Celebrity Cruiser - differences of Princess and Holland America

[downundermatt]

Hubby and I have done virtually all our cruises on Celebrity  (and a few on Royal)

and been happy with the quality and mix of people.

 

Am thinking of a 31 day South America itinerary in March next year on either Princess

or Holland, and I know quite likely not to be happening due to the virus.

Celebrity have already cancelled the 2021/22 season down there.

 

But as a Gay Celebrity cruiser - how are Holland and America  ?

Are these cruise lines Gay Friendly,  haven't been on either.

I read Holland could well be an older crowd, and quieter at night ??

 

Appreciate any advice.

 

 

[tompeter]

Any 31 day cruise is going to have an older crowd and thus quieter at night. We consider both HAL and Princess to be quite comparable to Celebrity. 

[atexsix]

I definitely feel there would be a distinct difference between Celebrity, HAL, and Princess if it were a 7 day or less.  But as tompeter stated, a 31 day with any line will generally be middle aged to older.  

 

All 3 lines are gay friendly at the corporate level, but individual ships will depend on the passenger base and region of the world your sailing, although nobody will be outright hostile; it's one of those things you'll have to feel out when you get onboard. 

 

HAL is definitely quieter at night, it's really noticeable after 10:00 when the "late" show ends, I never recommend HAL to fans of nightlife, even Princess will outdo HAL on that front.  And Princess is the closest you'll get to a "sister" line.  I once walked the lounge deck from end to end on a sleepless night around midnight and could count on two hands the number of people I saw with one exception, the smoking area on the Lido Deck which is in the vicinity of the aft pool, so if you are a smoker, that's the place to be.  But if you are looking for midnight buffets with elaborate ice carvings and dancing in the disco until 3am, forget it!  In fact, HAL removed the discos on ALL their ships.  

 

Ironically we've also been waiting for the South America itineraries, we were planning one for this year, one of HAL's "mini voyages", but Covid took care of that 😞.

 

 

[AAB760]

We are booked on the March Holland America 31 day cruise.  This will  be our second cruise on the Westerdam and find it very gay friendly.  Last time was in Asia.  We have also done Princess and find it friendly too.   We were booked in 2020 and rebooked for 2021 but really doubt it is going to happen.  We had planned  2 months in South America but so many things are restricted we are not excited to spend this much money to hide behind a mask and not be able to see everything.  If it happens look for us we are on 6.  Get a Signature Suite if available or 6 and not on 8 as  that is right under the pool

[Bramcruiser]

I have been on both Celebrity and HAL and find them somewhat comparable. As some pointed out, it really depends on the length of cruise, the makeup of the passenger list, where in the world the ship is travelling, etc.

 

I realize that HAL is not noted for a wild night life but we had never been big on the party scene. We rather eat in the late sitting and, after a brief walkaround, go back to our cabin, check our emails, watch a bit of TV and go to sleep. I am more of a morning person - when the sun comes up I can't figure out why no one else is up on the ship. LOL! I don't think there has ever been an arrival at a port I slept through.

 

If one is worried about the older crowd, don't fret about it. Only once did we ever have a table where it was obvious a couple was uncomfortable with a gay couple at their table. They conveniently made other arrangements on day two onwards and we found out that the other couple that remained with us at the table thought exactly the same about those two who departed. 

 

In fact, one of the not planned gayest trips was a transatlantic crossing we did on HAL. 

 

Nowadays I board a ship not worrying about whether or not I will be stared at or talked about. 9 out of 10 times we put that thoughts into our heads ourselves.

 

As for Princess? Its one line I have yet to try. So someone else will have to compare.

[geoherb]

Princess is our favorite cruise line (that we can afford to sail on regularly). I've always found the crew to be friendly toward us, although we've occasionally experienced not having our beds made as one initially. I think sometimes a cabin steward sees "Mr. & Mr." and decides to leave them as singles. It's also happened to us on HAL. It's never been a problem getting them to correct it before we go to bed the first night.

 

The longer cruises, as others have said, will draw an older crowd. Our longest ones have been 15- and 16-day transatlantics. Unfortunately, Princess has effectively done away with traditional dining. I don't know if the change will last when the Covid protocols go away or not.

[MishelleMcc]

Funny but the "gayest" cruise my wife & I have ever been on was a Princess Cruise!!  Okay...  it was out of San Francisco...  But still!!  It was awesome!  So much so that we are doing the same exact cruise Jan 16th SF to Hawaii!!!!

 

In the past, women were more readily accepted (than gay guys) but I think the acceptance is more prevalent now!   We are ALL GAY!!  We pay hard earned money for our cruises so I say enjoy your trip!  Make acquaintances with those who don't give a rat's bottom if we are Gay!!  (we've made amazing friends) 

 

Oh, and if you are ever on a sailing with us, come hang out!   We all need community!!