Wow....Hal shouldn't have ticked me off....

[alwaysfrantic]

I actually pulled up other cruise lines to see what else was out there. While the wine policy on Celebrity is the same, I can sail on a lovely ship for 14 nights instead of 11, similar ports, similar room, for about the same price.

 

It looks lovely. I would not have really "gone shopping" for other options had it not been for their weekend proclamations.

 

Now I don't know what to do!

[sail7seas]

I actually pulled up other cruise lines to see what else was out there. While the wine policy on Celebrity is the same, I can sail on a lovely ship for 14 nights instead of 11, similar ports, similar room, for about the same price.

 

It looks lovely. I would not have really "gone shopping" for other options had it not been for their weekend proclamations.

 

Now I don't know what to do!

 

 

Which HAL ship vs which Celebrity ship?

 

[alwaysfrantic]

Noordam is what I am currently booked on. Eclipse is what is in the same general area at the same time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Why not try Celebrity?

You won't know if you like them or not until you try them.

[mamaofami]

Friends of mine took their first cruise on Celebrity Solstice and loved it.

[sail7seas]

Let us know what you decide. :)

 

[Riversedge]

I really want to try Celebrity. If you decide to do that, please post back here about your experiences.

[kazu]

Why not try it? We didn't have a good experience on Celebrity but it wasn't a Solstice ship and it was a few years ago.

 

I have been doing some comparing too - and for what I am paying on the Prinsendam it wouldn't be that much more to sail Seabourn. (on sale) When you take the superior food, service and included drinks into consideration...hmmm...

 

Their verandahs are larger or just as large as an SY on the P'dam.

[sail7seas]

Why not try it? We didn't have a good experience on Celebrity but it wasn't a Solstice ship and it was a few years ago.

 

I have been doing some comparing too - and for what I am paying on the Prinsendam it wouldn't be that much more to sail Seabourn. (on sale) When you take the superior food, service and included drinks into consideration...hmmm...

 

Their verandahs are larger or just as large as an SY on the P'dam.

 

 

I'm sure you are aware many of the same high executives for HAL have the same position with Seabourn. If you are trying to avoid HAL, you might keep that in mind.

 

Seabourn's headquarters are in HAL's Elliott Avenue offices.

 

 

 

[sapper1]

All this talk of trying other lines has got me thinking "why not?" We should have some basis of comparison.

Could someone tell me what level on Princess would equal an SS on HAL?

We wanted to book the Westerdam to Hawaii and Tahiti but they have substituted it with the Volendam, which has no SS category.

[kazu]

I'm sure you are aware many of the same high executives for HAL have the same position with Seabourn. If you are trying to avoid HAL, you might keep that in mind.

 

Seabourn's headquarters are in HAL's Elliott Avenue offices.

 

 

 

 

That might be - but - they pick up local wines in ports, they let you bring it on if you want (really no need), all drinks included, superior rooms, superior service and superior food.

 

I've been on their boards and it doesn't seem like things have deteriorated.

 

I'm sure there are other options out there as well - thanks to this policy and the way it was handled - the point is - I have gone looking.;)

[kazu]

All this talk of trying other lines has got me thinking "why not?" We should have some basis of comparison.

Could someone tell me what level on Princess would equal an SS on HAL?

We wanted to book the Westerdam to Hawaii and Tahiti but they have substituted it with the Volendam, which has no SS category.

 

We only had the 'mini suite' on Princess and it is not like SS - you need to get higher than that. That much I know. You might want to look at the ship that Rich (0bnxshs) and JG were on - they said it was very good.

[George C]

All this talk of trying other lines has got me thinking "why not?" We should have some basis of comparison.

Could someone tell me what level on Princess would equal an SS on HAL?

We wanted to book the Westerdam to Hawaii and Tahiti but they have substituted it with the Volendam, which has no SS category.

 

look at there mini-suites, smaller than SS, but nice with 2 TVs and balcony, suites are more expensive than Hals but they are true suites not just 1 big room like Hals

[alwaysfrantic]

I might not get the answers here, but I "know" all of you to answer questions quickly and correctly. Do the AquaClass staterooms, which are seemingly a little 'above' concierge class also include priority boarding?

 

I really was happy and satisfied in my little current "Hal Bubble" until the weekend sent me looking at other trips. I have been on Princess, Costa, HAL, Disney, RCI; some a couple of times. It is not a case that HAL wasn't making money on us even though we took some of our own wine for the cabin. On Hal I have booked 2 suites, retreat cabanas, lots of specialty dining, shore excursions through them, and a lot of their own drinks.

[Hlitner]

We are always amazed at how many cruisers get "hung up" with a single cruise line and view going on another cruise line as a big step. DW and I have managed to cruise on 12 different cruise lines (plus another small yacht-based company) and enjoyed every single cruise. HA is not the "be all end all" when it comes to cruises. Cruise lines are always changing (HA seems to be on a severe downward trend) so its hard to judge a line on what you may have seen or experienced a few years ago. Currently, we really like the Celebrity Solstice Class ships, Azamara (compare to the Prinsendam only nicer), and some of the Princess ships (not very high on the Caribbean Princess since they simply added another deck to their popular Grand Class ships without additional deck space).

 

Guess the point of my post is that there is a big cruise world beyond the few ships of HA. Try it...maybe you will like it. And if you do not like the new experience then you can always come back to HA.

 

Regarding the SS category on Princess, this line has many ships and the cabin designs (and sizes) do vary. So you might simply want to look at the Cruise Reviews (and deck plans) right here on Cruise Critic where you can find out detailed cabin info.

 

Hank

[Cruise or Lose!]

To each his or her own. I have sailed quite happily with other lines, but I prefer HAL. The idea that anyone would allow the alcohol policy, or the smoking policy, or any one directive, to so influence their purchasing decisions that they decide to forego HAL is ludicrous to me. I have sailed on many a ship, to many a port, without having any alcohol at all. It IS possible to have fun without a wine glass in hand.

[sapper1]

To each his or her own. I have sailed quite happily with other lines, but I prefer HAL. The idea that anyone would allow the alcohol policy, or the smoking policy, or any one directive, to so influence their purchasing decisions that they decide to forego HAL is ludicrous to me. I have sailed on many a ship, to many a port, without having any alcohol at all. It IS possible to have fun without a wine glass in hand.

 

My question had nothing to do with alcohol as we do not take wine on board. HAL took their large ship off the south seas run and we are looking at alternatives.

[VioletHorse]

All this talk of trying other lines has got me thinking "why not?" We should have some basis of comparison.

Could someone tell me what level on Princess would equal an SS on HAL?

We wanted to book the Westerdam to Hawaii and Tahiti but they have substituted it with the Volendam, which has no SS category.

 

The mini-suite category on Princess is the equivalent of a regular HAL verandah, so that is not going to be what you want. Princess has different classes of ships just like HAL, so I'd advise you to go to the Princess website and check the rooms for the particular ship that you're interested in. The "Suite with Balcony" may be the one that you're looking for.

 

And as a heads up, be aware that Princess is slowly replacing the slabs of concrete that serve as beds, with better mattresses. Unless someone has reported that the better mattresses have been installed in the specific stateroom category on the specific ship that you're interested in, there is no way of knowing that the bedding has been upgraded. If not, ask for a foam mattress topper if a hard, unyielding bed doesn't work for you.

 

They serve syrup-based coffee which IMO is undrinkable. We always buy the coffee card to get fresh brewed coffee.

 

Food in the MDR is as good as HAL IMO. We do avoid the Princess buffet. It's just not good compared to HAL.

[alwaysfrantic]

The idea that anyone would allow the alcohol policy, or the smoking policy, or any one directive, to so influence their purchasing decisions that they decide to forego HAL is ludicrous to me. I have sailed on many a ship, to many a port, without having any alcohol at all. It IS possible to have fun without a wine glass in hand.

 

That I know and understand. This post was simply that their abrupt change triggered me looking at other things and I was surprised at the things I found. I wouldn't have looked at anything else this weekend without this big bru-ha-ha though.

[OlsSalt]

I actually pulled up other cruise lines to see what else was out there. While the wine policy on Celebrity is the same, I can sail on a lovely ship for 14 nights instead of 11, similar ports, similar room, for about the same price.

 

It looks lovely. I would not have really "gone shopping" for other options had it not been for their weekend proclamations.

 

Now I don't know what to do!

 

It's your vacation. Do what makes you the happiest.

[OlsSalt]

Considering how much money HAL loses on 4 star mariner wine discounts combined with their high brand loyalty of repeat customers ...... maybe they did want to spin off a few 3-4 star customers, to make room for those with no or lower Mariner discounts? :confused:

[sapper1]

The mini-suite category on Princess is the equivalent of a regular HAL verandah, so that is not going to be what you want. Princess has different classes of ships just like HAL, so I'd advise you to go to the Princess website and check the rooms for the particular ship that you're interested in. The "Suite with Balcony" may be the one that you're looking for.

 

And as a heads up, be aware that Princess is slowly replacing the slabs of concrete that serve as beds, with better mattresses. Unless someone has reported that the better mattresses have been installed in the specific stateroom category on the specific ship that you're interested in, there is no way of knowing that the bedding has been upgraded. If not, ask for a foam mattress topper if a hard, unyielding bed doesn't work for you.

 

They serve syrup-based coffee which IMO is undrinkable. We always buy the coffee card to get fresh brewed coffee.

 

Food in the MDR is as good as HAL IMO. We do avoid the Princess buffet. It's just not good compared to HAL.

Thanks. It may well be that the devil you know is better than the devil you don't

know.

[kazu]

Considering how much money HAL loses on 4 star mariner wine discounts combined with their high brand loyalty of repeat customers ...... maybe they did want to spin off a few 3-4 star customers, to make room for those with no or lower Mariner discounts? :confused:

 

Looks like they may just achieve their objectives if that is the case:D

[innlady1]

Thanks. It may well be that the devil you know is better than the devil you don't

know.

 

That's what I'm thinking. I considered going back to Princess after this bro ha ha but then someone mentioned the beds on Princess. Then it all came back...their beds were why we left Princess to begin with. Like a cement slab is an accurate assessment.

I think I'll just sit tight and see how this all plays out.

[Cruise or Lose!]

Sit tight. The next "crisis" will be around before we know it ;):rolleyes: