Brief comparison HAL & Princess

[nutensteve]

We (Myself,DW,Mom & good friend) just returned from a 7 day Pacific Coastal on the Crown Princess.

 

The ship itself was beautiful and very well maintained. Although it is much larger than we are used to it did not seem crowded other than muster and mealtimes.

 

Embarkation was easy. We live within two hours of the port and were able to drive and avoid the nightmare of flying. We arrived around 12:30pm and were on board by 1:15. We were able to go directly to our cabin then up to the buffet for lunch.

 

Our cabin was a Mini Suite forward on deck 9. The room was very nice but much smaller than the Signature suites we normally have on HAL. The balcony was also smaller and totally uncovered. We much prefer the HAL cabins.Our room steward was excellent and very comparable to the service we experience on HAL. We did find the hallways to be much narrower than HAL. This was a problem when the stewards were busy cleaning rooms and their carts were in the hallway. It is nice that HAL stewards do not use the carts. Mom fell in San Francisco and had to use a wheelchair so maneuvering past the carts was a challenge.

 

We had early seating in the MDR. The ship had 3 dining rooms with one dedicated to fixed dining and the other two for anytime dining. The food was generally very good very comparable to HAL. The service in the MDR was very good our servers were excellent. We have also experienced great service on HAL. We averaged about 90 minutes for meals which was perfect. We brought our own wine and they kept any that we had left over until the following night. We ate at the Crown Grill twice and were not disappointed very similar to the Pinnacle. Their pizza is very good much better than HAL's.

HAL wins hands down on room service. The breakfast selections are very limited. I think that full suite passengers may have better selections.

 

Entertainment on Princess was good. We enjoyed the band that played in the Explorers Lounge nightly and the piano player in Crooners. We were not able to see a show in the main theater. We tried to see the 8pm show on three different occasions but by the time we finished dinner it was full. We have never experienced that on HAL. We missed the Crows Nest on HAL as there is no lounge at the front of the Crown Princess.

 

Disembarkation was very well organized. We had to vacate the cabin by 8am and there was no room service available. We went to the MDR and service was good. We had to wait in Crooners lounge until out group was called. They had a crew member wheel Mom off the ship and we were able to bypass the lines and we were off the ship in 15 min.

 

We enjoyed our cruise and would definitely cruise Princess again but we still prefer HAL.

[cruz chic]

I feel the same way. I like princess but prefer hal. Thx for your review.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for comparing the 2 cruise lines.

Glad you enjoyed your Princess cruise.

[ZSandy25]

I feel the same way about HAL, we were on a Princess cruise and I said I wasn't going to compare...but I did....HAL is still my cruise line of choice.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

We'll be on the Crown in four weeks and should be able to compare as we were just on the Zuiderdam four weeks ago. The Crown will be the largest ship we have ever been on and am a bit concerned about that.

[nutensteve]

We'll be on the Crown in four weeks and should be able to compare as we were just on the Zuiderdam four weeks ago. The Crown will be the largest ship we have ever been on and am a bit concerned about that.

 

We were concerned about the crowds also but it was not a problem. The only time it seemed crowded was during muster and at mealtimes. The ship is large enough to accommodate the larger passenger count.

[qsuzi]

We (Myself,DW,Mom & good friend) just returned from a 7 day Pacific Coastal on the Crown Princess.

 

The ship itself was beautiful and very well maintained. Although it is much larger than we are used to it did not seem crowded other than muster and mealtimes.

 

Embarkation was easy. We live within two hours of the port and were able to drive and avoid the nightmare of flying. We arrived around 12:30pm and were on board by 1:15. We were able to go directly to our cabin then up to the buffet for lunch.

 

Our cabin was a Mini Suite forward on deck 9. The room was very nice but much smaller than the Signature suites we normally have on HAL. The balcony was also smaller and totally uncovered. We much prefer the HAL cabins.Our room steward was excellent and very comparable to the service we experience on HAL. We did find the hallways to be much narrower than HAL. This was a problem when the stewards were busy cleaning rooms and their carts were in the hallway. It is nice that HAL stewards do not use the carts. Mom fell in San Francisco and had to use a wheelchair so maneuvering past the carts was a challenge.

 

We had early seating in the MDR. The ship had 3 dining rooms with one dedicated to fixed dining and the other two for anytime dining. The food was generally very good very comparable to HAL. The service in the MDR was very good our servers were excellent. We have also experienced great service on HAL. We averaged about 90 minutes for meals which was perfect. We brought our own wine and they kept any that we had left over until the following night. We ate at the Crown Grill twice and were not disappointed very similar to the Pinnacle. Their pizza is very good much better than HAL's.

HAL wins hands down on room service. The breakfast selections are very limited. I think that full suite passengers may have better selections.

 

Entertainment on Princess was good. We enjoyed the band that played in the Explorers Lounge nightly and the piano player in Crooners. We were not able to see a show in the main theater. We tried to see the 8pm show on three different occasions but by the time we finished dinner it was full. We have never experienced that on HAL. We missed the Crows Nest on HAL as there is no lounge at the front of the Crown Princess.

 

Disembarkation was very well organized. We had to vacate the cabin by 8am and there was no room service available. We went to the MDR and service was good. We had to wait in Crooners lounge until out group was called. They had a crew member wheel Mom off the ship and we were able to bypass the lines and we were off the ship in 15 min.

 

We enjoyed our cruise and would definitely cruise Princess again but we still prefer HAL.

 

Enjoyed your balanced and informative review. Both lines have so much to offer and please cruisers.

 

For those thinking about sailing Princess in the future, please check out the Deck Plans to determine which decks are covered vs non covered. The Baja deck is completely uncovered and the Emerald deck is completely covered. Other balcony decks are partially covered; the Caribe is about 2/3 covered and has larger balconies. Also the Crown has an area similar to the Crows Nest but not as nice; Skywalker's is on Deck 18 at the rear of the ship. In most cases, the Crown Princess Vista Suite (not the Mini Suite) is the most comparable in price to HAL's Signature Suite. The Vista Suite cabin size is 329 and balcony size 166.

Edited March 29, 2015 by qsuzi

[PathfinderEss]

I enjoyed your comparison review of Hal versa Princess. I have to agree with you, we like Princess but still prefer Hal more, too.

[Hlitner]

Enjoyed your balanced and informative review. Both lines have so much to offer and please cruisers.

 

For those thinking about sailing Princess in the future, please check out the Deck Plans to determine which decks are covered vs non covered. The Baja deck is completely uncovered and the Emerald deck is completely covered. Other balcony decks are partially covered; the Caribe is about 2/3 covered and has larger balconies. Also the Crown has an area similar to the Crows Nest but not as nice; Skywalker's is on Deck 18 at the rear of the ship. In most cases, the Crown Princess Vista Suite (not the Mini Suite) is the most comparable in price to HAL's Signature Suite. The Vista Suite cabin size is 329 and balcony size 166.

 

When it comes to the Grand Class ships (a majority of Princess vessels) we think you have Baja (where all the balconies are covered) confused with Dauphin (which is usually mini-suites with totally uncovered balconies). And one other major difference is that Princess does not permit smoking on any passenger balcony while HAL allows both cigarettes and cigars.

 

Hank

Edited March 29, 2015 by Hlitner

[qsuzi]

When it comes to the Grand Class ships (a majority of Princess vessels) we think you have Baja (where all the balconies are covered) confused with Dauphin (which is usually mini-suites with totally uncovered balconies). And one other major difference is that Princess does not permit smoking on any passenger balcony while HAL allows both cigarettes and cigars.

 

Hank

 

Thanks for correcting my confusion. It is the Dolphin deck that is completed uncovered. Mini-Suites are on the Dolphin Deck and the Emerald Deck. We normally stay in a Mini Suite, Starboard side on the Emerald Deck (completely covered).

Edited March 29, 2015 by qsuzi

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for posting your comparisons.

Glad you had a good cruise.

[hawkeye3d]

Agree with the OP, however when reviewing future cruises with similar itineraries we see that Princess skips many ports. Looks like HAL is more port intensive which we prefer.

 

Bob

[portofrome]

Thanks for your comparison.

[qsuzi]

Agree with the OP, however when reviewing future cruises with similar itineraries we see that Princess skips many ports. Looks like HAL is more port intensive which we prefer.

 

Bob

 

What destination/itineraries are you referring to?

[AdmiralQ]

Good comparison, I really appreciate it. My last cruise was on the Caribbean Princess and I have two Alaska cruises booked for Aug 9, one on the Ruby Princess and the other on the HAL Amsterdam. Itineraries are pretty identical, so I'm in the process of deciding which one to cancel and which one to go on. This would be my first cruise on HAL, and being in our 30's and enjoying late night activities, I'm slightly concerned that HAL buttons up the ship too early for our tastes. I didn't have any problems with Princess. In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised on how many people stayed up into the wee hours on the Princess sailing. I'd really like to experience another cruise line, and the fact that we have a suite on HAL may push me towards doing the HAL sailing and cancel the Princess one.

[DaveOKC]

Good comparison, I really appreciate it. My last cruise was on the Caribbean Princess and I have two Alaska cruises booked for Aug 9, one on the Ruby Princess and the other on the HAL Amsterdam. Itineraries are pretty identical, so I'm in the process of deciding which one to cancel and which one to go on. This would be my first cruise on HAL, and being in our 30's and enjoying late night activities, I'm slightly concerned that HAL buttons up the ship too early for our tastes. I didn't have any problems with Princess. In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised on how many people stayed up into the wee hours on the Princess sailing. I'd really like to experience another cruise line, and the fact that we have a suite on HAL may push me towards doing the HAL sailing and cancel the Princess one.

 

Having a Neptune suite on HAL will definitely spoil you!

[Alberta Quilter]

Good comparison, I really appreciate it. My last cruise was on the Caribbean Princess and I have two Alaska cruises booked for Aug 9, one on the Ruby Princess and the other on the HAL Amsterdam. Itineraries are pretty identical, so I'm in the process of deciding which one to cancel and which one to go on. This would be my first cruise on HAL, and being in our 30's and enjoying late night activities, I'm slightly concerned that HAL buttons up the ship too early for our tastes. I didn't have any problems with Princess. In fact, I was very pleasantly surprised on how many people stayed up into the wee hours on the Princess sailing. I'd really like to experience another cruise line, and the fact that we have a suite on HAL may push me towards doing the HAL sailing and cancel the Princess one.

 

You may be surprised at how many people stay up on a HAL cruise, too. Alaska is a whole different ball game. There are all ages on the ship, particularly with a 7 day itinerary. Alternatively, you may be surprised at how early you'll need to go to sleep so you can rest up for the following day's port activities!!

 

Whichever you choose, I hope you have a great time!

[ogauge1]

Thanks for the observations. Very useful!

 

:D

[dockman]

I haven't been on Princess or Roy Carib or Celebrity for years. I'd be curious to know on these lines where does the service crew, stewards, barhelp, dining room etc employees mostly come from?

 

One thing that always keeps me coming back to Holland is the Indonesian/Fillipino crew...what they may lack in sophistication they more than make up with smiles, pleasant attitudes, and a lot of very hard work. Some Holland ships officers might want to take notice of their staff and be a bit more pleasant themselves.

[Hlitner]

I haven't been on Princess or Roy Carib or Celebrity for years. I'd be curious to know on these lines where does the service crew, stewards, barhelp, dining room etc employees mostly come from?

 

One thing that always keeps me coming back to Holland is the Indonesian/Fillipino crew...what they may lack in sophistication they more than make up with smiles, pleasant attitudes, and a lot of very hard work. Some Holland ships officers might want to take notice of their staff and be a bit more pleasant themselves.

 

Over many years there has been a tremendous shift in the origin of crew on these lines. At one time RCI and Celebrity used quite a few folks from the Caribbean Islands. But now, there tend to be more crew from Eastern Europe. My favorite bar staff on the Celebrity Eclipse were from the Ukraine, Colombia, and Romania which is an example of the diversity of the crew.

 

Hank

[Shmoo here]

We (Myself,DW,Mom & good friend) just returned from a 7 day Pacific Coastal on the Crown Princess.

 

...

We enjoyed our cruise and would definitely cruise Princess again but we still prefer HAL.

 

Thank you for this. We're giving Princess a try next month (similar cruise).

[niceguyneastbay]

I sailed on the Crown Princess earlier in March and was also concerned about the size. Lots of places to hang out but few things that I noticed was more kids on Princess than on HAL while on the same itenerary.

 

The Pizza on Princess. IT WAS GREAT. Almost like being in NY and having a huge slice that you have to fold to eat it.

 

I did try the Lotus Spa on Princess You can get into the thermal suites without payin and there is no Hydro Pool. Sorta relaxing but loud noises from above. I miss the floor to celing windows in HAL Thermal Suites.

 

The wine bar on Princess was great. Order wine and get sushi and tapas for free. They had a few California wines decently priced.

 

One thing I did miss about HAL was the level of service from the Dining Room Stewards. On Princess they seem very busy which makes trying to talk to them hard. HAL Stewards get to know you and vice versa.

 

Also other staff on Princess are not overly friendly or say HI to you when you pass them in the hallways, or in other parts of the ship.

 

Bar staff is on deck on HAL making sure everyone has drinks. Princess didn't have much staff offering drinks.

 

I had a Mini Suite E729 which was a covered balcony. There are only 10 of them on the ship. The rooms are nice but I would say a Mini Suite on Princess is about the same width as a regular balcony on HAL.

 

Overall my Princess trip was good. 2 people made the trip memorable. John the room steward always was aroud to say HI and the Staff of Sabatinis. Other than that, seems the staff on Princess is over worked.

[George C]

We had done several Princess cruises including Crown before switching to Hal, all in mini-suites. ( have since went back to RCCL) , I thought Princes ships while beautiful were very over crowded in public areas was not able to get seats to most of the shows on Princess. Once saw a fight on Princess on saving seats. Also most of mini-suites had no shade in balcony which I thought was strange. Pizza on Princess is great. food and service equal to Hal.

[nutensteve]

I sailed on the Crown Princess earlier in March and was also concerned about the size. Lots of places to hang out but few things that I noticed was more kids on Princess than on HAL while on the same itenerary.

 

The Pizza on Princess. IT WAS GREAT. Almost like being in NY and having a huge slice that you have to fold to eat it.

 

I did try the Lotus Spa on Princess You can get into the thermal suites without payin and there is no Hydro Pool. Sorta relaxing but loud noises from above. I miss the floor to celing windows in HAL Thermal Suites.

 

The wine bar on Princess was great. Order wine and get sushi and tapas for free. They had a few California wines decently priced.

 

One thing I did miss about HAL was the level of service from the Dining Room Stewards. On Princess they seem very busy which makes trying to talk to them hard. HAL Stewards get to know you and vice versa.

 

Also other staff on Princess are not overly friendly or say HI to you when you pass them in the hallways, or in other parts of the ship.

 

Bar staff is on deck on HAL making sure everyone has drinks. Princess didn't have much staff offering drinks.

 

I had a Mini Suite E729 which was a covered balcony. There are only 10 of them on the ship. The rooms are nice but I would say a Mini Suite on Princess is about the same width as a regular balcony on HAL.

 

Overall my Princess trip was good. 2 people made the trip memorable. John the room steward always was aroud to say HI and the Staff of Sabatinis. Other than that, seems the staff on Princess is over worked.

 

We found the staff very friendly on our cruise. Our server in the MDR was from Serbia and her assistant was from Argentina. They were fantastic and had time to talk to us during the meal. Our room steward was from the Philippines and again was extremely friendly and efficient even though he had 17 rooms to take care of. The only issue was getting a drink while sitting outside, it sometimes took awhile to find a server.

[POA1]

Thanks for the comparison.