Celebrity vs NCL vs HAL

[j_olejnik]

My Wife & I are looking at sailing on a Caribbean cruise and are looking at the following cruise lines/ships:

 

Celebrity Reflection (Sky Suite)

NCL Escape (The Haven)

HAL Koningsdam

 

We would like fellow cruisers opinion given the ships and room categories we're looking at (Celebrity's Suite Class & NCL's The Haven) and particular lean towards a ship that offers good dining and entertainment.

 

Thank you all in advance!

[SuiteTraveler]

The better entertainment will be on NCL. The Haven is great and I would only stay in Haven on NCL. That said, the culture on that ship is for you to go to a different restaurant every night. Some cost extra or you can eat in The Haven Restaurant or Main dining room or Manhattan room which is included. I like the food in Le Bistro and Cagney's and Ocean Blue. Sushi is also pretty good. Beyond that The Haven Restaurant is quite good and we usually eat there for breakfast and lunch as well.

 

That said, the better food is going to be on Celebrity where you have the Luminae restaurant for suite guests. But the shows on Celebrity are pretty dismal. Where Escape is busy and active with lots going on the Celebrity ship will be more quiet and refined in terms of the overall vibe. Of course, when you go to The Haven, it is more quiet and refined in there.

 

HAL has nice suites but an older age demographic and their food is not all that good. To me it was a lack of flavor such as salt, pepper, spice - anything to give the food flavor. Perhaps because the age demographic seemed to be mostly 70+ on our cruise. However, you don't get anything with the larger suites like butler service, so the service level on HAL is not equivalent to what you get on NCL or Celebrity where you have a butler and concierge and the special restaurant for suite guests. Shows are traditional cruise shows.

 

If you are a foodie and you want some "Wow" food then I would go on Celebrity. If you are more interested in good food and lots of entertainment, then I would go on Escape.

 

Alternatively you might seriously consider going on a luxury line instead which should come out more similar in cost to a suite on NCL or Celebrity. Maybe consider Silversea or Regent.

[j_olejnik]

Thank you so much for your reply! We're excited to say that we booked our cruise on NCL Escape sailing in November with accommodations on The Haven!

 

The better entertainment will be on NCL. The Haven is great and I would only stay in Haven on NCL. That said, the culture on that ship is for you to go to a different restaurant every night. Some cost extra or you can eat in The Haven Restaurant or Main dining room or Manhattan room which is included. I like the food in Le Bistro and Cagney's and Ocean Blue. Sushi is also pretty good. Beyond that The Haven Restaurant is quite good and we usually eat there for breakfast and lunch as well.

 

That said, the better food is going to be on Celebrity where you have the Luminae restaurant for suite guests. But the shows on Celebrity are pretty dismal. Where Escape is busy and active with lots going on the Celebrity ship will be more quiet and refined in terms of the overall vibe. Of course, when you go to The Haven, it is more quiet and refined in there.

 

HAL has nice suites but an older age demographic and their food is not all that good. To me it was a lack of flavor such as salt, pepper, spice - anything to give the food flavor. Perhaps because the age demographic seemed to be mostly 70+ on our cruise. However, you don't get anything with the larger suites like butler service, so the service level on HAL is not equivalent to what you get on NCL or Celebrity where you have a butler and concierge and the special restaurant for suite guests. Shows are traditional cruise shows.

 

If you are a foodie and you want some "Wow" food then I would go on Celebrity. If you are more interested in good food and lots of entertainment, then I would go on Escape.

 

Alternatively you might seriously consider going on a luxury line instead which should come out more similar in cost to a suite on NCL or Celebrity. Maybe consider Silversea or Regent.

[navybankerteacher]

Thank you so much for your reply! We're excited to say that we booked our cruise on NCL Escape sailing in November with accommodations on The Haven!

 

Enjoy the cruise. I think you will be surprised by the different atmosphere/level of service/quality of food from that previously experienced on your Celebrity cruises.

[Bonnie J.]

We think of Celebrity as more of a county club type of cruise. On formal night most men will be wearing a tux VS. not as many at all on NCL & HAL. A friend on his 1st cruise on Celebrity was turned away from the dining room because he wasn't wearing a jacket. This won't happen or NCL or HAL. But there will be a LOT less children on Celebrity. Passengers on Celebrity are more affluent than NCL or HAL.

WE decided we a more relaxed cruise then Celebrity was for us.

[mom says]

We think of Celebrity as more of a county club type of cruise. On formal night most men will be wearing a tux VS. not as many at all on NCL & HAL. A friend on his 1st cruise on Celebrity was turned away from the dining room because he wasn't wearing a jacket. This won't happen or NCL or HAL. But there will be a LOT less children on Celebrity. Passengers on Celebrity are more affluent than NCL or HAL.

WE decided we a more relaxed cruise then Celebrity was for us.

 

When were you and that friend last on an X ship? On our cruise a couple of weeks ago I could count the number of tuxes I saw on the fingers of both hands. There were that few. And jackets are never REQUIRED in the MDR, even on elegant chic nights. As for a more affluent client base - how could you possibly know that without accessing the bank balances of everyone on board?

[MOcruiserman]

I've been on Celebrity and HAL and I plan to go on an NCL next year. To me both Celebrity and HAL cruise experiences are equally excellent and I expect I'll like NCL as well. The major cruise lines wouldn't last long if they didn't provide their customers with a quality cruise experience.

[NantahalaCruiser]

We think of Celebrity as more of a county club type of cruise. On formal night most men will be wearing a tux VS. not as many at all on NCL & HAL. A friend on his 1st cruise on Celebrity was turned away from the dining room because he wasn't wearing a jacket. This won't happen or NCL or HAL. But there will be a LOT less children on Celebrity. Passengers on Celebrity are more affluent than NCL or HAL.

WE decided we a more relaxed cruise then Celebrity was for us.

It must have been some time ago that your friend was busted for not wearing a jacket - that would certainly not be the case today. And there is no longer a formal night - it's now called 'Evening Chic' night - and designer jeans are now one of Celebrity's official dress style recommendations for Chic night. While some passengers still wear a tux on Chic night, they are now very much in the minority.

[kelmac]

Cruises on Celebrity = 29; Cruises on HAL = 10; Cruises on NCL = 4. At this point in time I would Cruise Celebrity first, NCL second and put HAL in third place. Since we started cruising NCL with the UDP (ultimate dining package) it really bumps up the over-all experience. We eat ALL evening meals in their alternative restaurants and avoid the buffet completely. HAL is fine, and the Pinnacle is at it's best these days, but the options are limited. Entertainment on NCL is better than the other two.

 

Having said that, we are not suite people. We cruise three to five times a year and can't afford that level of experience. We are trying MSC's Yacht Club next spring break, but that is not the norm.

 

Good luck and I don't think you can make a mistake with these three.

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[LA_CA_GAL]

We think of Celebrity as more of a county club type of cruise. On formal night most men will be wearing a tux VS. not as many at all on NCL & HAL. A friend on his 1st cruise on Celebrity was turned away from the dining room because he wasn't wearing a jacket. This won't happen or NCL or HAL. But there will be a LOT less children on Celebrity. Passengers on Celebrity are more affluent than NCL or HAL.

WE decided we a more relaxed cruise then Celebrity was for us.

 

We did Summit to Bermuda this year and they did not even have a "formal night".

 

For the most part of the 7 day cruise it was mostly casual.

[SuiteTraveler]

Thank you so much for your reply! We're excited to say that we booked our cruise on NCL Escape sailing in November with accommodations on The Haven!

 

I hope you have a terrific cruise! Let me give you some tips about NCL and The Haven:

 

When you go to the port, after security, look for the VIP Check in room - this is where suites check in. After check in, they will probably put you in the VIP lounge for a few minutes with refreshments and then you will be personally escorted onboard the ship to The Haven Lounge where they will give you free sliders and you can buy cocktails (with your beverage package). When your suite is ready you can expect the following perks:

 

welcome aboard flower arrangement

welcome aboard sparkling wine

welcome aboard bottled water

coffee/tea/hot coffee machine and accoutrements

cutlery, glasses and plates and linens

butler service

concierge service

daily hors d'ouerves

bath salts

upgraded bathroom amenities (Bvlgari)

Pillow menu (butler)

bathrobes

slippers

 

What we do is place a standing order with our butler for a sandwich platter and cheese plate to be delivered along with the hors d'ouerves each afternoon.

 

In addition to all of the above, in the Haven, there are spa treatment rooms (arrange use of through the concierge/spa). There is usually a steam room and/or dry sauna, hot tubs, and lots of places to relax around the pool. We think the breakfast for the suite guests is the BEST! Unless we have a really early excursion (where we would arrange for breakfast with the butler the night before) we usually have breakfast in The Haven as it is such a treat. We also enjoy lunch in the Haven or at the Sushi bar.

 

Make your dining reservations online in advance of your cruise to get the times/restaurants you want because by the end of the first day of your cruise all the restaurants will be booked up and there will not be many times left. Keep in mind that the food in The Haven restaurant is really good, too, so do plan to dine there a few times at night.

 

If you like spas, the thermal suite on this ship is the best at sea and I would buy a spa pass if you are not in The Haven Spa Suite. We spend most afternoons onboard in the Spa thermal suite - it is fabulous!

 

Do make show reservations in advance as well.

 

Most people enjoy eating in the Supper Club one night of their cruise as it is dinner with a floor show - you make a reservation online but it doesn't cost anything extra. The Cirque show is really good and worth the extra expense. Burn the Floor is fun to watch. You need to get there more than 30 minute early to see Howl at the Moon. But its worth it.