Celebrity VS Holland

[emptynest1]

My sister wants me to cruise with her on Holland America around South America next year.

I have never been on Holland so I don't have a comparison.

I would love to hear from anyone who can give me a comparison of the two lines.

Thanks

[chessbriar]

Service and food are very comparable. But HAL tends to attract and older crowd and with the longer sailing, you will see an older crowd on both. In talking with former HAL CDs, they said on the longer sailings the hallways tend to look like wheel chair parking lots. Now, I cannot speak from experience only what I have been told by those who have cruises HAL and have worked there.

 

With the older crowd, don't expect much of a night life.

 

That being said, knowing the food and service are top notch, I would sail HAL

[BurgerBits]

I haven't been on HAL in years, but my folks were avid Holland passengers until a few years ago.

 

They and many of their friends say the quality of the food in the MDR and other 'included' venues has gone so far down that it's practically inedible. Very sad, as they used to be known for their food. (It was excellent when I was on Westerdam in the mid-90s.)

 

My father, who's not one to complain, went so far as to specifically seek out the onboard booking staff to tell them that was why he would not be booking another HAL cruise. Ever. (They were on the newest HAL ship at the time; I believe it was in 2005.)

[pictonite]

Well - we've sailed both lines, and have always enjoyed our cruises. The newer HAL ships are very sleek, full of beautiful art, and very spacious cabins.

Many of the cabins have full bathrooms, which can be quite a nice surprise. We have never had a bad meal on HAL - and our last cruise with them was in 2006. I must add that I would give Celebrity a slight edge in the food department, but we had good service in all restaurants we tried on HAL , including the buffet, where the service from the wait staff was really good. Just as I enjoy the breadsticks on Celebrity, the bread pudding on HAL is not to be missed!

The pool areas were very pleasant on both lines. I liked the retractable dome over the pool in the Westerdam. I prefer the spa areas on the Celebrity ships. The entertainment was slightly better on Celebrity, but there were some very good solo performers on HAL. The age ranges were slightly older on HAL, but that could be attributed to the routes we took.

Over the past few years we have experimented with other lines, and have enjoyed the experience. However - we would sail either Celebrity or HAL in a heartbeat. For a South America trip, slightly longer than most, I would take the HAL itinerary. They will probably have on-board specialists to help you understand the area better. The larger cabins certainly are a plus. BTW - we didn't have to manoeuver around wheelchairs at all on our cruises - and they were extended ones!

 

Have fun!

[Ine]

Recently we sailed Ryndam and earlier this summer we sailed Eurodam.

Food was very good on both ships, choice is wide. Eating at night in the Lido is free on HAL, on Celebrity you have to pay a small surcharge.

Menu was almost the same as in the diningroom.

Service was excellent and very friendly.

Beds are much better then those on Celebrity, very comfortable.

Inside cabins have shower only, but outside cabins and higher have bath and shower, with a few exemptions.

Indeed the impression is the cruisers are slightly older then on Celebrity. But on both lines there is not that much nightlife I think.

Besides on HAL they donot try to sell drinks that often like in the theatre and Lido.

HAL ships (except Prinsendam) have a glass covered pool midships and an open pool aft.

[usha]

Hi, EN!:D

So far, I've taken two HAL cruises, tho they were both Carib. 7 nighters, not long So Amer. The ages on HAL seemed pretty comparable to =X=. Couldn't tell you how the South Amer. cruisers' ages would be skewed.:confused:

I know you love Celebrity, and I would expect that you might even love HAL, or at least LIKE it.:) Food (which is subjective): I think =X= has better diningroom food (and service), but HAL has better lido food.

As far as cabins, I know you usually opt for suites. On HAL, I don't believe the suites have butlers, but they ARE bigger, on average, and HAL's beds are AWESOME!

HAL's mostly Filipino/Indonesian staff is not quite as polished as Celebrity's staff (imo), but they make up for that by being VERY warm & friendly.

HAL's ships have similar space ratios to =X= ships, so you won't feel crowded.

While cruising on HAL, I admit I do feel a tug at my heart if I see an =X= ship in port:o, but it's really a short-lived feeling.

I love =X= a LOT, but I also love HAL (almost as much).

[hylasgirl]

I've sailed on both, and they are both very similar. The food is almost exactly the same. I would actually give the edge to Holland. I like the decor better on Celebrity. The cabins on both lines are very nice... the edge goes to Holland's balcony rooms since there is a tub/shower combo, which gives you a little more room.

 

I think both are great lines... but I have heard by many (since I haven't had the pleasure of anything over 2 weeks) that the long cruises have a much older crowd. This would not bother me if I had the opportunity to sail on such a great itinerary.

 

Enjoy! Either is a great choice.

[GeriatricNurse]

My sister wants me to cruise with her on Holland America around South America next year.

I have never been on Holland so I don't have a comparison.

I would love to hear from anyone who can give me a comparison of the two lines.

Thanks

 

Well, for starters, with X you may carry on ONLY two bottles of wine per stateroom whereas with HAL you may carry on UNLIMITED bottles of wine AND champagne per stateroom!

As well, the corkage fee per bottle of wine in the dining room with X is $25 whereas with HAL it is $15!

[grandgeezer]

I, like several others, have sailed both of them and find them quite comparable, thought there was a long time span in between cruises. Do to a deal to good to pass up, we'll be doing HAL and Celebrity almost back to back so I'll have some real time comparrisons. We leave Saturday for a Mexican Riveria cruise on HAL'S Oosterdam. We are home for six days and then we go on Celebrity's Mercury for Christmas and New Years. We love both ships. The Mexico one was planned but the Hawaii one just popped up a few weeks ago. It was a deal we just couldn't say no to. We feel like we stole it.

Will give you a comparrison when we get back sometime after January 3.

[mmp13]

we have sailed on both. the staterooms on HAL have it all over Celebrity but we were extremely dissapointed in their service and food . we had heard they were comparable to Celebrity, so we felt safe choosing a HAL cruise. We were on the Noordam (one of their newer ships) dining room felt extremely crowded and their public venues, with the exception of their library, were very chopped up. On the other hand, the library had it all over any I have seen on Celebrity. while nightlife on Celebrity can be pretty sedate, we found none on Hal. I am not saying I would never sail Hal again but only if the deal was really great and the itinerary exceptional.

[signman]

Look back about a month for Tuggers most recent cruise on Maasdam.

[osiebosie]

We've been on HAL fairly recently and loved it. In fact, they have something I wish X would do: unlimited laundry for a set price. They also have the yum-yum man.

 

I wish I was planning a HAL cruise. Or X. Either one.

 

Shay

[herb]

Both our HAL cruise and Celebrity cruise were 7 day cruises. They were both great. If you're going to wonder about age demographics HAL vs. Celebrity: I think ANY cruise on ANY cruiseline with a longer than 10 day itinerary will give you an older crowd. They have the time and they have the $$.

[geoherb]

I've sailed both--and would book either cruise line again. There are small differences between them that you'll notice. For instance, on Celebrity our waiters never flinched at special requests. On HAL, our waiter told us he would have to check with the assistant maitre d' when I asked for shrimp cocktail one night when it wasn't on the menu.

[pieter&sharon]

Have sailed both twice. Holland America serves the sizzle, Celebrity the steak. HA reputation is not deserved. Celebrity is better than its reputation. Celebrity crowd is somewhat younger. Less snoring on the pool deck.

[niborHS]

From reading all the responses, it clearly depends on which exact ship you were on, what your tastes are, and the crew at the particular time. We had sailed 5 times on X before we were on the Oosterdam in March, 2007. We thought that HAL was a notch above in every category, except that we did not have a butler for the suite. However, having the Neptune Lounge on HAL was a great thing to have. We had excellent dining room service, and particularly enjoyed the fact that there were not as many wait stations around clanging dishes. We are not big fans of buffets, but have found that the same line can vary depending on who the chef is at any one time. Some are more interesting and varied than others. The only thing I will say is that X has better food in their specialty restaurant than HAL. Age range on our HAL was about the same as on X, and entertainment was comparable. It really depends on what you are looking for in that as well. There were times when I enjoyed listening to the string quartet, and other times where the singer in a particular room was good. My husband is usually in the casino at night, so I would be happy if there was any entertainment if I didn't want join him there.

[Schplinky]

Having sailed both lines, Celebrity is our clear favorite of the two but I can see strengths in both and it depends on your priorities. We sailed both lines in the same region at the same time of year so I think the comparisons are fair to make.

 

HAL definitely had a much older crowd than Celebrity. It is the only cruise in 15 we have been on where we were reminded in our cruise documents not to leave our scooters or walkers in the hall. While some might be offended that I mention the vast number of older people (I would guess the average age on our sailing to be in the high sixties), I find the statement no more offensive than those that warn against children on other lines. Moreso, the whole experience on HAL seemed directed at older passengers who prefer a sedate and sedentary experience. I will say the cabins were more comfortable and more attractive than Celebrity's and the dining room food and service were better on HAL. The buffets were comparable on both and the specialty restaurant on HAL was nowhere near as polished as the one on X (they spent part of our meal trying to sell us on a wine tasting the next day).

 

Entertainment on HAL was laughably bad while we find the entertainment on X to be good (and on RCL to be great). The shows on HAL reminded me of community theatre, not professional shows. For some reason, the HAL crowd also found it ok to talk through the entire show, but that's a personal pet peeve. The pools on both HAL and Celebrity seem to attract more chair-savers than on other "lesser" lines we have sailed.

 

In terms of ship design, I find Celebrity's to be understated yet grand, while I found HAL to be a bit claustrophobic. In order not to overwhelm their target audience, it seems that they prefer a series of small rooms to large and impressive spaces. Similarly, the atrium lobby was unimpressive. The art seemed to consist of endless etchings of the same river in Holland.

 

Lastly, I would like to say that having spent a lot of time on the HAL board in advance of our cruise, it seems that HAL books large groups onto their ships much more successfully than any other line but they don't tell the other passengers that they might be inconvenienced. We had two groups of a couple hundred on our sailing and while some bars were sometimes reserved only for those in those groups, it was not bad. That said, I read lots of horror stories on the HAL board where half the ship was a group and other passengers felt they could not enjoy the experience they expected because the whole ship was not available to them. All lines charter groups but HAL certainly seems to do it more, likely because of their lower prices.

[emptynest1]

Thank you all so much for your detailed responses.

Looks like I may just have to go on the cruise and find out for myself, but from all the comments it seems to me that I will enjoy the experience.

I will start hanging out on the HAL site to get a feel for the cruise and try to scope out group cruise possibilities.

 

Thanks