qsuzi Posted March 15, 2015 #1 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Ship/Itinerary: Veendam, Mexican Riviera, March 7-14,2015 Us: Married couple average age 59, 35 prior cruises (Princess, RCL, Carnival - small, mid-sized, and large ships) Comparisons where made are to our last cruise on the Crown Princess. Embarkation: Was underway when we arrived, took about 20 minutes for processing. No "priority desks" but desks for "Special Assist". Cabin: HAL Vista Verandah Suite 225/63 vs Princess MiniSuite 277/46. HAL cabin was about $75 more per day, bathroom smaller with high lip tub, balcony deeper -lounger could be placed lengthwise vs sideways, furniture more comfortable 2 padded chairs, lounger, but table smaller. "slight sewer smell from vent just inside cabin door, beds comparable with Princess bed most comfortable, furniture comparable and comfortable. HAL had DVD player and over 100 DVD choices plus1 small TV vs Princess 2 larger TVs (bedroom/couch area), HAL minor wallpaper peeling around edges several places, balcony both fully covered but partitions go up higher on Princess and HAL small gap at door and at balcony lessening privacy. Dining Room/Public Spaces More space and less crowding on HAL, furniture overall better especially the leather comfy loungers, Crows Nest and Princess Skywalkers both had great views with large windows, good entertainment but the vibe and overall comfort level was better in the Crows Nest. Food/Food Service Food quality and choice good to very good on HAL -best any cruise we have been on vs good on Princess. MDR service comparable (good) on both lines, Lido service Princess excellent on getting you water/ tea, beverages vs only once on HAL. Greater number of Lido staff on Princess. Ice Cream/dessert choices better quality and choice on HAL, Grill on HAL much better food quality and choice on HAL. Entertainment/Activities Good quality on both lines but increased number of choices and variety during daytime especially on Princess. Computer Area On HAL many computers face ocean and larger space ratio plus furniture more comfortable. Unable to use computer afternoon midnight next to last day and morning of last day on HAL but not sure if this was a Veendam/computer issue. Have been able to use computer up to disembarkation on other cruise lines we have been on. Staff Front Office staff somewhat more friendly on HAL, crew overall more friendly and remember your name on HAL but good crew overall on Princess. Dress Code During the day most HAL cruisers were more casually dressed than myself/husband. Lido many casually dressed all nights, Smart casual nights on Princess seemed more cruisers were less casual than HAL. Elegant nights in MDR on both lines comparable but saw few tuxedos and dress on both lines over the years. Both lines seemed to enforce Dress Codes on Elegant nights. Atrium Area More of the centerpiece/hub on Princess with entertainment, cafe, grandness. Pinnacle vs Crown Grill Food quality and choice comparable with ambience better on HAL. Server was overwhelmed with too many passengers at once on Princess and poor service - HAL good to very good service. Cocktails HAL $2 less per drink (e.g., margarita, martini, colada, mojito, etc.) but use cheapest ingredients and therefore not as tasty. For margaritas Princess uses Patron, 1800 tequila, includes grand marnier, cointreau, and better margarita mix as examples. Edited March 15, 2015 by qsuzi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare puppycanducruise Posted March 15, 2015 #2 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks for taking the time to post your comparisons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAOk1945 Posted March 15, 2015 #3 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks for the comparison. We have cruised on Princess three times and plan to give HAL a try next summer. You said "Both lines seemed to enforce Dress Codes on Elegant nights." Can you please give an example of how HAL enforced the Dress Code on Elegant Night? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie51 Posted March 15, 2015 #4 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I enjoyed your well-balance comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruz chic Posted March 15, 2015 #5 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thx for your comparison. It could have been written by me. One thing though, I had a margarita on princess in the platinum elite lounge. It was terrible. Maybe it was bad because it was the $5 special. Welcome back to reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsuzi Posted March 15, 2015 Author #6 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks for the comparison. We have cruised on Princess three times and plan to give HAL a try next summer. You said "Both lines seemed to enforce Dress Codes on Elegant nights." Can you please give an example of how HAL enforced the Dress Code on Elegant Night? Thanks We were only in the MDR once on Elegant night and one man was refused entry because he did not wear a jacket. Don't know if they lent him one. All sitting around us met dress code. Sorry I can't be more helpful -we mostly ate in the Lido at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsuzi Posted March 15, 2015 Author #7 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thx for your comparison. It could have been written by me. One thing though, I had a margarita on princess in the platinum elite lounge. It was terrible. Maybe it was bad because it was the $5 special. Welcome back to reality. We didn't attend the platinum/elite lounge events so don't know if they use different ingredients. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZSandy25 Posted March 15, 2015 #8 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thank you for your review...that said we will be travelling on the Caribbean Princess in Oct. We did one Princess cruise Hawaii/Tahiti years ago and don't remember the ship...Dawn comes to mind but not sure. We were very disappointed in the ship.. .she was going into dry dock right after our cruise and the old girl really needed a makeover. Had no complaints about staff, food, etc. We had a wonderful time. All of our other cruises have been with HAL so I'm sure there will be times I find myself doing the "comparison" . We are a positive couple and always enjoy the adventure. Looks like we will have a grand time..:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsuzi Posted March 15, 2015 Author #9 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thank you everyone for your comments and taking the time to read the review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAOk1945 Posted March 15, 2015 #10 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) We were only in the MDR once on Elegant night and one man was refused entry because he did not wear a jacket. Don't know if they lent him one. All sitting around us met dress code. Sorry I can't be more helpful -we mostly ate in the Lido at night. That's what I needed to know. I'll plan on packing my suit. Thanks! Edited March 15, 2015 by JimAOk1945 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsuzi Posted March 15, 2015 Author #11 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thank you for your review...that said we will be travelling on the Caribbean Princess in Oct. We did one Princess cruise Hawaii/Tahiti years ago and don't remember the ship...Dawn comes to mind but not sure. We were very disappointed in the ship.. .she was going into dry dock right after our cruise and the old girl really needed a makeover. Had no complaints about staff, food, etc. We had a wonderful time. All of our other cruises have been with HAL so I'm sure there will be times I find myself doing the "comparison" . We are a positive couple and always enjoy the adventure. Looks like we will have a grand time..:) When were you on the Dawn? Think she was refurbished in 2012 and is now in Australia. We were on the Dawn in January 2008. We were in a full suite so life was great - lots of amenities, lots of marble and teak, a separate toilet/sink area, a separate bath/sink area, a separate bedroom with door, but normal size aft balcony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsuzi Posted March 15, 2015 Author #12 Share Posted March 15, 2015 That's what I needed to know. I'll plan on packing my suit. Thanks! Happy I could help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cbr663 Posted March 15, 2015 #13 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks for the wonderful review and the comparison between HAL and Princess. I have read other recent reviews of the Veendam that have also mentioned the sewer smell. Can you tell please was this a strong smell, was it persistent throughout the cruise and do you know if it was a problem throughout most of the ship or localized to one area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsuzi Posted March 15, 2015 Author #14 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) Thanks for the wonderful review and the comparison between HAL and Princess. I have read other recent reviews of the Veendam that have also mentioned the sewer smell. Can you tell please was this a strong smell, was it persistent throughout the cruise and do you know if it was a problem throughout most of the ship or localized to one area? Thank you cbr. It wafted more and less noticeable at times but the smell was there every day. It was only under the vent right after you enter the cabin (between the bathroom and clothes closet). The Front Office questioned me several times on what it smelled like (laughing). Does anyone know how they really can deal with an issue from a vent? We waited 3-4 days before reporting it because we honestly didn't think it could be corrected. We decided we should report it so the next cruiser didn't have the issue if it could be corrected. Edited March 15, 2015 by qsuzi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZSandy25 Posted March 15, 2015 #15 Share Posted March 15, 2015 When were you on the Dawn? Think she was refurbished in 2012 and is now in Australia. We were on the Dawn in January 2008. We were in a full suite so life was great - lots of amenities, lots of marble and teak, a separate toilet/sink area, a separate bath/sink area, a separate bedroom with door, but normal size aft balcony. I mentioned I couldn't remember the ship or the year:confused: so I went in search of the old pictures...my does time fly by. The ship was the Crown Princess and it was March of 1999!!! Hawaii to Tahiti...and it was Easter. Is that ship still with the fleet. Now about that suite life..I'm sure it was grand. We had a balcony cabin that was very small. The chairs were plastic and had to face each other. So I will have to say HAL has larger verandah's ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruz chic Posted March 15, 2015 #16 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) I mentioned I couldn't remember the ship or the year:confused: so I went in search of the old pictures...my does time fly by. The ship was the Crown Princess and it was March of 1999!!! Hawaii to Tahiti...and it was Easter. Is that ship still with the fleet. Now about that suite life..I'm sure it was grand. We had a balcony cabin that was very small. The chairs were plastic and had to face each other. So I will have to say HAL has larger verandah's ;) There is a crown princess but it came into service in 2006 so it must be a previous one. I've found the balconies to be about the same size on both lines but I heard the newest ships are smaller. I did a cruise on the dawn princess in 2006 to mexico. That was my first princess cruise. Edited March 15, 2015 by cruz chic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsuzi Posted March 15, 2015 Author #17 Share Posted March 15, 2015 (edited) I mentioned I couldn't remember the ship or the year:confused: so I went in search of the old pictures...my does time fly by. The ship was the Crown Princess and it was March of 1999!!! Hawaii to Tahiti...and it was Easter. Is that ship still with the fleet. Now about that suite life..I'm sure it was grand. We had a balcony cabin that was very small. The chairs were plastic and had to face each other. So I will have to say HAL has larger verandah's ;) I bet I couldn't remember that far back either. I eventually had to start and now keep a list. I agree about the balcony cabins on Princess. You also have to knowledgable about decks, i.e., which balconies are covered, partially covered, and not covered. Edited March 15, 2015 by qsuzi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Essiesmom Posted March 15, 2015 #18 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I mentioned I couldn't remember the ship or the year so I went in search of the old pictures...my does time fly by. The ship was the Crown Princess and it was March of 1999!!! Hawaii to Tahiti...and it was Easter. Is that ship still with the fleet. That Crown Princess became Ocean Village 2, and then was transferred to P&O-Australia where se sails today. EM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruz chic Posted March 15, 2015 #19 Share Posted March 15, 2015 I mentioned I couldn't remember the ship or the year so I went in search of the old pictures...my does time fly by. The ship was the Crown Princess and it was March of 1999!!! Hawaii to Tahiti...and it was Easter. Is that ship still with the fleet. That Crown Princess became Ocean Village 2, and then was transferred to P&O-Australia where se sails today. EM I love hearing stories about what ship went where. Thx for the info :). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typhoon1 Posted March 15, 2015 #20 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PathfinderEss Posted March 16, 2015 #21 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Thanks for your review and comparison. Hope you had a good cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qsuzi Posted March 16, 2015 Author #22 Share Posted March 16, 2015 (edited) Thanks for your review and comparison. Hope you had a good cruise. Thank you so much Melodie for all the helpful information you provided prior to this cruise. We did have a very good cruise and found so much about HAL to like. Edited March 16, 2015 by qsuzi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W5KAP Posted March 16, 2015 #23 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Thank you for a very timely comparison. We have done 8 cruises on Princess (just back from New Zealand and Australia) nad several on Carnival (b=never again) but have never taken HAL. We are booked on the 26 day cruise on the Zuiderdam out of Athens in October with a couple of friends. To be honest we were all a bit apprehensive. We all all in out mid 60;s so I guess we fit the HAL demographics from what I have heard. We love Princess but they didn't have the itinerary we were looking for. Being open minded, it will be fun to try something new. We won't spend out time comparing the two lines but I am sure it will come up from time to time. Counting the days Cheers, Kenn PS Sure miss the prior Military OBC that we get from Princess!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixCruiser Posted March 16, 2015 #24 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Thanks for your review! Would you have been able to make a 12:30 flight yesterday? ### Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare erewhon Posted March 16, 2015 #25 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Thanks for reviewing your cruise, and comparing with Princess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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