Celebrity vs Holland for cruise to Baltic

[roxievegas]

We have a deposit with the 123 promotion for Baltic cruise in June 21016 Agua cabin for 12 days.

I have found two other cruises with Holland America that are longer one 24 days and one 21 days. I really like the itinerary of the 24 day, but the ship is rated 4.5 star Zuiderdam and reviews are totally mixed when I read what people have to say.

The other one is 21 day on the new Koningsdam.

Since we are flying from LAX to Europe, we want to spend time and see as much as we can.

We took the Celebrity with Agua, because we received free bev, gratuities and $300 OBC. the Holland is offering free Bev.

In the most current cruises we were on Equinox for Med and Caribbean. We are going on Infinity in Oct for the Eastern Caribbean. We are not pool users, but do enjoy the dinners in the MDR and never had a problem with the food with Equinox.

Basically the cost factor for getting a Veranda on Holland is about $208 - 219 per day per person. The cost for the Celebrity because we went with the Agua is going to run $308 per person per day. We would have to add in the gratuities for Holland and we would get no OBC with Holland

 

Which would you do?

[cruisead]

I think everyone would tell you to go with the longer cruise, if money were no object. Longer cruises are always the better choice, imho. There isn't an equivalent to "AQUA" class on HAL, so that's another difference between the two. We like Aqua class just for Blu. For us, we're not at all fans of HAL, as we find their less restrictive smoking policy to be a deal breaker. And, we just don't care for the HAL ships as a whole, finding their public spaces to be darker and less attractive than other lines. We also feel their food is sub par to lines like Princess and Celebrity (of course, food is very subjective). Finally, we found service on HAL ships to be less friendly, and in some cases we found the crew to be more surly than on other lines.

[roxievegas]

thank you for your reply. You hit the problem I am having on the head. I like how nice the ships with Celebrity are and I don't want to spend 24 days on a ship that I feel is subpar. Do I stay in 4.5 star or 5.5 star and is the difference going to be a problem after one week and I still have two more weeks to go.

May have to book a another cruise with a break in between if possible.

[TSC]

Its been a few years, but we sailed on the Zuiderdam and thought it was a fine ship with a very friendly crew. We usually think HAL edges out Celebrity in friendliness, but we like the ambiance, food, and promotions on Celebrity. We've done a Med cruise on both lines and had a great time on each one. HAL might run a bit older crowd, so you should consider that too if that matters. The longer the cruise, the older the crowd (younger peeps can't get that much time off!) But, even though we were much younger than the average age on our first HAL cruise (several years ago :-) we still had a lovely time.

Edited August 20, 2015 by TSC

[wwinfl91]

You don't mention the itineraries of the various cruises you are considering. We did a Baltic cruise on the Seabourn Pride a couple of years ago that included 3 full days docked at the English Embankment in St Petersburg which meant no long drives in big buses as we did a private tour with another couple for all three days. They were 9, 8 and 7 hour days with a guide and a driver.

 

The bigger ships dock further out from the city.

 

We cruise mainly for the itineraries now that we are retired and the Baltic has great ports that require at least a full day to see the sights. IMHO St Petersburg needs 3 or more.

 

Good luck in making your decision and have a great next cruise.

[CTBob]

We also sailed on the Zuiderdam a few years ago and loved it. Our next cruise is on the Eclipse for 14 days in Aqua class that we love. If the days were the same I definitely would go with Celebrity in Aqua class. But since that is not the case I would probably lean towards the new Konigsdam for 21 days. The crowd will be older but you will probably be so busy you won't notice. And since you are on CC you probably wil meet some people you will want to hang out with. The Baltic is fantastic, you can't lose no matter what you choose. We did the Baltic on the Eurodam and I don't really remember that much about the ship but I remember a lot about the Baltic. Bob

 

ps - Check out the Baltic on my Cruise Website

Edited August 20, 2015 by CTBob

[Fouremco]

We have no bias, as cruise Celebrity and HAL. Next year we have 2 weeks on the Eclipse booked for next March and 10 days on the Koningsdam in November, both southern Caribbean itineraries.

 

My gut reaction is to go with the Koningsdam, as you won't often have the opportunity to sail on a brand new ship. Not to mention the longer (always best!) itinerary, but quite honestly, I think you'll be happy on any of these ships.

[nekzaadvakil]

Having just completed a Baltic cruise on the Celebrity Silhouette, I would suggest go with Celebrity. The itinerary is fantastic and 12 nights are just about enough. The ship is absolutely stunning and looks brand new. We love the contemporary looks and now prefer Celebrity to Royal Caribbean.

 

Like you, we also flew to Stockholm from quite a distance (India) and we also wanted to pack in as much as possible. Having a 12N cruise enables you to try out some places on land which need more than 1 or 2 days. We spent 2 nights in Moscow and some additional time in Amsterdam before and after the cruise and we absolutely loved it.

 

Personally, I would rather take 12N on a 5 star ship than 24N on a ship I'm not too sure off. Either way I am sure you will love the Baltic, it was one of our best cruises so far. My detailed review of my cruise (with tons of pictures of places and the ship) is mentioned in my signature below.

[Spursgirl]

Cruised on Zuiderdam last month and had a very nice cruise. However even after a recent refurb the ship was rather old fashioned and the interior design was not to my taste. Some public rooms had three totally different carpets in terms of colour and design. It was migraine inducing.

 

No way could Zuiderdam compare to the beautiful Celebrity S class ships.

 

The crew are equally friendly and gracious on both ships. I think HAL had the edge as far as food is concerned and Celebrity entertainment is better but I appreciate that these things are subjective.

 

I would plump for the Celebrity cruise although I have not sailed on the other HAL ship you mentioned.

 

Whatever option you go for I hope you have a wonderful cruise

[grayjay]

It really depends what you are looking for: we have sailed both - on lots of Celebrity ships and some HAL ships. The design of the older HAL ships is not always to my taste, but service is friendly and impeccable - mostly Indonesian and Filipino crews in housekeeping and bar service. Food is comparable, we even found it a notch better on HAL even when compared with Aqua Class.And I love their traditional afternoon teas offered in the MDR. Personally, I'd either go with Koningsdam or Silhouette, as Zuiderdam is nice, but still the older ship. Silhouette is a beautiful ship, Aqua Class is great and the Spa access is nice if it's cool in the Baltics. On the other hand from what I have seen about new Koningsdam she is absolutely stunning and really comparable to Celebrity's S-class. There are Spa cabins on HAL to be had that offer Spa access, similar to AQ.

Both cruise lines offer a beverage package. Celebrity gives you OBC, HAL gives you a free dinner in their specialty restaurant. And the Specialty restaurants on HAL ships are affordable ( less than half the price compared with Celebrity) and very very good.

In regard to itinerary , it really is difficult again. Celebrity offers 3 (!) days in St. Petersburg which gives you more time for that wonderful city and to take a three-day package with a private tour company.

The Koningsdam itinerary offers another highlight, though - cruising the Norwegian fjords. If you are considering staying for 21 or even 24 days, that might be something again to consider.

I'd also suggest staying two days in Amsterdam before or after the cruise - it's worth it.

Whatever you decide - have a wonderful time in the Baltics. I think June is the best time of the year to visit.

[marco]

Having sailed bot lines several times, I'd be happy on either. I would choose dependent on dates/price/itinerary/length of time in the ports and touring/sight seeing opportunities.

[BourbonNBluesLuvr]

Hello,

 

I have to agree with a lot of the previous posts...although I love the Celebrity S Class ships, and have not had a recent desire to cruise on HAL (although my one and only HAL cruise was outstanding in every regard)...I would certainly choose the 21 nights on the brand new-to-be Koningsdam over 12 nights on the Silhouette, primarily for the addition of Norway, and the fact that the Koningsdam looks like it will be quite spectacular as well ! True that you lose the overnights, but I think you gain quite a bit more too !

 

Hope you enjoy, whichever you decide on !

 

BBL

[ClaudiaB]

Does HAL still have smoking inside the ship in certain areas and on balconies??

 

As far as getting OBC and gratuities paid, you might be able to score that. When you make your decision, transfer your booking to one of the big online travel agencies. We do that now all the time. Not only do we get Celebrity's (or whoever's) current offerings and pricing, but we get additional on board credit and often beverage package and paid gratuities.

 

I would always opt for a longer cruise unless it was on a ship I really didn't like. I would imagine that you'll be OFF the ship a lot on such a port-intensive cruise. We haven't done the Baltics yet but we will be sailing for the itinerary mainly.

[Fouremco]

Does HAL still have smoking inside the ship in certain areas and on balconies??

Balconies, yes. Inside, only in the Casino while you are playing.

[Aquahound]

We have a deposit with the 123 promotion for Baltic cruise in June 21016 Agua cabin for 12 days.

I have found two other cruises with Holland America that are longer one 24 days and one 21 days. I really like the itinerary of the 24 day, but the ship is rated 4.5 star Zuiderdam and reviews are totally mixed when I read what people have to say.

The other one is 21 day on the new Koningsdam.

 

In most cases, I would recommend Celebrity over HAL but in this case, I think you should really consider that 21 day Koningsdam cruise. It'll be a brand new ship and the renditions of it look amazing. In fact, I really think they're building that ship to compete better with the newer Celebrity ships.

 

I cruised Zuiderdam last year and I really had no complaints about the ship itself. She's comparable to Celebrity Millennium Class ships. However, I would still do the Celebrity cruise first. HAL charges to use their T-pool and as stated, they do still allow smoking on balconies and in the casino.

[DYKWIA]

... It'll be a brand new ship and the renditions of it look amazing. In fact, I really think they're building that ship to compete better with the newer Celebrity ships.

 

....

 

Agree, it looks very modern

[palmsandpines]

You don't mention the itineraries of the various cruises you are considering. We did a Baltic cruise on the Seabourn Pride a couple of years ago that included 3 full days docked at the English Embankment in St Petersburg which meant no long drives in big buses as we did a private tour with another couple for all three days. They were 9, 8 and 7 hour days with a guide and a driver.

 

The bigger ships dock further out from the city.

 

We cruise mainly for the itineraries now that we are retired and the Baltic has great ports that require at least a full day to see the sights. IMHO St Petersburg needs 3 or more.

 

Good luck in making your decision and have a great next cruise.

 

 

So how do you find a private tour in St Petersburg with a reputable firm? How do you pay them? Do you book them in advance or at dock?

[CTBob]

So how do you find a private tour in St Petersburg with a reputable firm? How do you pay them? Do you book them in advance or at dock?

We made up a group from our Roll Call and booked well in advance. There are a few highly rated private tour companies. You can check them out on the Ports of Call section. Go to Europe and then Northern Europe and the Baltic. Lots of information there. SPb, Alla and TJ tours seem to be the most popular. St Petersburg was amazing.

[fleckle]

So how do you find a private tour in St Petersburg with a reputable firm? How do you pay them? Do you book them in advance or at dock?

It is really very easy.

Just check them out on Tripadvisor.

Here is a link.

 

Top Sightseeing Tours in St. Petersburg

 

Then email the ones that look the most attractive to you with your questions, tell them specifically what you want/need and see what kind of replies you receive.

 

That is what we did, and we decided to go with SPB because they were the most responsive to what we wanted and needed.

We were very pleased with SPB and would not hesitate to use them again.

 

Other passengers who used other major companies were also pleased with their choices.

They will give you all the information you need about how to book and pay.

 

I really don't think you can go wrong with any of the top rated companies. If you look at their websites, you can see that the tours they provide are quite similar but there are some differences from one company to another, so it is a matter of narrowing down to whichever company will provide the best match for you.

 

Also, here is a link to the forum for

 

Northern Europe & Baltics

 

another good source of information.