holland america vs celebrity

[luv2cruise1958]

We also have sailed both lines. The smoking policy on X is a huge plus for us. However, HAL's bedding is much better. The entertainment (for us) on X was superior.

 

As far as the "up and down," we were just on the Maasdam and had a heck of a time getting to the dining room.

 

Both lines have open seating which is a definite consideration for us.

 

In my opinion the shore excursions on X are better and more varied.

 

Enjoy. You won't be sorry with either.

What is the difference in the smoking policys? I am an ex-smoker and have never been on Celebrity, but thinking about it.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

We have done many HAL cruises but took our first Celebrity cruise on the Solstice this past September. I will admit it took about 24 hours to feel comfortable. The decor to me was just too industrial/cold feeling. The whole ship has a very ultra modern feel/decor but fortunately we had Aqua Class and we dined in Blu. The dining/food quality and service made us warm up to Celebrity quickly. The things I did miss from HAL was the bit larger bathrooms with full bathtub. While I only shower and rarely would ever take a bath I like that the shower is in a bathtub on HAL that gives me far more room. While the showers (Round phone booth style) are much larger than than sister product RCCL they are still small and the bathrooms are larger on HAL. I also still think HAL has better beds and bed linens (much higher quality) but thought the towels in Aqua Class were very nice.

 

The one thing I truly did miss on our Solstice cruise was the feeling of being on a real ship. I missed the outside promenade deck that had real teak decks. Much of the Solstices feels like a land resort including their lawn club. Personally I was not impressed with the lawn club if I am spending money to be at sea I want to feel I am at sea. I can go to thousands of land based resorts to see grass.

One of the things I have seen mentioned was that they thought Celebrity had a more diverse passenger content with age. I have to say that our cruise in September I thought felt exactly the same as a normal Vista Class/Signature Class ship with maybe a few more that were age 70+ but the one thing that did stand out was there was definitely a more sophisticated feel with far more women in formal gowns and men in tux on a formal night. Where HAL is a bit more relaxed but nothing even remotely close to the attire we saw on a recent RCCL cruise.:eek:

 

I can now understand why many cruisers go back and forth between Celebrity and HAL. And my guess is the cruise line that you went on first and or did more cruises with will be the one you lean toward. This year we are returning to HAL for three cruises (29 days). HAL is really our cruise home with having sailed 161 days with them but with an almost 2 year absense from HAL it will be interesting to see how we feel come March :D

[KirkNC]

In steerage, it was limited to bread and water ...

 

 

:D ;)

 

 

But that's the good thing about HAL ... it's the same in every cabin category.

 

LOL :D

 

Kirk

[jimmy2x]

"if I am spending money to be at sea I want to feel I am at sea. I can go to thousands of land based resorts to see grass."

 

I could not possibly have said this any better. The ports, while fun, are merely interludes until we are at sea again.

[iancal]

One other thing that is pushing us toward Celebrity is their smoking policy. We are not smokers. We are not especially bothered by people who smoke on their verandahs ...they do it for the same reason that we enjoy a glass of wine on ours so this does not concern us. Nor have we been bothered by smokers in other areas of HAL ships.

 

BUT, the one thing that we do not especially want to experience is getting a cabin that has been vacated by a smoker. It has not happened on a HAL ship but it has in other land based venues. So, although we like HAL and Princess, if all things are equal our approach is why take a chance..just book a Celebrity cruise.

[DavidYYC]

Our 16 year old daughter did Celebrity (Equinox) Med, with us and a friend in August and did HAL (Westerdam) E. Caribbean, with a {different} friend and her family in December.

 

She has been very polite but i definitely got the impression that Celebrity was the better experience.

[DAllenTCY]

I've been on 8 HAL ships and only one X. Just the same, I thought them to be very similar in experience, with X being a bit more expensive for Alaska 7 day voyage. I absolutely want to go back to the specialty dining (it was the Olympic in the Millennium).

David

[HeatherInFlorida]

I have cruised an equal number of times on Celebrity and Holland America over the past 10 years. Prior to that I have cruised on several other lines many of wich are (sadly) no longer with us.

 

This year we sailed on HAL (Westerdam) and Celebrity (Solstice). Celebrity wins hands down. I used to just give Celebrity the edge, but this year I'm afraid HAL fell short and Celebrity improved tenfold.

 

It has nothing to do with grass although I have to say I loved that deck, but overall we just feel that both the food and service is superior on Celebrity. And the Solstice is the most beautiful ship we've ever sailed on in almost 30 years of cruising.

 

That said, I really do think that HAL offers much better itineraries in the Caribbean and it's still in 2nd place ... which is pretty high on the list:).

[debsea]

We have cruised Holland America several times - Caribbean, Europe, Transatlantic, Mediterranean and have never had a bad cruise.

 

We cruised Celebrity for a 10-day Southern Caribbean this December. To say we had a fantastic time would be an under-statement. In fact, we are currently planning a large family cruise on Celebrity in December 2012.

 

What I loved about Celebrity:

 

The no smoking policy

The organization of their shore excursions - no meeting in the show lounge, just meet at the end of the pier

The way they conduct lifeboat drill

The layout of the suites - spectacular, with huge verandahs for entertaining

The younger, more varied demographic of passengers, hence higher energy level on ships

The spa - no high-pressure sales pitch to buy products

The fantastic band in Cosmos (equivalent of Crow's Nest)

 

What I missed on Celebrity and love about Holland America:

 

The teak decks

The glass exterior elevators really ARE exterior elevators and give you a spectacular view

The amazing tropical floral arrangements in all public rooms

The brass railings and trim throughout the ship

The chair covers, floral arrangements, and decor in the MDR on formal night

The selection, quality, and exquisite presentation of food in the MDR, alternate restaurant, and Lido/Ocean Grill

The comfortable beds

The yum-yum man at the entrance of the MDR dispensing mints and ginger after dinner

The elegance, real cloth towels, and flowers in the public washrooms

The reasonable cost of in-room bar set-up and alcohol policy

 

You can't go wrong on either line - some cruises will be better than others. Celebrity offers a fabulous product. For a more sedate and elegant cruise experience, where small details matter, Holland America has the edge. Depending on price and itinerary, I would look forward to enjoying a great cruise on either line.

[Denverbri69]

Does any of the celebrity ships have retreat style cabanas like on the Eurodam?