HAL/Celebrity comparisons

[JORAY]

One plus for frequent cruisers is Celebrity's cocktail time from 4 to 6 pm: free drinks for those who have cruised ten times on Celebrity or RCL (elite or diamond). This perk pretty well ends the need to bring your own on board.

Other than the near smoke-free-environment on Celebrity, the other aspects of your cruise will be comparable. You can have a negative experience or a fantastic cruise on either line.

 

One comment on HAL freguent cruises get -- A 50% discount on specialty restaurant surcharges, wine packages†, beverages in the Explorations Café† and all mini-bar purchases -- (All wine & drinks soft/Hard in mini-bar)

 

We have had 12 cruises on "X" I agree you can have a good or negative time on either

[KAYEF]

I'm really excited to try Celebrity (Infinity) for the first time. Posts have assured me that the two lines are very similar.

Thanks, everyone, for your input.............

and

I love that quote from UP COUNTRY!;)

[Jade13]

One comment on HAL freguent cruises get -- A 50% discount on specialty restaurant surcharges, wine packages†, beverages in the Explorations Café† and all mini-bar purchases -- (All wine & drinks soft/Hard in mini-bar)

 

We have had 12 cruises on "X" I agree you can have a good or negative time on either

 

Yes, but on HAL you need 200 DAYS to get the good perks. 75 Days to be their second highest tier.

 

Well, on Celebrity, we are going on our second cruise with them, first was a 5 night and second will be a 4 night and we are already "Select" which is their second highest tier. How crazy is that? They combined our Azamara cruise, so OK third cruise with a RCCL brand. We are the second highest tier after 19 days. Because it is a 4 night we may or may not have some of the following, wine tasting, cocktail party with Senior Officers, priority boarding, 2 items each free pressing. We could get a discount on laundry but of course will not need on a 4 night as well as 25% on an internet package.

[JORAY]

Yes, but on HAL you need 200 DAYS to get the good perks. 75 Days to be their second highest tier.

 

Well, on Celebrity, we are going on our second cruise with them, first was a 5 night and second will be a 4 night and we are already "Select" which is their second highest tier. How crazy is that? They combined our Azamara cruise, so OK third cruise with a RCCL brand. We are the second highest tier after 19 days. Because it is a 4 night we may or may not have some of the following, wine tasting, cocktail party with Senior Officers, priority boarding, 2 items each free pressing. We could get a discount on laundry but of course will not need on a 4 night as well as 25% on an internet package.

 

I am sorry if I hit a hot spot.

 

I was only commenting on the "frequent cruisers" & drinks part. Not on a real comparison discussion.

 

Both programs have their Pro & Cons and how you get to the different levels.

 

We have been Elite (Max level) with "X" for years (12 cruises) and will be 4 star (Max level) with HAL in 2 years (5 cruises because HAL gives you a point for every $300 you spend on ship including OBC's, Hotel charges ($22/day) & etc to reach the 75/200 nights/points level)

 

We were a little disapointed with "X" on our last two cruises and tried HAL and now like HAL better (a personal comment)

 

There are pro's & con's for both.

 

Ray

[C 2 C]

There are pro's & con's for both.

 

 

Ray

 

Does HAL's program give any free internet?

[RuthC]

Does HAL's program give any free internet?

No, and this, too, has it's pros and cons. Sometimes it takes what seems like forever to connect and change screens. The more people attempting to use the computers, the longer it takes.

[Sir PMP]

HAL/Celebrity comparisons

 

HAL , thks to management in Seattle, is on a rapid decline..

Celebrity is getting better..

[C 2 C]

No, and this, too, has it's pros and cons. Sometimes it takes what seems like forever to connect and change screens. The more people attempting to use the computers, the longer it takes.

 

What is the "con" for us getting free internet?

I know that shipboard connections are slow but we would get 2 X 90 minutes free on Celebrity and no free time on HAL. Since I do keep in touch by email, what is the cost of 180 minutes of slow internet time on HAL?

[RuthC]

What is the "con" for us getting free internet?

You quoted the "con" I posted. The more people with free internet, the more people trying to use the internet. The more people trying to use it, the slower it is. It's slow enough already.

 

For 180 minutes on HAL I would purchase the 250 minute package. That would cost $3.95 to set up, plus $100 for the minutes. (that's $0.40 per minute cost). I would also purchase the package on the first day, getting an extra 20 minutes bonus.

People who I trust to know about such things compare HAL's internet speed to that of dial-up.

[C 2 C]

For 180 minutes on HAL I would purchase the 250 minute package. That would cost $3.95 to set up, plus $100 for the minutes. (that's $0.40 per minute cost)..

 

Thank you. I wanted to know what my Celebrity elite perks were worth. Together with our free drinks, we're saving about $200-300 for a comparable cruise.

[AJD]

The free Internet time Xcellent describes (Hi Arno!) gives me plenty of time to check E Mail a couple of times a day, download my crossword and do necessary web checking/searching. So it provides a noticeable saving. I save Web time by composing mail offline, avoiding connecting at peak times and asking people to avoid sending me large attachments.

[Gone_Again]

I liked HAL better than Celebrity and so much better than NCL. I found the dining on Celebrity to be a little over the top for us. I love the beautiful MDR meals don't get me wrong, but I didn't like the people that constantly hovered over you, wiping away crumbs and filing the water glass after each sip you took. Some people really enjoy this, but it just wasn't for us. I like having attentive dining staff, but this was a bit distracting.

 

I found HAL to have great service. With HAL we got exactly what we were looking for. It's wonderful!

 

Oh - we were also on the Summit, and the week we were supposed to go it had to go for drydock. I see they still haven't solved this problem. Once we re-booked, it was a great time none the less.

[Jade13]

:confused:We have almost 100 days on HAL and have sailed on Princess and NCL as well but are looking at a Celebrity cruise. Would any of you who have sailed both HAL and Celebrity please tell me some differences I might note if we chose this C. cruise, please. I know the cabins are smaller.

Thanks.

 

Some things we like (better) on HAL:

 

Crew

Pre-cruise customer service (Seattle), "Guest Relations"

Formal Tea for Everyone (Royal Dutch & Indonesian. Note on Celebrity you need to be "Elite" and get a special invite for Elegant tea in the dining room - or Muranos specialty restaurant)

Galley Tour for All (On Celebrity you need to be "Elite" and get a special invite for back stage tours)

Larger staterooms with bathtub (On Celebrity even concierge class only had showers)

Elemis products for all (on Celebrity shampoo and conditioner is in dispensers in the shower, although we were Concierge class and received the upgrade of Elemis shampoo & conditioner in the (larger) bottles, but no sharp shower gel or facial soap).

Fruit basket in staterooms

Real Flowers around ship and in the bathrooms (Celebrity had plastic)

Artwork (Eclectic collection - Celebrity was 20th Century American as I recall.)

Production Shows (much better than Celebrity whose shows and dancers were geared toward the comedy)

multiple Kitchen Demos (Celebrity did one also but in the theater)

Better Food than Celebrity in MDR

Better Buffet than Celebrity

Better pool grill than Celebrity

Bingo game to win a free cruise on HAL (not offered on Century 5 night)

Midnight Dessert Extravaganza and/or Food Bazaar (on Eastern Med Cruise). Nothing like this offered on Century, but note that we were on a 5 night.

Outdoor Buffet (offered at least once on each of our HAL cruises). Not offered at least on the 5 night cruise.

Bread Pudding

Yum Yum Man with ginger and treats

 

 

What Celebrity has or does better (Note that I have only been on Century):

 

5:00pm Sushi Bar

Aqua Spa Cafe for lunch (no charge, hidden gem)

Better Past Passenger program, "Captain's Club" (if don't have 200 days on HAL).

Better music around the ship

Better prices - 4 and 5 night mini-cruise round trip from Miami. Makes for a great extra vacation with good pricing so you can take either your-self or teenagers for approx $300.00pp in an Inside stateroom.

RCCL/Celebrity/Azamara Ship's Shore Excursions are less expensive than HAL's

"Welcome Aboard" with your names on the TV screen when you enter and you can check your onboard account on the TV.

 

Now, Azamara is a different story. If you had asked me about Azamara, and specifically Quest, I would tell you it is the best cruise experience we have ever had.

[Duane T]

Great Information (on both pro and con points) on both cruise ship lines. I was on Celebrity Equinox Holy Land (best cruise/cruise ship I've been on so far) last year and I'm planning on going on the Niew Amsterdam on July 14. The Celebrity's No-Smoking Policy seems to be the one big benefit for non-smokers.

[iancal]

We just got off the Equinox on Monday. It has been some time since we were on a Celebrity ship. We have been on most other lines. This was the nicest ship (to our tastes) that we have ever been on. Embarkation and disembarkation was first rate-no wait-almost like checking out of a hotel and dropping off the keys. Entertainment was the best that we have every had on a cruise ship (we walk from most shipboard shows) to date. The entertainers appeared frequently at different venues throughout the ship. There were a number of enrichment talks on this 10 day cruise, we attended two series consisting of 4 and 5 lectures respectively. Service was impecable and the staff would not pass you by without an acknowledgement. The staff appeared very attentive to the threat of Noro and this impressed us to the point where we were very careful.. we did not use handrails, public restrooms, etc. and we were very careful at the buffet. Cannot say if our high level of satisfaction was attributable to the cruise line or to the ship's management/crew. We did however notice that the ships officers were out and about every day. We got stopped mid voyage and asked if we were enjoying the cruise and we asked about specific aspects such as food, cabin, service, and entertainment. This impressed us as we have not seen this very often in the past and certainly not to the same extent. The food was very good and our balcony cabin was fine...the balcony seemed larger that what we have had in the past on some other ships. We started out with fixed seating and then switched to Select, Celebrity's version of anytime dining. This worked well for us. We had no trouble making 6:45PM reservations every day after switching. Never had to wait for a table. Room service always showed up within 15 minutes of placing an order. We had Oceana in our sights but may change and try Azamara now. As as added plus, they arranged to air the final Olympic men's hockey game in the theatre.

[iancal]

The other item that we really enjoyed on the Equinox was the flat screen TV and the associated on line programs. Everything from booking restaurants, room service, menus, shore excursion booking info, on board charge account, thru to on demand movies and repeats of the enrichment lectures. Very cool. They got the software right.

[Diane Rose]

I have been reading through this post and others and am starting to question whether I made the right decision. I had to rebook a cruise for DH and myself that I had booked on the Solstice in September. In reviewing options on HAL and X for the week in March that we have moved to, the rates on X went up substantially. I was able to book a superior verandah suite (389 sq ft) on the Eurodam for slightly more than a concierge class verandah (248 sq ft) on the Solstice. This cruise on HAL will bring us up to the 2-star level, but we are already select on Celebrity.

 

The cruises are both Eastern Caribbean, HAL leaves on Saturday and X leaves on Sunday. HAL goes to Turks and Caicos and Half Moon Cay while X goes to St. Maarten.

 

We have enjoyed both lines. I have not done enough research to know whether the ports matter. I am wondering if we should really be concentrating more on one line to get to the higher award levels quicker.

 

I think the only comment I have read on the differences that really bothers me is smoking on balconies on HAL. If this is a problem, it would bother me.

 

Any thoughts/opinions? Thank you for any help.

 

Diane

[cruie4ever]

HAL Plus: Library including on-going jigsaw puzzle, free cappuccino availability at dinner, liberal policy regarding bringing wine on board...

 

I thought they don't allow you to bring on board your own wine. Do they not x-ray luggage like other lines?

 

We have sailed both Celebrity & HAL . BTW we can get free cappuccinos in the MDR at dinner time .

 

Many things have been mentioned except the Celebrity Loyaly program . The loyaly program on Celebrity is the best of all the main line cruise programs . Go to http://www.celebrity.com & check out all you get for the Elite level ;which is only 10 cruise credits (not 10 cruises) you get 2 credits for a 14 night cruise ,one credit if in concierge cabin ,aqua class or csuite . If you live in or near to Florida they run 4 & 5 night cruises . The cruise credits pile up fast .

 

The new Soltice class ships are imo the best cruise ships at sea .

 

We do like HAL for all the reasons above & we are sailing Rotterdam May 10th SD to Vancouver & certainly look forward to wining more Dam Dollars . Then we transfer to Celbrity Millennium Concierge Class (cabins are a lot larger) .

 

HAL does have a more liberal wine policy ;but ,we get 2 hours of free cocktails /wine ie daily .Part of the Elite perks we earned .

[Wanderlost]

I agree with the previous post. The Celebrity loyaly program is exceptional. We love Celebrity and had planned to only cruise on their ships once we discovered the Century and Solstice but there are so many others and so many trips----. The best feature of Celebrity is the no-smoking policy but we do love HAL and think their ships are beautiful. Just choose the best itinerary and enjoy the ride. No matter what line you are on, focus on that moment when you walk on board the ship and realize you are entering into a vacation where the most difficult decision will be what to eat for dinner or whether to have a margarita or martini. :cool:

[Diane Rose]

In reading a bit more, it seems that most say that nightlife/entertainment is better on the Solstice. DH and I really enjoy the shows, piano bar and dancing, particularly 70's and 80's music. Is the entertainment on Eurodam really disappointing?

 

On the other hand, both times we have booked a superior verandah on HAL we were upgraded (once at no cost and more recently for a small upgrade fee). Being in a Deluxe Suite really makes a difference.:)

[Jade13]

One comment on HAL freguent cruises get -- A 50% discount on specialty restaurant surcharges, wine packages†, beverages in the Explorations Café† and all mini-bar purchases -- (All wine & drinks soft/Hard in mini-bar)

 

 

Yes, but most people will never have over 200 days, or by the time they do years from now the policy/program will be different. I was invited to a free wine tasting class, Back Stage Tour and Bridge Tour on our 3rd cruise (2nd on x, so had only been on one x cruise and one Azamara cruise). On our next (second) Azamara cruise we will have some free internet daily.

[Jade13]

We have sailed both Celebrity & HAL . BTW we can get free cappuccinos in the MDR at dinner time .

 

Many things have been mentioned except the Celebrity Loyaly program . The loyaly program on Celebrity is the best of all the main line cruise programs . Go to www.celebrity.com & check out all you get for the Elite level ;which is only 10 cruise credits (not 10 cruises) you get 2 credits for a 14 night cruise ,one credit if in concierge cabin ,aqua class or csuite . If you live in or near to Florida they run 4 & 5 night cruises . The cruise credits pile up fast .

 

The new Soltice class ships are imo the best cruise ships at sea .

 

We do like HAL for all the reasons above & we are sailing Rotterdam May 10th SD to Vancouver & certainly look forward to wining more Dam Dollars . Then we transfer to Celbrity Millennium Concierge Class (cabins are a lot larger) .

 

HAL does have a more liberal wine policy ;but ,we get 2 hours of free cocktails /wine ie daily .Part of the Elite perks we earned .

 

The Azamara loyalty program is even better and through 2010 all Celebrity points will be combined.

[Jade13]

We have sailed both Celebrity & HAL . BTW we can get free cappuccinos in the MDR at dinner time .

 

Many things have been mentioned except the Celebrity Loyaly program . The loyaly program on Celebrity is the best of all the main line cruise programs . Go to www.celebrity.com & check out all you get for the Elite level ;which is only 10 cruise credits (not 10 cruises) you get 2 credits for a 14 night cruise ,one credit if in concierge cabin ,aqua class or csuite . If you live in or near to Florida they run 4 & 5 night cruises . The cruise credits pile up fast .

.

 

Right and with HAL you need over 200 days.

[world~citizen]

HAL Eurodam represents an evolutionary improvement from previous classes. Celebrity Solstice represents more a revolutionary change.

 

HAL risks becoming boring, Celebrity making a big mistake it might be difficult to recover from.

 

You pays your money and takes your pick. I thing HAL does smaller ships better. Celebrity does the newer bigger ships better.

 

Still, you can't go wrong with either.

 

Smooth sailing...

[Diane Rose]

HAL Eurodam represents an evolutionary improvement from previous classes. Celebrity Solstice represents more a revolutionary change.

 

HAL risks becoming boring, Celebrity making a big mistake it might be difficult to recover from.

 

You pays your money and takes your pick. I thing HAL does smaller ships better. Celebrity does the newer bigger ships better.

 

Still, you can't go wrong with either.

 

Smooth sailing...

 

DH and I do like the smaller ships. I specifically remember on HAL the crew learning your name. On X that may have happened, but I remember their ships more.