Princess cruiser thinking about HAL to BDA

[SueseaQ]

I love sailing Princess, but am thinking about HAL to Bermuda in 2010. I would like to know about the similarities and differences in both lines. I love Bermuda but would not sail NCL again, so I'm considering HAL. I would appreciate any input especially on the following:

Cabins

Food (style)

Service

Cappuccino and ice cream free or extra

Thanking you in advance for any assistance,

SueseaQ

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

I love sailing Princess, but am thinking about HAL to Bermuda in 2010. I would like to know about the similarities and differences in both lines. I love Bermuda but would not sail NCL again, so I'm considering HAL. I would appreciate any input especially on the following:

Cabins

Food (style)

Service

Cappuccino and ice cream free or extra

Thanking you in advance for any assistance,

SueseaQ

 

Hi, having been on various lines to Bermuda over the years, hopefully I can help. The food on HAL is about on par with Princess. The cabins on HAL, I believe have a little more room. The service on HAL was much better than on Princess. I know you can get cappuccino for free in the dining room on HAL. I'm not sure if the Veendam will have free ice cream since she is in dry dock and having majoy changes. If you like Princess, in my opinion you will LOVE HAL. As to the issue of HAL having an older crowd, I believe it depends on the itinerary. Cruises from NY to Bermuda usually have a wide range of ages, with a majority of families with children over the Summer. Hope this helped.

[Jade13]

I love sailing Princess, but am thinking about HAL to Bermuda in 2010. I would like to know about the similarities and differences in both lines. I love Bermuda but would not sail NCL again, so I'm considering HAL. I would appreciate any input especially on the following:

 

Cabins

Food (style)

Service

Cappuccino and ice cream free or extra

 

Thanking you in advance for any assistance,

SueseaQ

 

Ice cream is included. You do not pay extra! HAL is also owned by Carnival and supposed to be premium to Princess. Also, on HAL you can have hot meals served in your stateroom and I understand this is not available for breakfast on Princess.

[the2ofus]

On HAL ships, ice cream and frozen yogurt with a wonderful array of toppings is served free in the Lido for extended times during the day. You'll find the info about serving times in the daily program.

 

And...be sure to look for the wonderful bread pudding and custard sauce at lunch in the Lido every day.

[SueseaQ]

Thank you all for your help. I have been wanting to sail to (and be docked for a few days only in) Bermuda again for a long time. Last cruise on Crown Princess docked in Bermuda for some hours only 1 day, too much of a tease for me as Bermuda is my favorite island. I think I probably will book on the Veendam for my next trip, from what you have all contributed, I don't think I can go wrong. Thanks again.

Sue

[Sirdar]

DW and I sailed many times to Bermuda aboard the old Pacific Princess and despite its shortcomings loved the small size of the ship and the excellent service. That standard made us Princess fans. Having sailed the much larger Carribbean Princess last summer we were very unhappy with the size of the ship and the resulting crowding and lack of personal attention. With this in mind we have booked Veendam for a Bermuda cruise in 2010. We have sailed Veendam twice before (Baltic, Western Carribbean). The ship at 55,000 tons is right sized for Bermuda and permits dockings in Hamiliton and St. Georges which will enhance the experience for most travellers. The specter of some Celebrity, NCL and RCl megaships being docked at West End is very unappealing from the crowding perspective and the competition for transport to other parts of the Island. Veendam is a very well appointed ship with good food (certainly comparable to Princess) but with much less of the mass market feel to it. While some cabins will be added after the refit, I suspect that this will not detract from the overall experience which much more reflects the gentility of traditional cruising versus the floating apartment buildings that the larger ships have become.

[Pam in CA]

If you like Princess, you'll like HAL. There are some things HAL does better, some things Princess does better but overall, they're pretty equal. Some things I like about HAL are the hot hors d'oeuvres in the lounges at cocktail time, you can order a full breakfast, lunch or dinner through room service, and the bathrooms are a bit bigger. Things I didn't like about HAL is that the buffet closes down for lunch at 2PM. Yes, you can get a hot dog, hamburger, a salad or a sandwich but no hot lunch. If you want to eat in the Lido for dinner, it closes down tight at 8PM, and if you send something back to be cooked longer or want more salad or dessert after 8PM, you're SOOL, so you really need to be there by about 7PM or shortly afterwards. While the HAL Lido is nice and you can get made-to-order food, on an early port day with most people getting off, it's horrific. You're better off ordering room service.

 

Overall, I think the service on HAL and Princess are pretty even; neither is better than the other. In the past year and a half, I've had "OK", bad and awful service on HAL, "OK", good and great on Princess. IMHO, cruising on HAL is very much like cruising on one of the smaller Princess ships, such as the Royal/Pacific/Tahitian Princess. The cabins are a very similar size and the feeling of intimacy and service is pretty much the same. Oh, and there's plenty of free ice cream on Princess. The only for-charge ice cream is the specialty ice cream near the pool. I thought the ice cream and pizza on HAL was pretty bad; the ice cream had ice crystals in it and the pizza, even fresh from the oven, tasted like warmed up frozen stuff. Taste is subjective but IMHO, the pizza on Princess is light years better.

[powderhorn]

Susie,

I just did back top back cruises on the Ruby Princess and the Eurodam in February. I posted a comparison. I think it will help...:) Try this link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=935345

[SueseaQ]

From what I'm reading here I think I will like HAL. It sounds like a more "traditional" cruise experience which I really like (memories of the Home Lines in the 80's). Never to return to NCL and not too interested in RCL, and wanting to cruise to Bermuda only, I think HAL sounds like a wonderful fit.

Powderhorn, I enjoyed reading your comparison, very well done.

Pam in CA, you're right about the pizza on Princess, it is out of this world!:)

Thank you all again for your very helpful input.

Sue

[cruz chic]

If you like Princess, you'll like HAL. There are some things HAL does better, some things Princess does better but overall, they're pretty equal. Some things I like about HAL are the hot hors d'oeuvres in the lounges at cocktail time, you can order a full breakfast, lunch or dinner through room service, and the bathrooms are a bit bigger. Things I didn't like about HAL is that the buffet closes down for lunch at 2PM. Yes, you can get a hot dog, hamburger, a salad or a sandwich but no hot lunch. If you want to eat in the Lido for dinner, it closes down tight at 8PM, and if you send something back to be cooked longer or want more salad or dessert after 8PM, you're SOOL, so you really need to be there by about 7PM or shortly afterwards. While the HAL Lido is nice and you can get made-to-order food, on an early port day with most people getting off, it's horrific. You're better off ordering room service.

 

Overall, I think the service on HAL and Princess are pretty even; neither is better than the other. In the past year and a half, I've had "OK", bad and awful service on HAL, "OK", good and great on Princess. IMHO, cruising on HAL is very much like cruising on one of the smaller Princess ships, such as the Royal/Pacific/Tahitian Princess. The cabins are a very similar size and the feeling of intimacy and service is pretty much the same. Oh, and there's plenty of free ice cream on Princess. The only for-charge ice cream is the specialty ice cream near the pool. I thought the ice cream and pizza on HAL was pretty bad; the ice cream had ice crystals in it and the pizza, even fresh from the oven, tasted like warmed up frozen stuff. Taste is subjective but IMHO, the pizza on Princess is light years better.

I agree 100% with what you are saying. They are pretty much equal in my eyes despite the fact that many believe that HAL is a premium line.

[herb]

We've had a great time on Princess... and really enjoyed our Holland America cruise as well.........no need to worry :D

[SueseaQ]

My daughter (will then be 21) and niece (will then be 22) are considering coming along on this cruise (Veendam to Bermuda early summer 2010). HAL has the rep of being geared toward an older crowd, but I wonder if the time of year and destination might change the demographics a bit. Will they find others their age and venues onboard that they can enjoy?

Thanks again,

Sue

[herb]

My daughter (will then be 21) and niece (will then be 22) are considering coming along on this cruise (Veendam to Bermuda early summer 2010). HAL has the rep of being geared toward an older crowd, but I wonder if the time of year and destination might change the demographics a bit. Will they find others their age and venues onboard that they can enjoy?

Thanks again,

Sue

 

no need to worry... summer sailing + Bermuda = KIDS :D

[SueseaQ]

Thanks Herb, they'll be happy to hear that.

Sue

[innlady1]

Thank you all for your help. I have been wanting to sail to (and be docked for a few days only in) Bermuda again for a long time. Last cruise on Crown Princess docked in Bermuda for some hours only 1 day, too much of a tease for me as Bermuda is my favorite island. I think I probably will book on the Veendam for my next trip, from what you have all contributed, I don't think I can go wrong. Thanks again.

Sue

 

You'll be very happy with HAL, Sue. We're relatively new to cruising; our first one was on Princess. We then tried HAL out of NYC (Noordam) and that was it for us! There are many similarities...but in many, many areas, HAL is a step up. And, wail til you try the dream beds! They're divine! HAL itself is exceptional for the price; the fact that it will dock in St. Georges, then Hamilton, is such a bonus.

 

We've always done land vacations in Bermuda, and I've so wanted to cruise...but just wasn't willing to give NCL or RCCL a try. Too many negatives in my mind.

 

Needless to say, I was thrilled when the news was released that HAL will resume cruising to Bermuda!