Travelgirl2007 Posted March 27, 2007 #1 Share Posted March 27, 2007 We have reservations on HAL for the July 15, 2007 cruise to Alaska. With kids 9 and 13 (we are in our early 40s) we are worried that HAL will be too sedate with not enough activities. Which is better for us Princess or HAL? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toto2Kansas Posted March 27, 2007 #2 Share Posted March 27, 2007 Well, some of this depends on which HAL ship you have booked. We noticed when sailing on one of the newer HAL ships that there were many more children onboard then on the older ship we sailed on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOAT N BOB Posted March 27, 2007 #3 Share Posted March 27, 2007 We have been to Alaska twice,(going again in May), all on Princess and we did notice there wasn't too many kids on the ships, but there is an area for them to go to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercedMike Posted March 28, 2007 #4 Share Posted March 28, 2007 We have reservations on HAL for the July 15, 2007 cruise to Alaska. With kids 9 and 13 (we are in our early 40s) we are worried that HAL will be too sedate with not enough activities. Which is better for us Princess or HAL? Cruised last summer to Alaska on Zuiderdam with two teens in our party. They had a great time, spent some time in the teen club and lots of time with the family. Check out our pics and review at The Halls cruise to Alaska Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomica Posted March 28, 2007 #5 Share Posted March 28, 2007 They shouldn't have a problem on HAL regardless of ship, but they'll probably find more to do on the Zuiderdam/Oosterdam/Noordam simply because they're larger & have more facilities geared towards kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr green Posted March 28, 2007 #6 Share Posted March 28, 2007 I would favour Princess. Their ships have more balconys, [ only cruises where we use them], and their tours are better, in my opinion. john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzin girl Posted March 28, 2007 #7 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Last Sept. we cruised to Alaska on the Zaandam.(our first w/hal). I loved it! Our two sons 19 and 22 were also with us and it may have been a little too slow paced for them although they still enjoyed themselves. I thought that the service was the very best that we have ever had at sea. Everything else rated up there with our Princess cruises some things even better. I do admit that I did miss the personal chice dining that Princess offers though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelgirl2007 Posted March 28, 2007 Author #8 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Thank you everyone for your insight. We are booked on the Noordam. I guess we'll keep our reservations in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoyaheel Posted March 28, 2007 #9 Share Posted March 28, 2007 I did an Alaska cruise on HAL when I was 13--I enjoyed myself (as much as a teenager on vacation with parents will admit to enjoying herself:p ) We tried to book a HAL cruise this summer but balconies were sold out on the cruises we want so we're on Princess. But Pacific Princess, so no "anytime" dining that Princess passengers seem to enjoy (doesn't bother me, I liked the traditional HAL dining set-up--I'm a pretty staid 33-yr old :rolleyes: ) Unless there's a hugely compelling reason for you to change your plans (price, itinerary) I'd go ahead and stay on HAL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tetons Posted March 28, 2007 #10 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Have cruised on Star Princess and Ryndam to Alaska. Absolutely no question what so ever, preferred the whole Princess experience much more than Holland America. We chose the Ryndam due to itenerary and the smaller size of ship for some people travelling with us. The size of ship may have made the difference to me because I am used to having lots of activities at night to choose from which really weren't available. Only cruise where I spent more time on the balcony at night than any cruise simply due to lack of activities. However, the food was about the same. Had horrible waiter but great window table so it was worth keeping. Holland charges 2-3 dollars each night for shrimp cocktail if it is not on the menu. I have one every night on Princess and every other cruise line I have been on including RCI and Disney for free. The crew is also just different. I much prefer Princess over Holland. Maybe when I am in 70-80's I would enjoy the slower pace of Holland. Rooms were equivalent. Smaller tender boats on Holland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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