HAL Compared with Princess

[PROCRUISE]

Wow. So many answers, I'm amazed. thanks everyone for all the tips. I'll keep reading if there are more. I like the sound of HAL so it may be worth it to give it a try. :D

 

Have only cruised with Princess once but enjoyed it very much. This is our year for Alaska (6/5-25) and we decided upon HAL land/sea tour for a total of 20 days. This is one of the few times we actually went back to our old TA and sought advice as to go to Alaska with Princess or HAL. Both companies do a fine job but as we were told, HAL has the most experience in Alaska. So, we'll soon be off. Our previous cruises with HAL have been wonderful, especially the Baltic Sea, so I'm sure we'll be pleased this time too. Yes, HAL does tend to have older, well seasoned passengers but then again at 67 yrs old, I guess we're older and somewhat seasoned cruisers too. :)

[chewbaka]

Every Princess cruise I have been on has lobster? Have you done very short cruises with them?

 

Like I said I could only speak to my experience. No lobster on 17 day or 4 day. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it is a big deal for there to be no lobster. It might have been a seasonal issue. However, my opinion is overall quality in MDR on Princess was not quite HAL quality.

 

We are going to do a lot of Princess cruising, including this Sept., so I hope we see better in the future.

[cruz chic]

Like I said I could only speak to my experience. No lobster on 17 day or 4 day. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it is a big deal for there to be no lobster. It might have been a seasonal issue. However, my opinion is overall quality in MDR on Princess was not quite HAL quality.

 

We are going to do a lot of Princess cruising, including this Sept., so I hope we see better in the future.

 

Could have been seasonal. I think i've done about 8 princess cruises, all have had lobster. Ive actually found the food to be about equal on both lines. Most of my cruises have been on the sapphire princess and that ship has a good reputation so maybe I've had better experiences. Agree that lobster on a ship isn't the best thing since sliced bread.

[Hlitner]

Ok, so lets talk about cruise line "lobster tails." We have a local diner that sells 2 lobster tail dinners for $19.95 and their lobsters are actually better then what we get on most cruises. I am a lobster lover, which has actually spurred us to take a few Canada/New England cruises so we can jump off at various ports and enjoy really great lobster (not those puny lobster tails you get on ships) or lobster rolls.

 

We have always wondered why cruise ship "lobster tails" have developed the mystique we see here on CC. The reality is that they are not particularly good lobsters, are often overcooked by the time they get to your table, etc. If you want to experience really good lobster just take yourself to a decent restaurant that serves real Maine Lobster (they should be alive and in a tank before they are taken to be cooked). The lobster market has been in somewhat of a depression in recent years and they are actually quite reasonably priced. In fact, anyone cruising out of Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) can simply go over to "Kellys Landing" (this is near the 17th street Hotels popular with many cruisers) where they always have Maine lobster (flown in from New England) that is as good as it gets. And at Kellys it is quite reasonable (a single 1 1/2 pound lobster can cost less then $25 for the complete dinner).

 

Hank

[Drews_Cruise]

I think you will be happy. One question I always ask people is "are you self entertaining"? Hal is more sedate than Princess for sure. That said, I've noticed Princess has become more sedate as of late. It didn't seem there was as much to do on sea days on my last cruise (feb22/14). I was ok with it.

 

Yes were pretty self entertaining people. We can enjoy the day on the balcony just reading a book. The older we get the more we like to just relax anyway. :)

[Daisyloo]

We have sailed both Princess and HAL, both with our children (grown) and just DH and I. Both lines offer a great product and I would not hesitate to cruise on either line. Itinerary would be the deciding factor as well as the price.

That said, we give a slight edge to HAL. Even my kids, 22, 25 and 28 say that they prefer HAL.

Food is very similar on both lines. I think the Pinnacle on HAL is slightly superior to Crown Grill on Princess. I like the MDR better on HAL. Princess has the International Cafe which is great. I think the hours of the buffet are a bit longer on Princess.

Beds on HAL are superior to Princess. Cabins tend to be a bit larger on HAL.

I think the service on HAL is slightly better.

I like how Princess does their muster better than HAL. On Princess you go to your muster station inside the ship and are scanned in. HAL's are at your lifeboat in the hot sun, standing for long period. Attendance is taken verbally - less accurate. On Princess you take your lifejacket and actually try it on - I think that is a good idea.

I think Princess has slightly more activites going on throughout the day.

If your cruise includes a stop at their private islands, HAL's is much nicer.

All in all, we like both lines and would happily sail on either.

[Drews_Cruise]

We have sailed both Princess and HAL, both with our children (grown) and just DH and I. Both lines offer a great product and I would not hesitate to cruise on either line. Itinerary would be the deciding factor as well as the price.

That said, we give a slight edge to HAL. Even my kids, 22, 25 and 28 say that they prefer HAL.

Food is very similar on both lines. I think the Pinnacle on HAL is slightly superior to Crown Grill on Princess. I like the MDR better on HAL. Princess has the International Cafe which is great. I think the hours of the buffet are a bit longer on Princess.

Beds on HAL are superior to Princess. Cabins tend to be a bit larger on HAL.

I think the service on HAL is slightly better.

I like how Princess does their muster better than HAL. On Princess you go to your muster station inside the ship and are scanned in. HAL's are at your lifeboat in the hot sun, standing for long period. Attendance is taken verbally - less accurate. On Princess you take your lifejacket and actually try it on - I think that is a good idea.

I think Princess has slightly more activites going on throughout the day.

If your cruise includes a stop at their private islands, HAL's is much nicer.

All in all, we like both lines and would happily sail on either.

Thankyou Daisyloo. I see your getting off the Emerald when we are getting on. Will you be posting during your trip?

[cruz chic]

Ok, so lets talk about cruise line "lobster tails." We have a local diner that sells 2 lobster tail dinners for $19.95 and their lobsters are actually better then what we get on most cruises. I am a lobster lover, which has actually spurred us to take a few Canada/New England cruises so we can jump off at various ports and enjoy really great lobster (not those puny lobster tails you get on ships) or lobster rolls.

 

We have always wondered why cruise ship "lobster tails" have developed the mystique we see here on CC. The reality is that they are not particularly good lobsters, are often overcooked by the time they get to your table, etc. If you want to experience really good lobster just take yourself to a decent restaurant that serves real Maine Lobster (they should be alive and in a tank before they are taken to be cooked). The lobster market has been in somewhat of a depression in recent years and they are actually quite reasonably priced. In fact, anyone cruising out of Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) can simply go over to "Kellys Landing" (this is near the 17th street Hotels popular with many cruisers) where they always have Maine lobster (flown in from New England) that is as good as it gets. And at Kellys it is quite reasonable (a single 1 1/2 pound lobster can cost less then $25 for the complete dinner).

 

Hank

I think the mystique is usually for newbies. Most of us that have been to a few rodeos realize that it's not overly exciting.

[cruz chic]

Yes were pretty self entertaining people. We can enjoy the day on the balcony just reading a book. The older we get the more we like to just relax anyway. :)

Me too:). I'm way too busy at home so on vaycay I love just sitting and reading for a few hours.

[chewbaka]

We have sailed both Princess and HAL, both with our children (grown) and just DH and I. Both lines offer a great product and I would not hesitate to cruise on either line. Itinerary would be the deciding factor as well as the price.

That said, we give a slight edge to HAL. Even my kids, 22, 25 and 28 say that they prefer HAL.

Food is very similar on both lines. I think the Pinnacle on HAL is slightly superior to Crown Grill on Princess. I like the MDR better on HAL. Princess has the International Cafe which is great. I think the hours of the buffet are a bit longer on Princess.

Beds on HAL are superior to Princess. Cabins tend to be a bit larger on HAL.

I think the service on HAL is slightly better.

I like how Princess does their muster better than HAL. On Princess you go to your muster station inside the ship and are scanned in. HAL's are at your lifeboat in the hot sun, standing for long period. Attendance is taken verbally - less accurate. On Princess you take your lifejacket and actually try it on - I think that is a good idea.

I think Princess has slightly more activites going on throughout the day.

If your cruise includes a stop at their private islands, HAL's is much nicer.

All in all, we like both lines and would happily sail on either.

 

Ditto to all except I just think going out to the lifeboat during muster on HAL seems to give the drill the gravitas it deserves. It seems that an emergency is more likely to occur inside a ship making an interior gathering spot iffy. Certainly standing on the lower promenade deck while waiting for stragglers is no fun...

[lizzies_mom]

We are newly-minted four stars on HAL, but last year we took our first Princess cruise with DS and DBIL. They enjoyed showing us why Princess is their cruise line, and for the most part we had a great time. However, there were little things like not having the wrap-around teak deck, having difficulty finding a quiet spot to read UTS (Under The Sun) with MUTS at full volume, the beds, and claustrophobia in the tiny shower. All things being equal, HAL is likely to remain our favorite, but given the right itinerary, we will be on Princess again.

[Daisyloo]

Thankyou Daisyloo. I see your getting off the Emerald when we are getting on. Will you be posting during your trip?

 

I probably won't be posting while on board. I find the internet too slow. (used to hi-speed cable at home) But I will post a review when I get home. We will try to keep the ship in good shape for you!

[CyberCruzer]

FYI, our one Princess experience was Alaska Inside Passage. We really enjoyed MUTS - the crew handed out deck blankets to keep off the chill. Was a highlight of the trip!

 

We have sailed HAL mostly, and have always liked their traditional approach to things. We really missed the HAL EuroTop beds on our a Princess cruise (we had to request egg crate pads for our beds, which were overdue for replacement). Service was very good on Princess, but we would probably lean toward HAL if we had to choose.

 

We just got a good deal on a HAL repositioning cruise, and didn't hesitate to book based on our past experience. I'm sure you'll enjoy HAL if you choose to give them a try.

Edited March 8, 2014 by CyberCruzer

[Lamp420]

...Better tech center

 

 

 

 

 

What is "tech center" on the HAL ships ?