HAL vs. Celebrity

[SPIKESMIKE]

My wife and I have had wonderful cruise experiences on HAL in the past. We're considering a cruise on Celebrity next year. For those who have experince with both lines, is there much of a difference between the two? I appreciate your insight and comments.

[FlorenceItaly]

and the service, personnel, and dining room food was top notch!!
I sailed HAL for the first time in June and then again in August. My Celebrity cruise was a more positive experience, but with that being said, I just booked another HAL(Zuiderdam), although having second thoughts on all the bad reviews concerning the Z. My first choice would be Celebrity, but I will consider other lines. My choice to book the Z involved other people in my group.

Marie

[Ine]

We had our first Celebrity (Mercury) cruise last september/october.
Its schedule was better to us, the only reason why we changed liners.

We were very much surprised by the high level of food and service. All meals were very good, the friendliness of the staff was also perfect. There was a lot of deck-space, never a problem to find a chair somewhere.
(At 6pm. there was a sushi-bar.....mmmm....}
Only the evening-shows were better on HAL.

It will be difficult to choose in future, but I think Mercury is a little ahead.

[SPIKESMIKE]

Dear INE and ExaltHim,
Thanks for the info. It sounds like you both had good experiences with Celebrity. There's a cruise on Celebrity's Century that we may try in January.

We love the Zaandam and HAL. The Zuiderdam was very nice but didn't seem to "handle the seas" as well as the Zaandam. Don't worry ExaltHim, you'll enjoy the big Zuiderdam.

[viennacruiser]

Dear Spikesmike,
We did the Century last summer and it was great:) .
The food,:) service and entertainment was wonderful.
We went to the Sushi bar every evening before dinner:o
This year my DH and I are going on the Zuid for the first time.:)
Hope we enjoy it as much as the Century.
Nancy

[dhcoaster]

Sailed both cruise lines and had great times on all our HAL and Celebrity cruises.
Both have great service, foods about the same, BUT if you are on of those that do not like to dine in the main dinning room, dinner at night in the cafe is by reservation and tipping is requested on Celebrity.
Celebrity does have a fast service line at night for dinner, but it is a limited selection.
HAL's the only cruise line I know of that has lobster in the cafe on lobster night.
I think nightlife on our HAL cruises was better, but that's a personal issued.
If you are one of those that say HAL is a bunch of Older Cruisers, than Celebrity is not for you. The average age is older on Celebrity.
In short, unless you are one of those that can never be pleased, you will have a great time on either cruise line.
Suggestion, go by the itinerary to decide which line to sail.

[lissa6626]

I have sailed on X 4 times now...and each were fantastic. I will be on Veendam 12/11/04, so I am anxious to see how HAL measures up against X. Needless to say, my expectations are high. I will post my review of Veendam when I return 12/18. It will be interesting to see how the food and service compare to X, which are both outstanding.

[JohnR49er]

Went on the Galaxy and Summit before my October Maasdam cruise. Have to rate Celebrity a cut above Hal. Food and service were better on Celebrity. I just seem to feel that HAL seemed to be understaffed and just couldn't match the way they used to be. I wouldn't feel bad paying a little more on Celebrity. I think they are worth it.

[tommy]

Last 4 cruises have been 2 Holland and 2 Celebrity.Food a little better on Celebrity Desserts better on Holland.Service due to Hollands cutbacks wasnt even close.On Celebrity they still carry treys for the ladies lemonade and tea availableby the pool,and other things.The Dining room service on the Zuiderdam in Oct was the worse we have ever had in 17 cruises.The ship and everything else was fine.But the dining room service AWFUL. TOM

[Ine]

<<If you are one of those that say HAL is a bunch of Older Cruisers, than Celebrity is not for you. The average age is older on Celebrity>>

DH Coaster posted the above remark.
However, we saw the opposite.
On Celebrity the people were younger than on our HAL cruises.
(Also not electric scootmobils (is that the right word?) etc.)

There were more than 100 children on board, but we never noticed them. They had their own section with games and activities.

[tommy]

I have to agree the average on Holland seemed to be much older.Especially on the 10 day sailings. TOM

[FlorenceItaly]

Spikesmike - YES, you should definitely try Celebrity...you will NOT be disappointed. Also, I have noticed that the Century continually receives rave reviews. Let us know what you decide.

Melissa (lisa6626)- I sailed on the Veendam in August and had a very enjoyable cruise. You will have a lovely cruise, but be prepared to not have the excellent level of service you found with Celebrity. I will be anxious for your review of the 2 lines upon your return. Not to worry, you will have an excellent cruise, it will just be different.......

Marie

[Randyk47]

My wife and I are trying Celebrity for the first time this next March. Generally speaking most TA's rate them as pretty much the same experience, at least in the sense that they both market their product to basically the small cruising population. Our decision to try Celebrity was brought on mostly by opportunity. The opportunity is that Celebrity brought the Galaxy to Galveston to offer a partial transit of the Panama Canal with a series of 11-12 day cruises throughout the winter season and we can drive to Galveston from our home in San Antonio. Saving airfare plus the deal we were able to get before the no discounting policy took place solidified the decision. A second consideration was that our Oosterdam cruise last March was good but not quite up to the standard we'd come to love on HAL. We're being joined by a couple of other HAL regulars so we'll see how we all think the two lines compare from at least more than one prespective.

[Druke I]

3 times HAL, once Celebrity.

Slightly younger crowd on Celebrity (at least on our Mexican Riviera Celebrity cruise). We thought food and its presentation about the same on both lines, and thought the production shows marginally better on Celebrity.

HAL, with more ships, offer more varied itineraries.

[Cally]

Celebrity wins hands down.

Just got off the Amsterdam and HAL won't be getting my business again.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I hate to say this because I'm just off the Oosterdam, but Celebrity wins for service and food. Sorry, HAL fans! It's JMHO after all:o . I will definitely cruise HAL again, but on their S class, not the Vista class.

We sailed Maasdam in 2002 and loved it (except for food). We sailed Millennium in 2003 and it was amazing. Just off Oosterdam I feel I can now compare the 2 lines fairly and Celebrity wins overall.

That said, I still love HAL more for:

1. Hamburgers and tacos from the Terrace Grill
2. Pizza most of the day on the Lido
3. Ice Cream most of the day (the real thing ... not the soft stuff).
4. Fresh squeezed orange juice
5. Magnificent morning pastries.
6. The chocolate Volcano cake in the Pinnacle.
7. The chocolate signature cake first night out!
8. The new, magnificent beds and bedding ... hands down a win for HAL!

So................

[Ine]

<<1. Hamburgers and tacos from the Terrace Grill
2. Pizza most of the day on the Lido
3. Ice Cream most of the day (the real thing ... not the soft stuff).>>

We had that on "Mercury" also, including the Sushi bar at 6. p.m.
so no difference there!

[HeatherInFlorida]

<<1. Hamburgers and tacos from the Terrace Grill
2. Pizza most of the day on the Lido
3. Ice Cream most of the day (the real thing ... not the soft stuff).>>

We had that on "Mercury" also, including the Sushi bar at 6. p.m.
so no difference there!
Big difference there:o . We had it all on the Millie, too, but what I was saying was that IMHO, HAL was far superior in those areas.

[usha]

I've only been on 1 HAL cruise (Oosterdam) and enjoyed it a lot. The food was very good, and I liked the friendly staff and the ship itself. Still, I think Celebrity is a little nicer, the food (especially in the diningroom) a little tastier, the service a little more gracious, and the ships themselves are a easier to "navigate". I've sailed on X ships 13 times, (3 of those were on Century) and we're booked again on Century for a B/2/B in February. If you love HAL, I can't imagine you'd be even remotely disappointed with Celebrity's Century. :D

[johnnycruise]

Celebrity is better:

1. Food
2. Communication in English
3. Cocktail parties
4. Discos
5. Cleanliness of public areas

Holland America is better:

1. Cabin size (square footage)
2. Bathtubs in most outside cabins
3. Ballroom-type dancing
4. Shore excursions


Individual preference:

1. Average age on HAL seems to be ten years older than on Celebrity
2. Fewer children on HAL

[estj]

have sailed on the Veendam twice...she's a wonderful ship. Hope you enjoy her. The new Vista ships on HAL are fantastic. the Oosterdam was much better than the Zuiderdam (although we did have service issues on the Oosterdam). Talked to a new "cruise friend" and she suggested trying Celebrity...so it must be good...I trust her opinion.

[Orcrone]

Just came off the Maasdam, and there was a lack of activities. Pool games for a total of 15 minutes during a 10 day cruise. There was about 5 hours of live music by any pool, with the group repeating their set each time. When heading to the Caribbean I want to hear Calypso, Steel Drum, Reggae, etc. Much of the time they didn't even have recorded music by the pools. Now we have the Zuiderdam booked for March.

How do the activities/music compare on Celebrity vs. HAL (specifically Century vs. Zuiderdam)?

[kelmac]

Orcrone,

For the most part, Celebrity has a younger crowd, and the activities on the ship are geared to a more active passenger. My wife and I still talk about the daily trivia quizes on the Veendam, in which the bulk of the questions concerned the 1920s and the 1930s.
After 16 cruises, we are pretty much limiting our cruises to Celebrity and HAL. Celebrity has the best food, best service and has a formal feel to it. HAL is close, and is our second favorite line. We are doing a BtoB this summer, matching the Century, with the Zuiderdam. Volendam for New Years, and the Mercury for Spring break, so you can see what we prefer.
I still beleive that the Millennium class ships, of Celebrity, are the "best bang for the buck" at sea! I'm really looking forward to the Vista class ships of HAL.

Enjoy!
Kel

[Giorgi-one]

Big difference there:o . We had it all on the Millie, too, but what I was saying was that IMHO, HAL was far superior in those areas.

IMHO, I thought the ice cream on the Zuiderdam was the worst I ever tasted. Way too much sugar and not all all creamy. Celebrity ice creams on the Summitt were fantastic. Also, the selection of morning pastries was almost nonexistent if you got to the buffet after 9 AM. I asked for pastries in the Dining Room and they gave me a roll with raisins in it.

[Orcrone]

Orcrone,

For the most part, Celebrity has a younger crowd, and the activities on the ship are geared to a more active passenger. My wife and I still talk about the daily trivia quizes on the Veendam, in which the bulk of the questions concerned the 1920s and the 1930s.
After 16 cruises, we are pretty much limiting our cruises to Celebrity and HAL. Celebrity has the best food, best service and has a formal feel to it. HAL is close, and is our second favorite line. We are doing a BtoB this summer, matching the Century, with the Zuiderdam. Volendam for New Years, and the Mercury for Spring break, so you can see what we prefer.
I still beleive that the Millennium class ships, of Celebrity, are the "best bang for the buck" at sea! I'm really looking forward to the Vista class ships of HAL.

Enjoy!
KelThat's Kelmac. I was curious because for spring break some of our options were the Zuiderdam, and the Celebrity Century and Millenium. The Century was very cost competitive, but is older and does not have balconies. Plus we were looking for eastern Caribbean and the Century was doing the western (at least for that week). The Millenium was doing eastern, but an inside room on that ship was costing us over $200 pp more than a verandah on the Zuiderdam. As my mom is taking eight of us it would have been a big cost increase. In the future though I'll definitely have to consider it.

[SPIKESMIKE]

Both of the HAL "Z" ships have very nice cabins. Are the Century's outside staterooms comparable to those on the Zaandam or Zuiderdam?

[~Nereus~]

We have cruised both lines over a hundred days.... 15+ cruises... we have not cruised the new HAL ships and it has been nearly 3 years since our Noordam cruise...

HAL people were older in my cruises.. I'm 60 and I like being among the youngest on board... I'm in the sweet spot of Celebrity cruisers... well maybe just beyond....

We love Celebrity but will cruise with anyone doing longer cruises... 14 day Veendam January 15 followed by 14 Day Zenith on the 30th... They both will feed you to the limits of your clothing... (and beyond) and with individual exceptions, they both have wonderful, friendly staff certain to please 90% of their passengers...

[dhcoaster]

The two Celebrity Cruises I did had an older crowd then HAL, BUT the Zenith cruise was to Bermuda and the Conny cruise was to New Englind/Canada. This is most liley way the age was older on Celebrity.
Both my HAL cruises were E-Carib cruises.
Had a great time on all four cruises, but have to say the Conny cruise was the best cruise ever taken.

[HeatherInFlorida]

IMHO, I thought the ice cream on the Zuiderdam was the worst I ever tasted. Way too much sugar and not all all creamy. Celebrity ice creams on the Summitt were fantastic. Also, the selection of morning pastries was almost nonexistent if you got to the buffet after 9 AM. I asked for pastries in the Dining Room and they gave me a roll with raisins in it.Ice cream is very subjective so I would never question someone else's tastes. However, on the Millie last year we only got soft serve ... not "real" ice cream. Also no waffle cones which I love.

Very shocked about the pastries because my experience on the Oosterdam a couple of weeks ago was that the pastries were to die for ... particularly the chocolate croissants. Yum!!!!

I'm in C2C's age bracket and we always seem to end up making friends with younger passengers. I have to admit on our particular cruise on Celebrity last year it was a much older crowd ... and I mean very old, not 60's. Our experience with HAL has been a younger group. But I thought it was just the luck of the draw because I know that Celebrity also often gets a lot of younger passengers.

Nothing can be everything you want it to be.

[sheilb4]

There is Noooooo comparison!
Celebrity is far superior in everything!
Service, food, choice, presentation, entertainment, staff, caliber of passengers, attention to detail, cleanliness of surroundings, decor.......I would never go with HAL again.

[~Nereus~]

Never say never...

Check the boards..

HAL cruisers say they'll never cruise HAL
Celebrity cruisers say the same about Celebrity
Princess say the same (like me) after their latest cruise..

We just have experiences different from others on the same cruise... Sometimes a different ship is as unique as a different line... If the price is right and the ship is different try them again..

[AlinaMaria]

I'll be posting my review soon but to answer your question: I have been on Celebrity four times (Zenith, Century x 2, Mercury), and on HAL twice (Rotterdam and Zuiderdam). Just came back from Thanksgiving Cruise on the Zuiderdam. I still prefer Celebrity hands down, no contest as far as I'm concern. Much better and friendlier service, food is definitely the best on Celebrity except for Lunch Buffet which the best I've had has been on the Grand Princess, (Zuiderdam buffet was so bland and limited, ended up having pizza most of the time, also they've done away with quite a few of the items I've found on the Rotterdam, it's obvious they are cutting costs by eliminating the good food among other things), Celebrity passengers know how to keep their children well behaved, happy, having fun without being rude and too loud, respecting the elderly (my mother walks with a cane and too many times I had to hold her because she was pushed by a teenager or a 10 year old kid with "no parent" around, actually a couple of times the pushing was done by adults too). The Vista Lounge on the Zuiderdam is the worst I've even seen on a cruise ship, too many blind spots and the balcony seats do not allow, in the majority, complete view of the stage. Celebrity's cabins are a bit smaller but they make it up with plenty of storage, plenty drawer space, and definitely better lighting, the Zuiderdam only had two small drawers on two night stands and the so-called drawers under the bed were filled with extra blankets and pillows, and even though I had the linen removed they were too heavy for my mother to open, as well as ackward due to location, the lighting was really bad too. I did not find this drawer or lighting problems on the Rotterdam, actually if the Zuiderdam had been like the Rotterdam I would say HAL was tied with Celebrity as my first choice.

Please bear in mind that you will get many different opinions to your question, and that each cruise line has its own personality and style, I had a good cruise on the Zuiderdam because I wanted (and much needed) to rest, and that I did. Enjoyed my verandah a lot because there was not much to do otherwise on sea days and people do hold lounge chairs outside for their "invisible friends", and my verandah was the only outside area without children where I could do some relaxing reading. Also, because the Thalossotherapy Pool is extra (on Celebrity there is no extra charge), on the Zuiderdam is empty most of the time and quiet.

I also found that since tips are automatically added to your shipboard account service has declined in comparison to my Feb/2004 cruise on the Rotterdam. Most days at lunch I had to get my lunch after getting my mother's because there was no staff to help, I have never experienced this on Celebrity. At the Vista Lounge there was never a bartender on the balcony area, so if you want a drink you better bring it with you! Also, found limited bartender service at the pools area.

The most disgusting experience: I had never smelled sewage on any cruise ship until last week, I tried to enjoy a martini at the Martini Bar on Deck 1 one night before dinner and the smell was intoxicating, I was ready to vomit, (I was a hospital nurse for almost 20 years and these smells were part of my job but this was unbearable). The smell still very noticeable on Deck 2. I felt sorry for those with cabins on Deck 1.

As I've seen on this board before, I'm sure there will be many postings against my comments presented here from those that are absolutely madly in love with HAL, I fell in love with HAL on the Rotterdam but the Zuiderdam has changed my mind, but this is my honest opinion. Will I do HAL again? Probably not, unless is a different ship, at a very very low price, and definitely only when kids and teens are in school. As to booking a holiday cruise, I think I'll do the week after, when everyone has gone back to school!!!

AlinaMaria

[longtimecruiser]

AlinaMaria, I was amused when you said that Celebrity passengers know how to keep their children well behaved and respect the elderly. We sailed on the Galaxy a few years ago and my Mother's cane was STOLEN shortly after we boarded. We had to "borrow" one for the rest of the cruise from the infirmary. We also had a suite and I called every night , without fail to complain about the noise from kids on the deck above at midnight and later. I have NEVER had that problem in all my years on Hal. Frankly, I think Hal seems to attract the more refined cruiser. Different Strokes , I guess!!!!! I think Hal wins hands down!!!!!!

[AlinaMaria]

longtimecruiser,
I knew I would get feedback from some upset HAL fans, however, I just returned from the Thanksgiving Cruise on the Zuiderdam, I can only speak for my own experience and now understand a lot of the comments that I have found on this board regarding the Zuiderdam, all of them are correct. I am comparing this cruise to my former cruises on Celebrity (most of them were in June/July when school is out and the ship had over 500 under age pax combining both children and teenagers). This last week was very uncomfortable at times, kids and teens running up and down the hallways and stairs, would keep elevators doors open until the bell rang, would go to the bathroom together and as a joke stay inside to hold "their friends" from using the bathroom but at the same time the other pax could not use them either. On top of that they would use the wheelchair/handicapp accesible bathroom as a hiding place (this happened twice at the facility located between the Lido and the Pool) when they were not in need of such facilities, and if you have not noticed, the Zuiderdam does not have too many bathroom facilities in public areas, they are few and far apart, and then they even have less of the handicapp facilities. Many times this behavior was right in front of their parents and/or other family members who totally ignored it, not to say that the staff also chose to ignore this behavior. I think today "discipline" has been confused with "child abuse" and we have gone from one extreme to the other. I have decided to plan my cruises during the weeks when kids are in school, when colleges are in final exams, etc. I am a nurse, as a matter of fact, I was a maternity nurse for over 15 years of my 20 years in nursing, children (well behaved) are wonderful to be around, crying babies don't bother me at all but unruly, disrespectful teens do!

I don't expect everyone to agree with me but I do expect my opinions to be respected the same way I respect others. The same way that you have had a better experience in HAL, I've had much nicer cruising experience in Celebrity. In the name of honesty, I have to say that my cruise on the Rotterdam last February 2004 was absolutely magnificent, there were few children, true, but those on board were well behaved, service was 200% better, among other things. Because of my wonderful experience on the Rotterdam, I decided to go HAL again and chose the Zuiderdam but it did not work for us. Like some said earlier "different strokes for different folks".

All cruise lines have their own flavor and style to cater to different clientele, that is why cruising, like nursing, has many alternatives and choices, you can find your niche and enjoy it "your own way".

AlinaMaria

[HeatherInFlorida]

For the very reason you mention, Alina, we ALWAYS plan our cruises around non-school vacation times. It solves the whole thing and leaves the ships available for people with children. It's good for them and it's good for us:D .

But I did want to make note that you certainly have every right to express your opinion. People get very defensive about their favorite cruiseline. I try to keep an open mind because we've had wonderful times on both HAL and Celebrity. I think Celebrity wins hands down in many departments, particularly service and food, but I have to admit I've met more "friends forever" on HAL. So .......:)

[~Nereus~]

There is no true reality... only perceptions... 2,000 guests interacting with nearly 1,000 staff... how many different combinations of interactions created our perception of our reality....

Our perceptions are just as real as that of other guests...
Even if many cruisers have the same good/bad experiences an individual can still difer from that of the majority...

I haven't counted the agrees vs the disagrees.... or was it the "hands down"... but since there are more Celebrity posters than HAL posters... the majority will agree that Celebrity is better...

[HeatherInFlorida]

Well, perhaps, C2C, but it's interesting we're on the HAL board so I would think you'd get more HAL preference than Celebrity. I think they have the same question over on the Celebrity board which I haven't read, but I'm going to check it tomorrow just to see how it compares.