess pizza is much better than HAL's. If your ship has an International Cafe, you're in for a treat. Open 24/7, it has sinfully good fresh-made pastries, muffins and donuts in the morning, salads and paninis the rest of the time.

 

-- Princess is far more active at night with more activities and entertainment planned, often 3-4 options at any one time in different lounges or the Atrium.

 

I book my cruises based on itinerary, price and opportunity and sail either cruiseline.

[sammiedawg]

We like both lines but do not care for the Caribbean Princess and her sister ships, they stacked an extra deck of cabins on the grand class layout, 500 extra people to contend with over the 2600 passenger Grand Class ships. I believe there are 3100 or 3200 passengers on the Caribbean. . Also, no covered pool on this class of ships for Princess. Just my opinion, many will disagree.

[Coral]

HAL has bigger/better cabins. Their bathrooms are larger (most have tubs), their beds are more comfortable, they have dvds in their cabins. On Princess, you need to get a mini suite or higher to get a bathtub.

 

HAL's buffet is more "personalized" where they make things for you. Princess's buffet is more like "serve yourself". Princess's buffet is open longer.

 

IMO - HAL has better layouts of ships and have better space ratio (less crowded).

 

Food is a draw for me - I like HAL's breakfast better, Princess's lunch better and dinner is a draw. I find Princess more flexible in customizing food.

 

Princess definitely uses more "calming colors" in their ships when HAL uses more bright colors in their decor.

 

They are both good lines and are probable more alike then different.

[Tak8]

I have been on HAL twice and Princess 3 times. I like them both, but prefer Princess.

HAL has a great layout with their Lido buffet. I prefer Princess' dinners a little more.

I tend to like the smaller ships so HAL is great for that.

Princess has freshwater pools. A definite plus.

I've had very good to great service on both.

Princess has more to do especially at night.

[mreasier]

I posted the following comparison in February 2011 after completing a Caribbean cruise on the Rydam.

 

As to your question on the itinerary, we did the British Isles on the Crown Princess last summer. The Crown is almost identical to the Caribbean Princess. This cruise was one of our all time favorites. We loved the ports. Fortunately, the weather cooperated. If you are going in August, do not miss the Tattoo in Edinburgh.

 

Here is what I posted:

 

We just disembarked in Tampa from a 7 Day Western Caribbean cruise on the MS Ryndam. We had a great time and the weather was wonderful. While it is still fresh in our minds, we thought we would compare our experiences with our experiences on Princess. In the spirit of full disclosure, we must say that Princess has a special spot in our hearts – we got married on the Caribbean Princess in 2006. I am in my mid 60’s and my bride is in her late 50’s. We are active; going to the gym several times a week and walking several miles each day.

 

First, let me say that we are talking about degrees of goodness – as I said, we had a great time.

 

Stateroom

We usually get an inside cabin. We prefer the darkness – not knowing what time it is in the morning helps us sleep later. We spend little time in the cabin except to change or sleep. We would rather spend the money on more cruises. We know it’s not for everyone, but we never feel claustrophobic even on multi-week cruises.

 

The stateroom on HAL was larger and had a better layout than the Princess Grand class ships we have been on. The sofa in the room made it more livable. I know it is a matter of great discussion, but we find the beds on both HAL and Princess to be very comfortable. The HAL beds are noticeably softer, but not so soft that they affected my chronic back problem. The harder beds on Princess are closer to what we normally prefer and we have always liked them and slept well on them. Storage space seemed comparable between the two lines.

 

There was one thing about the HAL cabin that was inconvenient – there was that no refrigerator. I have a medication that needs refrigeration. Our wonderful room steward kept a wine bucket full of ice so I could keep my medication cool. I understand that there are refrigerators on the cabins of other HAL ships.

 

Main Dining Room

The Open Seating on HAL worked well and was comparable to Princess Anytime Dining. We only had to wait one night and that was on the 1st formal night when we hit the dining room at peak period. Main dining room food quality on both lines is very good, but if we had to make a choice, we would vote for HAL. Coffee was an entirely different matter. We usually get decaf coffee with desert. It was normally quite good on Princess. It was undrinkable (bitter) on the Ryndam. Overall the service was fast and attentive and seemed comparable between the two lines.

 

Alternative Dining

We did not try the Pinnacle Grill. The complementary Canaletto on the Ryndam was a nice alternative. While not the dining experience of Sabatini’s on Princess there was a nice variety of tasty options available on the menu. We ate there twice and the second time we came, the maître d and the wine steward remembered our names – a nice touch.

 

Lido

This is where we noticed the biggest food difference between HAL and Princess. Quality and variety of food was comparable with perhaps a slight edge to HAL. However, the hours of service on HAL are much more limited. Lunch ends at 2:00 and dinner ends at 8:00. The 2:00 lunch termination is manageable since burgers, pizza, etc. are available by the pool and desserts and real ice cream are available until 5:00. We did not even consider eating dinner in the Lido. We normally start eating dinner somewhere around 8:00. We would have had to get there by 7:30 and then load up everything, including desserts before they closed at 8:00. The Lido buffet on Princess is open 24 hours. Maybe because they are newer ships, the Lido buffet areas on the Crown and Diamond Princess seemed plusher. Table service for drinks was more attentive on Princess. Lido coffee on both lines was fair to poor.

 

Service

Very good on both lines – no complaints at all. It did seem that more people remembered our names on HAL – perhaps because it was a much smaller ship.

 

Entertainment

Being a smaller ship, there was less variety of entertainment on the Ryndam. There was one show per night in the main showroom at 8:00 and repeated at 10:00. The main showroom was the only place where an actual show could be presented. On the last two Princess ships we were on, shows could be presented in the Theater, the Explorer lounge, and the Club Fusion. Most nights there were two different shows plus a third activity going on. The Crow’s Nest on HAL and Skywalker’s on Princess have similar concepts – dancing, Karaoke, etc. In general, there was more variety on Princess and activity seemed to go later into the evening. The quality of entertainment was comparable.

 

On Board Activity

Again, perhaps because it is a smaller ship compared to the Princess, there were fewer activities during sea days on the Ryndam. There were almost no pool side activities.

Ambiance

 

I guess to no one’s surprise the ambiance on the Ryndam was more quiet and sedate than on the Princess ships. While we are not looking for a “party ship” we would have liked a livelier atmosphere. At one port we shared the dock with a Carnival ship. While we were glad that some of the rowdy people who were only able to stumble back on their ship were not on our ship, we did enjoy the music coming from their pool deck. There was not a sound coming from the Ryndam. There was as no attempt to set a Caribbean tone by pool music, dancing, specialized buffet, etc. The atrium/piazza area on the Princess ships is a center of activity, day and night. The atrium area on the Ryndam was disturbingly quiet.

 

Conclusion

Would we sail HAL again? Yes, if the itinerary and price were good. Cruises with several consecutive sea days might keep us away because of fewer activities. If the cruise was port intensive we would be less hesitant. If price and itinerary were similar, we would definitely choose Princess.

[zookiebird]

Many thanks to you all for your kind time and comments. You've given me a lot to consider. Fortunately, we're not thinking of taking this cruise till next May so we have some time to sort things out.

[Richie2pies]

If you're a smoker, HAL allows smoking on your balcony, Princess does not. No smoking in the rooms on either line.

[Matcodixon]

The last 3 cruises we have booked have been with Princess. I always research every cruise line, but really not interested in Carnival or the really high dollar lines. The best itineraries have been with Princess. If the day comes that I find one that I like better on a different line, I will consider HAL, Celebrity and RCI but so far Princess has had the best choices. On top of that I love their ships, large and small so far.

[paddingtonbear]

Great thread and great to hear the various reviews. Thank you everyone it has been very helpful for me. :):):)

[tip]

I book my cruises based on itinerary, price and opportunity and sail either cruiseline.

 

I would agree with the above.

[Donder1]

Have sailed on both many times. here is my opinion.

Princess: More fun at night.

HAL: More relaxed with refined music in lounges at night. I'd give HAL the nod as to who makes better drinks.

Princess:Really bad beds

HAL:Amazing beds with beautiful linens

Princess: Balcony furniture ok

HAL: Really comfortable furniture on balconies

Princess and HAL both have great food and service

HAL has far better selection and quality of their port excursions.

 

Like others have voiced, I look at itineraries, age of ship, costs. Am a big fan of both. Princess would have all my business if they got new comfortable beds and linens. On my last cruise, I tried an egg crate which helped a little. Finally, I got a brand new mattress when they brought a lot of new ones on board half way through the cruise. (at Estonia port, of all places!)

It was really bad. Who buys these things?????? For the record, I do not have a bad back but had one after a 12 night cruise!

[mysweetness]

just came off the Grand on Saturday.

 

loved it !!

 

wanted to mention that the Lido buffet is not open 24 hours a day anymore..it closes at 11pm and now the International Cafe is open 24 hours a day instead.

 

loved the pizza at Alfredo's ...also closes by 11pm

[topspot]

You will miss the HAL beds for sure.

[Pam in CA]

You will miss the HAL beds for sure.

Actually, no. I had the new pillowtop bed on the Star last month that was much better than any HAL bed I've ever had. :)

[sassyredhat]

Just got off Sapphire yesterday, and will be writing a review soon. Mostly, I agree with what Coral said, but as Pam said, I book for itinerary.

Don't get me wrong--PCL gave us outstanding service and they have a great product, but we prefer HAL. I will get that review done soon. Really couldn't find much to fault with this cruise though. :)

Pat

[DGSFlorida]

Quite a few older people cruise on Princess; their parents cruise on HAL.

 

The Lido can be very irritating during busy times when you may have to wait in 4 lines to get your lunch. For instance, a separate line for beverages, salads, sandwiches, desserts. Not to mention the juice glass (or is it shot glass) that you use for iced tea on HAL.

[Pam in CA]

The Lido can be very irritating during busy times when you may have to wait in 4 lines to get your lunch. For instance, a separate line for beverages, salads, sandwiches, desserts. Not to mention the juice glass (or is it shot glass) that you use for iced tea on HAL.

I agree with you 100% and it's one of my pet peeves but I love being able to get a tuna melt and a salad, which I can do fairly quickly. Their wok dishes are usually delicious with short lines. As with anything else, you adjust. I still book based on itinerary, opportunity (someone to cruise with) and pricing, and try not to get hung up on the differences between Princess and HAL.