Holland v Celebrity/Princess for a 40-year-old anda 75-year-old couple

[amagar]

Hi all,

 

We're looking for a winter cruise and the Noordam has an itinerary and a price that fits the bill. But we have NO experience with Holland and we don't know anyone who has.

 

I know there are hundreds of variables, but how does Holland stack up next to Celebrity and Princess?

 

What we value most (after itinerary and price): Service, cleanliness, polite fellow passengers, room service, comfortable beds and a well-planned layout that provides plenty of elbow room most times (we know the pools will be crowded). Food and entertaiment is secondary.

 

Also, do you think Holland satisfies both 40-year-olds and 76-year-olds?

 

Thank you

 

P.S. I'm blown away by the size of Noordam's rooms!

[MSMcDuffy]

I have sailed with Princess in Europe (Star) and HAL in Alaska (Volendam) and am going with Hal again this summer. For me personally I felt that HAL was a step above Princess in service and the staterooms are larger. Both ships I was on were very well laid out and it never felt like there were as many passengers as there were, and both were clean.

 

I found people to be very friendly and polite on both cruises. As far as HAL satisfying the ages you mentioned - I'm in my 40's and my Mom is in her 70's and we both had the time of our lives. So much so that 6 other famly members are joining us this next time.

 

And you asked about the beds - HAL's bed was so comfortable that I took the bedding off to see what kind of a matress it was so I could possibly buy the same one. It was the most comfortable bed I've slept on in my entire life.

[amagar]

Thanks for the response, MSM!

 

I'm reading as much as I can on this before making a decision...I don't want my husband (40) to be disappointed since he never hesitates to travel with my parents (76) ...and I don't want my parents to be disappointed, either, since they view every trip as their last (I say, only half-joking).

 

Also, it's not easy to make a comparison. It depends on the age of the ship, the level of room you get, etc. Our favorite cruise had what could have been considered the worst dining service because both the waiter and assistant were new and didn't know what they were doing...but they MADE the cruise! So you never know...

 

I'll miss the thelassotherapy pools from Celebrity. But a bathtub? Heaven.

[Crusing Bob]

We were on the Westerdam last October and liked it so much we are taking it again this October. It is a sister to Noordam and a beauty. We found it to be elegant and had no issues with the actions of any passengers. The food and service are great and the ship never felt crowded and we had no problem getting loungers or tables at the Lido pool area. You will enjoy Holland!

[Crusing Bob]

BTW, we sail in a Superior Suite(SY) mid-ships and it is worth every dollar.

[agabbymama]

I've sailed HAL to Alaska twice. The first on the 'old' Noordam (only about 50,000 gross tons) so she was small and we loved her. Second on Zuiderdam (80,000 gross tons) and we still loved her. Everyone is so friendly, not just the people who service your table or cabin, but everyone had a smile and good morning or how are you. The beds are fantastic, and the cabin size seemed a bit larger. We were in ocean view and then a regular balcony cabin.

 

Celebrity Constellation at 90,000 gross tons seemed about the same size as Zuiderdam, with one major difference. Zuiderdam has the teak wood promenade deck that completed encircles the ship, so no getting lost trying to find your way from the bow to the stern. No matter what deck we were on, on Constellation, trying to navigate was a problem. We were consistently told "you can't get there from here, go down a deck or up a deck" never did find anyway to make the trip from bow to stern.

 

In my opinion, HAL tops Celebrity even though the ads say Celebrity is superior top of the line. HAL ships have an ambiance of an older ocean liner with lots of wood and brass, and lots of fresh flowers (orchids on Zuiderdam) on any table inside our out, lots of fresh flower arrangements, teak wood deck chairs, robes in every cabin, and lets not forget the free hot cocoa and split pea soup on deck on Glacier viewing day.

 

You won't be disappointed in HAL! I haven't sailed Princess yet, my first with them will be the Med in October, so can't offer any comparison now.

[Coral]

Here is a comparison I did after sailing on HAL Oosterdam for the first time (and having been a Princess cruiser otherwise): http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=678502&highlight=Princess+cruiser+HAL

[caviargal]

I've sailed HAL to Alaska twice. The first on the 'old' Noordam (only about 50,000 gross tons) so she was small and we loved her. Second on Zuiderdam (80,000 gross tons) and we still loved her. Everyone is so friendly, not just the people who service your table or cabin, but everyone had a smile and good morning or how are you. The beds are fantastic, and the cabin size seemed a bit larger. We were in ocean view and then a regular balcony cabin.

 

In my opinion, HAL tops Celebrity even though the ads say Celebrity is superior top of the line. HAL ships have an ambiance of an older ocean liner with lots of wood and brass, and lots of fresh flowers (orchids on Zuiderdam) on any table inside our out, lots of fresh flower arrangements, teak wood deck chairs, robes in every cabin, and lets not forget the free hot cocoa and split pea soup on deck on Glacier viewing day.

 

We have cruised on X and HAL 6 x each and now prefer HAL. We were on the Noordam to Alaska in 2007 and loved the ship.

 

In addition to what the other posters have said, we find HAL service to be more gracious, the ships much better maintained, the food fresher and more interestingly prepared, room service to be excellent, spa quality products in all cabin categories, wonderful libraries, as well as a great wine policy.

 

My vote goes to HAL.

[JPH814]

to be fair, you asked this question on the HAL Board - you might get a different perspective if you asked the same question on the Pricess or Celebrity Board.

[savannahgirl1]

Hi all,

 

We're looking for a winter cruise and the Noordam has an itinerary and a price that fits the bill. But we have NO experience with Holland and we don't know anyone who has.

 

I know there are hundreds of variables, but how does Holland stack up next to Celebrity and Princess?

 

What we value most (after itinerary and price): Service, cleanliness, polite fellow passengers, room service, comfortable beds and a well-planned layout that provides plenty of elbow room most times (we know the pools will be crowded). Food and entertaiment is secondary.

 

Also, do you think Holland satisfies both 40-year-olds and 76-year-olds?

 

Thank you

 

P.S. I'm blown away by the size of Noordam's rooms!

 

 

 

First, let me say I have never sailed Celebrity or Princesses. But I would like to address your question from sailing only HAL. We have sailed the Volendam and the Veendam. Service on both of these ships have been top notch. I have zero complaints about service. The crew has always went out of their way to be friendly and helpful. Dining staff work extremly hard to make sure we are happy.

 

Both ships have always been imacculate. Extremely clean, there is always crew working hard to keep it that way.

 

My husband and I are in our 30's and have found most passengers to be very friendly and polite. There have been a couple on our cruises that seem to go out of their way to be a pain, but show me a cruise where you won't find a few.

 

Room service has always been excellent for us. The food is delivered in a timely manner, always hot or cold, which ever it was supposed to be. Always delivered with a smile and great politeness. We have never had a bad meal from room service. I am in LOVE with their club sandwiches. :D

 

The beds are sooo comfortable I tried to figure out how to get the mattress in my garment bag and sneak it off. :rolleyes: They have a selection of pillows to choose from, from very soft to firm and even down pillows if you ask. Trust me, you'll sleep like a baby on their bedding. The sheets are very soft and I love the comforter, not to heavy, no to light.

 

As for elbow room, there is more than plenty. With all the lounges and public spaces you really never know your traveling with 1400 people. Even to me the pools never seemed crowded. You could always find a lounge chair. There is more than enough space for everyone to feel as if they have their own private space.

 

As I said, I have only cruised HAL so really can't compare to the other 2. And I know there are folks out there that have probably had some problems in the areas you asked about, no cruise or cruise line is perfect. But from my own personel experience, we have had very little if any trouble and its been very minor things like being charged for the Pinnacle Grill and not eating there. Even then I brought it to the front desks attention and they promptly removed the charge. AND they were nice about it. ;) So theres my 2 cents for what it s worth. I personally think all of you would enjoy this line. Oh and sorry I got so long winded. :o

[mamaofami]

I've sailed the Noordam twice and love the ship. The crew is the best, the food is good, the service is fabulous and the beds are wonderful. The ship has a very elegant feel, lots of fresh flowers and art all over. I think it will be great for both 40 and 70 year olds. That said, I've never sailed the other lines. If you like the Noordam's itinerary, you will have a great cruise on her.You might want to check out my pictures below from our February cruise on the Noordam.

[cferro514]

I have sailed on the Noordam three times. I live in NJ, and the ship was docked in NYC.

This line is perfect for these two couples. I found the Noordam to be very clean, and the staff to be very pleasant. It is the little things that bring me back to a HAL ship.

This ship has a nice library, where you can rent DVD,s and borrow some books. You need to go there first thing when you board for the best selection.

I usually cruise HAL ships. I am going on the QM2 next week so then I can compare.

 

Enjoy your cruise.