New To Hal Past Celebrity Loyalist

[gizmodog]

Good afternoon Hal Cruisers,

I have been a loyal celebrity cruiser for the last 6 years, but have decided to jump ship due to the fact that I have not been really happy with Celebrity for the past couple of years. Still enjoy their cruises very much (I just love cruising,) but I feel their product is on a downward spiral.

Anyway...I have booked the Oosterdam for Oct. to do that 4 day cruise from Vancouver to San Diego just to give Hal a try (have heard many positives)

My question: I am a cabin nut, and originally had a SS category booked but since have changed to a VA AFT 4174. I love Aft on Celebrity Millie Class.

 

Can anyone tell me anything about that cabin? Is that deck good or bad, are the balconies large like on the Mille Class Celebrity? The cabin itself, does anyone know anything about that?

 

I would so love to hear anything about Hal especially if anyone has any comparisons having been on both ships.

 

Thanks so much for any information

[vgottlieb]

I have cruised in aft cabins on the Oosterdam and have loved them. I was up a few floors. The verandahs are larger than an ss suite. I have a aft suite SA booked on the Westerdam and am really looking forward to it.

[gizmo]

Hi gizmodog,

 

I can't help with your questin since I haven't sailed on a Vista Class ship but wanted to welcome you to the Hal board. :) Another Gizmo !

 

I do remember seeing you on X. Hard not to remember "gizmodog". ;)

 

Hope you enjoy Hal.

 

Gizmo ;)

[dsawyer]

Two of a kind? :D

[gizmo]

Believe it or not I sometimes use gizmodog as logons or passwords in work and other places that require logons and passwords since many systems require more than 5 characters. I had a test database I used for a couple of years named Gizmo. :D

[PathfinderEss]

Stick with your SS, even if you are an aft person. In my opinion if you are a cabin person, which we are too, you will be happier with the SS catagory.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Welcome to the HAL boards, Gizmodog! Curious why you're disappointed in Celebrity (still my favorite line as recently as November 2005).

 

But HAL is quite comparable and I'm happy on either line. Often I like HAL's itineraries better.

 

I'd stick with SS if I were you, but that's such a personal thing.

[SANDY BEACH]

We just returned from Celebrity Infinity and found it to be a great cruise. I keep going back to Holland for the "S" suite experience. I am not sure if you do not like Celebrity, you will like Holland. I find them very close in comparison. We try to sail both Holland and Celebrity each year. After each cruise I think one line will win me over but as of now, I like them both. When I'm on Celebrity I think of Holland's advantages and when on Holland, I think of Celebrity. Torn between two loves.

[gizmodog]

Thanks for all the replies, and the welcomes...I gave up the SS and have the aft, but that was before all of the replies, the ss was 8039 and I was hesitate because of it being under the pool area, and buffet.

There are no perks with an ss category like the cc on celebrity am I correct?

 

It is not that I dislike Celebrity, it is just that on my last cruise (two weeks ago) I was disappointed in the lack of things to do, the fact they do not give prizes any longer for trivia, the price of drinks, the room service coffee was undrinkable, there were no television channels, the food was not what it once was, the buffet was boring, just a few of the things that made me think I might spread my wings and try another line. I would cruise Celebrity again, it just doesn't excite me like it once did.

 

I have heard numerous good comments about Hal and what better time then now a small 4 day itinerary to try it out?

 

I will check to see if there are any SS category still available not on that particular deck.

 

I am totally unfamiliar with Hal so any information I am soaking right up.

 

Thanks so much

[kryos]

It is not that I dislike Celebrity, it is just that on my last cruise (two weeks ago) I was disappointed in the lack of things to do, the fact they do not give prizes any longer for trivia, the price of drinks, the room service coffee was undrinkable, there were no television channels, the food was not what it once was, the buffet was boring, just a few of the things that made me think I might spread my wings and try another line. I would cruise Celebrity again, it just doesn't excite me like it once did.

I took one cruise on Celebrity ... the Zenith ... last December. While I found it to be a wonderful cruise ... beautiful ship even though it is somewhat older and is showing its age ... the thing that really turned me off to Celebrity was the "stunt" they were pulling at Sailaway. They had waiters coming around with trays of these drinks ... already made ... offering them to passengers. Unless it's just that I'm exceptionally stupid, but I would think most passengers would have assumed they were free ... especially if they were first-timers on Celebrity. As soon as you helped yourself to one, though, and put it to your lips, the waiter would ask for your cabin number so that he could run you a chit. Now, what can you do at that point? Put it back? Basically you're stuck.

 

They charged me something like $13 for the drink, though you did get to keep the glass.

 

Personally I thought that was a dirty trick, and I never encountered that on HAL.

 

Also, HAL's single supplement is far more reasonable than Celebrity's. I was lucky on my Zenith cruise. I was onboard as part of a group and got a very, very low rate for my cabin. But from what I've been told by others, I won't normally get a rate anywhere near that good. In fact, I will probably be charged a 200% single supplement, and there is no way that I would pay that to sail ANY line. I'd stay home first.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[HeatherInFlorida]

Rita, I agree about that drink being offered when you come onboard and you obviously think it's free. I thought HAL did something like that, too, but I could be wrong.

 

I just so prefer the Celebrity Millennium class ships over the HAL Vista class. I love the layout of the ships and the service in the dining room is hands down better on Celebrity. They simply staff the dining room better with their waiter having far fewer tables.

 

Gizmodog, I can't tell you about the "extras" in the SS (if there are any), but I can say that the SS cabin is absolutely wonderful ... very large with a big verandah and great bathroom and (as I recall) dressing area. It's a wonderful cabin. I can see where you might be hesitant, though, about being under the pool deck.

 

I'll be very interested to see how you compare the two. There are many people here who cruise both HAL and Celebrity (like me) and love both. I think they would appeal to the same people. I'll look forward to your report!:)

[ocngypz]

Bath products in all HAL cabins are now Elemis. One of the Signatures of Excellence. All bedding and beds are identical regardless of category booked.

 

Beautiful REAL flower arrangements around the ship. Artwork and collectibles you can appreciate.

 

A Lido buffet which will not disappoint. Lots of greens you just don't see on Celebrity.

 

More varied menus on HAL. Oh folks here sometimes complain about them, but when comparing the two lines, HAL's dining room menus and buffets have more variety.

 

My person favorites: Wienerschnitzel, rack of lamb, the pumpernickel bread served at breakfast (the REAL STUFF), the souffle with Grand Marnier sauce.. and did I mention the bread pudding?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Oh I wish they would serve it for breakfast. I keep mentioning that on my HAL comments cards, but NOBODY LISTENS!! Oh.. and the chocolate chip cookies TASTE like homemade chocolate chip cookies.. not the dry tasteless ones Celebrity bakes.

 

There are positives and negatives to both lines, but I think right now HAL is delivering a more refined, premium product.

[gizmodog]

I am now afraid that 4 nights won't be enough....I am sure I will be happy with Hal as I am happy with Celebrity and they sound comparable. I just feel Celebrity is slipping lately and it is time for a change.

 

The only SS cabins available on this cruise are now on the deck under the pool and buffet area, so I will stick with my aft and watch the cabins. maybe one will become available on another deck.

 

One more comment, not meant as a mean comment, just an observation, but I have spent a few days going back and reading past posts on this Hal board and my observation is the overall feeling is much more friendly over here, it gets ugly on that Celebrity board. Sometimes I am afraid to post over there. Scary!!!

 

Thanks for all your help and comments, keep them coming until October, my excitement just keeps getting better and better!!!!!

[cands]

Hi,

We were in 4174 on Westerdam for 15 nights transatlantic last October/November.

We really liked this cabin and would book it again.

The cabin itself is a lot bigger than a regular VA. It is about 6 inches narrower (noticable in the closet/bathroom area), but is longer by about 6-8 feet. (this equates to a quite large living area). The veranda was quite big with a lounger, a comfortable chair and two regular chairs plus table. (at least twice as big as a regular balcony.) We visited friends in an SS - they couldn't comfortably fit a lounger on their veranda).

We liked being right at the back of the ship - you look straight down to the water (not over the top of other cabins)

There was a little vibration, especially when the ship was running fast (over 20 knots), and when arriving in port.

It was not particularly annoying.

For the right price (in comparison to an SS), I wouldn't hesitate to take this cabin.

 

Regards,

Steve.

[mrplows]

We are jumping ship from celebrity to HAL also. The aft of the Millennium class ships was our favorite as well, but it sounds like we should be happy with our SS. This will be our first cruise on HAL. Is there a good night to go to the specialty restaurant? On Celebrity, we always went on Monday because that's when the menu was weakest.

[gizmodog]

Steve,

Thanks so much, that is exactly the information I was hoping for, so great to hear from someone who actually was in that cabin. Oh my gosh, thanks.

It will be October in Vancouver so I'm not so sure how much use we will get out of the balcony, but I love watching that wake.

 

Thanks again,

Carol

[HeatherInFlorida]

Carol, 4 days won't be "enough";) , but it will at least give you a good feel for the line.

 

Cands, there's something awfully strange because the SS cabin has a huge verandah! You can easily get a lounger on there! I think our friends had 2, but I could have forgotten (I'll have to ask her by email). I believe there were 2 loungers and a table and chairs, but I'll check.

 

But certainly the aft you have booked will be wonderful for you.

 

Can't agree with some of the negatives and positives stated above, but we all view things differently. I much prefer the Celebrity menu, but do agree the HAL buffet is superior.

[cands]

 

Cands, there's something awfully strange because the SS cabin has a huge verandah! You can easily get a lounger on there! I think our friends had 2, but I could have forgotten (I'll have to ask her by email). I believe there were 2 loungers and a table and chairs, but I'll check.

 

Sorry Heather,

It was a while ago so I may not remember correctly. We did attend lots of cabin parties on this very sociable 'crossing', so I might be getting my cabin types confused. In any case, my point wasn't to say the SS verandah was small, but rather 4174 was sufficiently large enough to hold a lounger as well as the normal VA chairs. (especially in comparision to a regular VA cabin).

 

Regards,

Steve.

[cands]

Steve,

Thanks so much, that is exactly the information I was hoping for, so great to hear from someone who actually was in that cabin. Oh my gosh, thanks.

It will be October in Vancouver so I'm not so sure how much use we will get out of the balcony, but I love watching that wake.

 

Thanks again,

Carol

 

Carol,

 

There's somthing magic about watching the wake. One of our favorite spots on board has always been on the promenade deck on the stern - just staring out at the wake - being so close to the water.

4174 is only one deck higher than the promenade, so the experience is pretty much the same - not to be missed, in my opinion.

 

When we finished our Westerdam transatlantic on Nov 6 in Ft Lauderdale, we straight away boarded Celebrity Summit for 14 days to LA.

We really enjoyed both cruises and both ships were lovely in their own particular ways.We found ourselves constantly comparing the two ships.

We wonder what our opinions would have been if we had been on Celebrity befor HAL rather than the other way around. (it was our first time on both lines).

Anyway, we found the food and service to be consistantly better on HAL, the entertainment slightly better on Celebrity.

I know discussing ship food is very subjective, but we especially enjoyed the variety of offerings on HAL. There seemed to be a bit of Dutch/Indonesion infuence in the food which made it just that much more interesting.

The service from the Philipino and Indonesian crew on HAL was more to our liking than the service on Celebrity. Nothing seemed like too much trouble, and the smile was always genuine.

 

Enjoy,

Steve.

[cruisinjudy]

I agree on the food issue. Celebrity food is often sort of bland, especially the fish. On our last Veendam cruise the fish dishes were really excellent! On Celebrity I usually order the beef, that is what they do well. HAL also has some spicy dishes that you don't find on Celebrity. Celebrity does have it hands down on dining room service.

[kelmac]

This thread comes up all the time, and here is my standand answer::)

Celebrity is our favorite cruise line, however, HAL is a good second choice.

 

We have cruised Celebrity 9 times and HAL 3 times; here is a short list of my impressions:

 

Holland America:..............Celebrity:

1) old school feel..............Modern feel

2) Indonesian crew...........European/International crew

3) All ships have altn Rest..Only the Millennium class ships have altn rest

4) Great food...................Excellent food

5) Lido buffet excellent......buffet great

6) Super beds/bedding.......average beds/bedding

7) large cabins.................better than average size cabins

8) bath tubs....................usually shower only

9) darker decor................brighter decor

10 Covered main pool........very open main pool

11 poor sun deck area.......plenty and varied sun deck areas

12 clumsy threater design..open, nice threater design

13 good entertainment......good entertainment

14 some shops.................many shops

15 wrap around prom deck. wide, but dead end prom deck

16 2 level dining room........2 level dining room (except Zeinth)

17 intimate dining room......open, airy dining room

18 great service (warm).....excellent service (formal)

19 aft pool open (nice)......aft pool Cent class (poor) Thlo pool excellent

20 aft deck areas great......aft deck areas small

 

We love both HAL and Celebrity!

Enjoy!

Kel

[Donna&Lou]

We've been on 3 HAL sailing in the past 2 years and couldn't ask for any better experience..Westerdam/European..Oosterdam..Caribbean Christmas..Oosterdam Mexico..Alaska on the Zaandam 7/2006

 

Luxury Linens and Bed

Layed-back entertainment

Wonderful Service

So far "Productive Casino Gaming" Suject to change:mad:

Great Itineraries

Casual Elegance

Food has improved with each cruise, last cruise food was very excellant!

We Love these "DAM" ships..Enjoy yourself

[robertmnch]

Good afternoon Hal Cruisers,

I have been a loyal celebrity cruiser for the last 6 years, but have decided to jump ship due to the fact that I have not been really happy with Celebrity for the past couple of years. Still enjoy their cruises very much (I just love cruising,) but I feel their product is on a downward spiral.

Anyway...I have booked the Oosterdam for Oct. to do that 4 day cruise from Vancouver to San Diego just to give Hal a try (have heard many positives)

My question: I am a cabin nut, and originally had a SS category booked but since have changed to a VA AFT 4174. I love Aft on Celebrity Millie Class.

 

Can anyone tell me anything about that cabin? Is that deck good or bad, are the balconies large like on the Mille Class Celebrity? The cabin itself, does anyone know anything about that?

 

I would so love to hear anything about Hal especially if anyone has any comparisons having been on both ships.

 

Thanks so much for any information

:) Why are you waiting until October to try HAL? There is still plenty of time to do a Northbound out of San Diego to Vancouver in early May or take a 7 day on the Oosterdam down to Mexico!:confused: If you get hooked on HAL, then you'll have time to do a cruise in the Fall!

[gizmodog]

Interesting...I did not realize there was a cruise San Diego to Vancouver in May, actually we will be celebrating our 30th anniversary in May, I may have to look into that cruise. Thanks for the info.

Carol

[Coolcruise02]

My two cents: We are trying to cruise on all lines and different size ships, to experience them ourselves. We were not impressed with Celebrity. IT WAS A GREAT CRUISE, but....we did not feel we were treated any more "famously" than our cruises.

 

gismodog- I agree that the HAL board is a lot more friendly! Try giving your opinion on the Celebrity board and they get vicious.

 

On Celebrity our bed never had a spread, just a sheet. No, it did not ruin my cruise but I like my room to "look" nice. On the X board I was bashed for wanting a "dirty" spread or duvet that most people just take off the bed anyway.

 

At our cruise critic meeting on the last day we were discussing the food. We felt the food on Carnival was better. Some die hard X'ers said not to judge Celebrity by the food served on Century. What is that about?

 

We are excited about taking our first HAL cruise next month and will compare for ourselves. We are not picky people and have enjoyed every one of our cruises, all for different reasons. :)