HAL, Princess and most recent Celebrity Cruise

[Been There, Planning That]

I initially posted this on Celebrity as we've just returned from a great two week southern Caribbean cruise and have booked a similar three week one on HAL for next year.

 

We have cruised more frequently on both HAL and Princess and this was only our second Celebrity cruise. We travel in modest cabins on each line, so have no special status other than that awarded frequent travellers.

 

The Eclipse: The ship decor seemed more modern, in contrast with the subdued old world charm of HAL or flashiness of Princess.

 

Service: All three lines offered us excellent cabin and table service.

 

Food: Celebrity’s Oceanview Cafe never seemed as crowded as buffets on other lines so that we could always find a noon time seat, even on sea days.

 

I suspect that food is ‘chef’ dependent, but we would equate each of the three lines, though we’d remembered better on Celebrity. We had traditional early seating in the Sonata, and it was the most packed dining room we’ve ever been in on any ship. In fact it reminded me of an elegant school cafeteria. There were no logical aisles in the centre third, so that getting to our table involved solving a tight maze of tables. Had they added either hedges or corn stalks, it would have been a true adventure maze! Navigation was no easier for the staff.

 

Lectures: On the Eclipse, we most missed port lectures which offered general port information and suggestions for independent exploration as is the norm on both Princess and HAL. We attended general destination lectures but were disappointed that no practical information was offered for they were just a sales’ pitch for left over excursions. Port Excursions would be a more accurate title.

 

Port Information: The port printouts distributed in Eclipse cabins offered very little about local history and directions to anything but shopping opportunities. These are designed for shoppers but both HAL and Princess included some directions to historical sites which most interested us.

 

Excursions: On recent cruises we’ve taken ship excursions, and have found each line to be similar in pricing and excellence or lack thereof. Each line is dependent upon local operators and their buses/mini vans.

 

Age Demographics: Because we choose a minimum two week cruise, the age is generally older on all three lines. We were surprised to notice no exception to this generalization on Celebrity though there were fewer wheel chairs and scooters than on the usual HAL cruise.

 

Internet: We enjoyed the best ever internet on Celebrity, even as good as on European River cruises. And reception was even great in our 6th deck cabin.

 

Observation from a non status cruiser: On Celebrity we were more aware of missing privileges rightly awarded those in suites and above. I recognize they’ve paid for these privileges, but I wonder if modest travellers are therefore downgraded to keep overall costs from escalating.

 

Annoyances: The right hand side of the Celebrity room service breakfast menu lacked prices for the speciality items. NO restaurant has ever advertized that prices for menu items could be found on the TV! Receipts for purchases lacked prices, for example, it was only later that we discovered that a small bottle of water cost $3.75. Only once on our many morning visits to the 14th deck cafe did we get trolley served coffee while there was always someone peddling water and freshly squeezed orange juice.

 

Summary: We most certainly enjoyed the cruise and would happily cruise again with Celebrity, but other than the Eclipse being a newer ship than many on which we’ve sailed, we find HAL, Celebrity and Princess to be in the same league, with only minor differences among the three middle range lines. Prices and itinerary will determine our future choices, not loyalty to one of these three similar brands.

 

Ruth

Edited March 7, 2016 by Been There, Planning That

[Alberta Quilter]

Thanks for your review, Ruth. I've not been on the other lines so found that part interesting. We also travel in modest category cabins.

 

Welcome back!

[Been There, Planning That]

Thanks for your review, Ruth. I've not been on the other lines so found that part interesting. We also travel in modest category cabins.

 

Welcome back!

 

There are loyalists for each brand. We chatted with those who loved Celebrity to the exclusion of other lines as we have on HAL and Princess. The more convincing cruisers are those with considerable experience on each line who choose one exclusively now.

 

I'd say that both Princess and HAL are very generous on port information for non shoppers, something we really value. This fleshes out any tour we might take or allows for something after or before a tour. We are no longer beach people.

 

Ruth

Edited March 7, 2016 by Been There, Planning That

[Hlitner]

Great review :). We also routinely cruise all 3 subject lines including doing the 2 week Eclipse Caribbean itinerary once very year (right after Thanksgiving). We agree with much of what the OP says. HAL evokes something akin to an old world charm which we do find delightful. We do the enjoy the Eclipse itinerary, but since we never take an excursion in the Caribbean cannot comment on that issue. We agree that the Lido buffet area on the Eclipse (and all the S class ships) is expansive an laid out in a way that seems to avoid the crowding found on HAL. As to Princess, much depends on the actual ship (the new Royal and Regal ships are quite different from the Grand Class ships).

 

One thing you do not mention in your review is life on the ship after 10pm (perhaps you were already in bed). On HAL, we do have the piano bars (which we love) but have found that most HAL ships die a fast death around 10pm. On Celebrity they will have SRO crowds for late night adult comedy shows and there is just more going on until at least midnight. On HAL we have sometimes found ourselves watching a DVD movie in our cabin while on both Celebrity and Princess there are enough late night venues that we have never watched a movie in the cabin.

 

When it comes to Room Service, HAL is 2nd to none! We have not found another mass market line (and we have been on them all) that even comes close to HAL for cabin breakfast. Celebrity is not bad if you are in Aqua Class (or suites) where you have an expanded menu, but the regular cabin breakfast service/selection leaves something to be desired. And HAL is the only line where we can order eggs for cabin breakfast...and they arrive hot! We should also mention that Celebrity recently stopped serving (even if you want to pay) fresh squeezed OJ....which is something we always enjoy on HAL (hope they do not eliminate it with all their other cut backs). Celebrity now has something they call "premium" OJ which you can buy (or it is covered by the various beverage packages) which tastes anything but "premium."

 

When you mention internet on HAL you hit a personal nerve. When we cruise on Princess, DW and I will usually get 1,000 free internet minutes and it usually works. On RCI, Celebrity and Azamara we also get plenty of free internet which usually works OK. In fact, on nearly every cruise line among the 14 we have cruised...we get some free internet that works! On HAL, despite being 4 Star Mariners, we get exactly ZERO free internet. And the internet service we pay for on HAL is usually somewhere between awful and dismal! In an era when some ships (primarily on RCI) are now offering high speed internet (with plenty of free minutes for frequent cruisers) HAL still charges big bucks for crappy service. Decent access to the internet has now moved from an entertainment medium to a necessity (especially for younger cruisers who may need to do some work on their cruises). HAL really needs to rethink their entire approach to internet pricing (we know they are looking at options) and speed.

 

Hank

Edited March 7, 2016 by Hlitner

[Been There, Planning That]

Great review :).

 

One thing you do not mention in your review is life on the ship after 10pm (perhaps you were already in bed). On HAL, we do have the piano bars (which we love) but have found that most HAL ships die a fast death around 10pm. On Celebrity they will have SRO crowds for late night adult comedy shows and there is just more going on until at least midnight. On HAL we have sometimes found ourselves watching a DVD movie in our cabin while on both Celebrity and Princess there are enough late night venues that we have never watched a movie in the cabin.

 

 

When you mention internet on HAL you hit a personal nerve. When we cruise on Princess, DW and I will usually get 1,000 free internet minutes and it usually works. On RCI, Celebrity and Azamara we also get plenty of free internet which usually works OK. In fact, on nearly every cruise line among the 14 we have cruised...we get some free internet that works! On HAL, despite being 4 Star Mariners, we get exactly ZERO free internet. And the internet service we pay for on HAL is usually somewhere between awful and dismal! In an era when some ships (primarily on RCI) are now offering high speed internet (with plenty of free minutes for frequent cruisers) HAL still charges big bucks for crappy service.

 

Hank

 

Hank

 

We're part of that early to bed.... set. Bob loves to write, and I to read which is one excuse we use.

 

We're only three star on HAL, but got considerable free internet on our most recent Princess cruise -- over two hours each I seem to recall. We snagged unlimited on Celebrity under their sales' offering when we booked.

 

You're right, I'm sure, that the age of the ship and its equipment determine speed.

[teamflames]

Thanks for this report Ruth, it seems to clarify what we have been told.

 

My wife and I are early 40's and have only sailed the one cruise which was a Med cruise on celebrity.

 

We had a great time, found the ship very modern, loved the lawn, completely agree about the dining room layout, loved the specialty restaurants and found there was always something happening reasonably late.

 

We are sailing on the koningsdam in June for a Baltic cruise. Our Ta, wanted us to try princess as thought it would suit our demographic more but we loved the itinerary and the fact it's a new ship. I get the impression this new ship will be more like celebrity (same designer) than its own fleet.

 

We hope to do an Alaska cruise in the future and our Ta recommends princess for that, but time will tell.

 

 

Thanks again

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums mobile app

Edited March 7, 2016 by teamflames

[HALrunner]

I really appreciate your concise review, wonderfully written and extremely helpful! Thanks so much!

[galensgrl]

Thank you for that review. DH and I have had 4 cruises with NCL, one with HAL which we loved, another upcoming with HAL because the last one was so good lol. Initially we were brand loyal to NCL, but we decided to try other lines starting with HAL. I believe we will be trying Princess next (they go to Iceland!) and I could see us trying Celebrity sometime if we find the right intinerary and price. I love to hear peoples impression of the different lines, thanks again.

 

Lorie

[Been There, Planning That]

Thank you for that review. DH and I have had 4 cruises with NCL, one with HAL which we loved, another upcoming with HAL because the last one was so good lol. Initially we were brand loyal to NCL, but we decided to try other lines starting with HAL. I believe we will be trying Princess next (they go to Iceland!) and I could see us trying Celebrity sometime if we find the right intinerary and price. I love to hear peoples impression of the different lines, thanks again.

 

Lorie

 

We did three NCL cruises in our earliest days of cruising, but have never ventured back. We just haven't found the right for us itinerary.

 

Ruth

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks for the review. I don't know why, but I never think to check Celebrity when I'm looking for a cruise. Maybe because I've never sailed with them. I disliked Princess, so I don't look at their cruises. But I'll remember to include Celebrity as a possibility next time I'm "cruise shopping."

[iancal]

Agree completely. It is why we focus on the ship vs the cruise line.

 

We focus on value and we cherry pick. We take into account loyalty perks but ignore the valueless (to us) aspirational components. Very few of the loyalty perks have value for us. And some we won't pay for. Why should we pay an up charge for Neptune when we essentially get better from RCI Diamond Club for free regardless of what cabin we book?

[RMLincoln]

Thanks for the comparison review. We also enjoy all three lines. DH has said that he can't tell the difference except for the pizza!

 

For me, Princess's big lack is a couch in the categories less than junior suite on most of their ships (I will admit that on Ocean Princess we had a couch in a porthole room but that is unusual, she wasn't built for Princess and now she's sold so not in their fleet anymore).

 

The late night comedy is something we enjoy on Princess, Celebrity, NCL and Carnival. But we pick by itinerary and cost and find good value, good service and comfort from many cruise lines.

 

Glad you enjoyed your recent cruise on Celebrity. Thanks for sharing. m--

[igraf]

Nice comparison review.

 

Suite passengers pay for the extra large staterooms and that is fine with me. But, they did NOT pay for the right to downgrade my cruise and to constantly remind me of it!! Sorry, but that is a showstopper for me. I have no interest in cruising on a line with a social caste system throughout the ship.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

...

 

Observation from a non status cruiser: On Celebrity we were more aware of missing privileges rightly awarded those in suites and above. I recognize they’ve paid for these privileges, but I wonder if modest travellers are therefore downgraded to keep overall costs from escalating.

 

...

 

Ruth

[Aquahound]

Suite passengers pay for the extra large staterooms and that is fine with me. But, they did NOT pay for the right to downgrade my cruise and to constantly remind me of it!! Sorry, but that is a showstopper for me. I have no interest in cruising on a line with a social caste system throughout the ship.

 

This sentiment about Celebrity has me scratching my head. I've sailed Celebrity numerous times and never in a suite. Not once did I feel my cruise was "downgraded," nor did I feel like there was a class system. I'd be interested in hearing a little more specific where that feeling is coming from. :confused:

[Hlitner]

Somebody said the magic word, "PIZZA." And we are pizza lovers and have sampled cruise line pizza on dozens of vessels and 14 cruise lines. Among the 3 lines mentioned in this thread, Princess has the best pizza (by far) and reminds us of good NYC pizza. In 2nd Place is Celebrity where the quality of pizza has really improved in recent years. Both these lines make their pizza fresh and by hand. And then there is HAL where the pizza would be in a distant last place (and among the worst on any cruise line). And HAL seems to have no problem letting their pizza sit out under a heat lamp for a very long time (we are talking hours).

 

On almost every HAL cruise, we have written a comment that HAL should send their staff to Princess (both lines are owned by CCL) to learn how to make good pizza. But like most suggestions to HAL, they fall on deaf ears. We think the "suits" in Seattle are so busy smoking their cigarettes that they have no time to deal with Pizza.

 

Hank

[igraf]

It is a recent development for Celebrity to offer additional perks to Suite passengers that are more apparent in the general public areas. Here is a bit of information from the Celebrity web page:

 

"Exclusive access to Michael's Club includes complimentary cocktails, canapés, and dedicated Concierge services. Savor mouthwatering meals in Luminae—a restaurant reserved only for Suite Class guests."

 

Suite guests also now receive priority restaurant seating & reserved theatre seating. This would really bother me throughout the cruise.

 

I would also add that my previous comments were directed toward Celebrity rather than the original poster of this thread (who wrote a very informative review).

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

This sentiment about Celebrity has me scratching my head. I've sailed Celebrity numerous times and never in a suite. Not once did I feel my cruise was "downgraded," nor did I feel like there was a class system. I'd be interested in hearing a little more specific where that feeling is coming from. :confused:

Edited March 8, 2016 by igraf

[teamflames]

This sentiment about Celebrity has me scratching my head. I've sailed Celebrity numerous times and never in a suite. Not once did I feel my cruise was "downgraded," nor did I feel like there was a class system. I'd be interested in hearing a little more specific where that feeling is coming from. :confused:

 

 

As I mentioned our only cruise was with X and to us it felt very "caste" neutral. I never saw or heard anything for suite passengers only. The only thing I can think of is Aqua class and the blu dining but this didn't interest us in the slightest as we were not sailing to be healthy [emoji28]

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums mobile app

[teamflames]

It is a recent development for Celebrity to offer additional perks to Suite passengers that are more apparent in the general public areas. Here is a bit of information from the Celebrity web page:

 

 

 

"Exclusive access to Michael's Club includes complimentary cocktails, canapés, and dedicated Concierge services. Savor mouthwatering meals in Luminae—a restaurant reserved only for Suite Class guests."

 

 

 

Suite guests also now receive priority restaurant seating & reserved theatre seating. This would really bother me throughout the cruise.

 

 

 

I would also add that my previous comments were directed toward Celebrity rather than the original poster of this thread (who wrote a very informative review).

 

 

 

igraf

 

 

Thanks for sharing this, obviously introduced since our trip, I can see how that would be annoying

 

 

Sent from my iPod touch using Forums mobile app

[sppunk]

Somebody said the magic word, "PIZZA." And we are pizza lovers and have sampled cruise line pizza on dozens of vessels and 14 cruise lines. Among the 3 lines mentioned in this thread, Princess has the best pizza (by far) and reminds us of good NYC pizza. In 2nd Place is Celebrity where the quality of pizza has really improved in recent years. Both these lines make their pizza fresh and by hand. And then there is HAL where the pizza would be in a distant last place (and among the worst on any cruise line). And HAL seems to have no problem letting their pizza sit out under a heat lamp for a very long time (we are talking hours).

 

On almost every HAL cruise, we have written a comment that HAL should send their staff to Princess (both lines are owned by CCL) to learn how to make good pizza. But like most suggestions to HAL, they fall on deaf ears. We think the "suits" in Seattle are so busy smoking their cigarettes that they have no time to deal with Pizza.

 

Hank

The new pizza on ships with the Marketplace is reportedly vastly superior. It's made-to-order.

[candbgirl]

This sentiment about Celebrity has me scratching my head. I've sailed Celebrity numerous times and never in a suite. Not once did I feel my cruise was "downgraded," nor did I feel like there was a class system. I'd be interested in hearing a little more specific where that feeling is coming from. :confused:

 

 

Thank you for saying this. I guess I just must be clueless when it comes to things like that. Could OP explain this a little more please?

 

Oh I see now what people are complaining about. But the free drinks etc in Michaels club have been around for years and not just for suite passengers. Captains Club members at certain levels get to use that perk too. And was the food bad? Is that why you think the suite people are getting better food at your expense. I admit I haven't sailed Celebrity in a few years(been sailing Oceania) but we do have 2 Celebrity cruises coming up.

Edited March 8, 2016 by candbgirl

[Aquahound]

It is a recent development for Celebrity to offer additional perks to Suite passengers that are more apparent in the general public areas. Here is a bit of information from the Celebrity web page:

 

"Exclusive access to Michael's Club includes complimentary cocktails, canapés, and dedicated Concierge services. Savor mouthwatering meals in Luminae—a restaurant reserved only for Suite Class guests."

 

Suite guests also now receive priority restaurant seating & reserved theatre seating. This would really bother me throughout the cruise.

 

Michael's is the Suite lounge, just like how HAL has the Neptune Lounge, so nothing different there.

 

Luminae is a suites only dining room. Eating there is optional for suite guests. It's mere existence changes nothing for non-suites passengers.

 

The reserved suites seating in the theater is a small section of the upper balcony. Again, nothing changes for non-suites passengers.

 

Again, I just don't see how this stuff makes a non-suite passenger feel as though their cruise was "downgraded" when nothing is changed. It's not like anything was taken away from non-suites passengers. :confused:

 

Thanks for sharing this, obviously introduced since our trip, I can see how that would be annoying

 

This stuff has been on Celebrity ships for a couple years now. I was just on Celebrity in December and this sort of thing isn't even noticeable unless you're looking for it.

[knittinggirl]

Thanks for the comparison review. We're doing our second HAL cruise this summer.

 

We cruised both Princess and Celebrity last year and plan to use up our last Royal Caribbean next cruise certificates next year.

 

We found Celebrity Infinity's main dining room as hard to navigate as you. Since the port side of the ship is tied up with suite dining, we had to enter on the starboard side, then walk all the way to the port side (where our table was all the way aft). The sun created a problem, and the blinds were broken. Fortunately, the next night, I brought my sunglasses, and found they'd fixed it.

 

We're elite on Celebrity, due to the reciprocal benefits from Royal Caribbean. And stayed in a Concierge Class, basically balcony w/ benefits. We had an upgraded room service menu, along w/ a bottle of cheap alcohol in the room on boarding day. Not a problem w/ us since the "good" stuff is lost on us. Our table mates, w/ more of a discerning wine palate, didn't even open their bottle. Too bad they didn't offer the bottle to us.

 

The room had a very small balcony that the next cruise sales person from our previous cruise stuck us with.

 

DH has insisted any future cruises on Celebrity be at least a Sky Suite. Not sure if we'll do that, since celebrity prices have jumped a lot.

Edited March 8, 2016 by knittinggirl

[Been There, Planning That]

 

We found Celebrity Infinity's main dining room as hard to navigate as you. Since the port side of the ship is tied up with suite dining, we had to enter on the starboard side, then walk all the way to the port side (where our table was all the way aft).

.)

 

Candbgirl, I guess the observation above confirms my initial comment and made us aware of the Luminae dining room which made navigation so difficult. We too were seated aft on the port side.

 

From our first Celebrity cruise several years ago, I suspect we'd remembered meals of the sort now served in Luminae. We never wanted for food, and always had something we'd enjoy, but it simply fell short of meals remembered. This is in part why I equated the three lines -- each very much middle range at our level of cabin choice.

 

But the fact is, any cruise lines needs basic travellers, at least until they design a penthouse/suite only ship.

 

Ruth

Edited March 8, 2016 by Been There, Planning That

[Bruin Steve]

I'm finding this thread rather interesting...I cam here to research things I might want to learn about HAL before taking my first HAL cruise next year.

 

I just booked my first HAL cruise for July 2017 on the Maasdam...It will be our 47th cruise overall and our 9th different cruise line...We are Elite Plus cruisers on Celebrity, Diamond on RCCL, Platinum on Princess...along with multiple cruises on Oceania and on Carnival. I generally book my cruises for a variety of reasons--itinerary, dates and pricing are important...but, when all else is equal, I do have my favorites...there is a specific pecking order in my head...

 

The problem with relying on most anyone's comparison of cruise lines is that it is often largely subjective. We all have different criteria, different standards, different expectations. Things that are important to me may be things that are of no concern to you...and vice versa...

 

I generally look for things that I can measure--like space-per-passenger ratios and crew-per-passenger ratios. I look at crowding, waiting times and capacities of various venues. I try to realize that things like "food" and "entertainment" are largely subject to each of our individual taste.

 

That said, my favorite cruise line...by a fairly wide margin...has always been Celebrity. I really like Oceania as well--but the costs are typically higher--and "value" figures into the equation. And I really like Royal Caribbean--especially when traveling with kids or teens...and the entertainment, especially on the newer, bigger RCCL ships is flat-out incredible--Broadway shows, Ice shows, water acrobatics shows, etc. People sometimes talk about those ships being "too big"...but we've found the Allure, for example, to be far less crowded than most smaller ships--again, it's a matter of ratios. I do understand the comments about overcrowding in smaller ports--but you will also find that while cruising on smaller ships--because, in a lot of ports, you won't be the only ship there.

 

All that said, I have always found, for me, Celebrity to be among the least crowded, most relaxed cruises. I am somewhat puzzled about the comments about the Dining Room--I have never thought it to be overcrowded...If you think it is, check out any Carnival ship some time...It is BIG...but I prefer that to the Princess dining rooms--which have low-ceilings and feel closed in and confined.

 

As to the notion on class structure on Celebrity, it really isn't a big deal. Captains Club "Elite" members have, for many years, had some great benefits--including free drinks in a private lounge pre-dinner...and what they've done is to really extend that same benefit to Suite passengers...but, with the increasing numbers of Elite members and the addition of Suite guests, the numbers have outstripped the lounge--so, they've split it up to put the Suite guests and the top category Captains Club guests into one lounge and the Elite guests into another...It's really not a big deal--Everyone can drink somewhere...and Celebrity is selling most cruises with an all-inclusive drinks package nowadays, so it's just a matter of where you go to drink...The separate dining rooms are no big deal either...We usually eat in the main dining room, but we've also eaten in Blu--the dining room for guests in Aqua class cabins...Truth is that BOTH are very good. Heck, on Princess ships, we're always assigned to one of several different dining rooms as well...No big deal.

 

And every cruise line has different things you get at different levels--either for different levels of their repeat customer clubs or by different levels of cabin categories. When I've traveled in suites--on Celebrity or on Oceania, I've had the use of a Butler...I've had extra concierges to help with various arrangements...On Oceania, the Suite guests get more specialty restaurant advance reservations...and they get to make them earlier. Does one feel oppressed when they don't get that? I don't think so...I think people expect it. Airlines give advance boarding and free food to those in higher classes. Hotels have "Concierge" floors with better perks.

 

All that said, I've had cruises in ordinary OV cabins on Celebrity and have still felt extremely well taken care of...

 

I guess I'll have a better idea of what HAL has to offer and where I'd rank them after I take my cruise next year. I do know that I mentioned my booking to my sister--who's also cruised on at least eight different lines--including two fairly recent cruises on HAL...And she told me she's not going back to HAL--didn't care for it...had several things she felt weren't up to her standards. But I booked it anyway...We'll go see for ourselves.

[iancal]

We did not even know we were elite or whatever on Celebtity. Apparently they changed the program sound.

 

We only found out she whe booked an infrequent RCI cruise-a balcony gty.

 

Our Celebrity status made us Diamond on RCI. What did we get?

 

-$200 discount on our cabin-apparently balcony and above

-lounge w/concierge. All day. Unlimited expresso/cap

-all day food. Coninental breakfast, lunch, evening appetizers. Very nice lounge.

-open bar 5-8

-3 free drinks each loaded on our card that we could in any bar between 5-8 pm

60 minutes free internet.

 

Other than real estate, why would we spring for Neptune. Happy to pay for our own laundry when we get everything else gratis.

Edited March 9, 2016 by iancal