Thinking of jumping ship

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, lahlah57 said:

If you are looking for sedate with little to no kids...do HAL. Do celebity but stay away from holiday and summer break periods. Do princess but stay very far away from holidays and summer break periods. Do carnival if you love demon seeds along with their drunk irresponsible parentages.

This I speak from experience. 

 

Depends upon the cruise. Have seen quite a few during the summer holiday season in Alaska and shorter European cruises.

 

More so lately than a few years ago. The move to  music walk seems to be bringing in younger demographics.

Edited January 21 by TRLD

[Lady Arwen]

17 hours ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

Thanks for flagging that, Elaine. I've read through the entire thread, and I'd say we would still choose HAL over Celebrity--although Celebrity sounds like an improvement over Princess (at least for us).

We’re Elite+ on Celebrity and just sailed on Ascent for New Years.  Simply fabulous!  Celebrity definitely continues to exceed our expectations every time.  Is it more expensive?  Yes.  Worth it to us?  You becha!  However, we do sail HAL when we need a very laidback vacation.  Very enjoyable product which we prefer to Princess.  You certainly can’t go wrong with either Celebrity, HAL or Princess depending on your expectations and your budget.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Seeing as how this is the Princess forum...perhaps someone can share what a "music walk" is...?

[charliedalrymple]

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Seeing as how this is the Princess forum...perhaps someone can share what a "music walk" is...?

 

I didn't know either and had to look it up.  It sounds kind of cool.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/articles/music-walk-on-holland-america?stay=1&posfrom=1

[Rick&Jeannie]

7 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

I didn't know either and had to look it up.  It sounds kind of cool.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/articles/music-walk-on-holland-america?stay=1&posfrom=1

Thanks for posting that link!

[Wishing on a star]

I still do not think Music Walk would get me to choose HAL over Princess.

And, I wonder if it is true that the actual play-lists are that tightly controlled?

The new Ascent does look amazing!!!   And they do have that wonderful looking adult area.

Checked out a comparable 10 day itinerary to one on the Enchanted,  well over $1000. more.    ( Leaning towards Enchanted with that being the kicker )

[Lady Arwen]

55 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

I still do not think Music Walk would get me to choose HAL over Princess.

And, I wonder if it is true that the actual play-lists are that tightly controlled?

The new Ascent does look amazing!!!   And they do have that wonderful looking adult area.

Checked out a comparable 10 day itinerary to one on the Enchanted,  well over $1000. more.    ( Leaning towards Enchanted with that being the kicker )

My DH would justify the difference with “in the big picture over our lifetime would $1000 be a big deal?” lol. I cannot win this argument.  We’d be jumping on Ascent again in a heartbeat.  We do have Enchanted booked for August and I’m sure we’ll have an enjoyable cruise.  Enjoy your cruise!

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, Wishing on a star said:

I still do not think Music Walk would get me to choose HAL over Princess.

And, I wonder if it is true that the actual play-lists are that tightly controlled?

The new Ascent does look amazing!!!   And they do have that wonderful looking adult area.

Checked out a comparable 10 day itinerary to one on the Enchanted,  well over $1000. more.    ( Leaning towards Enchanted with that being the kicker )

From what I have been told by a couple of the entertainers. They were hired as individual musicians and then assembled into a group. Once they were hired they started on learning and practicing the songs from an approved Playlist (the list approved by the brand: BB King, Lincoln Center, etc). They are still learning songs from that Playlist while on board ship. So later in the contract a group will have a more expansive number of songs to choose from, but all have to be approved by the brand that HAL has licensed..

 

Lincoln Center went away when HAL declined to renew the agreement.

Edited January 21 by TRLD

[elaine5]

16 minutes ago, TRLD said:

[I still do not think Music Walk would get me to choose HAL over Princess.

And, I wonder if it is true that the actual play-lists are that tightly controlled?]

....Once they were hired they started on learning/practicing the songs from an approved Playlist

We were on Rotterdam a few weeks ago. The Music walk is fun, but doesn't make up for lackluster headliner entertainment. The Rolling Stones band some fun 80 music and people were dancing on a small dance floor. BB King is a nice jazz/blues band, Billboard is dueling piano singers. All are good for an evening or two. 1 group rotates off each night. You must go at least 45 minutes ahead of 1st show to get a seat, then fairly packed for the rest of the night. They usually play 3 45 minute sets/night. Again, if smoke bother you, almost 1/2 of Biilboard and Rolling Stones are not good, thus limiting seating options. 

Edited January 21 by elaine5

[TRLD]

19 minutes ago, elaine5 said:

We were on Rotterdam a few weeks ago. The Music walk is fun, but doesn't make up for lackluster headliner entertainment. The Rolling Stones band some fun 80 music and people were dancing on a small dance floor. BB King is a nice jazz/blues band, Billboard is dueling piano singers. All are good for an evening or two. 1 group rotates off each night. You must go at least 45 minutes ahead of 1st show to get a seat, then fairly packed for the rest of the night. They usually play 3 45 minute sets/night. Again, if smoke bother you, almost 1/2 of Biilboard and Rolling Stones are not good, thus limiting seating options. 

I think you merged quotes from two different people .  I did not say the first two  line you included in my quote. 

 

Only the last line is something that I actually wrote.

[Lanwood]

22 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Just my opinion (and it's probably not worth 2 cents!) but if you are limited to traveling during school holidays then you're going to have some disappointments on *any* cruise line you pick.

Would generally be true one would think, but like the OP, we found Majestic Princess overrun with kids for both our 2 week cruises the previous year around Xmas, with no where to relax and chill (holywood pool club used to be adults only at one point when we originally sailed on her, but not now) so opted for same cruise last Xmas 5 weeks ago on HAL. Very different experience. While I prefer the Royal class ships to the Vista class, there was next to no kids on HAL for the same cruise at the same time. So very much enjoyed my holiday alot more...

 

Have been rotating around other lines again, and also had a more relaxing time without kids overrunning every square inch.

 

Will probably stick to the other Royal ships that have a sanctuary and outdoor adults pool So have somewhere to go when I need it. But a shame as I liked the adults only indoor pool on Majestic when it was a thing.

[Hlitner]

The first time we ever cruised on HAL (we are now 5* Mariners with nearly 600 days on the line) we were in our early 50s.  I have never forgotten the first night when we went to the welcome aboard show and a cemedian's line was "Welcome aboard to all the seniors and their parents."  Truer words were never spoken, but keep in mind that passenger demographics are determined more by the length (and itinerary) of a cruise line.  Take a long cruise (over 14 days) and you will likely find a majority of folks are retired...because working folks cannot normally spare the time.  On one of our long HAL cruises (62 days) the youngest passenger on the ship was a delightful 22 year old lady who was the traveling companion of her Grandmother.  After that 22 year old (her name was Jennifer) I think the next youngest was likely in their 50s (it was DW and me).

 

Hank

[gknep]

This has been a really interesting thread for me to read. I've been on HAL and NCL multiple times.   We leave on Tuesday for our first Princess cruise. From what I'm reading it sounds like Princess sits in a nice middle ground between HAL and NCL in terms of activity level, entertainment, and service. 

[Hlitner]

27 minutes ago, gknep said:

This has been a really interesting thread for me to read. I've been on HAL and NCL multiple times.   We leave on Tuesday for our first Princess cruise. From what I'm reading it sounds like Princess sits in a nice middle ground between HAL and NCL in terms of activity level, entertainment, and service. 

We are very critical of where HAL has gone (in the past few years) with entertainment.  It started before COVID when HAL decided to completely eliminate "Production Shows."  Instead, they sometimes had an onboard dance company (Step One Dancers) that did a dancing show (no singing).  However, after a few of those shows it all seemed alike.  HAL then decided to eliminate their wonderful piano bars (and players) and on some ships they added a duel piano venue (not truly dueling pianos) where they played limited sets.  More recently, HAL eliminated their Lincoln Center Stage groups (classical music) with those dedicated venues mostly dark in the evening.  

 

HAL did a great job when they decided (about 10 years ago) to start their BB King venues which were pick-up bands that played a variety of rock, BB King stuff, disco, etc.  But now, even that has been eliminated and replaced with their "Rolling Stone Lounge" with something similar to the BB King idea.  HAL is the only major cruise line, we have cruised, where they will sometimes have "dark nights" (with no main entertainment) or simply show a documentary movie (usually a BBC production) in their main theater and call it the main evening's entertainment.

 

Hank

[elaine5]

1 hour ago, TRLD said:

I think you merged quotes from two different people .  I did not say the first two  line you included in my quote. 

 

Only the last line is something that I actually wrote.

yes. merged quotes, yours was only last part. sorry. 

[elaine5]

1 hour ago, gknep said:

From what I'm reading it sounds like Princess sits in a nice middle ground between HAL and NCL in terms of activity level, entertainment, and service. 

I'd say this is spot on. 

[nini]

22 minutes ago, elaine5 said:

I'd say this is spot on. 

I agree, however, we have never cruised Norwegian and probably won't.

[suzyed]

On 1/20/2024 at 10:07 PM, PescadoAmarillo said:

If you love smaller ships, HAL is definitely a better choice. It you really enjoy production shows, Princess is. Live music?  Definitely HAL. Educated, informed destination specialists and enrichment speakers?  Princess. Food and dining ease?  HAL, all the way. Longer, more interesting itineraries?  HAL. Crews are about even. Years ago, HAL crews seemed stiffer, but that’s changed quite a bit. We’ve found them to be as welcoming as on Princess (where they are nearly always great). 
 

I would cruise solely HAL;  DH likes Princess. So we cruise more on Princess but are always watching for HAL cruises that might work for us. 

One day we will try HAL....just wish loyalty status transferred between Carnival Corp. companies.  On HAL, we'll have to start at square one.

[suzyed]

18 hours ago, Hlitner said:

We are very critical of where HAL has gone (in the past few years) with entertainment.  It started before COVID when HAL decided to completely eliminate "Production Shows."  Instead, they sometimes had an onboard dance company (Step One Dancers) that did a dancing show (no singing).  However, after a few of those shows it all seemed alike.  HAL then decided to eliminate their wonderful piano bars (and players) and on some ships they added a duel piano venue (not truly dueling pianos) where they played limited sets.  More recently, HAL eliminated their Lincoln Center Stage groups (classical music) with those dedicated venues mostly dark in the evening.  

 

HAL did a great job when they decided (about 10 years ago) to start their BB King venues which were pick-up bands that played a variety of rock, BB King stuff, disco, etc.  But now, even that has been eliminated and replaced with their "Rolling Stone Lounge" with something similar to the BB King idea.  HAL is the only major cruise line, we have cruised, where they will sometimes have "dark nights" (with no main entertainment) or simply show a documentary movie (usually a BBC production) in their main theater and call it the main evening's entertainment.

 

Hank

Hmmm? This does sound like disappointing changes.   Funny, one of the things that really interested us was the BB King venue, but I guess we would enjoy the Rolling Stone Lounge too. 
We are still pretty loyal to Princess at this time...we enjoy all the entertainment venues and the variety of music available especially on the newer ships. What we grapple with is some of the changes Princess has made in their packages and prices on those packages, even after they were bought and paid for.  They give with one hand and take away with the other, or so it seems to us.

[suzyed]

20 hours ago, elaine5 said:

We were on Rotterdam a few weeks ago. The Music walk is fun, but doesn't make up for lackluster headliner entertainment. The Rolling Stones band some fun 80 music and people were dancing on a small dance floor. BB King is a nice jazz/blues band, Billboard is dueling piano singers. All are good for an evening or two. 1 group rotates off each night. You must go at least 45 minutes ahead of 1st show to get a seat, then fairly packed for the rest of the night. They usually play 3 45 minute sets/night. Again, if smoke bother you, almost 1/2 of Biilboard and Rolling Stones are not good, thus limiting seating options. 

Are you saying they have smoking in the music venues?  Or just nearby?

[Hobby3333]

1 minute ago, suzyed said:

Hmmm? This does sound like disappointing changes.   Funny, one of the things that really interested us was the BB King venue, but I guess we would enjoy the Rolling Stone Lounge too. 
We are still pretty loyal to Princess at this time...we enjoy all the entertainment venues and the variety of music available especially on the newer ships. What we grapple with is some of the changes Princess has made in their packages and prices on those packages, even after they were bought and paid for.  They give with one hand and take away with the other, or so it seems to us.

Rotterdam has all three venues.   BB King, Rolling Stones and the pianos.   The music has been hit and miss at times.   I was on Rotterdam in July and the Rolling Stone band was awesome, B B King good and piano players ok.   In December BB King very good, piano players ok and Stones terrible.  But, music is a lot like food.  What I may enjoy you won’t .

[Hobby3333]

2 minutes ago, suzyed said:

Are you saying they have smoking in the music venues?  Or just nearby?

No one was smoking on either cruise at the venues mentioned 

[Lady Arwen]

7 minutes ago, suzyed said:

Are you saying they have smoking in the music venues?  Or just nearby?

Smoking is only allowed in the casino.  There are no other indoor venues that permit smoking.  Select outside areas only.

[suzyed]

On 1/21/2024 at 3:03 PM, Lady Arwen said:

We’re Elite+ on Celebrity and just sailed on Ascent for New Years.  Simply fabulous!  Celebrity definitely continues to exceed our expectations every time.  Is it more expensive?  Yes.  Worth it to us?  You becha!  However, we do sail HAL when we need a very laidback vacation.  Very enjoyable product which we prefer to Princess.  You certainly can’t go wrong with either Celebrity, HAL or Princess depending on your expectations and your budget.

I have only sailed on Celebrity once and they matched our RCI status so that was nice. I kept hearing how we were going to LOVE Celebrity over Princess and I just never felt like they offered anything beyond Princess....perhaps equal to but for more money.  Honestly, first time sailing on any cruise line, you have to "learn" the ship and the company but didn't feel like Celebrity had more offerings, with the exception of the free drinks in the evening Elite lounge.. (Princess' are discounted rather than free in the lounge) but now if you have a drink package the point is moot.  Bingo was bedlam on Celebrity with them running out of Bingo card and seats to sit in and play....LOL!

I was at a free Elite winetasing on Celebrity and the woman next to me kept raving about how much better  Celebrity is than other cruise lines so out of curiosity I asked what she liked best about Celebrity's offerings and everything she named, was equal to Princess.   So in the end, I have to conclude that each cruise line has their own "flavor" and we just have to find which flavor we like best!

[suzyed]

On 1/21/2024 at 8:39 AM, Lady Arwen said:

Your post made me smile.  We cruised over New Years on Celebrity Ascent, their newest ship, and my DH said “Well,  now we’re home”.  It was wonderful.  No complaints whatsoever.  We are Elite+ and Celebrity loyalty level benefits far exceed Princess.

 

We also have HAL  Nieuw Statendam and HAL Rotterdam booked for 2024 and 2025.  We love the Pinnacle class ships.  We love HAL for providing a very relaxing cruise experience, which we occasionally need.  My DH likes the traditional old time cruise feel.

 

There is a cruiseline and a ship that just fits what you’re looking for at the time.  We will continue to sail with Princess if something suits our fancy.  However, at this time Princess is running third on our list of favs.

Curious...how are the loyalty level benefits better?