Princess from a HAL cruiser perspective?

[GeezLouise1]

We are 3star and Platinum level on both lines.  We did a similar itinerary last Christmas (2019/20)on Caribbean Princess and had a wonderful time.  The ship  was designed for the Caribbean with lots of deck space and open pool areas. St. Kitts is a terrific port.  The people were very outgoing, friendly and happy to see us.  Mrs. Moore's Snackette was an experience in local cooking!  The ship is old,  no question,  but has been well maintained.  The Balcony Dinner for Two is fabulous.  Entertainment, food and itinerary were all excellent - Princess International Cafe is a winner.  The passengers were generally a little younger than HAL. We have not sailed on a new HAL ship but have enjoyed wonderful voyages all over the world.  Terrific hospitality. You won't go wrong with either!  Have fun!

[lderochi]

On 1/24/2021 at 12:54 PM, MTAK said:

Well I may have an interim solution to my dilemma. I could book both cruises. Final payment would be first week in January 2022, and by then I would know more about the future of cruising and whatever port restrictions, etc. may still be in place, which may make a decision clearer.  This would also give me more time to evaluate the options.

Yep, this is what I did. Booked Alaska in 2022 for the same itinerary, and almost the same dates, on the Sapphire Princess and the Nieuw Amsterdam. Plenty of time to decide. 

[drsel]

14 hours ago, lderochi said:

Yep, this is what I did. Booked Alaska in 2022 for the same itinerary, and almost the same dates, on the Sapphire Princess and the Nieuw Amsterdam. Plenty of time to decide. 

if it's the same itinerary and same price then  you should definitely choose Princess.

There is never a dull moment with excellent shows, entertainment and activities around the clock

Edited January 29, 2021 by drsel

[MTAK]

Well we're officially booked on the Rotterdam!  Not sure what to do with Princess yet but there's more time left on their deal. I may still book it as a plan B. But HAL is an even better deal with the additional promotions they recently added.

[nimiq]

1 hour ago, MTAK said:

Well we're officially booked on the Rotterdam!  Not sure what to do with Princess yet but there's more time left on their deal. I may still book it as a plan B. But HAL is an even better deal with the additional promotions they recently added.

Although I have done most of my cruising on Princess and love them you will not be disappointed with the Rotterdam as that new class of ship for Hal definitely is better than Caribbean Princess. 
 

Sea ya 

Eric 

[drsel]

7 hours ago, MTAK said:

Well we're officially booked on the Rotterdam!  Not sure what to do with Princess yet but there's more time left on their deal. I may still book it as a plan B. But HAL is an even better deal with the additional promotions they recently added.

What are the additional promotions

[MTAK]

7 hours ago, drsel said:

What are the additional promotions

 They currently have the Valentines gift card promotion and the Pay Early promotion.  The Pay Early promotion nets up to $250 OBC and 10% off fare, depending on how much you pay.  The gift cards can also provide additional benefits. For example you can purchase gift cards to pay off the cruise and then receive 10% bonus gift cards to be used on board or for excursions, etc.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, MTAK said:

 They currently have the Valentines gift card promotion and the Pay Early promotion.  The Pay Early promotion nets up to $250 OBC and 10% off fare, depending on how much you pay.  The gift cards can also provide additional benefits. For example you can purchase gift cards to pay off the cruise and then receive 10% bonus gift cards to be used on board or for excursions, etc.

HAL is doing similar promo. We added $750 to our refundable deposit on the Westerdam and got an additional $250 OBC.  We had a future cruise deposit we bought in 2019 so we only had a $200 deposit on this cruise, so now we have $950 total.  I

 

f we paid in full by February 28th we could get 10% fare reduction. I am not about to give them my money 5 months early, I am not 100% optimistic that the cruise will sail and I do not want a FCC if HAL cancels after final payment date. These pay early promotions are a signal to how bad the CCL lines are hurting for operating capital.

Edited January 30, 2021 by terrydtx

[Hlitner]

On 1/22/2021 at 1:29 PM, MTAK said:

 

Does the Caribbean Princess qualify as one of the newer ships with the so called unobstructed - obstructed balconies? If so, any tips to share?

The Caribbean  Princess is one of my least favorite Princess ships (and we have been on many) because we think it feels crowded and there is a good reason.  When Princess introduced the Grand Class ships (one of our favorite ship designs) all was good in the world :).  But after building several similar Grand Class ships they modified the design.   The Caribbean had one of the more radical changes because they simply added another passenger deck (Riviera) which increased the ships passenger capacity by a few hundred passengers....without increasing the public spaces.  So you have more folks on the same size ship and you can guess the rest.  Another issue with the Caribbean Princess (and other later built Grand Class ships) is that they eliminated the all-weather pool (it had a sliding room similar to what you find on HAL).   So if you are cruising in cool or rainy weather there is no indoor pool area on the Caribbean Princess.

 

I think the "newer ships" you refer to our the Royal Class (Royal, Regal, Sky, etc) replaced the Grand Class with an entirely new design (also used for some P&O new builds) and I have not heard folks talking about unobstrcted-obstructed balconies but imagine one might call the balconies on the lowest passenger deck something like that because of the lifeboats hanging just below.  My big complaint with the balconies on the Royal class are the small size!

 

To give some validity to my post we have been Elite on Princess for at least 20 years and are 5 Star on HAL...so we have some basis of comparison.   All that being said we would still cruise on both lines given the right itinerary and price. There are pros and cons to each line and we are able to adjust and be happy on either.

 

Hank

[iancal]

We like both cruise lines equally.  The HAL boosters seem to think HAL is the best since sliced bread and the service second to none.  We do not live in that space.  The Princess boosters are the same.  Pre covid we would be happy to sail on either....depending on the ship of course.

 

I believe that there will be significant changes post covid so any comparison pre covid may not be valid.

Edited January 31, 2021 by iancal

[bennybear]

And experiences have changed immensely in the last few years,  so always good to check how things are currently.   
 

We are happy on both and there are pluses and minuses for each, but lately HAL has been our choice for itineraries and beautiful ships that are not as large as Princess’s new ships,   We prefer the less sales intensive atmosphere on HAL. 

Edited January 31, 2021 by bennybear

[TomTN]

Caribbean princess is the worst cruise ship we have been on . Absolute worst of about 30 cruises.

It was impossible to get a seat in the buffet for breakfast.  People would stand behind seated diners at the tables waiting for them to leave, 

Bars were packed. Traffic areas often came to a standstill. Every entertainment venue was packed. We had to be at the evening show at least an hour before showtime to get a seat. 

Many people were unable to get a seat at all.

The experience was so bad we have never sailed on Princess again. We know people that sail on Princess often and almost exclusively,  but not on the Caribbean Princess.

I would pick a different Princess ship.

Fortunately we enjoyed being with loved ones on the cruise..

We are not HAL loyalist, but enjoy HAL and Celebrity and NCL. 

Our Princess cruise was 10+ years ago and we might try them again, but it will be on a different ship.

Sorry to be so negative. 

 

[Aquahound]

2 minutes ago, TomBeckCruise said:

Caribbean princess is the worst cruise ship we have been on . Absolute worst of about 30 cruises.

 

 

I have to agree that Caribbean Princess was one of the most crowded ships I've sailed sailed. That seems to be one of the most common complaints about Grand Class ships.  

[KroozNut]

On 1/22/2021 at 10:04 AM, catlet said:

And the bathrooms. Princess has the small showers all the comedians like to make fun of. 

 

I wouldn't say that HAL's showers are large by any stretch of the imagination.

[RuthC]

7 minutes ago, KroozNut said:

 

I wouldn't say that HAL's showers are large by any stretch of the imagination.

I would say HAL's showers are quite generous in size. They aren't the same size as a tub takes up, but they aren't like the 'phone booth' size I have been in on other lines. 

I tend to book inside cabins, which are shower only, and regardless of the class of ship (I have not sailed the Pinnacle class, but have sailed all the others in the era since 1992 ships, as well as a few that came before that). 
In the 1992 and forward ships, the showers are quite comfortable. Not too large that they are unsafe in rough seas, yet not so small that you can't pick up a dropped washcloth. 

[MTAK]

8 hours ago, terrydtx said:

HAL is doing similar promo...

Yes, it is the HAL promo I was referring to.

[drsel]

11 hours ago, MTAK said:

 They currently have the Valentines gift card promotion and the Pay Early promotion.  The Pay Early promotion nets up to $250 OBC and 10% off fare, depending on how much you pay.  The gift cards can also provide additional benefits. For example you can purchase gift cards to pay off the cruise and then receive 10% bonus gift cards to be used on board or for excursions, etc.

Thanks can one use the gift cards in the casino? can one use the OBC in the casino?

[MTAK]

6 minutes ago, drsel said:

Thanks can one use the gift cards in the casino? can one use the OBC in the casino?

OBC typically cannot be used in the casino.  I am going to check with my PCC to confirm if the gift cards can.

[drsel]

10 hours ago, terrydtx said:

HAL is doing similar promo. We added $750 to our refundable deposit on the Westerdam and got an additional $250 OBC. 

If we paid in full by February 28th we could get 10% fare reduction.

These pay early promotions are a signal to how bad the CCL lines are hurting for operating capital.

250 dollars OBC on $750 payment is a 33% return on investment. that's quite incredible!

Also, an extra 10% discount for full payment!!

 

do they keep the prices high and then offer these discounts and promotions to get more of your cash in advance, in order to stay afloat and avoid going bankrupt?

 

[cruisemom42]

20 hours ago, TomBeckCruise said:

Caribbean princess is the worst cruise ship we have been on . Absolute worst of about 30 cruises.

It was impossible to get a seat in the buffet for breakfast.  People would stand behind seated diners at the tables waiting for them to leave, 

Bars were packed. Traffic areas often came to a standstill. Every entertainment venue was packed. We had to be at the evening show at least an hour before showtime to get a seat. 

Many people were unable to get a seat at all.

The experience was so bad we have never sailed on Princess again. We know people that sail on Princess often and almost exclusively,  but not on the Caribbean Princess.

I would pick a different Princess ship.

Fortunately we enjoyed being with loved ones on the cruise..

We are not HAL loyalist, but enjoy HAL and Celebrity and NCL. 

Our Princess cruise was 10+ years ago and we might try them again, but it will be on a different ship.

Sorry to be so negative. 

 

 

While Caribbean Princess IS a ship that seems crowded, I have been on her three times and never experienced anything as drastic as the above.

[TomTN]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

While Caribbean Princess IS a ship that seems crowded, I have been on her three times and never experienced anything as drastic as the above.

It was crazy. There were two guys that nearly came to blows over a couple of seats in the theater.  Sucurity escorted both of them out. We've seen nothing like that on any cruise.

My understanding is they now have three shows at night to make sure there is adequate seating.

When we sailed there were only two shows. That was fall 2008.

The breakfast buffet was horrendous. There simply were not enough seats. Maybe everyone came around the same time because it was a port intensive cruise, NE/Canada. More seats inside and out?

Perhaps Princess has made some other improvements to accomodate the additional passengers since then. 

[rkacruiser]

1 hour ago, TomBeckCruise said:

The breakfast buffet was horrendous. There simply were not enough seats.

 

This may be typical of a Princess ship.  I experienced the same on my 2019 Coral Princess cruise as well on the new Royal Princess.  Not wanting to dine at "prime dining time" may allow for more seats to be available.  

 

But, for the Royal Princess' Horizon Restaurant/Horizon Terrace, the set-up was the most confusing as any that I have experienced.  I actually lost where my table was in the maze when I returned to the buffet for some other items.  Finally, found the table, somehow.   

 

 

[cruisemom42]

2 hours ago, TomBeckCruise said:

It was crazy. There were two guys that nearly came to blows over a couple of seats in the theater.  Sucurity escorted both of them out. We've seen nothing like that on any cruise.

My understanding is they now have three shows at night to make sure there is adequate seating.

When we sailed there were only two shows. That was fall 2008.

The breakfast buffet was horrendous. There simply were not enough seats. Maybe everyone came around the same time because it was a port intensive cruise, NE/Canada. More seats inside and out?

Perhaps Princess has made some other improvements to accomodate the additional passengers since then. 

 

We were on her three years in a year, from 2006-2008, in late May/early June for Caribbean cruises. 

 

I will say this: the first two cruises departed from Fort Lauderdale. The last one left from the Brooklyn cruise port and was a couple of days longer (to get to Caribbean and back). The crowd on that last cruise seemed much more "in your face" and combative.  We also experienced a fist fight in the theatre between two men. But the issue wasn't that seats were not available (they were); rather certain passengers were saving large numbers of seats and Princess personnel were doing NOTHING to stop it.

 

We didn't experience any issues with space in the buffet; but we are generally late risers on vacations like these where there is no need to be up early and off the ship for the day.

 

[Aquahound]

45 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

But, for the Royal Princess' Horizon Restaurant/Horizon Terrace, the set-up was the most confusing as any that I have experienced.  I actually lost where my table was in the maze when I returned to the buffet for some other items.  Finally, found the table, somehow.   

 

 

Ha!  I can see how that would happen.  I cruised Regal and I remember how those cross sections can make you forget exactly where you are.  That said, I thought that buffet was the most impressive.....by way of offerings....I've ever seen on a cruise ship.  It was huge!

 

However, speaking of Caribbean Princess, I think that buffet is horrendous!  For those who have not been on these Princess ships, they funnel everyone into a small alcove where the majority of offerings are located.  This set-up causes long lines to enter this space, and it makes it very difficult for those who only want to grab certain items.  It's the worst buffet design I've ever seen.  It was the same way on Ruby Princess.  

 

Speaking of dining, we had anytime dining on Caribbean.  I remember being handed a pager one night and told the wait was approx 1.5 hours for a 2-top.  On the nights we did manage to get in, the tables were so close to one another, it was nearly impossible to squeeze between them without your butt rubbing across one of the tables...and we're skinny!   This was a cruise we opted mostly for specialty dining in order to avoid the MDR and buffet.  

[rkacruiser]

32 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

I thought that buffet was the most impressive.....by way of offerings....I've ever seen on a cruise ship.  It was huge!

 

Agree; so many choices.  But, after "surveying" the offerings in the different "lanes", I had much difficulty remembering which "lane" had what I decided that I wanted.  

The readily availability of beverages was an irritant to me as well.  (I thought:  where in H^&L is the orange juice for a couple of the initial mornings.)  

 

33 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

I remember being handed a pager one night and told the wait was approx 1.5 hours for a 2-top

 

New Year's Eve in Open Sitting, with a reservation for a large table, I arrived at the dining room a few minutes before my reservation.  I was handed a pager and returned to the lounge closest to the dining room, luckily finding a seat.  90 minutes later, my pager went off.  I was seated at a table for 2 set for 1 with the chair on the other side of the table missing.  Service was perfunctory and the cuisine was very disappointing.    

 

Yes, it was a New Year's dinner that I won't forget, failed miserably in comparison to others that I have experienced on Holland America Line on that evening.

 

My MDR dining experiences on Royal Princess was more disappointing than not.  Sabatini's, Alfredo's, and Crown Grill provided much more satisfying experiences.