The two undisputed titans of premium cruising and Alaska exploration. Compare mid-size intimacy, Glacier Bay access, Yukon cruisetours, and suite enclaves to determine your perfect match.
While sister companies under the Carnival Corporation umbrella, Holland America and Princess preserve distinct guest cultures, dining programs, and ship architectures.
Compare unhurried boutique cruising with 4,000+ passenger high-energy mega-liners.
Holland America avoids mega-ship overcrowding. Embarkation is swift, dining rooms are serene, and you always find a padded teak steamer chair to watch tidewater glaciers.
Princess features larger resort vessels with lively multiple-story atriums, extensive family amenities, and the high-tech wearable Princess Medallion device.
Compare Holland America's 80 years of proprietary land infrastructure with Princess lodges.
Holland America owns the custom McKinley Explorer train, the 68-acre riverside McKinley Chalet Resort in Denali, and stands alone as the ONLY line sailing into the deep Yukon Klondike.
Princess offers wilderness lodges across Alaska (Copper River, Mt. McKinley, Kenai) and animates onboard life with street buskers and champagne waterfalls in the central Piazza.
Compare certified fresh port-to-plate seafood and aged steaks with classic shipboard dining.
Holland America elevates culinary standards with 80+ varieties of fresh fish served within 48 hours, pop-up Morimoto By Sea, and the iconic Pinnacle Grill steakhouse.
Princess features the popular Crown Grill steakhouse, Sabatini's Italian Trattoria, and the MedallionClass OceanNow app for food and beverage delivery anywhere onboard.
Compare private interior concierge lounges with open-air cabana retreats.
Neptune and Pinnacle Suite guests enjoy the exclusive keycard-only Neptune Lounge, personalized concierge assistance, complimentary laundry/pressing, and Club Orange VIP dining.
Princess offers The Sanctuary, a top-deck adults-only relaxation zone with plush loungers, cabanas, signature cocktails, and soothing massage treatments (daily fee applies).
"When clients ask me to choose between Holland America and Princess, I look at ship scale and land tour depth. If you want a true mid-size ship where you never wait in long lines, savor authentic fresh seafood prepared by Morimoto, want to combine Alaska with the Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon, or value complimentary suite laundry, Holland America is the clear winner. Princess is wonderful if you love wearable Medallion tech and high-energy atrium street shows. For Alaska cruisetours, Holland America's McKinley Chalet and Denali Square are simply magnificent."