Loyal Celebrity cruisers try HAL

[lysolqn]

When our 12/10 Millennium cruise was cancalled due to pod problems we booked that week on Westerdam instead. It was our second HAL cruise, the first having been on Statendam some ten years ago. We've cruised on virtually all the lines but as loyal Celebrity cruisers (25 X cruises) we were curious to see how HAL would stack up against our favorite cruise line. To cut to the chase, we enjoyed our Westerdam cruise and would sail HAL again provided price, itinerary and ship were to our liking but...for us, Celebrity still comes out ahead and remains our favorite.

 

Westerdam is a beautiful ship but lacks the elegance and spaciousness of X ships. It's three-story atrium is unremarkable and it's art collection which is touted as spectacular (HAL even offers an onboard IPOD tour of the collection) is, IMHO, unimpressive. The art collections on X are far more interesting, although admittedly, far more eclectic too. Westerdam is tastefully decorated and the abundance of fresh flowers around the ship is impressive. We're definitely not fans of glitz and neon but I think perhaps HAL put a bit too much emphasis on "understated" in Westerdam's decor.

 

Westerdam was designed with many smaller lounges and public spaces to avoid the feeling of a mega-liner; however, we found the design offered public spaces that felt more confining than intimate as intended. The theater and dining rooms are lovely but don't compare to those on the C-class or M-class ships. Cabins are comparable to those on X, perhaps a bit larger, but the bedding on Westerdam is superior - even to the new bedding on X. There was an ice bucket in our cabin as there is in X cabins but we missed the pitcher of water we've gotten used to having on X. Bathrooms on Westerdam are considerably larger than those on X. The shoe shine service and fabric laundry bags provided on Westerdam are nice amenities and it was a nice touch to have our laundry returned from the valet wrapped in tissue paper.

 

Westerdam has two pools as do the M-class ships. Unlike X, however, the main pool on Westerdam is the indoor pool which like the indoor pool area on the M-class ships has a sliding roof. While there's lots of space around the pool, we were surprised to find very limited seating - not because of chair hogs (as is often the case on Celebrity) but simply because there just aren't that many lounges there. The outdoor pool is small and located aft; the area seemed virtually unused in spite of the great weather we had.

 

Food on Westerdam was quite good. Breakfast and lunch buffets were more extensive than those on X and the food was presented nicely. HAL tops X by serving fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning, but doesn't offer lemonade and fruit punch the rest of the day as does X. The bread pudding was wonderful. After being on so many X cruises, it was nice to have a real change of menus for dinner. The dinner menu always offered a nice selection but the plating and presentation on X is, IMHO, far nicer. Unlike on X, salads arrive at the table already dressed and sauces which are offered tableside on X, are already on your plate when served. We remembered Dutch night from our previous HAL cruise and were as underwhelmed this time as we were last. (I think it's time for HAL to give up on the hats.) Mints, ginger, nuts, dates and figs are offered from a cart when you leave the dining room after dinner which is a nice touch.

 

We always opt for late seating and as such don't bother with late night snacks or buffets. Out of curiosity, however, we did check out the late night buffet on Westerdam and thought it was meager in appearance. (Can't comment on quality since we didn't indulge.) We thought the much-acclaimed Chocolate Extravaganza was much ado about nothing - Celebrity's Gala Buffet is far more elaborate and far more beautiful.

 

Entertainment on Westerdam was better than we had on Statendam years ago, but it was just ok. The production shows were good but not quite as good as those we’ve seen on X ships (and even those don’t always make the cut). The talent featured on the other nights was fair at best. Like X, Westerdam has gone to mostly pre-dinner shows for late seating passengers – something we disliked on HAL as much as we do on X.

 

Service on Westerdam was good. We hardly saw our cabin steward but he did a fine job, as did our waiter and assitant waiter. We found, however, that staff and crew on Westerdam weren’t quite as friendly and outgoing as we find staff and crew on X ships to be. They were certainly efficient and did their jobs well but, in general, they seemed a bit aloof and smiles were often hard to come by.

 

There were a lot more announcements on Westerdam than on X - soemthing that tends to get old really fast. We much prefer the once-a-day announcement from the bridge on X ships to the constant reminder of bingo, art auctions or other goings on on the ship.

 

Unlike X which still has informal nights, HAL has gone to two formal and five casual nights on its seven-night sailings. Many Celebrity cruisers complain bitterly about how the dress code on X has gone with the wind. We found that to be much more the case on Westerdam and were amazed by the vast number of people on our cruise (and I can only speak from our experience) who ignored the suggested evening dress entirely. So much so that my husband opted not to wear his tuxedo on the second formal night because he felt so out of place in a tuxedo the first formal night. Jeans were common place in the dining room every night at dinner; shorts, sneakers and tee shirts were NOT a rarity and we were disappointed that so many people who were improperly attired by even the loosest standards, were allowed into the dining room.

 

As I mentioned at the outset, we enjoyed sailing on Westerdam. HAL offers a good product but one which, in our opinion, falls a bit short of that offered by Celebrity. Each line has its own special touches, its own strengths and its own weaknesses. We’re glad we tried HAL again but after having done so, now appreciate the Celebrity product even more and X will continue to be our first choice.

[hammybee]

Thank you for a well balanced review. Like you, I sail X and HAL. Unlike you, I prefer HAL for the same reasons you prefer X. :)

 

The Westerdam is not my favorite ship of the HAL fleet. May I suggest that if you have the opportunity, consider sailing The Amsterdam. Thanks again, for making the time to share your observations with us.

[kryos]

As I mentioned at the outset, we enjoyed sailing on Westerdam. HAL offers a good product but one which, in our opinion, falls a bit short of that offered by Celebrity.

Just a suggestion ... if you ever find reason to sail HAL again, try an "R" or an "S" class ship, rather than a Vista. I think you will find it more to your liking if you enjoy Celebrity.

 

I will agree with you in that Celebrity has a fine product. I sailed once on Celebrity ... on the Zenith in December 2005. I was very impressed with the food, the ambience in the dining room, and the service. In fact, I would probably give the food a slight edge on Celebrity. But the cabins were no way in comparison with HAL. I had a bottom of the line cabin (which I often book on HAL as well) and if it wasn't for the amazingly cheap price I got that cruise for (I was a guest of a group of travel agents), I would have been at the front desk screaming. If I laid across the bed, I could almost touch my feet to one wall and my fingertips to the other. It was that small. The bed itself felt like I was sleeping on a lumpy rock. The bathroom was so tight that when I sat on the toilet, my knees were scrunched up against the door. I don't recall getting a pitcher of water, per se ... but the ice buckets were so chintzy that by the time I got back to my cabin from dinner, what I had was a bucket of water.

 

The only other problem I have with Celebrity ... and why I will always sail HAL ... is that Celebrity is not at all single friendly. The single supplements are a full 200% on most sailings.

 

But other than those items, yes ... I will say Celebrity had more activities ... especially in the evenings (I can't speak for daytime because I was involved in activities with the travel agent group ... including classes). Celebrity had more venues and a much more varied nightlife than I've yet seen on HAL. And, as I said, the food was out of this world both in the dining room and in the buffet.

 

But all in all, I think I'm a HAL girl at heart, and as long as their standards don't drop too drastically; i.e., the end of traditional dining and many of the nice HAL touches I've become used to, I have to say that I will continue to book HAL cruises far into the future.

 

Blue skies and thanks for your very even-handed and very fair comparison of the two lines ...

 

--rita

[lysolqn]

Haven't tried an "R" class ship but perhaps we will sometime in the future. We have been on an "S" class - Statendam during her inaugural year - and didn't sense much of a difference between that and the Vista-class Westerdam. Prior to our last minute booking of Westerdam we were toying with the idea of trying the new Noordam, especially because its sometimes home port of New York is about an hour from home. Everything I've read indicates it's a beautiful ship but we've kind of cooled to that idea now because we weren't wowed by Westerdam. We'll see.

[sk99]

I sailed once on Celebrity ... on the Zenith in December 2005.

--rita

Rita, Zenith was already 13 years old by the time you sailed on it. We sailed on her sister Horizon and the inside cabin my kids had was quite spacious, I remember that the storage space was plenty ( more then what I had on Westerdam's VA cabin). You cannot compare it to newer ships. You may want to try M-class on Celebrity which compares to Vista.

[jeffs55]

Thank you for your reflections on the Westersdam vs Celebrity. We'll be on the Noordam in three weeks after a long hiatus from HAL. (No particular reason, it just worked out that way.) We're interested how they compare.

I don't think it's fair to suggest to the OP that an R or S ship is a better

match vis a vis Celebrity, and than to use Zenith as an example of the Celebrity experience. I love the Zenith, but she's older, and Celebrity has kind of let some things slide on that ship, knowing she is leaving service soon.

[lysolqn]

sk99, agreed. You can't compare Zenith to newer HAL - or X ships for that matter. Zenith was lovely in her day but now lacks many of the amenities that are standard on newer ships. Cabins on "C" and "M" class ships are far better than those on Zenith, which is scheduled to leave the X fleet this spring. However, I do think it's fair to compare Westerdam to the M-class ships and in all honesty, I think Westerdam comes up short. Not a bad ship, not a bad cruise but just not up to Celebrity's standards.

[Jemima]

The excess announcements you experienced are not common on HAL ships. Usually there is the captain's report around noon sometimes followed by some very brief comments by the cruise director. Then usually mid-afternoon there is one brief but obnoxious bingo announcement. Depending on the ship there might be one more interruption. Must just be the current captain and/or CD on the Westerdam.

[thomasale]

I agree with the OP and their opinion concerning my recent Volendam experience and the overall Celebrity feeling. I will be trying a Vista class ship but when asked for my favorite line I still reply "Celebrity". Mind you, I had a great experience on the Volendam which is why I am going to sample the Vista. It is just my overall sense of belonging still goes to X.

[laineymb]

I totally agree with you and will have to be desperate or coerced to try HAL again. I am looking at the Millenium for next December. We love X ships although to be honest have only been on Century twice (pre refurbish). I have just finished my long review and will be posted on the Westerdam review page shortly I hope

[laineymb]

Which ships are the 'R' and 'S' class?

[Jsipes]

In regard to your comments about the dress code violations, I am completely in agreement. We dress very formal, when the code calls for formal. The cruise we just completed was a 30 dayer, an a HAL Ship. Not once did the other couples at out table ever dress formal, or even dress appropriately. I think they brought only 2 changes of clothing on a 30 days cruise. UNBELIEVABLE !!!

[wolfgang36]

We have just booked Westerdam. Our last HAl cruise was the old Noordam. We were hit by a freighter in the Gulf and it put a 50' hole in the ship. We thought we were sinking. There is nothing like going to the lifeboats for real!! The ship was never the same, hence the new one. We tried Celebrity Zenith and it was a dog. Would like to try Millenium or Infinity but aren't they related to RCI? We are Platinum RCI --nine cruises and would be Diamond with one more, but were treated so shabbily by them on our October 15th cruise that we will never be back. We are looking forward to giving HAL another chance.

[SDHALFAN]

Haven't tried an "R" class ship but perhaps we will sometime in the future. We have been on an "S" class - Statendam during her inaugural year - and didn't sense much of a difference between that and the Vista-class Westerdam.

 

If I remember correctly the Statendam's inaugural year was 1994 (or perhaps 1995) so possibly your memory is somewhat lacking, like most of the rest of us. I have never been on a Vista class ship and have no expectations of ever being on one in the forseeable future but I'm pretty sure that there is world of difference between the "S" and "V" class ships.

 

As for me, I'm perfectly happy with the "S" and "R" class ships - there is virtually no difference there as far as I can tell, however those "V" class ships are just way too big for my taste. I like the smaller, more traditional HAL-type ships.

 

Valerie:)

[SDHALFAN]

Which ships are the 'R' and 'S' class?

 

"R" class: Rotterdam; Amsterdam; Volendam and Zaandam. "S" class: Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam and Veendam. All great ships. I have had the pleasure of sailing on all of them but the Volendam and love them all.

 

Valerie:)

[barbon2]

Agree with original poster. We too elect HAL for their itineraries more then the ships, food or atmosphere. Celebrity is also our favorite line and does edge out HAL with ship's atmosphere, food, and especially the service provided in the suites. Again, obviously HAL is fine for us, we are doing our 4th HAL cruise in August. As I have stated in other posts, if we were doing a Caribbean cruise (what we consider a relaxing, stay on ship type of cruise) we would not even look at HAL, Celebrity would be our choice.

Barbara

[lysolqn]

SDHALFAN, we didn't sense "a world of difference" between our Statendam S-class cruise and our recent Westerdam Vista-class cruise. In fact, we found there to be many more similarities than differences between the two - some good and some not so good. I'm guessing you're a loyal fan of HAL (the HALFAN in your signature is the give away!) and I know it's sometimes difficult to read a post that isn't as glowing as you'd like it to be. I sometimes feel that way when someone over on the Celebrity board submits a post that isn't as flattering as I'd like it to be. My comparison between HAL and X reflects our experience. HAL is a very good cruise line but, in our humble opinion, just not quite as good as X.

[newmexicoNita]

When our 12/10 Millennium cruise was cancalled due to pod problems we booked that week on Westerdam instead. It was our second HAL cruise, the first having been on Statendam some ten years ago. We've cruised on virtually all the lines but as loyal Celebrity cruisers (25 X cruises) we were curious to see how HAL would stack up against our favorite cruise line. To cut to the chase, we enjoyed our Westerdam cruise and would sail HAL again provided price, itinerary and ship were to our liking but...for us, Celebrity still comes out ahead and remains our favorite.

 

Westerdam is a beautiful ship but lacks the elegance and spaciousness of X ships. It's three-story atrium is unremarkable and it's art collection which is touted as spectacular (HAL even offers an onboard IPOD tour of the collection) is, IMHO, unimpressive. The art collections on X are far more interesting, although admittedly, far more eclectic too. Westerdam is tastefully decorated and the abundance of fresh flowers around the ship is impressive. We're definitely not fans of glitz and neon but I think perhaps HAL put a bit too much emphasis on "understated" in Westerdam's decor.

 

Westerdam was designed with many smaller lounges and public spaces to avoid the feeling of a mega-liner; however, we found the design offered public spaces that felt more confining than intimate as intended. The theater and dining rooms are lovely but don't compare to those on the C-class or M-class ships. Cabins are comparable to those on X, perhaps a bit larger, but the bedding on Westerdam is superior - even to the new bedding on X. There was an ice bucket in our cabin as there is in X cabins but we missed the pitcher of water we've gotten used to having on X. Bathrooms on Westerdam are considerably larger than those on X. The shoe shine service and fabric laundry bags provided on Westerdam are nice amenities and it was a nice touch to have our laundry returned from the valet wrapped in tissue paper.

 

Westerdam has two pools as do the M-class ships. Unlike X, however, the main pool on Westerdam is the indoor pool which like the indoor pool area on the M-class ships has a sliding roof. While there's lots of space around the pool, we were surprised to find very limited seating - not because of chair hogs (as is often the case on Celebrity) but simply because there just aren't that many lounges there. The outdoor pool is small and located aft; the area seemed virtually unused in spite of the great weather we had.

 

Food on Westerdam was quite good. Breakfast and lunch buffets were more extensive than those on X and the food was presented nicely. HAL tops X by serving fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning, but doesn't offer lemonade and fruit punch the rest of the day as does X. The bread pudding was wonderful. After being on so many X cruises, it was nice to have a real change of menus for dinner. The dinner menu always offered a nice selection but the plating and presentation on X is, IMHO, far nicer. Unlike on X, salads arrive at the table already dressed and sauces which are offered tableside on X, are already on your plate when served. We remembered Dutch night from our previous HAL cruise and were as underwhelmed this time as we were last. (I think it's time for HAL to give up on the hats.) Mints, ginger, nuts, dates and figs are offered from a cart when you leave the dining room after dinner which is a nice touch.

 

We always opt for late seating and as such don't bother with late night snacks or buffets. Out of curiosity, however, we did check out the late night buffet on Westerdam and thought it was meager in appearance. (Can't comment on quality since we didn't indulge.) We thought the much-acclaimed Chocolate Extravaganza was much ado about nothing - Celebrity's Gala Buffet is far more elaborate and far more beautiful.

 

Entertainment on Westerdam was better than we had on Statendam years

 

ago, but it was just ok. The production shows were good but not quite as good as those we’ve seen on X ships (and even those don’t always make the cut). The talent featured on the other nights was fair at best. Like X, Westerdam has gone to mostly pre-dinner shows for late seating passengers – something we disliked on HAL as much as we do on X.

 

Service on Westerdam was good. We hardly saw our cabin steward but he did a fine job, as did our waiter and assitant waiter. We found, however, that staff and crew on Westerdam weren’t quite as friendly and outgoing as we find staff and crew on X ships to be. They were certainly efficient and did their jobs well but, in general, they seemed a bit aloof and smiles were often hard to come by.

 

There were a lot more announcements on Westerdam than on X - soemthing that tends to get old really fast. We much prefer the once-a-day announcement from the bridge on X ships to the constant reminder of bingo, art auctions or other goings on on the ship.

 

Unlike X which still has informal nights, HAL has gone to two formal and five casual nights on its seven-night sailings. Many Celebrity cruisers complain bitterly about how the dress code on X has gone with the wind. We found that to be much more the case on Westerdam and were amazed by the vast number of people on our cruise (and I can only speak from our experience) who ignored the suggested evening dress entirely. So much so that my husband opted not to wear his tuxedo on the second formal night because he felt so out of place in a tuxedo the first formal night. Jeans were common place in the dining room every night at dinner; shorts, sneakers and tee shirts were NOT a rarity and we were disappointed that so many people who were improperly attired by even the loosest standards, were allowed into the dining room.

 

As I mentioned at the outset, we enjoyed sailing on Westerdam. HAL offers a good product but one which, in our opinion, falls a bit short of that offered by Celebrity. Each line has its own special touches, its own strengths and its own weaknesses. We’re glad we tried HAL again but after having done so, now appreciate the Celebrity product even more and X will continue to be our first choice.

This is the reason there are so many lines to choose from: for us, we would take HAL over Celebrity in a heartbeat. We have enjoyed all our cruises, have done Celebrity twice, but neither time were we 100% sold. Although we felt HAL lacked energy we really did love the Amsterdam. We felt the food was better than any of our other 20 plus cruises. As for jeans in the dining room? We didn't see this once except the last night when it was accepted and understood. No, we didn't do the jean thing, but I understand those who did.

 

You mentioned the lemonade and punch< I do not remember our Dec 2005 Celebrity cruise offering lemonade throughout the day, but maybe I just wasn't looking for it.

 

I would agree the crew wasn't as friendly as on Celebrity, much more aloof is a good word. As for the entertainment, we haven't found it particularly good on either line but I would give the edge to Celebrity. We didn't notice an unusual amount of announcements, In fact unless we had on a certain station in our cabins we got no announcements. Sure we did in the public areas, just like any line.

 

We found the cabins on HAl to be much nicer and much larger than on Celebrity and the pool areas nicer as well. We felt the Connie's pool area was rather chopped up.

 

Would we sail Celebrity again? Sure, we are thinking about doing a San Francisco relo in april, but would we choose them over HAL or NCL? Nope. Again, it is all a matter of opinion. iNMnita

[SDHALFAN]

SDHALFAN, we didn't sense "a world of difference" between our Statendam S-class cruise and our recent Westerdam Vista-class cruise. In fact, we found there to be many more similarities than differences between the two - some good and some not so good. I'm guessing you're a loyal fan of HAL (the HALFAN in your signature is the give away!) and I know it's sometimes difficult to read a post that isn't as glowing as you'd like it to be. I sometimes feel that way when someone over on the Celebrity board submits a post that isn't as flattering as I'd like it to be. My comparison between HAL and X reflects our experience. HAL is a very good cruise line but, in our humble opinion, just not quite as good as X.

 

I am, as you guessed, a loyal HAL fan but I did not sense a less than glowing review in your post, in fact I did not have a problem with your post whatsoever except that from what I have heard here on the HAL board there is world of difference between the "S" and "R" class ships and the "V" class ships. I have never sailed on a "V" class ship nor have I sailed on an X ship and don't have any plans to do so in the immediate future. I was simply pointing out that you sailed on the ms Statendam almost ten years ago and I'm sure that things must have changed not only with HAL but with that X line in that time frame. I just don't see how a 10-year old experience aboard the ms Statendam can equate to a brand new experience aboard the Westerdam - they are two different ships with two different demographics: The Westerdam caters more to young families with shorter cruises in the Caribbean, and the Statendam caters more to retirees who have the time and money to spend on longer cruises to more exotic locales. How you can compare the two equally is beyond me. As for the X-factor, then I can't really say since nobody has convinced me so far that I need to try that cruiseline.

 

Valerie:)

[lysolqn]

You're absolutely right - things have changed on both HAL and X (and industry-wide for that matter) over the last ten years - we've seen that firsthand on both lines. However, both our Statendam cruise (Alaska) and our Westerdam cruise (Caribbean) were seven-night sailings and the passenger demographics were indeed identical. Sure, time has a way of blurring one's memory but we noticed many more similarities than differences between our two HAL cruise experiences. As for Westerdam catering to young families, it just wasn't so on our cruise. I'd say the average age of passengers was about 70 and you could literally count the number of kids onboard with one hand and still have a few fingers left over.

 

We often compare recent Celebrity cruises to X cruises we took way back when. I think it's fair to make such comparisons just as I believe it's fair to compare our two experiences on HAL. As I noted in my original post, both HAL and X have their individual strengths and weaknesses. Having sailed both lines, we simply prefer X over HAL but I understand and respect the fact that others may feel differently.