Observations on HAL "vs." Celebrity

[deserttraveler]

I've had to good fortune to sail on two ships from each line (Solstice and Infinity, Statendam and Rotterdam) in the past year, and would sail again on either line in a heartbeat.

 

I found the food quality to be even across the two lines, with HAL taking the edge on meat and fish and Celebrity on desserts and breads. Celebrity ice cream was a little better quality (less air, slower melt), and the toppings were better. Creme brulee was not to be found on HAL except in Pinnacle Grill, and their version was not to my taste. In my experience, food was a bit better on Infinity than on Solstice, and on Statendam than Rotterdam.

 

The libraries on Statendam and Rotterdam were WAY better than either Celebrity library.

 

Internet service was about the same on both lines, all ships, and it was nice to be able to read the New York Times online free on HAL. Their supposedly free access to the HAL website must have been a joke, as it was never available in my 17 days onboard.

 

Murano on Solstice and SS United States on Infinity had a better product than Pinnacle Grill on Statendam, although this can come down to what we ordered. I did not try PG on Rotterdam.

 

Yes, the service on HAL is more "smiley" but not more efficient or effective than the service on X. At the same time, this friendliness might inspire the HAL passengers to be more friendly in return, a good thing. Much more difference between individual staff (restaurants and cabin care) than between ships or lines. Bartenders on both HAL ships seemed more businesslike than friendly, while the ones on Celebrity were more outgoing. This might have had to do with Celebrity's option for adding to the tip, which did not seem to be available on HAL.

 

Drink and wine prices (especially with wine card) seemed slightly lower on HAL. And on HAL you can bring aboard all the wine you want.

 

I only attended one or two shows each cruise, and found them comparable across the two lines: fair to middling. Neither as good as on my one cruise on RCCL.

 

I hope that HAL will catch up with X's better TV system, including room service and account checking from your cabin.

 

And, for those of you following developments on the Statendam, the ship is in GREAT shape. Only oddity was the 12 days it took them to rip up and reinstall the tile floor outside the pool grill, such that the taco bar and condiments, etc., were unavailable until day 13 of a 14 day trip. The grill guy was pretty grumpy about having to hand out the condiments from his little window!

[HappyInVan]

"I hope that HAL will catch up with X's better TV system, including room service and account checking from your cabin."

 

Good point!

 

I was a little surprised that it wasn't done after the drydock refit. As I recall, I was on the Sea Princess in 2002 and they had something like it.

[debsjc]

Thanks for your post. I have thought about taking Celebrity as an alternative to HAL, but not got around to it yet. However I think if the route, and price was attractive I would give them a try.

[JWJs]

Thanks for the comparison between X and HAL. Nice job. Glad the Statendam was in great shape! :)

[Jade13]

"I hope that HAL will catch up with X's better TV system, including room service and account checking from your cabin."

 

Good point!

 

 

.

 

I agree with this too.

[GeriatricNurse]

I've had to good fortune to sail on two ships from each line (Solstice and Infinity, Statendam and Rotterdam) in the past year, and would sail again on either line in a heartbeat.

 

I found the food quality to be even across the two lines, with HAL taking the edge on meat and fish and Celebrity on desserts and breads. Celebrity ice cream was a little better quality (less air, slower melt), and the toppings were better. Creme brulee was not to be found on HAL except in Pinnacle Grill, and their version was not to my taste. In my experience, food was a bit better on Infinity than on Solstice, and on Statendam than Rotterdam.

 

The libraries on Statendam and Rotterdam were WAY better than either Celebrity library.

 

Internet service was about the same on both lines, all ships, and it was nice to be able to read the New York Times online free on HAL. Their supposedly free access to the HAL website must have been a joke, as it was never available in my 17 days onboard.

 

Murano on Solstice and SS United States on Infinity had a better product than Pinnacle Grill on Statendam, although this can come down to what we ordered. I did not try PG on Rotterdam.

 

Yes, the service on HAL is more "smiley" but not more efficient or effective than the service on X. At the same time, this friendliness might inspire the HAL passengers to be more friendly in return, a good thing. Much more difference between individual staff (restaurants and cabin care) than between ships or lines. Bartenders on both HAL ships seemed more businesslike than friendly, while the ones on Celebrity were more outgoing. This might have had to do with Celebrity's option for adding to the tip, which did not seem to be available on HAL.

 

Drink and wine prices (especially with wine card) seemed slightly lower on HAL. And on HAL you can bring aboard all the wine you want.

 

I only attended one or two shows each cruise, and found them comparable across the two lines: fair to middling. Neither as good as on my one cruise on RCCL.

 

I hope that HAL will catch up with X's better TV system, including room service and account checking from your cabin.

 

And, for those of you following developments on the Statendam, the ship is in GREAT shape. Only oddity was the 12 days it took them to rip up and reinstall the tile floor outside the pool grill, such that the taco bar and condiments, etc., were unavailable until day 13 of a 14 day trip. The grill guy was pretty grumpy about having to hand out the condiments from his little window!

 

"I hope that HAL will catch up with X's better TV system, including room service and account checking from your cabin."

 

Good point!

 

I was a little surprised that it wasn't done after the drydock refit. As I recall, I was on the Sea Princess in 2002 and they had something like it.

 

I agree with this too.

 

 

Having cruised with X twice, I can attest to the benefit & convenience of being able to check your account on the t.v. in the stateroom! HAL should do the same!:)

[Cinder Again]

I've cruised both too, and they each have good and not so good points...the one area that HAL beat X hands down for me was the beds...no comparison IMHO!

[drcpa]

Thanks for your insight...you addressed the real life questions that I have about the 2 lines.

We sailed the Med last year on the Solstice and I would have to struggle to find anything negative to say about the ship and the overall experience.

We have a Sept. 2011 cruise planned on the Rotterdam and while I'm sure it will be equally as nice, in the back of my mind I am wondering how it will compare.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to compare the 2 cruise lines.

 

I also agree that HAL should update their TV system where we can view our accounts on board and see the daily menus as well.

[bellebaby]

I've cruised both too, and they each have good and not so good points...the one area that HAL beat X hands down for me was the beds...no comparison IMHO!

 

I agree with this and the comment regarding interactive TV for room service/account updates on X.

 

Love the wrap around promenade deck on HAL... really miss it when sailing on X.

 

I also prefer X's smoking policy... Sorry, HAL's smoking policy is a turn-off.

 

B

[Himself]

It would be interesting to get Laffin Vegas' opinion on which was better.

[LynnObie]

It would be interesting to get Laffin Vegas' opinion on which was better.

See Lisa's thoughts on X vs HAL as she wrote in post #14 of this thread. :)

[Taxguy77]

I've cruised both too, and they each have good and not so good points...the one area that HAL beat X hands down for me was the beds...no comparison IMHO!

 

Absolutly! Best of any cruiseline I've been on (About 5).

[Maverick430]

Thanks for your insight...you addressed the real life questions that I have about the 2 lines.

We sailed the Med last year on the Solstice and I would have to struggle to find anything negative to say about the ship and the overall experience.

We have a Sept. 2011 cruise planned on the Rotterdam and while I'm sure it will be equally as nice, in the back of my mind I am wondering how it will compare.

 

Sorry to hijack this thread. You asked me about my experience on the Solstice this month on another HAL thread. I never got to reply to you and the thread was since locked. Here is my review on the Solstice.

 

This was our seventh cruise overall and our second time with Celebrity. We cruised previously with Princess, Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival, and Holland America. Our first experience with Celebrity was beyond expectations, so we embarked on the Solstice with even higher expectations.

Once on board, we were greeted with a glass of champagne and then went directly to our room. Our room was very clean and well maintained. Our room was a verandah cabin on the Vista deck. While in our room, we met our room steward, Bernardo. While many aspects of this cruise did not live up to our expectations, Bernardo was well above our expectations and continued to impress us throughout our vacation.

The ship itself was very well maintained. However, my wife and I noticed some of the bathrooms were dirty. There was oxidation on the wood, probably due to sea spray. While this is common, it is something we did not observe on our previous ships.

Service - Service was very slow in the MDR. On our first night, they served a desert with crème puffs filled with praline ice cream. My wife asked for just praline ice cream and she was told by our server that he did not know if that was possible and needed to consult the chef. As far as I am concerned, they had praline ice cream, so it did not seem like a drastic request. On previous cruises, we were escorted to our table and my wife’s chair was pulled out for her. This did not happen on the Solstice the first several nights. We spoke with the maître d’ and were moved to a smaller table with a new server, Luis. Luis was amazing. He did everything right and made up for some of the shortfalls we experienced and witnessed. One evening, we showed up twenty minutes late for dinner due to a family issue at home. When we entered the MDR, we noticed our table was gone. It was discovered later that the table was used by other passengers. After several minutes of confusion, we were escorted to a different table away from Luis. Other than water, our drinks were not refilled. The majority of the time our drinks sat empty. If was obvious the staff was spread very thin. The same night, we were given petit fours along with our main desserts. When our dessert arrived, I noticed the chocolate covered strawberry had been partially eaten. My wife brought this to the attention of the assistant server. His reaction was to inform her that there were no more chocolate-covered strawberries. He did not take away the dessert or try to replace it. When we brought it to the attention of the lead server (again, not Luis), he said that they often sample foods and make sure the samples they eat are taken away to avoid this type of problem. The next day, we spoke to the restaurant manager and maître d’ who offered to comp a night in one of the specialty restaurants. Although they addressed the issue, the stigma was still there. We received complementary chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne in our room. While standing in line at the Mast Grill , my wife was passed over four times for service.

Stateroom – The stateroom was beautiful and the bathroom was exquisite. However, the closet space is minimal, perhaps the smallest on any cruise we’ve experienced. When we unpacked, we noticed there were only ten hangers. For a 7 day cruise, this is not enough and we had to request more. Bernardo brought us extra hangers within minutes. The bed was not as comfortable as on previous cruises but it was nothing to snub our noses at. Although we did not hear many noises from the hall, we could hear the conversations and T.V.’s from the adjoining staterooms.

Dining:

Murano – Great service and great food. The steak was not really any better than the MDR. Plus, we really preferred to sit with Luis as he was just as attentive as the server in Murano.

Silk Harvest – Awesome experience, great food and amazing service. I have shell fish allergies and the chef went out of way to make springs rolls leaving out the fish sauce. I did not ask anyone to make this accommodation; they just did it for their guest.

MDR – Appetizers and entrées were awesome and Luis was exceptional. Neither of us cared for most of the desserts, but I was able to have ice cream each evening to satisfy my sweet tooth. Service for breakfast and lunch was very slow and spotty. We overheard one waiter tell a guest that they were very understaffed.

Room Service – I am sure they are very busy, because they took a long time to deliver the food. Often, the order was incorrect. My wife ordered a bottle of champagne and was informed it would be in our stateroom in approximately twenty minutes. After three days, we gave up on ever receiving it. At least we were not charged for it.

Buffet – The food was delicious and there was a large selection. However, it was the same selection each day and after several days, the redundancy became unappetizing.

Pools - The pools were nice and the hot tubs were very relaxing. The pool decks were busy on sea days but we always managed to find a place to settle down. The solarium was beautiful and a nice reprieve from the main pool area.

Entertainment - The entertainment ranged from fantastic to amateurish. The dancers for the production shows were pretty good. The acrobats were outstanding and talented. The comedian, James Stephens III was really funny and the best entertainment on the ship. In addition to being funny, Mr. Stephens was a genuine and good person. He sets aside profits to assist struggling children with education. The juggler was awful and it was almost painful to sit through his show. We would have left early but this was the one show we decided to sit close to the stage. We felt sorry enough for him that we didn’t want to embarrass him by leaving. On our previous Celebrity there was always something to do. On this cruise, we found ourselves very bored. There was a lack of activities during the day and very few venues for entertainment. Celebrity could take advice from Princess where there is always something to do. This trip certainly lacked fun activities.

Fellow Passengers - While the vast majority of guests adhered to the rules and regulations, there were some that lacked any class. Our first day, we saw a girl walking around in her bra (not a bathing suit top). We saw guest swearing jean shorts to dinner and, on more than one occasion, guests were admitted to the MDR in swimwear and bikinis. We heard of one passenger being thrown off the ship in Puerto Rico due to a fist fight the night before. I understand Celebrity cannot control everything but certainly dress code is one thing they can enforce. If I wanted to dress as wish, I would go back on NCL, but Celebrity clearly outlines their dress code in their brochure.

Ports :

San Juan – We spent the day touring historic San Juan. San Juan was a blast and our only complaint is we did not have more time here.

St. Thomas – I did the SCUBA excursion through the cruise line. The trip was chartered through Underwater Safaris out of St. Thomas. These guys were great and the trip was a blast. The water was calm with great visibility and good company. I would highly recommend this excursion if you are a SCUBA diver.

St Maarten - My wife and I went shopping for gifts then spent the remainder of the day laying on the beach. I rented a jet ski and for an hour and had a blast. It was a very relaxing day.

Announcements - The only announcements were the imperative ones. My wife and I like to sleep late and it was nice not being woken up to redundant announcements.

Unfortunately our Celebrity experience this time was not up to par with our previous cruise experiences. We will likely cruise on Celebrity again; however, it’s not on the top of our list for near future cruises. We relaxed, ate plenty of great food, and spent time with friends. Any day at sea is better than a day home.

Hope this help. I agree that the smoking policy on HAL needs to mirror that of Celebrity.

[drcpa]

Well as long as we've hijacked this thread...:)

Thanks so much for seeing my post/question and taking the time to respond (and coincidentally, I live just south of you in Boca Raton and scuba dive myself...although I could have done without last weekend's 2-4/3-5 seas).

In your opinion (and I know this is all subjective and it's not my intent to have you respond to every question), is the service better on HAL?

We've picked the Sept 2011 Rotterdam cruise due (a) to it's itinerary focused on Spain and Portugal (new to us) and (b) because our TA said, "if you liked Celebrity, you'll like HAL.

In your opinion, is that essentially correct? Would a HAL "Iberian" cruise be similar to a Celebrity Med cruise?

Again, thanks for your kind reply and let's hope the seas calm down a bit.

[bellebaby]

One evening, we showed up twenty minutes late for dinner due to a family issue at home. When we entered the MDR, we noticed our table was gone. It was discovered later that the table was used by other passengers. After several minutes of confusion, we were escorted to a different table. The next day, we spoke to the restaurant manager and maître d’ who offered to comp a night in one of the specialty restaurants. Although they addressed the issue, the stigma was still there.

 

The same thing happened to us on Celebrity. We missed dinner the first evening as we opted to enjoy sailaway vs. going to our assigned early seating. The next evening, we entered the dining room and another couple was at our table. "After some confusion" they seated us at a "better table" which we didn't like. They apologized and comped a night at the specialty restaurant. As we were in a suite, we either dined in our suite or a specialty restaurant for the remainder of the cruise. Sounds like this may happen routinely. I've never experienced it on HAL.

 

B

[Jade13]

 

 

Entertainment - The entertainment ranged from fantastic to amateurish. The dancers for the production shows were pretty good. The acrobats were outstanding and talented. The comedian, James Stephens III was really funny and the best entertainment on the ship. In addition to being funny, Mr. Stephens was a genuine and good person. He sets aside profits to assist struggling children with education.

 

I just wanted to say that James Stephens III is fantastic and maybe the most professional entertainer we have seen on any cruise ship. We saw him on Century in April. One good thing about trying other cruise lines is that you get to see some new entertainment. The dancers on Celebrity this year were much better than the group we saw on Maasdam. Both ships had pretty much all repeat performances from the dancers and singers that we had seen in 2008.

[soldham]

Thank you for taking the time to compare the 2 cruise lines.

 

I also agree that HAL should update their TV system where we can view our accounts on board and see the daily menus as well.

 

At the "Ask HAL" get together on the Eurodam this past month the Captain indicated that the current system (DOS based if you can believe it!) is scheduled to be replaced fleet wide beginning at the end of this year. They have a system and have been testing and setting it up. It will include all the things mentioned above and in the first post.

[Krazy Kruizers]

At the "Ask HAL" get together on the Eurodam this past month the Captain indicated that the current system (DOS based if you can believe it!) is scheduled to be replaced fleet wide beginning at the end of this year. They have a system and have been testing and setting it up. It will include all the things mentioned above and in the first post.

 

That sounds great -- thanks for the information!!

[HappyInVan]

 

 

MDR – Appetizers and entrées were awesome and Luis was exceptional. Neither of us cared for most of the desserts, but I was able to have ice cream each evening to satisfy my sweet tooth. Service for breakfast and lunch was very slow and spotty. We overheard one waiter tell a guest that they were very understaffed.

 

 

 

Interesting!

 

 

The market is changing during these difficult times. Carnival is cutting fares to draw new first time cruisers. Celebrity and HAL are cutting fare to fill their ships. There has to be an impact on quality and service!!!

 

 

Oddly enough, Regent is also cutting their fares but there doesn't seem to be many complains in the Regent SS forum?

 

 

Upgraders (Carnival to HAL, HAL to Regent) are happy (Wow!). But, regular cruisers need to stay informed of the situation on their favourite ships. What does cost cutting mean to your enjoyment?

 

 

That's why we need to have honest reviews from disembarking passengers. Information is the key.

 

 

The slide in quality will only stop if regular customers complain vocally to the company, and ultimately vote with their feet.

[Joe Btfsplk]

Unfortunately our Celebrity experience this time was not up to par with our previous cruise experiences. We will likely cruise on Celebrity again; however, it’s not on the top of our list for near future cruises. We relaxed, ate plenty of great food, and spent time with friends. Any day at sea is better than a day home.

I agree that the smoking policy on HAL needs to mirror that of Celebrity.

 

Our last experience on Celebrity was also below what we have come to expect. If you posted your review on the Celebrity board what kind of reaction did you get?

 

I would also like to learn from other HAL Cruisers if their recent experiences have shown a decline in the quality of food or service.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Excellent comparison, very fair, and while I've cruised an equal number of times on both lines, I've always given Celebrity the edge across the board. Still I haven't sailed on Celebrity since October 2005 so I'm anxious to see how I feel when we cruise on Solstice in a couple of weeks.

[Maverick430]

Well as long as we've hijacked this thread...:)

Thanks so much for seeing my post/question and taking the time to respond (and coincidentally, I live just south of you in Boca Raton and scuba dive myself...although I could have done without last weekend's 2-4/3-5 seas).

In your opinion (and I know this is all subjective and it's not my intent to have you respond to every question), is the service better on HAL?

We've picked the Sept 2011 Rotterdam cruise due (a) to it's itinerary focused on Spain and Portugal (new to us) and (b) because our TA said, "if you liked Celebrity, you'll like HAL.

In your opinion, is that essentially correct? Would a HAL "Iberian" cruise be similar to a Celebrity Med cruise?

Again, thanks for your kind reply and let's hope the seas calm down a bit.

 

Hey, if you ever want a dive partner let me know. I love diving but you're right I can do without the high seas.

As far as the service on HAL I would say it is better than the service on Celebrity. The two lines are similar in a lot of ways, but I feel HAL the edge overall. Now the Rotterdam is nice but it is not new and does not feature all the amenities of the Solstice. It is smaller and has much better service though. Every line has their pros and cons. For example, I prefer the smoking policy of Celebrity over HALs. The food, service, and staterooms on HAL are much better than Celebrity. Entertainment is about the same. In the Med cruises alter their entertainment based on the clientele aboard the ship. I have not yet been to the MED so I cannot speak first hand about the entertainment but I've been told the entertainment is not as upbeat as say the Caribbean. HAL has done a lot to revamp their entertainment especially on their newer ships. I think you will truly enjoy HAL and the Iberian cruise has receive amazing reviews. If you have any questions or want to dive let me know. Have a good weekend and as always happy cruising.

[Maverick430]

Our last experience on Celebrity was also below what we have come to expect. If you posted your review on the Celebrity board what kind of reaction did you get?

 

I would also like to learn from other HAL Cruisers if their recent experiences have shown a decline in the quality of food or service.

 

I posted it on the Celebrity Board but have had no responses. I think I posted it in the wrong place but I do not want to keep posting my review like I am trying to sabotage the line. Overall what happened on Celebrity is unacceptable. This would have never happened on HAL or Princess. I am not a very critical person and many of my fellow passengers felt the same about the service. Maybe it was a bad week but I have read many bad reviews on the solstice on other websites like cruisemates and cruise addicts. I have heard a lot of people echo the same things we've said about Celebrity.

My mom and dad just got of the Westerdam. My dad is a very critical about food and service. He went to culinary school and spent many years serving in the Marines. So you can imagine when he says requests something he wants it done "now." He came off the Westerdam and raved about the food and service. My dad does not rave about food often. He said he feels HAL's food has improved since his last cruise with them. Hopefully this helps.

Ryan