A HAL cruiser looks at Princess

[cruznon]

Dave,

Thank you so much for your review/comparison. We're giving Princess a go in just a few days. We nearly chose the Dawn, but the Golden Princess rooms were larger in comparison--with bigger verandas.

I do appreciate your thoughts on food, entertainment and the beds. I've been told that the Golden has new bedding, so we'll see. But I know we'lll miss the HAL beds! (I just couldn't resist the idea of sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.:) )

[liv2cruise4ever]

Dave,

Thank you so much for your review/comparison. We're giving Princess a go in just a few days. We nearly chose the Dawn, but the Golden Princess rooms were larger in comparison--with bigger verandas.

I do appreciate your thoughts on food, entertainment and the beds. I've been told that the Golden has new bedding, so we'll see. But I know we'lll miss the HAL beds! (I just couldn't resist the idea of sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.:) )

 

Peggy,

 

Only one more week!!!

Dave, you did a wonderful job describing the differences in HAL and Princess. I have not sailed X yet. I enjoyed reading this.

 

Peggy, having sailed on the Zuiderdam in a SS suite, I also miss the size of the rooms and verandas. We'll talk in a week or so....:D

 

Heading out of the GG again......:cool:

John

[hammybee]

I sail most mass- marketed cruise lines but have yet to sail with Princess for no particular reason. Given, I generally agree with your compare/contrast with X, I probably would walk away with the simialr perceptions of Princess.

 

All three are different , not necessarily better or worse, and finding the one that suits us best is half the fun.

 

Thank you for making the time to organize and share your perceptions with all of us.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Our most recent cruise was HAL 10 day Ryndam cruise to Mexico from 3/23 to 4/2/2007. My wife and I agree (based on 17 cruises) that while HAL does an superb job of providing you with an enjoyable cruise, we will most likey not go on another HAL cruise again.

 

The Ryndam is a lovely ship, with spacious cabins, excellent food, excellent service, and very good entertainment. So why do we want to go back to Celebrity or RCCL? A major part of cruising to my wife and I, is the interaction that we have with the crew. It is great fun to talk with young people from all over the world (and senior staff) and especially to make them laugh. I got the feeling though that the Indonesian and Filipino crew members are worked very hard on the Ryndam. I also had the sense that the Ryndam is a modern version of a colony...upper income whites primairly from the USA and Canada having a great time while young people from a third world country do their best to cook, clean and serve. I also did not like the attitude of many passengers on our cruise, who treated the crew in what I felt to be a very condescending manner and sometimes outright rude and mean spirited. Maybe it is that this Ryndam cruise had an older population, many of whom apparently still believe that brown skin Asians are, shall we say, less than smart and capable? And on this cruise there was a huge number of retirees and though my wife and I are semi retired, we have found that persons who are still employed at least part-time and for the most part more interesting to be with.

 

I am not slamming HAL in any way and if you have booked a HAL cruise you will have a great time. My opinion really doesn't matter but I thought that I might share with you my experience. For my wife and I, it is back to RCCL, Celebrity, and Princess unless there is some place that HAL goes that we want to see.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

Fred

[hammybee]

After 17 cruises with HAL, you are going back to X and RCL? Well that OK in my book. I like variety too.

 

To do so because of the way some retired pax treated the crew on one sail, does not make sense. The crew on all ships work hard and the pax on all ships tend to be fairer, than not. Pax board with their biases and assumptions intact and a sometimes a few choose to act upon them. This unfortunately happens on all cruises.

[arzz]

Thanks for the time, thoughts and insights. Our next cruise, in June from Honolulu to Papeete is on the Tahitian Princess -- chosen for itinerary, and timing since we are traveling with friends who are not yet retired like we are. We are so comfortable on HAL, there is always that lingering thought that we may have made a mistake to do a different cruise line. You have eased my mind. I now believe that we will have a good trip.

[cruisinbulldog]

Don't write off Princess so quickly, folks. IF the itinerary were right (such as, say, leaving from San Francisco) or not offered by HAL (like Tahiti) or if the pricing for one of their small ships (smaller than Prinsendam) was good then we wouldn't hesitate to sail with them again.

 

Agree,it is always good to keep a open mind.. I have had two great cruises on Princess, but will look at HA first.. The HA crew and the more traditional cruise ships are more to my liking..

 

Bulldog

[slotl]

dakrewser,

We were on the March 10th Dawn Princess Mexican Riveria cruise. My DH and I are also "experienced" cruisers who prefer to travel on Princess or HAL. We have not sailed on Celebrity or Oceana (these ships sail on itineraries where we have already sailed). which we hear are also good.

 

My first comment deals with the Princess coffee. It is swill to say the least. The dining room food is excellent, the service was excellent, the dessert was ok, but to finish off a wonderful meal with Princess's decaf coffe......UGH. It destroyed the entire dining experience.

 

I went to the head matre' d to "complain". He admitted that Princess uses syrup as their coffee served in the dining room and lido buffet. If you want "brewed" coffee, you had to pay for it in the Pastaterra (sp?) coffee bar. I really think this extra charge for "brewed/drinkable" coffee has gone too far.

 

We had a "simple" balcony room and found our room to be much smaller than a "simple" balcony room on HAL. Our Princess room did not have a couch, just the bed, office chair, and a small "regular" chair in front of the glass doors. Our patio was also VERY small (but private).

 

My DH and I prefer the smaller more intimate ships to the larger mega-liners of today. So, a 77,000 ton ship was "huge" to us.

 

We had been to this itinerary about 20 years ago and were looking forward to how things might have changed. Bottom line - wow!!! have these cities grown.

 

I did want to comment on the tours. We booked 3 ship tours and found two to be not worth the money:

1. Mexican cooking lessons in Acapulco. Cost: $74 per person.

-- Tour took approximately 20 passengers on two mini-bus to the Acapulco Crowne Plaza. We were introduced to the chef and asked to sit around a "U" shaped table. At the head of the "U" was a small table top grill and a table containing pre-cut vegetables and pre-prepared sauces.

 

-- The chef demonstrated how to make margaritas. Chef-made margaritas were shared by all the passengers. One passenger made a small batch for himself and partner.

 

-- Chef asked someone to help scrape and mash avocados for guacamole. Chef mixed in some pre-cut stuff, passenger continued to stir. Chips and guacamole were offered to all attendees.

 

-- Chef grills a skirt steak (pre-marinaded). A passenger comes up to "prepare" the one plate, rolling the taco, spooning the pre-cut lettuce, onions, beans, and tomatoes onto the plate, then decorating the plate with chips. After the passenger concluding dressing the ONE plate, 19 pre-prepared plates appear from the kitchen served by waiters. I don't remember if beer was offered, but there was no mention of what was included (drink-wise) with lunch. We had our margarita to keep us happy

 

-- Dessert - what would you like on your ice cream after it is scooped from the 5 gallon container?

 

-- Leave hotel for drive to shopping. Received a folder containing marketing material about the hotel and a "certificate" for the lesson. A receipe booklet (measurements in metric system) in portion size for 10 people.

 

-- Return to ship.

 

2. Tiles, Tequilla, and Hacenda in Puerta Vallarta. Cost: $39 per person (including lunch).

 

My objection with this tour was the marketing and selling of Princess approved stores. If you remember, the Dawn "shopping advisor" Jo, had a desk, his own TV channel, many scheduled events to talk about shopping. It was a BIG advertisement for Princess approved stores. TOO MUCH!!

 

This tour STARTED with a 45 minute shopping stop to the Princess approved stores. We were told that the location of these stores was "out of the way" on our return trip, so we went shopping first.

 

Went around Puerta Vallarta to see a church (big surprise visiting a church) and city hall. Then another 45 minutes to walk around downtown Puerta Vallarta and shop (again pointing out the Princess approved stores).

 

On to the tile place. This was really nice to see them hand make the tiles, but....another shopping opportunity.

 

Then to the Hacienda for lunch. Make your own tacos, with beer and soda provided. A very nice lunch.

 

Then the tequilla factory (at the Hacienda) and an opportunity to purchase tequilla at very INFLATED prices.

 

This tour was priced very well, but too much advertising by the tour guide.

 

We are from Atlanta, but most of the passengers were from California, Vancouver, and Victoria. It was interesting to see the difference in the passenger make-up on a Mexican Riveria cruise vs. a Caribbean Cruise. Again, we are more familiar with longer cruises (to exotic locations) on smaller ships where the passengers are from all over the world and are very "traveled" and interesting to talk with.

 

We definitely enjoyed our Dawn Princess cruise, but it did not compare with our experience on the Pacific Princess to the Orient last June. The Pacific Princess has a passenger capacity of 690 and by the end of the cruise, all the passengers "know" each other....and of course, the crew knew everyone by name.

 

Our next cruise is the Star Princess to Antartica in Jan 2008 (again the itinerary was the deciding factor). This is r/t Buenos Aires with very little of South America. The HAL version of this is Rio to Valpariso. My DH and I did not want to tour South America, we really wanted to focus on the Antartica and Faulkland Islands. The Star is a HUGE ship. It will be interesting to see our satisfaction level on the mega-liner.

 

But, like you, bottom line.....we would rate HAL #1 and Princess a close #2.

[dakrewser]

Thanks for the time, thoughts and insights. Our next cruise, in June from Honolulu to Papeete is on the Tahitian Princess -- chosen for itinerary, and timing since we are traveling with friends who are not yet retired like we are. We are so comfortable on HAL, there is always that lingering thought that we may have made a mistake to do a different cruise line. You have eased my mind. I now believe that we will have a good trip.

 

Be sure and tell us about that cruise - it's one we're considering for a couple of years out....

[dakrewser]

Two more posts in this comparison series, this one a "catchall" for things not covered in the others.

 

Chairs. I mentioned that the cabin chairs on Infinity were superior to those on Oosterdam, and so were those on the Dawn Princess. Oosterdam had lots of annoying seats whose tops hit the small of your back (if your 6 feet or taller), there were none that short on Dawn Princess or Infinity.

 

Hand sanitizers were everywhere on Dawn Princess, the asst. maitre d’s in the dining room, in fact, had spray bottles for those who missed the sanitizer stands. These were virtually non-existant on Infinity, with the Oosterdam having them at dining areas and the foot of the gangway – just not quite as many as the DP.

 

Show lounge sight lines - one of the biggest disappointments on Oosterdam - there are seats in the lounge where you can only see a small portion of the stage! There are no "obstructed view" seats on Infinity and only one or two on Dawn Princess.

 

Announcements on Dawn Princess are handled pretty much the same as on the Oosterdam – safety announcements could be broadcast everywhere (even into the cabin) but standard announcements (daily navigator’s report, tendering announcements, whale sightings, etc.) were only heard on public decks or on one of the TV channels. The Infinity wasn’t as “announcement friendly.”

 

Cappuccino. HAL's - in the Neptune Lounge, the Windstar Cafe and in the Dining Room - wins hands down. Dawn Princess has so-so coffee in the dining room, but charges for cappuccino everywhere, a real drawback. And while you can get free coffee in the Horizon Court 24 hours a day, you will be charged $1/cup if you order it from any of the beverage stewards throughout the ship. On Infinity, The regular coffee in the Trellis DR was better than the cappuccino! A very big plus for HAL.

 

Blankets & beach towels – there are no deck blankets on Princess at all. Beach towels are in your cabin (2 of them) and are replaced as necessary. HAL’s method of having towels at the pool and by the gangway as well as having blankets available on all open decks is far superior.

[dakrewser]

The Dawn Princess, like the Infinity, sailed from and returned to San Francisco’s pier 35. Our experience at the pier was much better with Princess but this might be colored by four things:

1) we’d already experienced the madhouse on Infinity

2) there was only one ship in port on embarkation day (2 for Infinity

3) there was only one ship in port on disembarkation day (again 2 for Infinity)

4) we used a car service rather than drive to the pier

 

The experience in San Diego for the Oosterdam cruise was much better.

 

EMBARKATION – The actual embarkation procedure on Princess was much smoother than either HAL or X. On entering the terminal we were directed to a check-in line with only a handful of folks already waiting. We handed in our pre-printed “boarding pass” and in a few seconds were in the line to actually get aboard. This was mightily hampered because there was no way to easily walk around the single photographer taking boarding pictures, a decided negative for Princess (as all of their photo shenanigans would be). Once aboard, we were neither greeted nor shown to our cabin but had to figure out for ourselves where to go. It’s not difficult, but is far below the experience on HAL (or X). A couple of hours after boarding our steward knocked on the door with two glasses of champagne for us. Infinity didn't give me a glass of "champagne" on boarding (although I could have claimed one from the steward if I tripped him) but did escort me to my cabin. HAL Didn't give me champagne, either, and didn't escort me, but would have if I had asked. But I knew the way!

 

Our luggage was delivered within 2 hours of boarding and long before muster drill. X suite perks supposedly included priority delivery of luggage. While we boarded at 12:30, luggage didn't arrive until after we sailed, showing up around 5:45. On Oosterdam, we boarded around noon, went to the Lido for lunch, and found our luggage waiting (in our suite, not in the hallway) when we returned. Everything was unpacked and put away before lifeboat drill. Big plus for HAL.

 

Still, I've left the worst for last: disembarkation.

 

Princess, like X, forces you to vacate your cabin and find a public space to perch in while you await the announcement that you can leave. This after customs & immigration force you to line up to show your passport to some flunky who barely looks at it. Still, Princess gave us a schedule (mostly based on where your cabin was) of when to show up at the Vista Lounge for passport control. The line to see Immigration on the Infinity was longer than those on HAL & Princess put together! The agents were at the port side doors of the theater with a line that went across the back of the theater, out through the photo gallery, through the casino, doubled back through the casino, through the photo gallery, around the other side and back through the gallery and the casino again! Now, the casino was difficult to move trough at the best of times - very tight walk spaces. But in addition to these lines, there were also people trying to get to the Casino, to the Theater and to Michael's Club (on the port aside between the casino and photo) which were their designated "debarkation lounges". It was a miserable, tiring, warm & nasty experience on X and more of a slight inconvenience on Princess. Contrast this with the Oosterdam, where we could stay in our suite until our group was called to leave the ship.

 

Up until that last morning, this comparison was pretty even: some things were much better on Princess (entertainment, beverage service), others were better on Infinity (Food, Wine) while some were much better on Oosterdam (Art, flowers). Some were marginally better on one or the other. But that last morning tipped the balance to HAL. Nothing beats being able to relax in your cabin waiting for that inevitable call to go out and face the real world again.

 

We'll sail on Princess (and Celebrity) again, if the itinerary and the price are right. But of the six cruise lines we've sailed, they rank no better than #3:

 

1) Renaissance

2) HAL

3) Princess

4) Celebrity

5) Norwegian

6) Carnival

 

If I've overlooked something you're interested in comparing, please ask and I'll try to answer.

[the2ofus]

Dave,

Thanks for your very organized, thoughtful review. Your Princess experience very closely mirrors our experience on Regal Princess ten years ago. At that time I rated Princess as Holiday Inn-at-sea, with the exception of the entertainment in the show lounge which was pretty good and on a par with HAL. Seems things haven't changed a whole lot in ten years.

 

One thing you haven't mentioned is the pushy attitude of bar staff. Maybe that has changed? On Regal Princess, bar stewards were very aggressive around the pool. In the lounges we didn't feel welcome if we weren't ordering drinks. Never have had that happen on HAL.

 

It might be an odd personality quirk of mine, but I have rarely gotten friendly with staff on any of my cruises. Yes, I enjoy cheerful and friendly interaction whenever I encounter staff, but I shy away from engaging them in lengthy conversation because I feel I am interfering with their work schedule.

 

One of these days, if the price and itinerary are right, I might try Celebrity thanks to your, and others', comparisons.

[sail7seas]

Thanks for a terrific comparison.

I very much enjoyed reading it and based upon the things that matter most to us and our own personal experiences on both Princess and "X", we'll be staying with HAL.

 

Not to say Never on the others, but very highly unlikely.

 

Plain and simple.......we love HAL and HAL's crews and ships. Perfect? Of course, not but they sure do try hard to make it as perfect as they can. What in life is ? ....especially these days. ;)

 

 

[slotl]

In 1997 we took this cruise on the "old" Star Princess. It was 12 days beginning in Papeete with stops in Morea, Bora Bora, two days at sea, Christmas Island, two days at sea and then 4 Hawaiian islands ending in Honolulu.

 

We used our own independent transportation to Papeete (using frequent flyer points). Our luggage from Atlanta to LA somehow never made it to our LA to Papeete leg. We had NO LUGGAGE for 9 of the 12 day cruise. The luggage sat in LA airport until the "next flight" to Papeete (which is not daily). It was an experience to remember. It wasn't funny then, but now........... The thing that really frosted my cookies was the attitude of fellow passengers on formal nights. The ship loaned me a tuxedo, but I was still wearing my tennis shoes and no makeup. BTW, women don't fit into men's shirts and tuxedo jackets very well.

 

That said we had a wonderful time. It was a great itinerary and someday we may do it again.

 

The Tahaiian Princess and the Pacific Princess are both Rennaisance "R" ships, so they are exactly the same. When we were on the Pacific Princess we booked room 6090 in the back of the ship. It is a balcony room flanked by two suite rooms. We had a HUGE deck and a wonderful view. I would book that room again. There are 4 rooms like that, two on the 6th floor and one on the 7th floor. If you book the Tahitian Princess, see if you can get one of those rooms (unless you go for the higher priced suites), you won't be sorry.

[Casshew]

I'm enjoying your comparisons, I have never tried Celebrity or HAL, nice to hear the differences.

[SForman]

Dave, great job. Thank you very much.

[Katink]

Thank you for your thorough and thoughtful postings. As we've just made reservations for our first Princess cruise in November, your observations are most welcome and timely. We've sailed HAL several times and feel like we're "home" when we board. At the very least, they've become the basis for comparison for our other cruises.

 

Thanks again.

[Fredr]

Hello,

 

Hammybee, I have been on 17 cruises. I have sailed on all of the majors- Celebrity, Princess, RCCl, Carnival and HAL but not NCL. The ultra deluxe such as Crystal do not appeal to me (though I admire fine food and service and I am sure that the ultras are worth every penny spent fro a luxury cruise).

 

And you are right that there are rude passengers on all ships, and that other cruise lines work their employees very hard. However, on other cruise lines the social stratification does not seem to be as oppressive as I felt and observed on the Ryndam. Maybe it is because I can remember what it was to work in menial jobs with little hope. An affordable college education led to better things but the past is sometimes very difficult to forget.

 

As always, I enjoy reading your posts.

 

Fred

[hammybee]

Hello,

 

As always, I enjoy reading your posts.

 

Fred

 

And I, your posts.....

 

(Sorry to the OP for going off topic with Fred)

[melissasneu]

Dave,

 

Your comparison was very well thought out and organized. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and found that although I have sailed different ships and different itineraries than you have, I am in complete agreement with you in every category. We are sailing on the Carribean Princess this Sunday and we are trying traditional seating with Princess for the first time (had freestyle 3 times) and hope that the traditional seating will improve our experience. In the Fall, we are trying Carnival for the first time on their new Freedom ship to the Western Med. we will see what they have to offer. Looking forward to seeing HAL itineraries for 2008. Curious if you have sailed the Northern Europe itinerary and if so which line did you cruise?

 

Melissa

[dakrewser]

One thing you haven't mentioned is the pushy attitude of bar staff. Maybe that has changed? On Regal Princess, bar stewards were very aggressive around the pool. In the lounges we didn't feel welcome if we weren't ordering drinks. Never have had that happen on HAL.

 

We found them direct, rather than pushy. They'd always take "no" for an answer, but were quick to suggest "upgrading" (to a double, a higher priced brand, etc.). Still, our last couple of HAL cruises it was almost necessary to run and tackle a steward in order to get a drink :rolleyes:

 

melissasneu: We did the Baltic on the Prinsendam last summer. Check our web site for notes and pictures. It was, both ship and itinerary, the best cruise we've ever had.

 

slotl: We very much want to try the Tahitian Princess but it may be 2009 before we get the chance as next year may well be a "no cruise" year for us.

 

Here's one picture DW took, by the way, which epitomizes why WE cruise ;)

 

[babyher]

Excellent review and comparisons Dave

 

Thank you for taking the time to share it :)

[melissasneu]

Dave,

 

DH and I tried to book the Baltic cruise last year on the Prinsendam but it was sold out. I enjoyed your pix and notes. I hope to be able to sail the Prinsendam to the Baltics next summer. Your itinerary was my favorite itinerary and the Prinsendam is a unique ship and we would love to sail her.

 

Melissa

[dakrewser]

Dave,

 

DH and I tried to book the Baltic cruise last year on the Prinsendam but it was sold out. I enjoyed your pix and notes. I hope to be able to sail the Prinsendam to the Baltics next summer. Your itinerary was my favorite itinerary and the Prinsendam is a unique ship and we would love to sail her.

 

Melissa

 

It's definitely worth waiting for....

[innlady1]

Don't write off Princess so quickly, folks. IF the itinerary were right (such as, say, leaving from San Francisco) or not offered by HAL (like Tahiti) or if the pricing for one of their small ships (smaller than Prinsendam) was good then we wouldn't hesitate to sail with them again.

 

I agree, dakrewser. We're looking at itineraries for next winter. I must say, I like the itinerary on Emerald Princess for their 10 day cruise. I want to do HAL, but the itinerary on Emerald is hard to beat!