Have I made a mistake?

[Mr. Oregon]

OK Hal Cruisers - for those of you who have "Been Around The Fleet" and other lines I need some opinions here in case I need to save extra drinking money...

 

We had been considering an Alaska either back on the Amsterdam or Westerdam. At the last minute I had the opportunity to book a mini-suite on Golden Princess instead of our usual Veranda, and thought it would be fun to "Step out"" on another line.

 

Thing is, we already considered the Eurodam a "Big Ship" and now I'm wondering if I'm going to regret my choice.

 

Comments? Suggestions?

[bepsf]

You say "Big Ship" as if that's a bad thing for you.

If so, then Yes - You've made a mistake in booking Princess.

 

But if you like big ships - then you've done fine - because Golden Princess is certainly much larger than Eurodam.

[Mr. Oregon]

I'm not sure yet if big ship=crowded yet or not. It looks like there is more public space on the Golden Princess, so that may just be perception.

 

Any comments from folks about what to expect different from HAL on the Princess ships?

[Roz]

The only "complaint" I've heard about Princess' mega ships is the amount of walking involved, and long lines in certain venues. It's generally been older people and/or those with mobility issues. Don't know if you fall into either of those categories.

 

Roz

[cruz chic]

I went on the Grand Princess in Mar.09. It was my biggest ship to date. I find there was things I liked and didn't like about being on a bigger ship. I would for sure go on a big ship again even though there were a few things that I didn't like namely the overcrowded pool areas.

[san diego sue]

We loved the Golden Princess when we were on her in December. It has since been refurbished. It looked great then so it must be fabulous now. Lots of entertainment all day. Since the ship was very large, the 2600 passengers never felt like a crowd. We love HAL, but will not hesitate sailing on the Golden again. One of our best cruises (14 day). Beds are really firm so if that is not to your liking ask for an eggcrate for the mattress.

[Sea King]

IMHO, go with your final selection

 

obviously, it's what you wanted ..

 

why second guess yourself at this stage

[NetwrkEng]

OK Hal Cruisers - for those of you who have "Been Around The Fleet" and other lines I need some opinions here in case I need to save extra drinking money...

 

We had been considering an Alaska either back on the Amsterdam or Westerdam. At the last minute I had the opportunity to book a mini-suite on Golden Princess instead of our usual Veranda, and thought it would be fun to "Step out"" on another line.

 

Thing is, we already considered the Eurodam a "Big Ship" and now I'm wondering if I'm going to regret my choice.

 

Comments? Suggestions?

 

 

We liked the Star which is a sister ship back in 04. Only problem we had was in the Horizon Court which is their buffet area. Due to the layout and sheer numbers it was a mess at peak times and should be avoided.

[RedmondCruiser]

No you have not made a mistake. A mini suite on a Grand Class ship is a very nice cabin. We have done two Alaska cruises with Princess and they do a very nice job. You will not be disappointed and you will have a good time. Once you have booked don't second guess yourselves and just have a good cruise.

[Beowulfpk]

You will have a good time. I enjoy RCCL's even bigger ships all the time. The trick is if you see a large line up for something look around and see if you see a shorter one or come back later. People tend to all go to one place at the same time.

[byucougs]

We have been on both the Grand and Golden Princess and they are great.Although they are "big" ships, the layout of these ships seem spacious and not crowded.

 

We love their mini suites. Overall service is great.The room service and room amenities (such as bedding, robes) are not as good as HAL, but you will enjoy Princess.

[Mr. Oregon]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I suppose it's the Brits who have the "if you see a line get in it, it must be something good" mentality. We will avoid this temptation:p

 

Looking forward to a new cabin style. We have sailed every type of HAL cabin except a penthouse, so this will be a fun change.

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

I'm a believer that cruise lines have more in common than differences. I have sailed on the Caribbean Princess and Vista class. I like both lines and will let price and route be my deciding factor.

 

I do believe that I liked the lay out of the Vista better. The Caribbean Princess wasn't as user friendly....... ie, not all elevators go to all floors, etc... Also, our VA in the Aft of Vista was infinitly nicer than a BB Aft on the CB. In addition, know that the balconies on the mini suites on the Grand Princess ships aren't as large as the balconies on HAL suites.

 

With that being said, I thought that overall food was better on the CB (very subjective). I liked MUTS much more than I anticipated, and absolutely thought that the flexibility of hours for dining on Princess was wonderful. The CB had 4 pools (all freshwater) and two were reserved for adults only which was a huge benefit.

 

I would sail either line again without hesitation. Enjoy your cruise~

 

Cheryl :)

[Mr. Oregon]

The only "complaint" I've heard about Princess' mega ships is the amount of walking involved, and long lines in certain venues. It's generally been older people and/or those with mobility issues. Don't know if you fall into either of those categories.

 

Roz

 

Actually, the walking is probably a good thing considering the way we eat on board. I don't have any mobility issues before a cruise, but sometimes for a few weeks after...:eek:

[byucougs]

 

I do believe that I liked the lay out of the Vista better. The Caribbean Princess wasn't as user friendly....... ie, not all elevators go to all floors, etc... Also, our VA in the Aft of Vista was infinitly nicer than a BB Aft on the CB. In addition, know that the balconies on the mini suites on the Grand Princess ships aren't as large as the balconies on HAL suites.

Cheryl :)

 

The Caribbean Princess has an extra deck of staterooms, thus more crowds/people. We never felt like there we had long walks or long lines on either the Grand or Golden Princess. As far as balconies, I felt like the Hall V stateroom balconies were smaller than Princess mini suites balconies. Oh well, I'll need to plan another Princess cruise so I can measure the difference :-p :D