Hal and cunard comparison

[redhydra]

Hi

 

I have seem a similar topic on cunard board and thought to put one here

 

I have sailed on cunard before, solo and enjoyed my experience, i am considering a cruise on 2016 from barcelona on queen victoria or eurodam

 

I was wondering the difference

 

Here are some details i consider

 

In term of food, main dining hall and specialties restaurant

 

Entertainement, daily activities

 

Ambiance on the ships, i am not exactly a party person and tend to shy away from very loud environment

 

Do they attract the same or a different crowd

Edited September 15, 2015 by redhydra

[3rdGenCunarder]

They're similar lines with similar passengers, but HAL is kind of Cunard "lite."

 

Cunard us our first choice, HAL is our second. And that's about it for us. We like HAL's itineraries and the number of US-based choices, eliminating long-haul flights. We like their small ships, although Eurodam is not one of their smaller ships. Still, it's about the size of QV, so not mega like so many other lines have.

 

I've only sailed QM2, not QV, but I expect that the activities will be similar. If you like the speakers onboard your Cunard cruise, be aware that HAL does not do that. No cruise line I've ever sailed comes close to Cunard in that regard. That's one of the things I miss when we're on HAL.

 

What's your choice of entertainment? Both lines do productions shows. Cunard's are bigger and splashier, but HAL uses a live band, which is nice. If you like classical, you'll find more of that on Cunard. HAL has a piano/violin duo. ON QM2 (and I presume QV), there's a string quartet. I think Cunard tends to get better guest entertainers. HAL offers a crew show, which Cunard doesn't do, at least not in recent memory. Many HAL ships have a BB King Club, if you like blues. But be warned, the shows are blaringly loud. The ships that don't have BB King have a jazz combo called the Neptunes, and they're wonderful.

 

If you like dancing in a ballroom, you won't find that on HAL. They do have a band that plays for dancing, either Neptunes or The Band. but it's a small dance floor. OTOH, I saw fewer "look at me, I've had lessons!" dancers on HAL. A lot of couples who like to just get out there and "shuffle around." (IF you've read any of the dance threads on the Cunard board, you'll know what I mean.) Both lines offer dance lessons. I can't comment on that as I haven't been to them.

 

If you like the formal nights on Cunard, you will be disappointed by HAL's "gala nights" because the dress code is far more relaxed on HAL. On Cunard, as you know, everyone dresses up and stays dressed up all evening. On HAL it's only to get into the MDR, so people who eat at the Lido can be very casually dressed.

 

HAL's passenger-service crew are mainly Indonesian, and are known for their friendly service. It's one of the things that makes HAL stand out. They're always smiling, and greet everyone pleasantly. Your cabin steward and waiters (if you have fixed dining) will address you by name.

 

Food is very subjective. I like the choices on Cunard a bit better, but it isn't a big difference. I like HAL's Pinnacle better than Cunard's Todd English. It's a steakhouse, not whatever fancy-shmancy TE fancies himself to be.

 

If you like the idea of open dining, that is something you can get on HAL without paying for expensive accommodation. On their ships, it's just one dining room (plus the upsell restaurants) for everyone. They offer fixed dining, one early, one late on one level. They offer open dining on the other level.

 

That's what comes to mind first. Oh, and HAL costs less. I don't know about single cabin or single supplement prices because we travel as a couple. But on our Vista cruises, we've had a corner aft (PG on Cunard) for a lot less than it would have cost us on Cunard.

[redhydra]

Hi, thanks for the information

 

From my research, i deduced that for port intensive destination, hal appeared more suited for the purpose while cunard get more interesting for sea days

 

Indeed Hal is slightly less expensive for both solo and double occupation on similar cabin

Edited September 15, 2015 by redhydra

[3rdGenCunarder]

Hi, thanks for the information

 

From my research, i deduced that for port intensive destination, hal appeared more suited for the purpose while cunard get more interesting for sea days

 

Indeed Hal is slightly less expensive for both solo and double occupation on similar cabin

 

Yes, that's a good distinction. Our HAL cruises have been mostly port intensive, so on the few sea days, we're happy to just relax.

 

If you decide to go with HAL, looking ahead, check the itineraries for their smaller ships. One of the advantages there is that HAL can/will go to smaller ports that the behemoths skip.

[rafinmd]

I will agree with most of what Kathy has said. If you are considering solo, you might also consider Crystal with supplements stating at about 25%. Even with the lower single supplement it will be more expensive than Cunard or HAL, but the difference may be reasonable. Crystal would pretty much exceed the best Cunard and HAL have to offer in most every area.

 

I've sailed all the current Cunard ships and most of HAL's smaller ones but none of the newer, larger ones. QV and Eurodam share the same hull design and I think you would be at home immediately on the Eurodam.

 

I'll mention one other thing if it might make a difference to you. Only HAL and Crystal have a priest performing daily mass on every cruise. Cunard does offer an interdenominational service led by the Captain on Sundays at sea.

 

Roy

[take us away]

If it works with your schedule, HAL's Prinsedam, with a capacity of about 800 passengers, has dropped the single supplement for its Grand Med cruise in Mid March. Grand cruises do cost extra on a per day basis as many things are 'better' e.g. Dover sole is usually served instead of flounder, steaks are about the same in the MDR but there may be a wonderful Bernaise sauce added and 'fancier' potatoes.

[MacThespian]

Hi

 

I have seem a similar topic on cunard board and thought to put one here

 

I have sailed on cunard before, solo and enjoyed my experience, i am considering a cruise on 2016 from barcelona on queen victoria or eurodam

 

I was wondering the difference

 

Here are some details i consider

 

In term of food, main dining hall and specialties restaurant

 

Entertainement, daily activities

 

Ambiance on the ships, i am not exactly a party person and tend to shy away from very loud environment

 

Do they attract the same or a different crowd

 

We don't have a lot of experience on the two lines (a recent cruise on QV, and one cruise on the "old" Westerdam), but we definitely prefer HAL. We feel the food is better (with the exception of Cunard's afternoon tea), and we find the crew to be much friendlier. On QV, we got the impression that we should be grateful for being allowed to cruise on Cunard (well, except for dining room staff, who were excellent).

 

But the fellow passengers on both were quite friendly and, I would say, more or less similar in age and outlook.

 

However, you've liked your Cunard experiences, so I wouldn't let our reactions to the ship turn you off from cruising with them again.