Please compare: Princess vs Holland

[Marmarjudy]

All I really, really, want is to sail Princess again, which we will, next July, to Scandanavia.

 

In the mean time, my husband, because of points through work, can get us a Holland cruise, free, for our January 2008 cruise. We are looking at the Westerdam, Eastern Carribean.

 

We did a "free" cruise (with his points) on Carnival, January 2007, and didn't like it, even though we had a suite.

 

To all my Princess friends: will Holland be okay?

 

Please compare, Holland vs Princess!

 

Thanks,

Judy

(20+ cruises here, many cruise lines, Princess wins hands down)

[MercedMike]

LOL -- Princess and HAL are our two favorite cruise lines!

 

Carnival ... UMMM ... Carnival is not ...;)

 

I think you will enjoy HAL very much. That is a nice ship and a nice itinerary and the price is right!!

 

HAL and Princess are comparable in many ways. HAL is perhaps a bit more sedate than Princess, and just a tiny bit more elegant. Food is similar, with each having the edge in certain places -- Princess for pasta, HAL for pea soup! The crews are both wonderful. It takes just a bit to get used to the Indonesians and Filipinos on HAL, after the international crew of Princess, but they are very attentive and eager to please. If you don't try to compare point to point, but accept HAL for what it is, I think you will be pleased.

 

Check out our cruise page in the link below for several reports on both Princess and HAL and I think you will see why they are our two favorites!

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[Princess Chatterer]

I've heard that Carnival passengers party all night, Princess passengers quit partying before midnight and Holland passengers fall asleep at parties. ;)

[Toto2Kansas]

I've heard that Carnival passengers party all night, Princess passengers quit partying before midnight and Holland passengers fall asleep at parties. ;)

 

LOL, we didn't find HAL that bad now, Carnival yes, but HAL no. We have cruised with HAL twice and enjoyed each cruise with them, but I have to admit, they were quite quiet compared to Princess. We really enjoyed the dining room on HAL at our table for two, and the food was very good, although I can't say that much for their buffet offerings. :(

 

I think if you enjoy Princess, you will also enjoy HAL. You never know until you try it, and what better way then trying it with points so if you don't like it, you aren't out that much. Enjoy which ever cruise you decide on.

[Betty anne]

HAL has an older population .It is true it is more sedate. The service and crew are excellent.

If you want to just relax without a lot of frills,or night life, HAL is good.

I love both ships.However,when I cruise with my family(younger set)I cruise Princess.

When I cruise with just hubby,I cruise HAL. I have cruised HAL 5x and Princess 15x

 

 

I don't know if this helps,but it will give you something to think about.

 

I don't know you and your husband's age,as that will determine what you are looking for.

Bettyanne

[Starbright]

I agree. If you like Princess then you'll probably like HAL. We were on the Zuiderdam for 21 nights last September/October and I wish we were there now!

 

HAL is probably a tiny bit quieter than Princess, but we like that. We're not party animals!

 

We love Princess and HAL, and if we were offered a free cruise on either we'd jump at it!! :)

[Sillyjilly]

Holland America has the best food and service, IMHO. However, the ship does fall asleep by 9pm.

I like Princess, but I love Holland. Try it, you'll not regret it!!!!!

 

Jill

[thomasale]

I have been a longtime Celebrity cruiser. Last Oct we took a 10 day southern Caribbean cruise on Volendam. We enjoyed it but not so much that I would hurry and book another HAL trip. the crowd was just a little too quiet for my wife and myself (we are not party animals but like to have a good time...watch dancers, have a few cocktails etc.)

 

This will be our first cruise on Princess and we are really looking forward to it. (CB 7/8/07)

 

To answer your question we would take a free cruise on HAL, for sure, but it would have to be very specific for us to book one with any other options...

 

Concerning our first Princess we will be sure to post a review upon completion!

[messy]

We have not been on a Princess cruise yet but have been on Carnival, RCCL, NCL and HAL. So far our favorite has been HAL. We were on the Noordam for a 10 day cruise. We are in our very early 50's and found the age group was mixed with the mid point being around mid fifties. It was a pretty calm crowd - but that's what we like. Very relaxing cruise. They don't make tons of annoucements (about Bingo every hour).

 

We would take another HAL cruise in a heartbeat. I can't compare it to Princess since next year will be our first time on Princess but we really did enjoy HAL.

[Druke I]

As noted, HAL is probably more sedate (quieter) than Princess.

 

I would give an edge to HAL's food and its presentation.

 

One area that I think Princess has the edge is design of the main show lounges. On HAL's traditional ships, their main show lounge is a dual purpose room with flat floors, which impinges on sight lines. HAL's Vista class ships have sloped floors like Princess.

 

The Vista ships do not have self-serve laundries; their traditional ships do.

 

Princess does have a wider range of itineraries.

[MercedMike]

.... We really enjoyed the dining room on HAL at our table for two, and the food was very good, although I can't say that much for their buffet offerings. :(

 

That's interesting. In contrast, we found the buffet on Grand class of Princess very small and disappointing, with limited offerings. The buffet on the Vista class ships we found truly stunning with a wide variety of food at many different stations, from Asian to Italian to Deli.

[Hoyaheel]

We went on HAL last fall for an 11 day southern Caribbean and are booked on Princess this summer for 7 day Alaska one-way. We would have preferred HAL but they didn't have any balconies we wanted on a one-way itinerary because we booked late. So we chose a tiny Princess ship (Pacific) that doesn't have a lot of the things that apparently regular Princess cruisers like (like personal choice dining) but we thought the small size was a big added bonus. For next year, though, we're booked back on HAL for a 15 day Panama Canal. We like HAL because, even though we're young (in our 30s) there aren't a lot of kids on HAL and we LIKE the quiet. There are things to do on HAL ships at night--shows, piano bar, night club--and we did those things if we felt like it, but mainly we enjoyed couple time together with a bottle of wine on our balcony, etc.:D

 

Now, I'd probably take a free cruise on any line, but I'd jump through hoops to get a free cruise on HAL:p

 

We are looking forward to trying Princess (don't want to upset anyone here) because they do have some interesting itineraries. And they have a couple of small ships, which we seem to prefer.....

[Starbright]

Regarding the theatre on HALs Vista class ships, when we were on the Zuiderdam I remember remarking that they must have won an award for the most poorly designed theatre in the world! There were lots of spots with obstructed views, unlike the theatres on Princess Grand class ships which have no pillars etc in the way. It didn't spoil our enjoyment - we just made sure to arrive early and get a seat with a good view!

 

I agree that the buffet on HAL is wonderful. There's a huge selection of food and the design of the room was good too - plus you can get free icecream all day!!

[plenox]

All I really, really, want is to sail Princess again, which we will, next July, to Scandanavia.

 

In the mean time, my husband, because of points through work, can get us a Holland cruise, free, for our January 2008 cruise. We are looking at the Westerdam, Eastern Carribean.

 

We did a "free" cruise (with his points) on Carnival, January 2007, and didn't like it, even though we had a suite.

 

To all my Princess friends: will Holland be okay?

 

Please compare, Holland vs Princess!

 

Thanks,

Judy

(20+ cruises here, many cruise lines, Princess wins hands down)

 

we are going to Alaska next year. I heard these two companies are the best for that itinery. I want to know which one is better too.

[mafig]

I've heard that Carnival passengers party all night, Princess passengers quit partying before midnight and Holland passengers fall asleep at parties. ;)

 

 

Actually, it's true. We were on Volendam and DH went into a lounge and came out laughingly saying "there's people sleeping in there!" I went to look and sure enough, there were three couples dozing, one couple looked so cute with their heads together.:)

 

However, it was one of my favorite cruises. Great food and wonderful service. Boring entertainment....imo.....and, I guess the opinion of the couples snoozing.:D

[Stevesan]

I'm a long time HAL cruiser who also likes Princess, so I should think it will work the other way okay.

 

An apparent dichotomy: I thoroughly enjoy the 108 grt Grand Princess. From that one might assume a preference for HAL's Vista ships over the smaller S and R class. That's not the case. I much prefer HAL's 60 grt S and R class ships to their larger 82 grt Vista class.

The preceding was a tortuous way to more simply say that I think that GP's interior design is much more intelligent than the Vistas.

 

This is what I wrote on that subject after my trip on Zuiderdam which is, except for decor, the same as Westerdam:

 

Zuiderdam was built and designed for year round Caribbean cruising and the interior motifs reflect this concept. Some areas offer a challenge to navigate; especially the central lounges adjoining the casino on deck two. There are nooks, crannies and small corridors to deal with, somewhat similar to what is occasionally found in the lounge areas of some land resort hotels. Maybe this is what the designers had in mind? The central atrium is smaller than on the S Class ships. This provides more space for the lounges and other public areas, but I miss the larger atrium which I often use as a reference point for navigation.

The Lounges:

The Best:

Crow’s Nest. Great viewing lounge with huge wraparound window located forward on deck ten. Cocktail piano, also theme night music such as 50s & 60s tunes by CD. Explorer’s Lounge. Classical music by The Rosario Strings. This is also the venue for afternoon tea. Excellent snacks and a good selection of teas (save room for the scones!).

The Worst: Queen’s Lounge. So poorly designed that it’s useless for any function. That’s too bad because The HAL Cats, a truly good band fronted by a first-rate vocal quartet, plays danceable music here most nights.

Ocean Bar - Once again, poor design. This lounge is totally open to the atrium losing any identity as a lounge, and the dance floor is too small. For some incomprehensible reason, a divider is installed across the center of the seating area, disconnecting the rear of the lounge from the front. Music is by Meir & Rae Ann on drums and a piano. How eclectic is that? Music is mostly traditional dance: fox trot, waltz, tango, etc.

No Opinion: Northern Lights – Late night activity usually starting at 10PM, mostly disco and light rock. A DJ spinning CDs supplies music. Booth seating surrounds a largish dance floor. Design by Gateway.

There’s also a Sports Bar. Since the signal is international, the TV schedules are mainly soccer. A WNBA game was showing on NFL Sunday afternoon! To be fair, they do pick up Sunday and Monday night NFL games.

The Vista Lounge, The main showroom is forward on decks one and two. This is an attractive room of good design with comfortable seating. Just don’t sit behind one of the many pillars or in the rear of the upper section. Unfortunately, the quality of the shows does not match the setting. The production shows are LOUD. Who decided that loud is good? To paraphrase Shakespeare, let’s kill all the soundmen, too! Following cruise ship tradition there are two production shows. The first was decent, but the second, a review of movie musicals, was near unbearable. Almost every number, including the romantic ballads, was programmed in a hyper, upbeat tempo, making all the tunes sound alike. The show was completely out of sync and boring. The music for the production shows is prerecorded. Did I mention that it is LOUD? The cast was excellent with talented dancers and singers, all completely wasted. We didn’t repeat any shows during week two.

 

The Vista Dining Room: An attractive and well-constructed design. There are two levels located aft on decks two and three. Seating is well organized with comfortable chairs and some banquet tables. Best of all, each dining area has its own galley located immediately adjacent to the dining rooms. Instead of waiting for dumb waiters from a galley below, dishes are more directly served. This means hot dishes arrive hot and cold are offered cold. You do want to avoid seating the far aft section of the lower dining room. When cranked up the Azipod propulsion system delivers a significant vibration. The shaking is primarily felt on the back end of the lower deck. However, it’s only a problem when the engines are pressed. The captain tries to maintain lower revs during dining hours, but there are times they must be turned up. When this happens the place settings won’t dance off the tables, but it’s definitely uncomfortable.

Our cabin:

Since we were on for two weeks I upgraded us from our usual standard outside to a “superior verandah suite” located amidships on deck six. The SS cabin is @ 288sft, and the balcony 100sft. The room is well designed with two queen size beds, which we had put together, a restful full sized fold out sofa, three chairs (one too many), a glass top coffee table, a writing desk and the standard desk. There are plenty of drawers, shelves and closets. The bathroom is large, with a full size Jacuzzi tub, a separate shower stall, double sinks, two medicine chests and a long shelf running under the sinks. The standard outside cabins, as well as the inside (if you don’t mind the dark), are more than adequate in size and design. DVD rentals are available from the front desk. There’s a $25 deposit for each disk.

 

The Passengers: A more diverse age mix than on other HAL cruises. The Zuiderdam is evidently appealing to the younger set. The dress code was universally observed in the main dining room. Formal night saw only a few out of uniform in the other public areas. Over the two weeks, four of our eight tablemates were from Florida, two from NYC and two from Canada. Naturally, there are lots of Floridians taking advantage of the “Florida Resident Discount”.

[cwtravel]

Hi,

I've been on 16 cruises (Caribbean, Europe, Alaska and a fall trans-Atlantic from England to San Juan) with our last cruise in June on the Oosterdam to Alaska. The wife and I are both in our mid-40's. We have also been on the Zuiderdam to the Eastern Caribbean.

 

Both lines are quite good and our Alaska cruise was very relaxing (the standard HAL balcony cabins and beds are great with the Flat Screen TV w/DVD player) but the age demographics, and lack of quality entertainment along with the much more limited dining options will keep the wife and I away from HAl for a while, unless we are with my parents who love HAL. I found service and food to be about equal between the two.

 

This might sound bad, but I believe the older you are, the more appealing (in general) HAL is. If you are under 55 I would suggest Princess over HAL.

 

Chis

[sonomaphil]

Princess has a sea witch logo and Holland has a ship logo. ;)

[sackman]

Not much more to add (so why bother, right?). HAL is my favorite line, but Princess is a close 2nd. If you like one, you should probably like the other, too. If you're getting one for free, just relax and enjoy the trip.

[pwandersen]

I've always enjoyed Princess but booked my last cruise with HAL. Instead of using an agent, I booked directly with HAL many months in advance, assuming HAL would reward us and our guests with great mid-ship locations. Wrong! And it was so sedate onboard that my wife and I (both in our mid-50s), swore we wouldn't sail HAL again. If you're interested only in peace and quiet, then you might enjoy HAL (but an afternoon nap at home would be far less expensive). We plan to stay with Princess.

[Fuzzzy]

Naturally, there are lots of Floridians taking advantage of the “Florida Resident Discount”.

 

What is this?

[Times Prince]

Holland America has the best food and service, IMHO. However, the ship does fall asleep by 9pm.

I like Princess, but I love Holland. Try it, you'll not regret it!!!!! Jill

Tried it and regretted it. :mad:

Sedate didn't begin to describe it, and the food was bland enough it could have been served in a nursing home without any problems.

When we took the cruise, our 21 year old daughter was the only person in her age group on the ship (other than crew - and they weren't allowed to talk with her unless actively serving). It was daunting for her to be in the "disco" with only her and the D.J., who had to buy CD's while in port to get any music!

We did, however, get great service from the wait staff :) , but that didn't make up for the bland food.:p

As you can see from my cruise history, I've never gone back to HAL. I keep looking at reviews for HAL and don't see much changed to entice me to return.

 

Then the fact that the Captain sailed INTO hurricane force winds didn't help. It was our "cruise from HAL" and the only cruise where I didn't feel it was money well spent.

 

Princess on the other hand ...

[jerseygirl3]

As others have said, HAL is quiet, but we were on the Westerdam last January and absolutely loved it. Within about 10 minutes of boarding the ship, it seemed the entire staff knew our name. The service was impeccable. The accommodations were great (bathtub in every cabin). The ship's floral arrangements are outstanding, and the ship itself is very elegant. We're in our late 40's/early 50's and we met others our age and would hang out with them in the evenings. We'd all meet in the Crow's Nest in the evening and we made our own fun. A lot depends on what you are looking for in a cruise. When we go with our four sons (early 20's), they prefer Carnival (and we put up with it for the week). But when it's just DH and me and we want to escape the cold winter, put me on a HAL or Celebrity ship and pamper the heck out of me. We've also done 3 Princess cruises and enjoyed them (only disappointment was Caribbean Princess), but Celebrity and HAL wins hands down as our favorite.

 

We did the Aruba/Curacao/HMC itinerary and absolutely loved it.

[KikiKruiser]

All I really, really, want is to sail Princess again, which we will, next July, to Scandanavia.

 

In the mean time, my husband, because of points through work, can get us a Holland cruise, free, for our January 2008 cruise. We are looking at the Westerdam, Eastern Carribean.

 

We did a "free" cruise (with his points) on Carnival, January 2007, and didn't like it, even though we had a suite.

 

To all my Princess friends: will Holland be okay?

 

Please compare, Holland vs Princess!

 

Thanks,

Judy

(20+ cruises here, many cruise lines, Princess wins hands down)

 

If you are already booked on a future Princess cruise, then it certainly won't hurt to take a FREE cruise on Holland in the meantime! :) Consider it a life lesson!!

They are more similar than they are different, with HAL being more sedate, as a previous poster mentioned.

Maybe your age would be a factor if you are under, say, 45....but I would never let that get in the way of a chance to experience a new cruise line. Especially is it's FREE!! Variety is the spice of life. :)