Comparison of HAL and Princess: the non-essentials

[Been There, Planning That]

I’ve appreciated the many comparisons of various cruise lines by others, so here’s my contribution comparing non-essentials which we value. These are based upon similar cabins/levels, usually just a window.

 

In ’14 we did both a New England b2b (Maasdam) and a Partial Panama (Zuiderdam) with HAL, having done a few other HAL cruises. We just disembarked from a Grand Princess, 15 day round trip to Hawaii from LA. Our previous on Princess was a couple of year ago, a Baltic and TA combined.

 

Internet: we know that ocean cruising offers only expensive and slow service, but we’ve found Princess far slower than that offered by HAL even on similar cruise destinations. I attribute this, in part, to Princess’ generous ‘free’ time offered to their loyal clients. We must compete with these many passengers as we waste our expensively purchased minutes trying to connect.

 

Laundry, since we don’t qualify for free laundry on either line, I prefer HAL’s blue bag service which includes pressing. Yes, Princess’ do it yourself laundry facilities are cheaper, their bag service does not include pressing.

 

News: we’re news junkies and valued HAL’s daily news sheets from several countries. (On our fall cruise we noticed they were no longer delivered consistently to our cabin when requested and so picked them up each morning at the desk.) We enjoy BBC on Princess which I don’t recall getting on HAL.

 

Shampoo and lotions: I prefer HAL’s shampoo and separate hair conditioner over Princess’ combined one. Both lines will provide a soap bar for the shower when requested. And HAL provides a light hand/body lotion.

 

Bedding: I prefer Princess’ real duvets. HAL only offers a dead blanket well concealed in sheets. Again this is true for the level of cabin in which we usually travel. I seem to recall that our HAL suite on the Zuiderdam had a real duvet. We used to prefer HAL beds but found the recent one on the Grand Princess quite comfortable.

 

Room size: only one chair was offered in our Princess window cabin; whereas a similar cabin on HAL offered a small couch and desk chair. The cabin seemed larger. We remember more generous cupboards on HAL, but managed with a bit of organization quite well on the Grand.

 

Libraries: Princess now operates their libraries on an honour system, saving a staff position I guess, but on the first morning of our cruise the shelves were almost devoid of books. I can only assume that more experienced cruisers picked up several books each immediately upon boarding. HAL’s partial honour system seems to leave more books available after the first day. I suppose with so many E-readers being used, libraries will soon be a thing of the past.

 

We find few if any differences in levels and excellence of service, and may prefer meals on either line for any one cruise.

 

Princess seemed to offer more activities on our most recent cruise, but it was a cruise with 10 sea days.

 

On this most recent Princess cruise we felt an edge of desperation the first couple of days as crew members tried to sell coffee cards, wine/alcohol cards etc. I can only assume that their success brings financial reward. And they were eager to sell ‘the drink of the day’ with each meal. We don’t even bring on the wine allowance and only purchase a glass of wine with dinner every second night or so. I felt this just added another pressure to an already overworked staff.

 

For us, destination and pricing determine our choices, never these non-essentials, but we do take note of them and the summary might prepare those new to either line.

 

Ruth

[lovevacadays]

Thank you for your thoughts.

[OCruisers]

Ruth .... Thanks for your comparison.

Princess is a better "fit" for us but still enjoy cruising on HAL from time to time.

Bottom Line: Both are very decent cruise lines. :)

LuLu

[JF - retired RRT]

Never cruised HAL, so can't do a comparison, but...

1) if you didn't get lotion on Princess your steward wasn't doing his job. We have been on P 11 times and got lotion at the start and more anytime the lotion tube wasn't out on the counter in the bathroom (insides, balconies, minis).

2) Yes, they are out there selling, but we have never felt pressured. They didn't get "in our face". We just walk on by.

3) We don't drink and I don't remember a waiter ever doing more than asking if we wanted wine with our dinner.

4) On the Hawaii itinerary the internet is slow to non-existent :eek:(done it 3 times).

Thanks for the comparison, we are considering trying HAL and appreciate the information.:)

[windsor26]

I prefer the bedding on Princess than HAL

I prefer the attitufde of the pursers desk on Princess than poor service on HAL

I like the daytime activities provided on Princess There were actually NONE on HAL when we sailed with 5 sea days in a row.

I thought the food and service in the MDR was better in princess but tjhe Buffet was better laid out on HAL

We fopund the theatre had loads of wasted seats where the views were blocked so this is a bad arrangement Most Princess seats have a full view:D

[Pam in CA]

While I'm Elite on Princess, I'm also a 3-star Mariner on HAL.

 

IMHO, the Grand is not a typical Princess ship. I was on the same cruise as Ruth and unfortunately, there were quite a few negatives to the Grand:

 

1. The closet area is less than ½ the size of those on most Princess ships. It's tiny.

 

2. The wardrobe in the Grand closet is about ½ the size of wardrobes on most Princess ships.

 

3. The Internet wasn't just bad but abysmal and in desperate need of updating. Awful, awful, awful. The good news is that the Internet on the Grand will be updated soon.

 

4. Numerous reports of leaks. I saw several buckets under dripping water.

 

5. The steps and area around the spa pool was constantly wet with towels that you had to step over. IMHO, a dangerous situation that could easily lead to a slip and fall. This was true even when the ship was in port.

 

6. Constant selling of special drinks in the buffet and dining rooms from lunch on. Every single lunch, every single dinner was interrupted by someone selling a drink or wine tasting. I've never seen so much hard sell.

 

7. The photographers were ubiquitous and constant. They wouldn't take "No" for an answer.

 

I don't want to hear the news so I never turn on the TV during a cruise.

 

On the plus side on my Grand cruise, ship's laundry was often returned the same day. Overall, the food was good and the desserts outstanding. I was able to book a lounger in the Sanctuary on embarkation day for just the sea days and even then, if I used it only during the afternoon, I was charged just for the afternoon. This was a dramatic change from my previous Sanctuary experiences.

 

I didn't attend much of the entertainment but I heard many positive remarks about the quality and variety.

 

Ruth, the Grand is an atypical Princess experience. I haven't been on any other Princess ships with the above negatives I listed. Very, very different from the Crown, Sapphire, and Royal which I've cruised in the last couple of years. The Grand has been my least favorite Princess ship for years and while I had a really nice cruise, my opinion hasn't changed.

Edited March 6, 2015 by Pam in CA

[Been There, Planning That]

Pam, I appreciate your well travelled comments.

 

We too had a great trip.

 

We were on deck 5 - and there were buckets out almost every day catching drips, followed by extensive use of fans to dry out carpets. But the drips were from on high; I might have been concerned should the deck have been flooding from the 'bottom' up.

 

We successfully ducked the photographers. Guess our dodging skills are a bit better than yours. To my knowledge they only caught us once, when a table mate invited them to take each couple. Caught, being the operative word for sure!

 

And while we don't attend much of the entertainment either, we too heard rave reviews.

 

Other than the Oriana, a P&O ship from the late 60s our only other Princess cruise was a b2b on the Emerald and that was two years ago.

 

Ruth

Edited March 6, 2015 by Been There, Planning That

[kendon]

I don't think you chose the best Princess ship to use as your comparison. Thanks for your review all the same.

[jasbo49]

On this most recent Princess cruise we felt an edge of desperation the first couple of days as crew members tried to sell coffee cards, wine/alcohol cards etc. I can only assume that their success brings financial reward. And they were eager to sell ‘the drink of the day’ with each meal.

 

Ruth

 

I agree completely. On our B2B Golden shorties in October, my only two serious complaints were sales pitches while trying to enjoy dinner in the MDR and the Golden buffet that seemed designed to promote warfare. We had three or four different people try to sell us the same wine-tasting one night in the MDR. Princess, please let us eat in peace.

 

Jim

[akeasley]

Thanks for posting the comparisons. It's been a few years since my last HAL cruise and since I have one coming up next month. I'm trying to remember the things I enjoyed from it. This is what I remember liking last time that I hope I am still able to enjoy next month.

 

-The daily newspapers in the library were really nice to read. I also remember the daily news sheets so hopefully those are still available.

 

-The midnight buffets on the lido deck. There was one dedicated to chocolate which was a big hit!

 

-I liked the dining room alot on my last HAL cruise but I don't remember if the food in general was better on Princess or not.

 

Overall, I'm a dedicated Princess fan but if my upcoming HAL cruise is good, than I may keep doing HAL from time to time.

[RJ2002]

Looks of good comparison comments here.

 

As a suite passenger, I really missed an equivalent of HAL's Neptune Lounge on Princess. However, I have to confess I never went to the daily suite passenger gathering on Princess... it just didn't look appealing. The special suite breakfast dining venues (Sabatini's on Princess; Pinnacle Grill on HAL) were equally as good, though I have to give an advantage to Princess for the complimentary mimosas! :)

 

From a MDR perspective, we thought the food on Princess was better than what we've recently experienced on HAL. I also liked the fact that our waiter (or his assistant) (we were not in fixed seating) could fulfill our wine orders, rather than a Wine Steward. Often times, on HAL we've waited quite a long time for the Wine Steward to come by our table.

 

Service wise, we find both lines about the same - very good to excellent service almost all of the time. Both lines seem to keep their ships spotless as well.

 

Finally, I know this will vary based on itinerary, but on the cruises we've been on, Princess has been a bit more active/lively in the evenings, which we enjoy.

[Been There, Planning That]

I don't think you chose the best Princess ship to use as your comparison. Thanks for your review all the same.

 

But we lack the experience of any other Princess ship but the Emerald and the Grand was the one fresh in memory.

 

I gather it's an older ship, but the persistent sales' pitches were company driven I assume.

 

We had a great cruise and as I noted, I was comparing non essentials.

 

Ruth

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the comparison/comments.

[JimAOk1945]

We haven't cruised on HAL yet, but plan to next Summer as soon as the itinerary we want opens for booking. As suite passengers we look forward to trying a Neptune suite.

 

We have sailed on Star Princess, Caribbean Princess, and most recently Island Princess and been satisfied with our experiences.

 

Thanks for the comparison. Happy cruising in the future.

[Thrak]

Never sailed on HAL - only actually cruised 5 times so far. :)

 

I agree about the closet and storage space on Grand. We weren't surprised by it since I had seen previous postings about the size of the closet, etc. and just took it in stride.

 

I am somewhat surprised by the crew pushing items for sale. We've never seen this. Yes, we've seen the tables, etc. where they are selling the beverage packages and things of that sort but have never been pressed to purchase them. Likewise we've never been really pressured by the photographers. (OK, there was one set of "pirates" in early February that was more aggressive than we are used to...) Given statements by the OP and by Pam I hope this isn't going to be the new norm for Princess. I hate pushy sales. I would imagine most people do.

[Been There, Planning That]

Never sailed on HAL - only actually cruised 5 times so far. :)

 

 

I am somewhat surprised by the crew pushing items for sale. We've never seen this. Yes, we've seen the tables, etc. where they are selling the beverage packages and things of that sort but have never been pressed to purchase them. Likewise we've never been really pressured by the photographers. (OK, there was one set of "pirates" in early February that was more aggressive than we are used to...) Given statements by the OP and by Pam I hope this isn't going to be the new norm for Princess. I hate pushy sales. I would imagine most people do.

 

I can hang up on telephone marketers with a polite no thank you and no guilt, mute TV ads but on the ship I felt sorry for the staff who had to do the selling. They're under enough pressure dealing with the public without this added pressure.

 

I regret purchasing our one coffee card at our embarkation lunch rather than waiting to purchase it from our evening table steward.

 

Ruth

[Hawaiidan]

Is size.... for the most part a princess cruise ship is about 50% more people, and second Holland is geared to a different sort of passenger.

 

Princess I think targets the value conscious travelers, families and younger travelers; People who want something better than Carnival, but stll save while getting better service

 

Holland attracts a much older more formal person who is not seeking flash and constant recreation. No movies under the stars for example because most would not be interested. Few pool games, More people who enjoy quiet time entertaining themselves Cabins are much larger. Way less children

 

Final a way better laid out ship that has a more nautical feel

 

But alas....Hollands plans are to build bigger and bigger... that's leaves me out I wont sail on a ship anymore that's over 1200 passengers

[Pam in CA]

I am somewhat surprised by the crew pushing items for sale. We've never seen this. Yes, we've seen the tables, etc. where they are selling the beverage packages and things of that sort but have never been pressed to purchase them. Likewise we've never been really pressured by the photographers. (OK, there was one set of "pirates" in early February that was more aggressive than we are used to...) Given statements by the OP and by Pam I hope this isn't going to be the new norm for Princess. I hate pushy sales. I would imagine most people do.

I was surprised as well. Every single night, our Assistant Waiter pushed an after dinner drink along with a 5-minute spiel, even though she knew none of us would buy it. I'd organized a CC lunch on a sea day and one of the Assistant Waiters pushed the lemoncello drink along with the spiel. Haven't seen such hard selling on Princess in probably decades. Same thing in the Crown Grill. It was embarrassing although I felt badly for the people having to hawk this stuff.

[Kartgv]

Deleted

Edited March 6, 2015 by Kartgv

[lolane1]

Ruth, thank you for your review.

 

I am a dedicated Princess fan but revisited HAL after many years last summer with a cruise on the Veendam

 

What really liked was the congeniality of the crew. I was greeted by name by staff that I couldn't remember where I met. Found that maybe, a bit disturbing but they were super friendly. How did so many people remember my name?

 

I also liked HAL's Elemis bath products. Really great.

 

They may not have MUTS but you were able to select from hundreds and hundreds of DVD's to play in your room which had a player. You could pick them up at customer service right away, or have them delivered to your room.

 

I also liked the smallness of the ship, less crowded, no waits getting on or off at ports.

 

I loved the Veendam's library. It was huge and many books were available.

 

The main thing I didn't like was that their food during dinner was blah, and many times arrived tepid. Service was also way slower than Princess, if you could believe that. The buffet area was tiny and often had lines for every selection. The hours were also limited. They did, however, make a fabulous Caesar salad compared to Princess's drowned, wilted version. To be fair, I found lunches in the dining room on HAL to be very good mainly because they always had international cuisine that was well done. (sort of gave up eating lunch at the buffet)

 

I also didn't like that there was no easy access to irons and no self serve laundry but could deal with that. Everyone seemed a bit wrinkled, nobody seemed to care.

 

I think you are right about the sales pitches. Much less on HAL.

[Been There, Planning That]

Ruth, thank you for your review.

 

 

 

What really liked was the congeniality of the crew. I was greeted by name by staff that I couldn't remember where I met. Found that maybe, a bit disturbing but they were super friendly. How did so many people remember my name?

 

I loved the Veendam's library. It was huge and many books were available.

 

The main thing I didn't like was that their food during dinner was blah, and many times arrived tepid. Service was also way slower than Princess, if you could believe that. The buffet area was tiny and often had lines for every selection. The hours were also limited. They did, however, make a fabulous Caesar salad compared to Princess's drowned, wilted version. To be fair, I found lunches in the dining room on HAL to be very good mainly because they always had international cuisine that was well done. (sort of gave up eating lunch at the buffet)

 

 

We found great crew on both lines, but I guess their livelihood depends upon this.

 

I fear that we library people are a fast fading breed. I have three or four friends with whom I share the purchase of books -- impossible with an Ereader though three of them have E readers as well.

 

I wonder if food depends upon the chef on board. But I do remember that our fall cruise on Maasdam offered tepid food at best in the dining room.

 

Ruth

[sunsetbeachgal]

Interesting thread. we love both lines and recently rediscovered HAL as they have such wonderful, different itineraries, especially in Europe.

 

I have never seen aggressive selling on Princess. We have however taken several Royal Caribbean cruises with family in the past few years and talk about having people try to sell you something everywhere you turn! ;)

 

We love HAL s daily news sheet. But we very much miss the International Cafe that the larger princess ships offer. I have not found a cruise line that has anything comparable.

[Pia1913]

LAUNDRY: Getting free laundry on both lines, there is no comparison when it comes to this perk. When your laundry is returned on HAL it looks like a store display. Every item is folded and pressed and returned as a wrapped package Amazing!

 

Do I need it this way? No. Is it a nicer touch? You bet.

[JimAOk1945]

We had free laundry on our Princess cruise in December. It nicely done and wrapped as well. It is a great perk.

[shepp]

Princess I think targets the value conscious travelers, families and younger travelers; People who want something better than Carnival, but stll save while getting better service

 

Holland attracts a much older more formal person who is not seeking flash and constant recreation. No movies under the stars for example because most would not be interested. Few pool games, More people who enjoy quiet time entertaining themselves Cabins are much larger. Way less children

 

Unless your sig line is inaccurate, you've never sailed Princess?

 

As we all know, number of kids onboard can be a function of cruise length, itinerary, and season. On my 10-day Sea of Cortez cruise last month, there were not that many young families, and maybe a few dozen sub-teen children total. On last December's partial transit, even fewer, but on the next sailing, over the holidays, 400. Not having sailed HAL for many years, I have no idea whether the same thing applies.

 

And anyone who equates Princess with "flashy" is setting the flash bar awfully low.

Edited March 7, 2015 by shepp