Comparison of Equinox with recent HAL Cruises

[friendswithdave]

We posted this as a 4/6/19 Equinox review but thought it fit here as well. Will also post on HAL.

 

We loved our cruise and will write this as a comparison with our recent cruise experiences on Holland America which we have sailed with 3 times in the last 20 months. Wife and I travelled without kids. We are around 50 yrs old and have cruised together about 8 times.

EMBARKATION - We arrived very early at 10:00 and had to wait about 90 minutes before we could board. Once we did it was easy on. No issues here. Embarkation was also smooth and easy on all our HAL cruises.
WINNER - draw

 

CABIN - Cabin was comfortable and well laid out. I liked the curved edges at the end of the bed, making walking around it somewhat easier. The bathroom was also larger than our HAL ships. HAL was better in closet space - including shelves for clothes that needed shelves versus hangers. Service was outstanding in both - zero complaints here.
WINNER - slight edge to Equinox

 

DINING - It was a tale of three meals here. Breakfast was similar in the buffet parts. HAL had a larger variety but Equinox had corned beef hash and grits one day - both my favorites. We did the Equinox breakfast in the dining room on debarkation day and had amazing service - the best we have ever had at breakfast anywhere. No less than 6 people were nearby providing service in every way possible. HAL did not have near the service level and a much slower meal - an hour or more. However, HAL had a much better breakfast menu with more exotic choices. Equinox was standard fare. 
BREAKFAST WINNER - draw

 

Lunch was much better on the Equinox with many more choices including Indian every day which I love. Desserts were also MUCH better on the Equinox with more and better choices. HAL had the better carving station with lamb served on a number of days.
LUNCH WINNER - Equinox

 

Dinner on the Equinox was good but a half-step below our HAL experience. Service was outstanding on both with a slight nod to Equinox. Menu of choices and quality were both better on HAL. Equinox wasn't bad, but I had more choices of starters and entrees that I liked on HAL where there were too many times I reverted to the "available every meal" choices on Equinox. 
DINNER WINNER - HAL

 

PUBLIC AREAS - Here were preferred Equinox for a few reasons. 
1 - We enjoyed the Solarium where we could have climate control, comfy chairs, and no music. If we wanted a more lively, fun experience we would move to the outdoor pool where there was always music, sometimes a DJ and even a band. The HAL pool deck was smaller, often more crowded, and always quiet. 

2 - The bars were more plentiful on the Equinox but always busier because it seemed everyone had a drinks package. On HAL virtually no one had this so bars were often quieter. 

3 - We didn't do shops, spa, gym and casinos so we can't speak on those.

4 - HAL did have three banks of elevators, preferred over the two banks on Equinox. Our room was near the back of the ship so it was always a long walk to the nearest mid-ship elevators.
WINNER - Equinox

 

ENTERTAINMENT - We are both fans of live music. Nothing can compare to the BB Kings club on HAL - the clear winner in best entertainment. However, they begin at 9:00 most nights. Outside of this, Equinox was the clear winner. They had live music day and night. Quality was ranged from OK to very good. Singer / guitarist Chelsea was outstanding as was the house band Nu Image. We also enjoyed the shows much better on Equinox. Singers were better and the shows added a third dimension with aerialists and acrobats. We did not see any comedians but really enjoyed Not Really Three Tenors and saw both their shows.

Activities - there were more and better activities on the Equinox including our favorite the Silent Disco. Such fun - don't miss it! There were more daytime activities on Equinox as well including the Hot Glass Class where we both made drinking glasses as souvenirs.

WINNER - Equinox

 

KIDS - We travelled without kids but did take note since we have older kids of our own. There were very few children on board, I would guess in the 50-70 range. They have kids clubs but I got the feeling they were not well attended. The counselors versus teens pool volleyball game had no teens so it was opened up to everyone. This ship is not recommended if you are travelling with kids and they need activities to keep them entertained.

WINNER - neither - HAL was the same.

 

PORTS - Our cruise went to Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. I prefer the ports on HAL better. In Alaska they go to Glacier Bay and in the Caribbean they go to the private island - both favorites of ours.
WINNER - HAL

 

DEBARKATION - Slight nod to HAL but likely not the fault of Equinox as we heard that debarkation was delayed because there were not enough immigration agents meet the published debarkation schedule.

 

PRICE - We are deal hunters and value is very important to us. This and outstanding service and food is what drew us to HAL. We paid about $500 more for this cruise versus a simlar cruise on HAL. However, we got great value in an included drinks package and on-board credit. You are almost certain to pay more on Celebrity but I still feel like we got great value.
WINNER - HAL

 

OVERALL - We thoroughly enjoyed all our HAL cruises but this was a half-step up in overall experience. The key difference for us is activities and entertainment. The pool was more fun, there was more to do, and the evening shows were all well done. The ship (and overall line I expect) is aiming towards the 40-60 year old crowd with no kids. HAL seems to be positioned in the 55-75 age group. If you can afford it, our recommendation is Equinox (and I expect other similar solstice class ships) over HAL. 

[could travel all the time]

Thanks very much friendswithdave,

I appreciate the time you took to compare both lines.

We have been looking for an alternative line to Celebrity as we have noticed a change, and not a favorable one at that, over the last few years.  However as we already find the daily activities on Celebrity lacking, it sounds like HAL is probably not a line we should be looking at, at least in this phase of our lives. 

[chemmo]

Thanks for your well balanced review...

[friendswithdave]

18 hours ago, could travel all the time said:

Thanks very much friendswithdave,

I appreciate the time you took to compare both lines.

We have been looking for an alternative line to Celebrity as we have noticed a change, and not a favorable one at that, over the last few years.  However as we already find the daily activities on Celebrity lacking, it sounds like HAL is probably not a line we should be looking at, at least in this phase of our lives. 

There are activities on HAL, we just didn't fancy them. Cooking demos, Windows classes, and destination talks were common. If that's your thing, then there were activities. 

[kenevenpar]

I agree with your overall conclusion, but differ on some of the items.  Our last HAL cruise was on Koningsdam, then still the newest ship on HAL.

 

BBKing was so loud as to be unusable on our cruise, and we are from a generation of loud music.  We loved Billboard; it was our go to pre-dinner bar/entertainment and loved the "dueling piano's".

 

Cabin, agree edge to Equinox.  We had a Vista suite on Koningsdam, which HAL should be embarrased to call a suite.  Maybe a foot wider than a verandah, no extra service AND the toilet is set on an angle due space restriction.  =X='s suite product is much better, but the price has gotten rediculous.

 

Agree on the food comparison.

 

Price, for the most part HAL.  If you can find a deal on =X= with perks, it may be a better value.  We found a verandah over Thanksgiving at just over $800pp (through large internet TA) including Drink package and $400 OBC.  We are doing mostly land based trips the next couple of years, mostly due to cruise prices, but could not turn down this deal.

 

Hal generally has better itineraries, especially on some of the older smaller ships.

 

[Turtles06]

50 minutes ago, kenevenpar said:

Hal generally has better itineraries, especially on some of the older smaller ships.

 

We love Celebrity, but HAL's "Viking Passage" itinerary is what got us on our first HAL cruise this past summer, on board the Zuiderdam.   There were many things we enjoyed about HAL (including that the bow was open to everyone during all sailaways, weather permitting; the forward-facing indoor observation lounge that has not been carved up for suites, etc.) but I think it's tough to compare specific cruises on HAL and Celebrity because so much depends on the ship itself.

 

I do appreciate the OP taking the time to make comparisons, however, as a general matter.

[DENIE]

Thank you for a very balanced review.  We have had 1 HAL cruise and 2 X cruises (3rd coming this fall).  Frankly, loved all of them.  But, Celebrity gets a "nudge" for feeling a tad more in our age range ("mid-50's"), the beverage package, and overall decor.  Would certainly sail HAL again if the right cruise presented itself.  We appreciate BOTH lines for the ability to relax and not be over-stimulated with water parks, climbing walls, skating rinks, etc.  Not knocking them for those who like that sort of thing - just not our style. 🙂

[LMEEE06]

We just sailed on Equinox and it was our first cruise, so I have nothing to compare to, but I can't imagine a better breakfast selection than we had in the Oceanview Cafe. There was every type of breakfast food I can imagine, and many items I would never have expected to see at breakfast time. I especially enjoyed the omelet station and the carving station with canadian bacon. The only thing I found lacking was the cereal selection, but I managed to get my carb fix in other ways (most often the delicious croissants).

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

Over 70 cruises, going on the Equinox next month. Expecting to have a great time as we did a month ago on the Reflection. Also want to try the Nieuw Amsterdam with all the great reviews. Only HAL cruise was on the Zuiderdam many years ago.

[Germancruiser]

Great review- I suppose you mean you prefered the three elevator banks of HAL then those of the S- Class- as do I- you just made Equinox the winner.

[cavecreekguy]

Thanks for posting your insights. I've been on a few HAL cruises and am currently looking at booking my first Celebrity cruise (though on the Summit, not the Equinox). I really value comparison posts such as this.

[cruise47]

To the OP, what was the name of the HAL ship and how many passengers does it carry it carry? Thanks.