Food on Niew Amsterdam vs. Ruby Princess

[oceanlover1210]

In August 2017, we are planning a cruise to Alaska in August. Among other things we are comparing food on these two cruise liners.

 

Thanks so much.

[CruiserBruce]

1. Food is immensely subjective, and none of us know your tastes.

 

2. Unlikely anybody has cruised the two ships in such close proximity, that their opinion would help you.

 

3. Similarly, if there was such a person, the chances that that person would have tasted enough food selections (remember there maybe at least 5 selections at dinner, dozens for breakfast and lunch) to make their opinions helpful to you, are pretty small.

 

So getting any realistic help for you is very difficult. In our opinion, HAL food is better than Princess.

[navybankerteacher]

1. Food is immensely subjective, and none of us know your tastes.

 

2. Unlikely anybody has cruised the two ships in such close proximity, that their opinion would help you.

 

3. Similarly, if there was such a person, the chances that that person would have tasted enough food selections (remember there maybe at least 5 selections at dinner, dozens for breakfast and lunch) to make their opinions helpful to you, are pretty small.

 

So getting any realistic help for you is very difficult. In our opinion, HAL food is better than Princess.

 

Well put. We have only sailed Princess once, but recall HAL food (and particularly service) to be superior. However, food preference is subjective, and one or two particular choices tried any day might have been above or below par.

 

Overall, our experiences on HAL have been regularly very good.

[1025cruise]

Food really is subjective. Personally, I liked the food on Princess better than on HAL, but others here have stated they prefer the opposite.

 

For Alaska, you really need to decide on the itinerary you want to do. Not having compared the itineraries, not sure if one is better than the other.

[VennDiagram]

Friends have recently done cruises on both Princess and Holland America. Their assessment of the food was "pretty much the same" though they did prefer the Horizon Court on Princess over the Lido on HAL.

[dakrewser]

I'll add that we much prefer the Lido Marketplace to Horizon Court (especially if you like ice cream) for both choice and quality. The DR service is on a par, but HAL's menu is more interesting, while Princess' food is more bland..

[cruisemom42]

'Tis strange how varied opinions are. I have generally found Princess' food to be LESS bland than HAL, and a bit more adventuresome in terms of appetizers and entrees offered in the MDR. (More fish, spicier sauces, etc.) Love the souffles (both savory and sweet) on Princess.

[kazu]

Not only is food subjective, it can vary from ship to ship and cruise to cruise on any ship.

 

 

I prefer HAL's food but our last experience on Princess was less than stellar. No comparison to our previous cruise which was longer.

 

 

Best thing to do is to cruise with an open mind and realize some things will be different and some the same.

[sherryf]

I've cruised Princess 7 times, and just recently once on HAL. I would say that the two are on par, but Princess is slightly better. I have a lot of favorites on Princess (eggplant parmesan, twice baked goat cheese souffle, etc.) but very few things stood out on HAL. I love Princess pizza, but the pizza on HAL was abysmal. The International Cafe on Princess is much better than the Explorations Cafe on HAL. I think the Pinnacle Grill on HAL was slightly better than the Crown Grill on Princess.

 

I do think that service is better on HAL. We never once waited for a table in the MDR on HAL.

[KruzPrincess]

I agree that food is subjective. You can also get different results depending on staff. I've been on the same ship within the same year and have gotten very different results. Both cruise lines have good food and good service for the most part. I'd choose a cruise based on itinerary. I usually cruise Princess and I'm going to Alaska on HAL because they have an itinerary I can't find on other cruise lines in my price range. I can say that I prefer Princess pizza by a mile. I do like the International Café on the Ruby. I like the ice cream in the Lido on HAL. I like the Dive-In grill more than the grill on Princess. I like the Crown Grill, but I've never been to Pinnacle so I can't make comparisons. I've gotten excellent MDR service on both ships. Princess has some other fun things like Pub Lunch, Crab Shack, Salty Dog Gastro Pub (probably not on all ships), etc. I've only sailed on smaller HAL ships, so I don't know if HAL has anything like that.

[RMLincoln]

I have been on HAL Nieuw Amsterdam and Ruby Princess, but not close together in time - a few years apart. I like MDR meals on each and would consider them similar overall... but on HAL you get the chilled soups every night, on Princess you (at least used to) get shrimp cocktail every night.

 

Specialty dining: Different on each ship and didn't use them all so can't compare. Excellent dinner at HAL's Pinnacle Grill; don't care much for Asian food so can't comment on NA's Tamarind which gets rave reviews. Ruby had Sabatini's which is far above HAL's Italian Canaletto which is hit or miss; plus Ruby had Sterling Grill.

 

Buffet hours are better / longer on Princess; room service is much better on HAL both in selection and the option to get the MDR menu delivered to your room within MDR hours, and to get full hot breakfast on disembarkation morning.

 

I think the pizza on Ruby was good at the pizza place, better than average HAL pizza, but NA now has a made to order pizza available which is quite good and fresh.

 

Ruby had gelato available for a small fee (was $150 for three scoops then) yum!

 

Ruby used to serve tasty petite fours on formal nights after dinner. Hal used to have the "yum yum man" serving dates, ginger and mints every night on the way out, but I think on NA last fall we only saw mints.

 

Coffee on Princess is usually considers sub-par; on HAL maybe par. Both have specialty coffee bars.

 

These are my scattered memories but maybe they will help a little bit. Have a great cruise! m--

[easyboy]

I agree that food is very subjective. Desired taste is usually influenced by one that has been used to. I tend to be biased to Princess.

[iancal]

Who really knows? It can vary so much. Our last SunPrincess cruise had by far some of the best mass market cruise line food that we have had in years.

 

This does not mean that our next Princess cruise will be of the same caliber. We think that it is a crap shoot on all of the lines. You have just as much chance of a good meal on Priness, HAL, or Celebrity. And just as much chance of very mediocre food. Depends on the cruise, the crew, etc.

[Daisyloo]

We have cruised on both HAL and Princess and I don't think you will go wrong on either. We always think the food is slightly better on HAL, but only slightly. Like many others have already said, food is subjective.

The one restaurant on HAL that we think is better than anything Princess offers is Tamarind. It is Asian Fusion and it is wonderful. We ate there 3 times on our last cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. I'm already looking forward to Tamarind on our next cruise in October!

[emjayel56]

In August 2017, we are planning a cruise to Alaska in August. Among other things we are comparing food on these two cruise liners.

 

Thanks so much.

 

i've been on Amsterdam as well as Eurodam (it's sister ship several times) and always found the food to be fine. The upcharge restaurant Pinnacle Grill is very good and I will be on the amsterdam again in October and then next May in Alaska. As far as I'm concerned both the food and the service is fine. Good luck.

Maryjo

[RuthC]

i've been on Amsterdam as well as Eurodam (it's sister ship several times)

:confused:Amsterdam and Eurodam aren't sister ships. They aren't even close!

Amsterdam is an R-class ship, sister to the Rotterdam, while Eurodam is a Signature class ship. Much larger, and a different layout.

[CruiserBruce]

:confused:Amsterdam and Eurodam aren't sister ships. They aren't even close!

Amsterdam is an R-class ship, sister to the Rotterdam, while Eurodam is a Signature class ship. Much larger, and a different layout.

 

You of course, correct. I think the poster meant Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.

Edited August 15, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[SoCal Cruiser78]

...Ruby had Sabatini's which is far above HAL's Italian Canaletto which is hit or miss; plus Ruby had Sterling Grill...

 

The Ruby had Sabatini's (traditional Italian) restaurant replaced recently with Curtis Stone's SHARE (contemporary "small plate" style dining) to mixed reviews. Other than that, the Ruby is generally considered to have among the best food in Princess' fleet. I have sailed on her, and tend to agree. I haven't sailed on HAL in a few years, so can't speak for the NA.

[emjayel56]

:confused:Amsterdam and Eurodam aren't sister ships. They aren't even close!

Amsterdam is an R-class ship, sister to the Rotterdam, while Eurodam is a Signature class ship. Much larger, and a different layout.

 

OH so sorry for the confusion Ruth... I assumed that they were talking about the Nieuw Amsterdam which is the same ship as Eurodam only a little younger. I didnt realize that Holland also had an Amsterdam in a different class. Thanks for clarifying that. My mistake. Maryjo

[RuthC]

OH so sorry for the confusion Ruth... I assumed that they were talking about the Nieuw Amsterdam which is the same ship as Eurodam only a little younger. I didnt realize that Holland also had an Amsterdam in a different class. Thanks for clarifying that. My mistake. Maryjo

I knew what you meant, but also know that people who don't know the ships well wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Better to get it corrected right off the bat. Thanks for understanding that.

[oceanlover1210]

Thank you all for your food answers. It was just one of our considerations. We have decided on HAL.