Loyal Celebrity Cruiser but looking to try Holland

[phoenix_dream]

Our friends are trying to talk us into trying Holland after over 70 cruises on Celebrity.  Would likely be in a balcony, and possibly a suite.  Can anyone help me figure out what the major differences would be?  I have a lot of perks with my Celebrity status, so cost of add-ons like drinks, wi-fi, and laundry (it's a long cruise) are a concern.  On Celebrity suites include those perks, but it doesn't seem a part of the pricing here?  What other big differences might I notice?  Thanks much in advance for any information!

[tupper10]

22 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Our friends are trying to talk us into trying Holland after over 70 cruises on Celebrity.  Would likely be in a balcony, and possibly a suite.  Can anyone help me figure out what the major differences would be?  I have a lot of perks with my Celebrity status, so cost of add-ons like drinks, wi-fi, and laundry (it's a long cruise) are a concern.  On Celebrity suites include those perks, but it doesn't seem a part of the pricing here?  What other big differences might I notice?  Thanks much in advance for any information!

You will have a real veranda on any of their ships,  and a promenade deck as well, so you can walk all the way around and not be barred from accessing the entire ship even if you don't have a suite. If you only sail with the retreat on Celebrity I am not sure you would like HAL suites since you do not have your own part of the ship, just a dining room, where you get one extra main course choice, and a lounge with a concierge.    I found the crew friendlier on Holland America, the non stop music just as annoying on both lines, and the food to be frank about the same.  

[cruisemom42]

HAL doesn't offer a lot of perks for suite passengers, unlike Celebrity. On the other hand, HAL's cost for a suite is rather lower than for X suites also. You could probably purchase an entry-level suite and a "Have It All" package (which includes the standard beverage package, free wifi, some comped specialty dining and some shore excursion credits, depending on the length of the cruise, and sometimes but not always gratuities) for less than the cost of a similar suite on Celebrity.

[oaktreerb]

A Neptune Suite will get you free laundry.  Otherwise, you can purchase the laundry package or pay per bag.  The Neptune Suite also includes priority tendering so you don’t have to pick up a tender ticket (just get in the tender line when you are ready to go ashore).  You will also have access to the Neptune Lounge which will provide a concierge, free coffee and snacks throughout most of the day.  The Have it All package includes drinks and wifi for all levels of staterooms.

 

Which ship are you considering?

[Mehroswitha]

You mentioned laundry as a concern: Neptune Suite passengers on HAL receive free unlimited laundry service. Usually same-day in our experience, but that is not promised.

 

The concierge in the Neptune Suite Lounge has been very helpful to us in dealing with shore excursions and just about any issue normally handled by Guest Services.

[phoenix_dream]

42 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

A Neptune Suite will get you free laundry.  Otherwise, you can purchase the laundry package or pay per bag.  The Neptune Suite also includes priority tendering so you don’t have to pick up a tender ticket (just get in the tender line when you are ready to go ashore).  You will also have access to the Neptune Lounge which will provide a concierge, free coffee and snacks throughout most of the day.  The Have it All package includes drinks and wifi for all levels of staterooms.

 

Which ship are you considering?

Not sure which ship we would do, but possibly one of the smaller, older ones.

[BSinPNS]

There is no separate dining room for suites on the older ships. There is an additional Club Orange menu item.  The separate dining room is only the the Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam.  Suite guests dine in the Pinnicle Grill for breakfast on the older ships.   

[oaktreerb]

1 hour ago, phoenix_dream said:

Not sure which ship we would do, but possibly one of the smaller, older ones.

I think you would enjoy a Neptune Suite with the special perks, especially for a longer cruise.  Just make sure there are staterooms above yours and you are not under the Lido or pool.

[Suzanne123]

We are in a Neptune Suite now on the Eurodam, one of the older ships.  Another nice perk is breakfast each morning in the Pinnacle Grill.  
I’m elite on Celebrity, but just booked another HAL cruise on board.  
 

Oops.  Sorry.  Didn’t see the above Re: Pinnacle breakfast.

Edited May 19, 2023 by Suzanne123

[alyssamma]

3 hours ago, phoenix_dream said:

Our friends are trying to talk us into trying Holland after over 70 cruises on Celebrity.  Would likely be in a balcony, and possibly a suite.  Can anyone help me figure out what the major differences would be?  I have a lot of perks with my Celebrity status, so cost of add-ons like drinks, wi-fi, and laundry (it's a long cruise) are a concern.  On Celebrity suites include those perks, but it doesn't seem a part of the pricing here?  What other big differences might I notice?  Thanks much in advance for any information!

We are X cruises and on our first HAL cruise right now. We are on the Nieuw Statendam, one of the larger Pinnacle ships. It's a 14 day cruise.

 

Unlimited laundry costs 147 and although they say 48hr turnaround, we have been getting it back the next day.

 

We purchased the Have It All, and as others have mentioned, it includes much of what you are looking for. However, whereas X gives pretty much unlimited everything, HAL gives 15 TOTAL drinks. This means a soda or can of water counts towards that. If you upgrade the drink package then the 15 limit only applies to alcoholic drinks. This is probably not a problem but wanted to mention it.

 

We find the food to be good, but not as good as X. Entertainment is nowhere near as good on X. Crew is friendly and passengers seem older.

 

While these may come across as negatives, they really aren't for us, except for the entertainment. The food is very good...just not as good as X. And the passengers are friendly and very well travelled.

 

We find X ships to be more beautiful than HAL, but the layout of the HAL ship is much better.

 

We would sail X if the prices were similar, but we find HAL to be cheaper and have better itineraries, so will sail them.

 

Lastly, HAL has Club Orange which we love and is very cheap for what you get. The room upgrade basically pays for it alone.

[carolkatsc]

We sailed last year on the Celebrity Silhoutte out of Southampton to Iceland and the British Isles and loved it. We had sailed HAL about 10 years ago on the Westerdam to Alaska and really enjoyed the experience.  However, we are currently on HAL's Nieuw Statendam in Norway and unfortunately we are not impressed. While Norway is simply lovely, to us the two ships don't compare.  The ship is absolutely packed and you can feel it, there are times when you cannot find a place to sit in the Lido Buffet and the food is so so at best.  We have only had breakfast in the dining room and the service is slow and we are met with a sneer from the hostess every time we ask for a table.  We are in a veranda cabin on Deck 7, our stewards are wonderful the ship is very clean and well kept. But the ship has a claustrophobic feel to it, as a result we have been staying in our cabin most of the time. If you do sail on HAL I would recommend a suite since I believe you would then have access to Club Orange and the Neptune Lounge which might suit.

 

[QM2 Cruiser]

I'm currently on the Rotterdam; my last 4 cruises prior to this one have been on the Celebrity Edge and Apex. Prior to the pandemic, I found HAL to be very attractive due to the longer, more exotic itineraries. Celebrity has shorter itineraries in Europe/Asia/Australia that don't stop at as many places as HAL. 

 

That being said, I think the biggest difference you'll see is the entertainment. The Music Walk is the entertainment area of the ship, which is comprised of four venues: Main Stage (the main theatre), BB Kings (blues band), Rolling Stones Rock Room (rock band), and Billboard Onboard (dueling piano players).

 

BB Kings and Rolling Stones offer very loud, concert band style entertainment. To me, these are very frustrating venues because the music is so loud that it's difficult to hold conversations with anyone while the bands are playing. On Celebrity, I love sitting at the Martini Bar or in Eden, having drinks and being able to talk to my family or friends while listening to a softer vocalist. On HAL, the venues are just so loud. Ironically, though, by 11:45PM or 12:00AM, all entertainment will close and there will be nothing left to do onboard except go back to your room. The ship becomes deserted, and nothing is open after midnight except the casino. 

 

You'll also notice that HAL no longer offers full production shows with a full cast and live band. HAL offers mostly guest entertainers. However, I was surprised and delighted to see three shows on this current Rotterdam cruise by the Step One Dance Company. It's still not a full production show, as they use recorded music instead of singers and a band, but at least they have 5 dancers. The dancers are wonderful, but it's not the same caliber as Celebrity entertainment. 

 

The other notable difference, in my personal experience, is the Lido Restaurant (buffet). HAL puts tons more effort into offering a full dinner service in the Lido Buffet. Celebrity has recently cutback on dinner in their buffet. However, on Celebrity, there's always something to grab in the buffet during the day, even if it's just the small snack selection that's available from 3:00PM-5:00PM. On HAL, breakfast in the buffet is from 6:00AM-10:00AM, lunch is from 11:30AM-2:00PM, and dinner is from 5:30PM-8:30PM. Inevitably, I always find myself walking into the buffer at 11:00AM or 4:30PM looking for cheese and crackers, ice cream, or cookies... but the buffet is closed. Yes, I could go order a burger or go to the Dutch Café, but I usually want something quicker and simpler. Celebrity's buffet is open longer hours, but with a reduced dinner service.

 

Lastly, the design and layout of a HAL ship is not nearly as open and modern as a newer Celebrity ship. The Rotterdam feels small and crowded at times, and I don't notice this on the Edge. HAL has a more nautical and traditional design, whereas Celebrity is modern, bright, and trendy.

 

If you cruise in a suite, you'll get the best HAL has to offer. HAL is certainly worth a try, as their itineraries are fantastic! The two brands, though, definitely have their differences, and I'm already looking forward to my next Celebrity cruise.

 

Best of luck trying HAL! 

Edited May 19, 2023 by QM2 Cruiser

[alyssamma]

3 hours ago, carolkatsc said:

We sailed last year on the Celebrity Silhoutte out of Southampton to Iceland and the British Isles and loved it. We had sailed HAL about 10 years ago on the Westerdam to Alaska and really enjoyed the experience.  However, we are currently on HAL's Nieuw Statendam in Norway and unfortunately we are not impressed. While Norway is simply lovely, to us the two ships don't compare.  The ship is absolutely packed and you can feel it, there are times when you cannot find a place to sit in the Lido Buffet and the food is so so at best.  We have only had breakfast in the dining room and the service is slow and we are met with a sneer from the hostess every time we ask for a table.  We are in a veranda cabin on Deck 7, our stewards are wonderful the ship is very clean and well kept. But the ship has a claustrophobic feel to it, as a result we have been staying in our cabin most of the time. If you do sail on HAL I would recommend a suite since I believe you would then have access to Club Orange and the Neptune Lounge which might suit.

 

I am currently on the same cruise as you. While I don't doubt your experience, to us it is the exact opposite. We find the ship mostly empty and not full at all. Now, we do have club Orange (just purchased...we are not in a suite) so don't eat in the MDR, but we haven't found the Lido crowded and there is the dutch cafe and the dive in and the pizza place to eat lunch in addition to eating lunch in the MDR.

 

We've never had a problem finding space at a bar or finding a quiet place to sit.

 

We did find the area on deck 12 to always be crowded and the nooks with chairs that look out the windows to be full, but mostly the ship feels empty to us.

[phoenix_dream]

Thanks for all the input so far - appreciate it!

[terrydtx]

As one who books cruises with both cruise lines let me add my 2 cents worth. We only cruise in the Retreat with Celebrity because of the Retreat Luminae and lounges. We enjoy the Retreat priority boarding and embarkation and priority tendering. When we cruise on HAL we chose either Signature or Vista Suites which are only larger cabins, like a Sky Suite, but with no Celebrity type amenities. We found that by adding HAL Club Orange (CO) we get for $25pp per day more of the premium amenities like Celebrity. CO gives us priority boarding, embarkation and tendering. On the HAL Pinnacle class ships CO includes a private separate dinning room for Breakfast and diner with the standard MDR menu plus one or two daily specials for CO only. On the other HAL ships CO includes a special section and podium check-in for the MDR. We have CO booked with both of our 2 future HAL cruises. We also book our cabins on HAL with HIA (Have It All) promo which includes a drink package, Wi-Fi package and a shore excursion and specialty restaurant credit and some OBC. One other nice benefit of CO that we take advantage of is you get a free upgrade to higher category cabin within your booking category. For example, on our Volendam cruise next year we wanted a Vista Suite in the highest A category located midship, we booked the lower Cat B cabin and got upgraded to the A cat cabin we would have booked.  The cost difference between the B and A paid for the CO cost.

 

Here is a link to Club Orange

Club Orange Program Benefits | Holland America Line

Edited May 19, 2023 by terrydtx

[3Shelaghs]

^^ poster just picked my brain. We were loyal Celebrity for years after trying them all. I swore off Celebrity last year for various reasons, and returned to HAL. To explain the differences is as posted in all the above, but for me it's like a comfortable old pair of shoes. HAL just feels right. If for some reason we ever sail Celebrity again, it will only be in Retreat. Geez, you think HAL would toss us a few bones for all the positive adverts we're giving 🙂 

[OlsSalt]

2 hours ago, 3Shelaghs said:

^^ poster just picked my brain. We were loyal Celebrity for years after trying them all. I swore off Celebrity last year for various reasons, and returned to HAL. To explain the differences is as posted in all the above, but for me it's like a comfortable old pair of shoes. HAL just feels right. If for some reason we ever sail Celebrity again, it will only be in Retreat. Geez, you think HAL would toss us a few bones for all the positive adverts we're giving 🙂 

 

I am reminded of a favorite quote; The reward for a good life, is the good life itself.

 

Welcome back - yes, comfortable old shoe has always been my own way of describing HAL too. Something just fits - not trendy, glamorous or even edgy. Just comfortable and welcoming.

(NB: Pinnacle class ships excepted)