Thoughts on Celebrity vs. HAL after first Celebrity Cruise

[ken4556]

Since 2008, we have cruised mostly on HAL over Christmas. We looked at the Celebrity Eclipse this year as we were less than impressed with our last two HAL cruise. We could have taken the Oosterdam for an almost identical itinerary with an extra day for a little less money. But we thought the value we got with 1-2-3 promotion on Celebrity was better (drink package, pre-paid tips, and OBC) and were we also eager to try Celebrity. The perks we received with our Diamond status from Royal Caribbean were also very nice. As a 3-star on HAL, you do not get free internet minutes, special check-in line, drink coupons, and free laundry coupons as compared to the perks we received with the cross company status between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

 

For the biggest thing I liked about Celebrity over HAL was the ship was alive and had a great vibe. From the music to the activities to the vibe on the ship, the ship had life. The Eclipse, in my humble opinion, is much nicer than the HAL ships as it had more entertainment and bar options then the Vista style ships. I also thought the entertainment on Celebrity was of higher quality. One great addition was they had a speaker on the sea days. His name was Jim Kennedy, former director of the NASA Kennedy Space Center. He was a great speaker and was a great addition to the cruise experience. This type of speaker was not offered on any of the HAL cruises I have been on.

 

Dining room service was excellent from a waiter, he did not seem to be overloaded like HAL has done recently to the wait staff. The food is pretty comparable, but on Celebrity we had the option from the menu for shrimp cocktails and escargot each night. The meat seemed to be higher quality as the prime rib we had two nights was fantastic. Bar service was better than we had on HAL the last couple of cruises, especially in the show lounge and the dining room.

 

Our room was pretty similar to HAL, but with a better 3rd bed. The pullout out sofa we have had on the last HAL cruises was almost unusable with out extra pillows to keep the bars from digging into ones back. The technology through the TV to check our account and see our pictures was also a nice feature.

 

I am not sure how HAL is going to attract the generations of cruisers when the ships are not set-up for a younger crowd. In addition, why would one want to go on the new Koningsdam when it holds the same number of people as the Celebrity Solstice class ships, yet it is going to be 20% smaller? Not sure what HAL is thinking here...

 

I am not sure HAL is for me anymore. With the changes they have made and direction they are heading, I would choose Celebrity next time even if the HAL cruise was cheaper. I would rather pay extra for a better cruise vacation.

 

Again, these are my thought from someone who almost 50 years old. Maybe I am too young to be happy on HAL, but I would think HAL would want to attract cruisers my age to build loyalty in the years to come.

[Himself]

Thank you for your observations.

[Huskerchick]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We are taking our first Celebrity cruise in 2017 after many years on HAL. That's the beauty of cruising in that there are plenty of options and people have choices to find the line that's for them.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Huskerchick

[iancal]

We are in our sixties. If it comes down to a choice between a Celebrity Solstice class ship and a HAl ship, Celebrity will win every time. For some of the reasons that you have stated. That is a shame because we want as much competition as possible since it makes all cruise lines better.

 

We no longer have any idea where HAL is headed, what their target market is, or how they are going to differentiate themselves in the 14 day and under cruise market. We just know that HAL seems to have slipped into the second tier of our cruise line and ship offerings. Very unfortunate.

Edited December 31, 2015 by iancal

[Off Shore]

We have turned to HAL as Celebrity has abandoned the West Coast

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to compare differences between the 2 cruise lines.

[GlennG]

Since 2008, we have cruised mostly on HAL over Christmas. We looked at the Celebrity Eclipse this year as we were less than impressed with our last two HAL cruise. We could have taken the Oosterdam for an almost identical itinerary with an extra day for a little less money. But we thought the value we got with 1-2-3 promotion on Celebrity was better (drink package, pre-paid tips, and OBC) and were we also eager to try Celebrity. The perks we received with our Diamond status from Royal Caribbean were also very nice. As a 3-star on HAL, you do not get free internet minutes, special check-in line, drink coupons, and free laundry coupons as compared to the perks we received with the cross company status between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

 

For the biggest thing I liked about Celebrity over HAL was the ship was alive and had a great vibe. From the music to the activities to the vibe on the ship, the ship had life. The Eclipse, in my humble opinion, is much nicer than the HAL ships as it had more entertainment and bar options then the Vista style ships. I also thought the entertainment on Celebrity was of higher quality. One great addition was they had a speaker on the sea days. His name was Jim Kennedy, former director of the NASA Kennedy Space Center. He was a great speaker and was a great addition to the cruise experience. This type of speaker was not offered on any of the HAL cruises I have been on.

 

Dining room service was excellent from a waiter, he did not seem to be overloaded like HAL has done recently to the wait staff. The food is pretty comparable, but on Celebrity we had the option from the menu for shrimp cocktails and escargot each night. The meat seemed to be higher quality as the prime rib we had two nights was fantastic. Bar service was better than we had on HAL the last couple of cruises, especially in the show lounge and the dining room.

 

Our room was pretty similar to HAL, but with a better 3rd bed. The pullout out sofa we have had on the last HAL cruises was almost unusable with out extra pillows to keep the bars from digging into ones back. The technology through the TV to check our account and see our pictures was also a nice feature.

 

I am not sure how HAL is going to attract the generations of cruisers when the ships are not set-up for a younger crowd. In addition, why would one want to go on the new Koningsdam when it holds the same number of people as the Celebrity Solstice class ships, yet it is going to be 20% smaller? Not sure what HAL is thinking here...

 

I am not sure HAL is for me anymore. With the changes they have made and direction they are heading, I would choose Celebrity next time even if the HAL cruise was cheaper. I would rather pay extra for a better cruise vacation.

 

Again, these are my thought from someone who almost 50 years old. Maybe I am too young to be happy on HAL, but I would think HAL would want to attract cruisers my age to build loyalty in the years to come.

 

Thank you for your detailed review and assessment of your recent Celebrity experience. When I discovered that Holland America Line was adding a large group of people (not a charter) to its January 2016 itinerary, I researched some alternatives to my booked HAL cruise. I seriously looked at Celebrity and Princess. I think that I would likely be happy with either of these two cruise lines. Alas, I could not make the change as Air Canada was positively miserable when I attempted to change my flight dates. In any case, I'm learning from HAL regulars that there are alternatives to the "Savour the Journey" cruise line. I agree with many of the regular and experienced posters. There are many worthwhile alternatives to the Holland America experience.

 

As an aside, I'm a senior citizen but I'm not married to Holland America Line. I think that Celebrity could be equally responsive to my unique travel and vacation needs.

[cruz chic]

Sounds like celebrity is a good flt it for you. I've tried it twice and wasn't impressed. The food was either very good or very bad. Getting someone to open a bottle of wine was difficult. Iirc corkage was something like $25. I didn't drink my bottle of white in one night so I got it slammed on the table with no ice bucket the second night. Simple queries at the front desk took about a half hour. I have little desire to return to a line like that. I'll take Hal any day.

[Hlitner]

Knowing both lines (and others) we agree with just about everything posted by the OP. And we just happened to be on the Eclipse (for 2 weeks) earlier this month and also attended Jim Kennedy's fascinating lectures. But your comment about the Eclipse being "alive" hits at one of our long-term issues with HAL. When on the Eclipse we went to 2, standing room only late night Comedy Shows (at 11:30) and out for cocktails (at a crowded lively Martini Bar) after the show. On HAL, we would normally be in our cabin by 10:30 since there is just not much reason to be out and about. While we are capable of "rolling with the waves" and dealing with the boring late nights on HAL, many younger cruisers will not accept that type of cruise. It is why we seldom recommend HAL to anyone under 60.

 

Hank

[travelnap]

We all have things we like or dislike about various lines, because we all have different things that are important to us. I have sailed on most of the mass market lines and I think Celebrity is one of the lines that I won't be sailing with again. Don't get me wrong, the cruise I had on them was fine. I have never had a bad cruise no matter what line I sailed on.

 

I read a lot on a cruise and I thought that Celebrity had the worst library at sea that I have ever seen. I also prefer a promenade deck that you can actually walk around the ship on, not just up and back on one side at a time, unless you cut through the ship to the other side.

 

I though the food on Celebrity was just as good as on HAL or any other line. I didn't think the entertainment was much different than most lines, with maybe the exception of NCL, which I do think has good entertainment. The specialty restaurants on Celebrity were also quite a bit more expensive than most other lines. As I said before, I enjoyed my cruise on Celebrity but I did miss some of the things that are important to me, so that is why I don't think I will be sailing with them again.

[vicd1969]

Thank you for the detailed comparison. I am part of the under-50 demographic that cruise lines need to capture. While I haven't sailed on Celebrity, your review mirrors a lot of good things I've read about the Solstice class ships. HAL does seem to have fallen behind on the shipboard experience when comparing to those Solstice class ships, and I would look to Celebrity if doing a normal cruise destination like Eastern Caribbean.

 

However, HAL does have a lot more diverse and interesting stops on its itineraries in my opinion (ex: Sitka, Glacier Bay and Seward in Alaska, Partial Panama, Bonaire, Iceland, to name a few.). Hopefully the new partnership with BBC Earth will help improve activities on a HAL ship.

Edited December 31, 2015 by vicd1969

[Cruising-along]

We're almost 4-star on HAL (next cruise) and have our 3rd Celebrity cruise booked. We like both lines for different reasons, and usually book for itinerary.

 

HAL beats Celebrity in laundry service (until you reach a certain level on Celebrity, you pay by the piece. No self-laundries on any of their ships, and we never had the option of laundry by the bag, not on either of our 14-day cruises).

 

Love HAL's promenade deck for walking laps. As someone else said, on Celebrity you either walk up and down, or have to cut through the ship to get to the other side.

 

Celebrity does have much better pizza :D Also their 1-2-3 promotion beats anything we've had with HAL. IMO food and service are equal, but we like Celebrity's specialty restaurants better.

 

We've found that we like HAL's itineraries better, except for a few cases.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Cruising-along

[cruisemom42]

Your review is very close to my own feelings about Celebrity (and how it compares with HAL) recently. I think when the ship is the destination -- such as in the Caribbean -- I'd always pick Celebrity.

 

But HAL does have good itineraries...

 

I didn't realize Koningsdam was built to hold the same number of pax as the S-class ships but was actually smaller. I may have to re-think my plans in that direction. I'd hoped Koningsdam would be a fusion of some things I like about Celebrity with some I like about HAL. :(

 

P.S. Never have understood the big fol-de-rol of a wraparound promenade deck. Personal failing, I guess....

Edited December 31, 2015 by cruisemom42

[WpgCruise]

It has always amazed me that we can be on the same ship, literally one month apart and have a totally different experience.

 

Crew changes, itinerary changes, passenger changes, all can impact the experience.

 

One significant difference between the two lines is their smoking policy. On every Celebrity ship there is no balcony smoking, nor any in door smoking at all.

Edited December 31, 2015 by WpgCruise

[iancal]

About the only time we really consider a HAL cruise now is if the itinerary is unique or if there is a super deal(compared to other lines) on a last minute sailing.

 

Best for us when both align.

 

This has not always been the case. Hopefully the HAL brand will eventually improve. Many companies and many brands go into a period of decline either because of poor management, lacklustre product,or both. But many re-invent themselves and return in full force to the marketplace.

 

We certainly hope that HAL is one that has the capacity to do this.

Edited December 31, 2015 by iancal

[NOSaints1]

If you look X does cruises out of Vancouver and LA with intenarys to the West Coast on the Infinity

[Cruising-along]

If you look X does cruises out of Vancouver and LA with intenarys to the West Coast on the Infinity

 

 

That will be our next X cruise in September. 7 days, another area they do well.

[Steve Q]

I must agree with this posting. We love HAL and did a 14 day Alaska cruise on the Statendam this past summer. That said, the Solstice Class ships are quite an upgrade from any of HAL's ships. Perhaps the Koningsdam will change that. We will see.

 

I will also say, however, that HAL has itineraries that we really enjoy. Celebrity does not really match them in that category. Our trip this summer was unique to HAL and no other line had an offering similar to it.

 

We will continue to sail both lines as we find both have their positives.

[Jimbo59]

We all have things we like or dislike about various lines, because we all have different things that are important to us. I have sailed on most of the mass market lines and I think Celebrity is one of the lines that I won't be sailing with again. Don't get me wrong, the cruise I had on them was fine. I have never had a bad cruise no matter what line I sailed on.

 

I read a lot on a cruise and I thought that Celebrity had the worst library at sea that I have ever seen. I also prefer a promenade deck that you can actually walk around the ship on, not just up and back on one side at a time, unless you cut through the ship to the other side.

 

I though the food on Celebrity was just as good as on HAL or any other line. I didn't think the entertainment was much different than most lines, with maybe the exception of NCL, which I do think has good entertainment. The specialty restaurants on Celebrity were also quite a bit more expensive than most other lines. As I said before, I enjoyed my cruise on Celebrity but I did miss some of the things that are important to me, so that is why I don't think I will be sailing with them again.

 

No, the worst library is on Prncess.

 

And for those who like a piano bar, stick with HAL. Celebrity doesn't have one.

[NOSaints1]

When Carnival ordered 4 new ships did they order any for HAL or just princess and Costa

[POA1]

When Carnival ordered 4 new ships did they order any for HAL or just princess and Costa

Here is the current order book for cruise ships:

 

http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/cruise-ship-orderbook.html

[ken4556]

HAL has on order two Koningsdam class ships on order, one to be delivered in 2016 and one in 2018.

 

I do agree that has some nice itinerary although I wish they would mix up the Caribbean itinerary. One can only do the Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas, Half Moon Key itinerary. The seven day Western of out of Poet Everglades is pretty weak. The new itinerary of Key West, Grand Turk, Amber Cove, and Half Moon Key is not one that I would book at all. I wish they would also mix-up the Southern Caribbean 10/11 day runs. To always have the 10 day go to the ABC islands on the Fri to Mon sailing is very limited.

 

One last item is on the 7-day, they have been leaving St. Marteen at 3 pm all to save fuel. I was on the NA that left at 5 pm and we would Half Moon Key fine. All aboard at 2:30 pm really limits what you can do in St. Marteen.

[sppunk]

When Carnival ordered 4 new ships did they order any for HAL or just princess and Costa

 

Princess, Costa (2) and P&O.

 

HAL has an option for a 2nd Pinnacle Class ship that will be executed, I think it'll be finished in later 2018 or early 2019.

Edited December 31, 2015 by sppunk

[G&G]

We were are the Celebrity Eclipse over Thanksgiving for 13 days. I agree with many of the comments previously posted.

 

1. We had 9 different professional entertainers in 13 days in their showroom. 8 received standing ovations at end of show; much better than HAL.

 

2. Per my DW, Library is worse she ever saw on cruise ship

 

3. All exterior balcony cabins are same except suites whether you are Conciege or Aqua class; same as a HAL standard cabin.

 

4. Lots of bars; even their Lido Restaurant has a huge bar

[iancal]

Everyone has different preferences. We do not care about the library since we bring our own reading material.

 

Don't care about wrap around walking decks. Have absolutely zero interest in an on board priest or any other clergy for that matter.

 

Understated elegance on HAL in our experience translates to dark environments, not much in the way of atriums, and not much on board vibe after the second dining seating lets out. Plus a ship and cabins that could do with a bit (or more) of an overhaul/refresh. And little choice of bars or alternate dining venues. And as a kicker, the frequent cruiser program is not very competitive.

Edited December 31, 2015 by iancal