If HAL is your fav cruise line, what is your second fav? Why?

[johno95]

I am about to go on my first HAL cruise. I went on a Celebrity cruise, and loved their service. I heard about HAL's pampering too, and so I am chasing after that. So after this HAL cruise, they may very well be #1 in my book, and Celebrity #2. Who knows. I just like it when the staff is nice to me. Everything else, food, excursions, onboard amenities, are secondary. Service is key. And I heard that HAL has good personal service.

[sail7seas]

I don't have a second favorite.


Of all the cruiselines we have been on, HAL is the only we plan to return to in the immediate future.

We cruised about 5 times on Celebrity and about 5 or 6 on Princess. Only once on RCI and that was enough for us. Also, once (sort of) on Carnival but that's a long story.

We used to like Celebrity but after RCI bought them, we think they ruined the product they used to have.

JMHO, of course.

Hope you enjoy your HAL cruise.

[1cruiselvr]

HAL is first on our list of cruiselines. We haven't tried X so we are not able to compare them, but for the price and itineraries, we have enjoyed Princess in the past. Not all their ships provide the same quality of experience, but in general we have been happy with them. I guess I really don't have a favorite 2nd to HAL, I just have other cruiselines that I'm willing to cruise with when HAL won't work for us. Happy Sailing!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have done RCI, Princess, NCL, and Cunard.

RCI didn't impress us.

When Princess went to personal choice - we personally dropped them.

NCL went to Freely style cruising - we freely left them.

Cunard - haven't been on them in a few years - hope to try the Queen Mary sometime.

So for the time being it is HAL for us.

[FlorenceItaly]

took my first Celebrity cruise earlier this month(12 night) and they are now my #1 choice. I cruised on HAL in June and August of this year. I enjoyed the cruises very much, and have another one booked, however, in my opinion the service was noticeably more postive on Celebrity.

Marie

[RuthC]

Second favorite line is out of business---Royal Viking Line. Tops in every aspect of the cruise. Service, food, entertainment, the ship, itinerary---all were the best I have ever had.

Of lines still sailing I would have to say (reluctantly) Cunard would be my second favorite. Not that it wasn't a lovely cruise, mind you. I was just much too young for that atmosphere when I sailed Cunard. Perhaps now it would be more my style. It's been (quite) a few years, you see. :(

[Orcrone]

I've only been on three cruises, but I'd have to say that it would be hard to ever say which is favorite. I just think that no ship or cruise line is going to be best for me.

Just looking at my last two cruises I preferred the HAL for the roominess of the ship, relaxing atmostphere, size of the ship, food in the Lido, decor of the ship, ease in getting a lounger by the pool, fewer announcements and not having to sit through bingo before the PM show. I preferred Carnival for the service (yes, better than HAL), activities, music, DR experience. I thought the shows about equal on each.

So how do I say which was my favorite?

[Bookish Angel]

Appreciated the Freestyle Dining, the historical and cultural lectures, the lighning-fast embarkation and debarkation in Seattle. I like bigger ships and NCL provides that with, in my experience, a commensurate amount of service

[1cruiselvr]

With reference to KKer's comment about Princess' going to personal choice dining, they still offer traditional, it's your decision. Recently, we got excellent DR service at our traditional table onboard the Diamond Princess. It was actually as good as any service we have received on a HAL ship. Happy Sailing~

[BLStokes23]

We've really enjoyed the new ships from NCL. Entertainment on these ships has been of a higher quality than HAL. Freestyle dining, with the opportunity to dine in 10 different restaurants is always fun. There are always plenty of activities going on around the ship. While we do usually book a couple HAL cruises a year, I'm always open to trying a new line.

[westerdam]

My second favorite is P&O although I have only been on one cruise so far with them. They were absolutely top notch and I would highly recommend them to anyone.

[HeatherInFlorida]

At this point in time (and this could change) Celebrity is first and HAL second. I'm with Ruth if you're talking about lines that are no longer with us and Royal Viking would be in #1 or #2.

No one will believe this, but our absolute favorite cruise of all time was on the Regent Sea, but we were just lucky!!!!! I have never heard anything good about this line before or since we sailed on her, but we had the time of our lives and they treated us like royalty.

[Queen of Adventure]

We've sailed the most on HAL, second most on Disney, once on Radisson Seven Seas (and never again), once on Rennaissance (and would again if we could) and once - so far - on Celebrity. We are booked on our first NCL cruise through the Hawai'ian islands in March, and I am really looking forward to checking out Celebrity after Cirque du Soleil is part of the package. So, I guess we'd have to say HAL first, Raddison Seven Seas last, and everything else second;)

[SharonN]

No one will believe this, but our absolute favorite cruise of all time was on the Regent Sea, but we were just lucky!!!!! I have never heard anything good about this line before or since we sailed on her, but we had the time of our lives and they treated us like royalty.

Actually I believe you Heather. Our first 4 cruises were on Regency and we enjoyed all of them. The ships were definitely old but it felt like you were on a ship which we thought was great. We learned to relax, saw some great ports (Alaska, Panama Canal, New England), and just enjoyed ourselves. I remember lots of details of all of those cruises. Our Carnival cruise after that was the worst and so bad I wasn't sure I wanted to go again. Luckily that changed! HAL is definitely our favorite at this point in time and I guess I'll put the Delta Queen Steamships 2nd even though they're river cruises. RCI was ok but not great and probably only because we were on one of the smaller ships. I'm sure we wouldn't like their newer huge ones. We may try Celebrity or Princess one of these days if they fit our schedule and planned itinery better than HAL does for that trip but we'll see.

[Calliope]

Well, HAL is my second favorite cruise line. I've been on four different HAL cruises and have my fifth HAL cruise booked for next year. Each one was delightful, but my favorite, with one hundred cruises aboard their wonderful American flagged steamboats, is The Delta Queen Steamboat Co. I have four more trips booked with them during 2005 and 2006!

[gooselace]

I's sure my second favorite has changed as much as HAL. It seems that Costa no longer operates in the Caribbean, mainly in the Mediterranean. It was classy, but not as refined and more high-energy than HAL, very festive formal nights and spirited entertainment. Lots of music in the lounges. Also excellent food -- the best I've had on any of the lines I've been on: HAL, Costa, Princess, and Cunard, ranked in that order. Have any of you been on Costa recently?

[kelmac]

I would have to put Celebrity as number one, followed by HAL. The food and service is just too good on Celebrity to rate it below HAL. I would rate the others way below these two: #3--RCCL, #4--tie between Princess and NCL.

Enjoy!
Kel

[MISSYLOU]

Celebrity is #1 for us and we are hopeful that HAL will remain #2 after our Veendam cruise. It has been two years since we have sailed on HAL and I have read so many negative posts that I am concerned that I may have made a poor choice in booking our November 05 cruise. However, I am willing to give HAL another chance.

When we first started sailing Celebrity it was just after three HAL cruises. I felt immediately that Celebrity was a more upscale experience. We had thought HAL would always be #1 with us until then.

I will continue to look for positive posts about HAL until our Veendam cruise.

[HeatherInFlorida]

We've sailed the most on HAL, second most on Disney, once on Radisson Seven Seas (and never again), once on Rennaissance (and would again if we could) and once - so far - on Celebrity. We are booked on our first NCL cruise through the Hawai'ian islands in March, and I am really looking forward to checking out Celebrity after Cirque du Soleil is part of the package. So, I guess we'd have to say HAL first, Raddison Seven Seas last, and everything else second;)
Just curious, Queen, since I've always heard Radisson was supposed to be such a 5 star experience, what didn't you like about it?

[jcike1980]

Celebrity Would Be Our Second Choice. The Food !!

[Queen of Adventure]

Just curious, Queen, since I've always heard Radisson was supposed to be such a 5 star experience, what didn't you like about it?
Well, for starters we don't drink alcohol so having it as an inclusive perk doesn't do us any good. We found ourselves with inebriated tablemates every night as well which just isn't our "cup of tea" as it were;)

We thought we'd get exemplary service but - instead - we got very lackadaisical attention to our requests for sugar free desserts. The first few night we got nothing and - after I became more and more adamant in my requests - we got four sugar free desserts in one night. However, they were basically desserts cooked without any sweetening at all... if you can imagine such a thing:confused:

We did this cruise in 1998, and I'd bet a quarte they've got the sugar-free thing figured out by now, but I won't be the one to check on it;)

[elmorejj]

Gooselace, Costa stills sails a winter itinerary in the Caribbean. There are two new ships sailing, the Atlantica, and the Mediteranea, I have sailed the Atlantica and it was very nice. Have done 4 cruises on Costa, Med. and Carib. and never found any problem on then...and the price is always right!! On BtoBs on Costa, the 2nd week is 5o% off the lowest fare! Now if HAL would offer some incentives for BtoB cruising I`d be a happier camper!......jean :cool:

[HeatherInFlorida]

Well, for starters we don't drink alcohol so having it as an inclusive perk doesn't do us any good. We found ourselves with inebriated tablemates every night as well which just isn't our "cup of tea" as it were;)

We thought we'd get exemplary service but - instead - we got very lackadaisical attention to our requests for sugar free desserts. The first few night we got nothing and - after I became more and more adamant in my requests - we got four sugar free desserts in one night. However, they were basically desserts cooked without any sweetening at all... if you can imagine such a thing:confused:

We did this cruise in 1998, and I'd bet a quarte they've got the sugar-free thing figured out by now, but I won't be the one to check on it;)
Including alcohol would be wasted on us as well since we don't drink either. I've always thought Radisson was the pinnacle to reach for ... maybe not with the service you describe! Thanks for the info.

[Queen of Adventure]

I haven't sailed Costa yet, but these positive reviews are getting my attention... so many cruises, so little time!:p

[HeatherInFlorida]

I've never sailed on Costa so I certainly can't rate it personally, but when we were on our Eastern Caribbean cruise last December (on Celebrity) we passed the pier in Ft. Lauderdale where the Costa passengers were waiting and the lines were horrendous....literally throngs of people, not just a "line". This was at 2:00 in the afternoon.

When we were in Nassau we met up with some Costa passengers on a tour (there were about 10 and they were not all travelling ltogether). They could not stop telling everyone how terrible everything was ... service, food, the works. This wasn't just typical complaining ... they told specific stories about things that had happened just the first 2 days of the cruise.

As I say, not totally a personal observation but worth mentioning nonetheless.

[~Nereus~]

HAL used to be our first choice... Then we tried Celebrity and now have more X Cruises than HAL...
10 Princess
15?+ HAL
17?+ Celebrity with 4 more booked
3 RCL, 1 NCL
We are on the Veendam in Jan and again Nov/05... 1st in nearly three years

Costa... have heard too many complaints about announcements intruding the peace of the day and mediocre food...

[Lokalona]

so no one hits me...but I liked Voyager of the Seas RCI cruise the best.We took no kids and we just had a blast. It wasn't full and it was off season for families. It was a medical conference and the group of people were fun. NCL was good too and I am hoping to tell everyone RSSC Diamond is #1...keeping those toes crossed we get on it. I will try HAL again in the future if Seattle makes it right, but not the Zuiderdam.

[FlorenceItaly]

I sailed on RCI's newest Voyager class ship in Sept...the Mariner of the Seas, and I LOVED that ship. It is gorgeous. Before I left I thought my preference would be smaller ships over the larger ones, but the minute I stepped on that ship, I fell in love with it.

Marie

[KenM]

I must rate Celebrity number 1, followed by HA...BUT remember that they are both good.
AS I have seen Celebrity continuously improve with thier product though innovative improvements- such as Concierge class and adding Cirque Du Soleil as long term entertainment, I have not seen any attempy by HA to improve and match the demographic market changes.
I believe that HA is well behind in the quality of show entertainment and this needs an overhaul...
I also believe that the quality of service, the training of personnel, and food quality is better on Celebity.
Now that I have said that, I will be on the Volendam starting tomorrow and will have an opportunity to compare once again- Celebrity vs HA..

[RevNeal]

AS I have seen Celebrity continuously improve with thier product though innovative improvements- such as Concierge class and adding Cirque Du Soleil as long term entertainment, I have not seen any attempy by HA to improve and match the demographic market changes.

Hmmm ... I think HAL would say that the Signature of Excellence improvements, including major upgrades in Club HAL and in-cabin amenities, the Pinnacle Grill and the Windstar Cafes, all reflect attempts to improve their product.

I believe that HA is well behind in the quality of show entertainment and this needs an overhaul...

In all honesty, HAL shows tend to be just fair. I'm easy to please, hence I usually enjoy the show, however I will admit that I don't expect too much. For those who expect very high quality entertainment ... well, I can understand why HAL would be rated much lower.

I also believe that the quality of service, the training of personnel, and food quality is better on Celebity.

Based upon what I have heard I have come to the conclusion that, with the major expansion of their fleet, HAL has over-reached themselves in their ability to train enough staff for the HAL-standard of service on the number of ships they currently operate. This situation may correct itself over time as the SS Jakarta continues to turn out trained staff. But, as of right now, HAL is a little under-staffed. My own experience on the Zaandam, this year, was that service is still excellent in the dining room and cabin steward-staff, however I did hear that others, in other areas and at other dining times, had somewhat inferior levels of service.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I would totally agree with RevNeals #2 and #3. But as to whether HAL's Signature of Excellence makes the difference only time will tell. Heaven knows their beds are a vast improvement beyond explanation:p .

Club HAL, the Pinnacle, and the Windstar Cafe are all nice amenities, but it doesn't help with the problem they have competing with Celebrity in the service department. In my book, the overall level of service is far more important than the amenties that cost extra $$$.

At this point in time, having recently been on both Celebrity and HAL, I have to say that Celebrity definitely wins out over HAL in service and food in the DR.

And now I must be off to mash my own potatoes so we can wend our way "through the woods" to Thanksgiving Dinner:) !

[~Nereus~]

Having just completed 20 days with Princess on the Sun, we're about to sail on the Infinity to Hawaii, the Veendam out of Tampa 14 day, and the Zenith out of Jax... We'll let you know how they compare.....

After our Sun experience it will be a while before we go back to Princess... Except for their pizza and quality trivia I see nothing that compensates for the quality of Celebrity food and service...