Celebrity vs Holland America

[Lard Greystoke]

[quote name='rebeccalouiseagain'] I got glared at if I talked at all during the string quartet. [/quote]

I would kind of hope so.

[dinosaurdem]

[quote name='Lard Greystoke']I would kind of hope so.[/quote]

Bravo!

[Cruiser104]

We have been on several lines including several Carnival cruises early on. Switched to RCCL as we felt that they were superior to Carnival. We went on Celebrity and liked it very much, but truthfully, I don't even remember the name of the ship. For a change, we decided to do a cruise on HAL on the Zuiderdam in 2002. It was a new ship and they seemed to be targeting younger people and by younger, I mean 50's! The price was right so we gave it a try. We were very sorry we did. Even at 65 now, I don't think I would like it. At about 9:00 PM, I guess there was bedcheck since no one was at any of the clubs. We found ourselves at one club each night and got to know the entertainers like family since we were the only ones enjoying the music. When there was dancing prior to dinner, you had to avoid the walkers. I am not trying to be insulting and believe me, my DH and I are not exactly partiers, but I found HAL or at least the Zuiderdam very boring.

Eventually, we went back to Carnival because the Dream had such great deals especially for Christmas/New Years! We are so happy we decided to give it a try again. The food, entertainment and set up of the ship (I especially liked the outdoor movies) were excellent we did it two years in a row. There seemed to be a lot of activities and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

This Christmas we are switching to Celebrity just for variety and I can't wait to enjoy exploring their ship as I am sure we will have a great Holiday at sea.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

[quote name='Lard Greystoke']I would kind of hope so.[/QUOTE]

Oh believe me I caught on fast. I was of the assumption that the lounges on a cruise were for meeting up for drinks and that sort of thing. I really thought lounge music was background music. My bad. This was not in the theater- of course I would not talk there.

To me this is background music. For example they have a fantastic quartet on Oceania Regatta at afternoon tea but people talk amongst themselves. It is background music. It's a cruise "lounge" not a symphony hall.

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPKFbHnH27o&feature=related[/url]

I have to say that the onboard activities on Holland were really non-existant. The passengers do treat the entire ship like a library. For real- I have never been on a quieter vessel (Maasdam). I am a very low octane person- I don't need lots of activity but some piped in music or noise on a ship is better than a floating retirement home. Edited August 1, 2012 by rebeccalouiseagain

[rervousneck]

[quote name='rebeccalouiseagain']Oh believe me I caught on fast. I was of the assumption that the lounges on a cruise were for meeting up for drinks and that sort of thing. I really thought lounge music was background music. My bad. This was not in the theater- of course I would not talk there.

To me this is background music. For example they have a fantastic quartet on Oceania Regatta at afternoon tea but people talk amongst themselves. It is background music. It's a cruise "lounge" not a symphony hall.

[URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPKFbHnH27o&feature=related[/URL]

I have to say that the onboard activities on Holland were really non-existant. The passengers do treat the entire ship like a library. For real- I have never been on a quieter vessel (Maasdam).[COLOR=red] I am a very low octane person- I don't need lots of activity but some piped in music or noise on a ship is better than a floating retirement home.[/COLOR][/quote]

I like HAL, but will have to admit, That is funny.:D

[gwilli]

We're back! We had a wonderful cruise on the Constellation. There are some things that HAL had/does which we missed, but there was a lot about Celebrity which we enjoyed. The the dining was about equal, but Celebrity wins with the drink package. We aren't big drinkers, but to have what you want anytime, was so nice. We would travel on either of these cruise lines. Cheers!

[Denny01]

gwill - sounds like you had a great time and enjoyed your cruise, and didnt let differences between this cruise and others interfere.

 

How you have more options on Cruise Lines!

 

Den

[gkny]

When I went on HAL there is definitly an older clientel and I'm in my 50s. The service couldn't be better. In November I'm trying Celebrity to compare.

[gwilli]

Gkny, you will be pleased to see that Celebrity may have more people in your age group. We did, and it did make a difference. We also found that people were more friendly. Maybe it was the drink package!!! There are more activities on Celebrity which makes the sea days fly by. As much as we like HAL, we will probably stick with Celebrity for a while. cheers!

[seaproponent]

I realize the HAL Vs. Celebrity debate has a long history on CC. But this is the most recent thread I could find that specifically addressed the two competitors. And with the recent (well-debated on CC) change in HAL's carry-on wine policy, I'm wondering now many of us have changed our preference.

 

My late-wife and I did many cruises and always found these two to best suit our needs. We preferred X's food and ships, HAL's lounge for suite passengers (over X's Butler Service) and HAL's carry-on wine policy. Net, net -- we gave the edge to HAL.

 

As for me, the loss of the privilege to carry a case of wine on board swings to preference to X -- and I have booked a transatlantic cruise with them. Small change to many, but one that can tip that delicate balance of the scales for some of us.

 

Would enjoy other's thoughts on where the new equilibrium is between the two lines.

[fleckle]

Would enjoy other's thoughts on where the new equilibrium is between the two lines.

We prefer Celebrity's smoking policy and prefer HAL's unique itineraries.

 

We have been happy with the food and service on both so see no need to limit ourselves to one vs the other when we can enjoy both.

 

[360Guy]

Have done a number of cruises on HAL when Oosterdam went out of San Diego to the Mexican Riviera. Food was always good but bland IMHO compared to Celebrity. Service always has been good on both. Was able to get to Elite easier v HAL status. Younger crowd on Celebrity v HAL Now sail exclusively on Celebrity and very happy. To each his/her own!

[MBBL45]

Thank you for the updated information regarding Celebrity balconies. Does anyone know if this is also the policy for RCCL ships as well? I was under the impression that each ship captain determined smoking on balconies.

 

We'd very much like RCCL/Celebrity ships. However several years ago we simply stopped purchasing balconies because of the smoking hassle. The last time we had a balcony I complained about the smoking on the Allure of the seas balcony beneath us. Guest relations they informed me that the starboard side on this cruise was the designated smoking balcony side and I should have requested the other side if I did not want to smell the smoke. All balconies were booked so we just dealt with it for the week.

 

Should I am been more aggressive with my request to Guest relations or is it different on RCCL and Celebrity or is it up to the individual captain?

[varoo]

Thank you for the updated information regarding Celebrity balconies. Does anyone know if this is also the policy for RCCL ships as well? I was under the impression that each ship captain determined smoking on balconies.

 

We'd very much like RCCL/Celebrity ships. However several years ago we simply stopped purchasing balconies because of the smoking hassle. The last time we had a balcony I complained about the smoking on the Allure of the seas balcony beneath us. Guest relations they informed me that the starboard side on this cruise was the designated smoking balcony side and I should have requested the other side if I did not want to smell the smoke. All balconies were booked so we just dealt with it for the week.

 

Should I am been more aggressive with my request to Guest relations or is it different on RCCL and Celebrity or is it up to the individual captain?

Smoking on balconies is allowed on Royal Caribbean ships.

It is not allowed on Celebrity ships.

 

Where did you see that it was up to the captain?

 

That is a new one to me as I have never heard that theory before, on either cruise line.

 

[Cindy]

Thank you for the updated information regarding Celebrity balconies. Does anyone know if this is also the policy for RCCL ships as well? I was under the impression that each ship captain determined smoking on balconies.

 

We'd very much like RCCL/Celebrity ships. However several years ago we simply stopped purchasing balconies because of the smoking hassle. The last time we had a balcony I complained about the smoking on the Allure of the seas balcony beneath us. Guest relations they informed me that the starboard side on this cruise was the designated smoking balcony side and I should have requested the other side if I did not want to smell the smoke. All balconies were booked so we just dealt with it for the week.

 

Should I am been more aggressive with my request to Guest relations or is it different on RCCL and Celebrity or is it up to the individual captain?

 

It is not the captain's decision...if the policy was different from ship to ship, there would be mass confusion!

Celebrity -- No balcony smoking, no interior smoking, designated smoking areas on some outside public decks.

Royal Caribbean -- Balcony smoking permitted (not dependent on side of the ship), limited interior smoking (including the casino:( and a couple lounges), designated smoking areas on some outside public decks.

The only exceptions I know of to RCI's policy are a handful of non-smoking balconies on some of the refurbished older ships. These are balconies that were added to the superstructure and did not have fire suppression equipment run to them. There is also no smoking on interior facing balconies on Allure and Oasis. Other than that, it's purely luck of the draw.

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

I have not sailed HAL since 2002. It used to be our favorite cruise line. We started cruising again in 2014 on the Sunmmit, absolutely loved it. The best captain and staff captain ever. Last April we sailed the Solstice, Honolulu to Vancouver.....did not like it at all. Rarely had a hot or even properly cooked entree. Hated the entertainment around the 3rd floor atrium....noise everywhere. Try to read a book in the library and the music wafted up there. Didn't make sense to me. The big entertainment draw was a passenger based choir, what was that about?

So, I am booked on the Westerdam in December to compare. I will also try the Azamara Journey next spring, and I am booked on the Silouhette next October. I will give them all a try. I am in my sixties, love to dance and party, but also like quiet ares to relax and enjoy.