Zuiderdam vs. Celebrity (Summit, Millenium & Century)

[Anthony327]

Took Alaska Inside Passage August 13-20 and thought I'd give my thoughts as someone who has sailed 3X's with Celebrity in the past (Summit, Millenium & Century).

 

Family 49, 48, 18 & 15. Also had MIL 68 and there were two other friends with family on the cruise.

 

Of course a lot was me comparing the ships as a friend organized this cruise and we were always happy and comfortable with Celebrity.

 

I like Celebrity more, but certainly some things with the Zuiderdam were better and thought a quick review may help some.

 

1. The Ship - I found the Zuiderdam non-descript, Celebrity Ships (and these are older ones) much nicer and cleaner, with Art and a more ornate look. Saw someone at the muster drill photographing an ashtray filled to the brim with cigarette butts on day one (never cleaned)

 

2. Rooms - six of one, half dozen of the other. Apreciated new flat screens on Zuiderdam (last Celebrity cruise was 2009, so don't know if they have been updated), and the DVD Player and free movies (though we did not order). Good choice on TV for most part and a clear picture. Had issues with Celebrity and their sattelites in the past.

 

3. Spa Pool not as nice as Celebrity. I think it was included with Celebrity and the cost on HAL I think is ridiculous ($100/wk).

 

4. Spa is small and a little hard to navigate, but the towels and robes are very nice.

 

5. Gym is terrible - Old machines (particularly the Eliptical Trainers & Bikes). Weights also old. TV's not on every machine and couldn't find the input for headphones. Fortunately great running track on deck 3 and I listen to podcasts and enjoyed the sites (i.e. Glacier Bay).

 

6. Food - Some good/some bad/some indifferent. Loved the Waffles/Strawberries and fresh whipped cream on Celebrity and was worried HAL did not do it, which they do. Fresh OJ at breakfast wonderful, which Celebrity does not do. Great Burgers/Fries (well above average when you are considering that this is a large ship). Desserts again are always hit and miss. The cookies are terrible, mousses , ice cream (with waffle cones) too along with Bread Pudding, pecan squares and pies very good. Some good cakes. No afternoon tea in the buffet like Celebrity does. Also liked the Celebrity Spa cuisine. Disliked the As You Wish Dining as service was uneven (never a wait for a seat though), and didn't get to know waiters. Food was okay to good, nothing outstanding. Free capuccinos after dinner. Ate in the Pinnacle Grill, which is just below Ruth's Chris & Mortons, but very enjoyable and a fair price. I think Murano (Celebrity is better).

 

7. Shopping limited

 

8. Crowd may have been even older then Celebrity so a quiet ship.

 

9. Activities a little subdued. Liked the cooking and some others, but nothing for an active younger crowd. Kids programs okay (our's are at the age where kids programs don't matter).

 

10. Drink prices fair and a Happy Hour.

 

11. Saw a few shows and liked them.

 

Just a few observations. If you have questions let me know.

[Gasdoc]

Thanks for the info. We have been on Summit to Alaska, and Summit and Constellation in Europe. We are booked on Zuiderdam for Panama Canal partial transit in November. I have been wondering how the two compare.

[Anthony327]

Very close and it does come down to taste. Maybe a bias to Celebrity, but some things I did think were better with HAL.

[aliaschief]

Thanks for the observations, comparisons and mini review.

[kelmac]

Anthony,

 

I've cruised all four of those ships and I think you hit a home run with your observations. Celebrity does have the edge in most areas, but we've always enjoyed our Holland America cruises.

HAL does have better itineraries!! The Nieuw Amsterdam has some great deals for Xmas, so we booked it over the Solstice (Not easy, as the Solstice class ships of Celebrity are the best large ships at sea!!). Just to even things out a bit, we did book the Millennium as a BtoB partner for the Nieuw Amsterdam!

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Anthony327]

Anthony,

 

I've cruised all four of those ships and I think you hit a home run with your observations. Celebrity does have the edge in most areas, but we've always enjoyed our Holland America cruises.

HAL does have better itineraries!! The Nieuw Amsterdam has some great deals for Xmas, so we booked it over the Solstice (Not easy, as the Solstice class ships of Celebrity are the best large ships at sea!!). Just to even things out a bit, we did book the Millennium as a BtoB partner for the Nieuw Amsterdam!

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

Interesting how biased some are about "their cruise line". I went in biased but decided to keep an open mind. Also noted a full breakfast on final day vs. continental on Celebrity.

 

Also lots of Art Auctions on Celebrity and little raffles and stuff. Amazing to watch the # of people waiting for a $20 watch od bottle of alcohol.....

 

No entertainment on deck during our HAL cruise (maybe because it was Alaska).

 

For me the most important is food/activities/fitness......

[YOW]

The Nieuw Amsterdam has some great deals for Xmas, so we booked it over the Solstice (Not easy, as the Solstice class ships of Celebrity are the best large ships at sea!!).

 

As have we -- and we're also Celebrity fans, having sailed on Solstice last winter. Pretty good deals for Xmas, eh?! :)

 

Just to even things out a bit, we did book the Millennium as a BtoB partner for the Nieuw Amsterdam!

 

Wish we could have. *sigh*

[Jimbo59]

In Alaska, Celebrity and RCCL are not permitted to enter Glacier Bay. HAL and others do (check itinerary to be sure).

[George C]

we have done Solstice and westerdam recently, Solstice was a beautifull ship but service and food was much better on HAL, Solstice does have 32" flat screens in most cabins with 40" or bigger in suites. I would like to try some of the older celeberity ships but next cruise is HAL.

[igraf]

I'll bet dollars to donuts that they have little or no actual HDTV service for all of those splendid flat screen TVs. I see this everywhere: HDTV flat screen TVs but no HDTV channels. DVDs are also not HDTV.

 

I am not picking on Celebrity. Even the public movie theater on HAL Vista-class ships is just a poor quality standard definition image.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

we have done Solstice and westerdam recently, Solstice was a beautifull ship but service and food was much better on HAL, Solstice does have 32" flat screens in most cabins with 40" or bigger in suites. I would like to try some of the older celeberity ships but next cruise is HAL.

[GoldenRose]

We're fans of Celebrity, too, and planning on trying HAL next year. We sailed for two weeks on the Eclipse last year, and we're going on a Panama Canal partial transit on the Zuiderdam in the spring, and we've been a little worried that we would find it inferior. We like the HAL partial transit route so much better than the Celebrity full transit that we decided to try it, but I'm a little worried that even with the more interesting (to us) ports it won't feel like as luxurious and relaxing a vacation.

 

We're trying to keep an open mind, and go in with the mindset that we'll have an amazing vacation. I haven't sailed with Holland America as an adult (I did so once as a teen with my grandparents), and I am really hoping we'll have a wonderful time and add it to the list of cruise lines we enjoy. (We know we like Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, and don't like NCL. We're trying HAL and Disney next year.) Holland America has some really great routes, and their 3rd and 4th person in cabin rates are great. (This is important, as we're traveling with two young children.) I know it has a reputation for catering to a somewhat older crowd (I'm in my late 30's, my husband is in his early 40's, and we have a 6 year old and a not yet 1 year old,) but my husband and I actually care more about good food and good places to ballroom dance than we do about lots of activities.

 

We're really interested in the food, and we've heard it is generally pretty good, on a par with Celebrity, and possibly a bit above Royal Caribbean. The cooking classes look interesting. The kid's club generally seems to get fairly high marks for personal attention to the kids. They have nothing for the baby, which is a little bit disappointing, but we realize we're not really their current target market.

 

Anyway, thanks for your review. It sounds like you had a good vacation, even if it wasn't exactly what you might have planned for yourself.

[Anthony327]

but it is. That said I liked it. I think the Kids club is on par. The Embarkation was different then what I was used too as Celebrity did it better and actually were prepared for children and had a welcome booth for them.

 

As stated the two are close and if you want to find fault you will.