We have some friends that want to take their first curise (about 60 years of age). They want to go to Alaska next summer. <BR> <BR>They have friends that "love" Holland America. We have taken 2 Princess cruises and like what they do. <BR> <BR>Any suggestions for our friends on the differences or advantages on one over the other for Alaska? Thanks, Anew.

I've been on 3 Princess cruises and 3 on Holland America.The differences I believe are quite a few.I'm in my mid <BR>50's so I'm not for Carnival or a party <BR>boat.Holland America's entertainment is <BR>really bad, Princess is much better.Food on Princess I believe is better, it is more flavorful and alot more what American's are used to eating. <BR>The robes and refrigerators in the cabins are a nice addition on Princess as well as the optional choice dining that is now being offered.Now for Holland America, they have a no tipping policy which is nice, even though most people still tip.The smoking is not as bad on HAL ships as on Princess, sometimes walkways on Princess is nothing but a fog of smoke as they designate one side of the ship for smoking.HAL is a much more elegant formal line, much more reserved.I believe the service on HAL is not as good as it used to be several years ago.Also a big plus, I believe you can get a much better bargain money wise on Princess.Shop around they really discount. I hope this helped. I think if it was me I would go on Princess.

Dear Anew: Sailed HAL-Noordam last year &amp; Crown Princess this summer, both smaller boats in each of these lines. I vote for Princess. Food: HAL's food on our Med tour was extremely salty on most dinners; desserts looked great, but had limited flavor; salads were great. Princess' food was much much better, although someone else said the guest chef on their HAL cruise in Alaska was better than Princess. Service Staff: HALs Filipino/Indonesian staff was very gracious, and the critics are right that you could possibly have trouble understanding them. We were ok because we live in San Francisco and are used to the accent. Princess' Romanian trained diningroom staff was sensational, attentive &amp; fun. Wow. Rooms: For far less money, we got a better room on the Crown Princess than the HAL Noordam. The Noordam is older and smaller and showers leaked into hallways, old tile in bathrooms; smaller bathrooms; darker lighting in rooms. I think the Crown was about the same age as the Noordam, but in far better condition. So, compare the newness or most recent renovation date and size of the ships you are considering for Alaska. Bigger ships have more entertainment options. Princess had a greater variety of age groups. Refrigerators: In advance of departure, we requested &amp; received a frig for our room on the Noordam, but the ship likes to favor those who need them for medicine. The Princess has friges. We choose the Noordam for the itinerary, not the food/stateroom/service so the experience was fine, but Princess was a lot better. Depends on the ship you choose. A guidebook, Unofficial Guide to Cruising, provides pros/cons about individual cruise ships. I think it's the same book that tells you which rooms to avoid. Check out that section in the bookstore, but pick a book that criticizes and doesn't make everything sound great, as some books do.

We were also on the Noordam Med. cruise last summer. We also sailed on the Crown Princess. I totally disagree!!Noordam is much older than Crown Princess, but very lovely for her age.<BR>I felt the food on both lines is very comparable. However,the HAL lunch buffet is far superior to RCCL, NCL, or Princess. The variety was unbelievable for lunch. We also chose Noordam for the itinerary, but we (and many others we met) were very pleasantly surprised. Also, the tours were very well run. Princess' also is excellent with the tours. <BR><BR>After 15 cruises, sailing all over the world, I say choose your itinerary and ship ---don't worry about the cruiseline.

Linda and I agree. Choose your itinerary and your ship, and don't make your decision by the overall name of the cruise "line". Ships vary greatly. I would add that I enjoyed the Noordam, but the tiles were chipping in the showers, and 3 bathrooms in our hallway leaked onto the carpet the whole trip. The beautiful deck that circles the entire ship makes up for those problems. The boat was made in '84 and it's an old fashioned, wide deck. Great for strolling. Our local bus guide in Malta skipped Mdina and some of the other highlights of the countryside tour in order to take us shopping where she spent our time cross selling jewelry on behalf of the store. But...those things happen on any cruise, not just the Noordam. Crown Princess had local tour guide problems too. Stuff happens. The cruise critic books state that the Noordam vibrates a lot, esp near the stern and on slow turns. This is absolutely true if you are between the middle and back of the ship (Room 898). Our friends near the the bow had no problems. The books I suggested, and sites such as mytravelco.com; cruisecritic.com have more details for you also.

Holland and Princess are both nice and you should be pleased with either. Overall, I prefer Royal Caribbean and especially Celebrity.