celebrity vs hal

[bellarosa]

Celebrity or Holland America
Hello, can someone out there who has been on bother celebrity and holland america, tell me who is better, better food, entertainment,. We just came back from europe on holland and the experience was outstanding, really great. A few negatives were the ongoing fan in the cabin that we could not shut off, and the public areas air conditon being way too high, making it very unbearable to enjoy some areas of the ship, we were looking at the niewu amsterdam or celebrity soltice for the caribbean jan 2012. We are kinda nervous to try another cruise line as we dont want to be disappointed. My sister in law (who normally travels holland went on royal carb and was very disappointed, i heard celebrity and royal are the same company but not sure if this will effect the expericence. How are the mattereses on celebrity or celebrity soltice, as comfy as holland?, how is the staff on celebrity, as friendly and attentive as hal. Is the age demographic really younger on celebrity ( this is what rep at celebrity told me) in comparison to hal?


Help we want to put a deposit really soon


thanks:confused::confused:

[Kre8tiv1]

I truly think a lot has to do with the ship. I was on the Celebrity Century last January and didn't like it at all. However, Celebrity generally gets good reviews.

[suse]

I prefer HAL for the staffing, the crew is exceptional. Celebrity has a more restrictive smoking policy, if that matters to you. The food is similar, the beds very comfy, bath products better on HAL, and I think overall HAL has a better product. I do like the new addition of lanai verandas and it does not restrict others from sitting on the LP. Quite the contrary, there are plenty of chairs to go around.
Hope this helps you.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

They really are both great!!! I was just on the Celebrity Solstice in September and by far it was the over all best quality food I have had on a ship in a very long time. To say the least we were WOWed by the meals and menus and especially theri Garden Cafe which is the Lido on HAL but while HAl and Celebrity are very much a like they have some differences. HAL's cabins are larger as well as balconies. HAL has a welcoming homey feel where the Solstice is very ultra modern and industrial feeling. Both have fantastic crew. HAL's entertainment is improving but I thought Celebrity had a slight edge. I think it really comes down to itinerary/date and price comparing equal cabins.

I have two HAL cruises booked right now and trying to figure out what we will do in late 2011. Right now it is between the 15 night Panama Canal on the Westerdam Oct 29th and or the TA of the Silhouette for 11 nights Oct 22nd.....
Decisions..Decisions :confused:

[LuAnn]

Celebrity and HAL and like them both. We have been on 2 of the Solstice class ships and find them to be fabulous...but they are very "modern" in their look and feel, no wood and a lighter color scheme than either the Ryndam or the Oosterdam which are the 2 HAL ships we have been on. We have only been to Mexico on HAL so I can't really speak to the passenger age demographic across the line...but I have sailed on many Celebrity vessels. I would say that most of the passengers on Celebrity we have encountered have been CC members, (we like to meet people on the Roll Calls!) many in their 50's and early 60's...but there are also families on board and I think you would find families on board in the Carib. I find that the demo. for passengers is often driven by the destinations and the length of the cruise.

Staff on both have always been friendly. The Solstice class cabins are spacious (only been in balconies so can't compare others) and the bathrooms are much larger on board that any other cruise ship we have been on. (no shower curtain but an actual shower door!!)

We only sailed on RCCL once and were also disappointed. We loved the ship but thought the food was very average, as well as the service. I think that RCCL tried to really cater to families, with all their fun venues/activities on board so for us that isn't important since our kids are grown now! While both Celebrity and Royal Carib. share the same corporate office I think, based on my experience, they are very different products, looking to please very different demographics.

The beds on both lines have been fine..nothing stands out in my memory regarding that execept that on the Solstice class the bed is curved on each corner, at the bottom of the bed, and I have read on CC that has caused some problems for tall passengers.

In the Carib. I think you could take advantage of the lawn deck on the Solstice which is unique and fun...and the Corning Hot Glass Show is really entertaining. The main pool area really needs more room for the deck chairs though, IMO, as they are really close together...if you are big pool people you might feel a little "squished".

Sorry I have not been on the Niewu Amsterdam so can't give you any specific on that ship.

Hope this helps...I'm sure you will have fun on either ship. LuAnn

[Hflors]

I have cruised both this year. Summit and Mercury for Celebrity and Statendam. All three were wonderful and I would sail them again in a heart beat. The only thing that really stands out in my mind is that on Celebrity they still have trays in the buffet. It was so much easier to get food, silverware, drinks etc. On statendam without the trays it was pretty difficult. I think which ever you decide on you will have a great time!

Helen

[Cruising-along]

They really are both great!!! I was just on the Celebrity Solstice in September and by far it was the over all best quality food I have had on a ship in a very long time. To say the least we were WOWed by the meals and menus and especially theri Garden Cafe which is the Lido on HAL but while HAl and Celebrity are very much a like they have some differences. HAL's cabins are larger as well as balconies. HAL has a welcoming homey feel where the Solstice is very ultra modern and industrial feeling. Both have fantastic crew. HAL's entertainment is improving but I thought Celebrity had a slight edge. I think it really comes down to itinerary/date and price comparing equal cabins.

I have two HAL cruises booked right now and trying to figure out what we will do in late 2011. Right now it is between the 15 night Panama Canal on the Westerdam Oct 29th and or the TA of the Silhouette for 11 nights Oct 22nd.....
Decisions..Decisions :confused:

Lisa if you pick the Silhouette, you will be embarking the day we disembark. :D It will be our first Celebrity cruise (Oct. 10-22).

Thanks for your review, I was a little nervous since we love HAL so much. Many people love both, and I hope to become another!

[iancal]

Both are great products. As others have said, I think the larger differences are based on ship not cruise line and of course they are tempered by personal preferences/tastes.

[KirkNC]

We enjoy and like both lines. For us it usually comes down to itinerary and price. I must say the Solstice is a very very nice ship. It has a more modern feel and the layout is great. I really liked the bathroom setup on Solstice. X also has a better smoking policy (for us as non-smokers). Food is good on both lines and while service is also I would give HAL a slight edge in that compartment. Give X a try, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Kirk

[m steve]

and the last X cruise the ship was tired and the food and service didn't compare to HAL. Since they changed their smoking policy, they no longer get our money.

[DRWhit]

I think the cruise lines like to generalize about the other lines. When I was on Celebrity, they also told me HAL was a much older crowd. But I really didn't see any difference when I cruised HAL this summer.

We recently booked a spring Caribbean cruise, and we looked hard at HAL and Celebrity (and also a bit at Princess).

We have sailed on both HAL and Celebrity once in the past, so I cn't claim any great experience level. But, having said that, our Celebrity experience was great. As good or better than our HAL experience.

Here's how I would break it down:

Food - I'd vote Celebrity, but very close. Appetizers and desserts in the MDR a bit better on Celebrity than HAL. We had some cupcakes on HAL that were very bad. But I liked the HAL buffet a little better. We did not do any alternative dining on either.

Service - Mostly excellent on both. I'd give a slight nod to Celebrity since we had one minor issue on HAL where we felt they were a bit unresponsive.

Entertainment - For the main stage shows, I would vote HAL. They had smaller shows, but the talent level of the singers was really, really good on the Veendam. I liked the Newly Wed show on Celebrity better the Liar's Club show on HAL. But I imagine folks who cruise a lot might be tired of either.

Daytime Activities - There seemed to be slightly more things to do during the day on Celebrity than on HAL, but we never got bored on either.

Pool Scene - Celebrity has a full time person devoted to getting rid of chair hogs, so I give them the edge here.

Bars, etc. - Its probably going to be ship dependent. We loved the piano bar and Oceans Lounge (with the Neptunes) on HAL, but the Celebrity ship had a bar on the aft outside deck that was nice.

Smoking - I am an ex-smoker, so Celebrity's policy is nice. But I have to say I never noticed any smoking on HAL and it was never a problem. I never saw anyone abusing the ships smoking policies.

Ports of call - We recently booked a cruise this Spring for the Caribbean and I think HAL's ports of call beat Celebrity's. The biggest difference is the HAL private island stop for its Eastern Caribibean itinerary. We tend to do our own excursions, so I can't compare the two in that area. I was able to get a better price for the same week from HAL over Celebrity.

[lssg]

We have been on both lines. We only waited 15 minutes to board celebrity. Hand down
the food on Holland was better, the entertainment on holland was better, the staff on holland was better. We waited in line to leave our celebrity cruise for 3 hours, alot of people missed their flights, we were called off the ship and waited for hours in line before we got to leave the pier. My husband said he would not do celebrity again. We have been on holland, princess and regency and they were all better than celebrity, I was very disappointed.

[Maverick430]

We have been on both. After my last experience on the Solstice, I will not return to Celebrity for a long time. Overall, HAL has the edge. Nicer rooms, beds, and better entertainment. The food on HAL was better IMO, and the service on HAL cannot be match by Celebrity. The food was very good, but service was slow and we had other service issues you can read about in my review. I was not impressed by Celebrity. My first cruise on the Century was very nice but the Solstice had many let downs. I agree the smoking policy on Celebrity needs to be implemented throughout the industry. The Solstice is a beautiful ship and the solarium is awesome.

[terigo]

Did you ask this same question on the Celebrity board?
The responses might be skewed differently, thus confusing you even more.. :D

[KirkNC]

Did you ask this same question on the Celebrity board?
The responses might be skewed differently, thus confusing you even more.. :D

Good point!

Kirk

[Cruising-along]

Did you ask this same question on the Celebrity board?
The responses might be skewed differently, thus confusing you even more.. :D

Celebrity or Holland America (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1305754) (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/misc/multipage.gif 1 (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1305754) 2 (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1305754&page=2))

[heidik]

That was really fun reading the Celebrity Board views......my take away here is that both lines are very similar and go with the itinerary and price that appeals most to you!

[bellarosa]

We have been on both. After my last experience on the Solstice, I will not return to Celebrity for a long time. Overall, HAL has the edge. Nicer rooms, beds, and better entertainment. The food on HAL was better IMO, and the service on HAL cannot be match by Celebrity. The food was very good, but service was slow and we had other service issues you can read about in my review. I was not impressed by Celebrity. My first cruise on the Century was very nice but the Solstice had many let downs. I agree the smoking policy on Celebrity needs to be implemented throughout the industry. The Solstice is a beautiful ship and the solarium is awesome.


can you tell us why you did not like the solstice?

[unfdoug]

I actually sailed the Solstice and the Eurodam three weeks apart and here's how they fared up to me.

Embarkation: HAL was a little slower. Of course im sure if HAL was in Terminal 18, it would be just as fast as Celebrity. We stepped out of the taxi and onto the gangway in 15 minutes on Celebrity.

Food: About the same. The Tamarind asian dining on HAL rocked it.

Entertainment: Celebrity was a little better as far as entertainment options, staff involvement and a list of activities.

Public Areas: At least for the Solstice class, it has a lot more elbow room and room to move. I felt crammed it some of the public areas, esp. in the lido dining. Celebrity had it right when it came to laying out the main dining.

Smoking: Only a couple times on HAL did i notice the crazy odor of smoke, which doesnt bother me at all but I no some folks are sensitive to it. Strange enough, most of the time i noticed it was in the hallways and not the casinos or bars.

Pool: The HAL layout was a lot better for me. You have the mid pool that is covered at times and the aft pool where the party happens.

Service: I felt that HAL had hands down better service. Folks went out of there way to open doors, hold elevators and when you see someone down on their hands and knees polishing a brass cover, that says a lot.

Debarkation: I mean it is what it is. On my recent HAL sailing, it was the first time I checked my bags and that was a cluster but again, Im sure that happens everywhere. The customs line was quick and easy on both. In fact, we waited longer in Celebrity to clear customs than HAL.

Those are just a few of the things I noticed. I love both lines and will def travel them again.

[Kini12]

Celebrity or Holland America
Hello, can someone out there who has been on bother celebrity and holland america, tell me who is better, better food, entertainment,. We just came back from europe on holland and the experience was outstanding, really great. A few negatives were the ongoing fan in the cabin that we could not shut off, and the public areas air conditon being way too high, making it very unbearable to enjoy some areas of the ship, we were looking at the niewu amsterdam or celebrity soltice for the caribbean jan 2012. We are kinda nervous to try another cruise line as we dont want to be disappointed. My sister in law (who normally travels holland went on royal carb and was very disappointed, i heard celebrity and royal are the same company but not sure if this will effect the expericence. How are the mattereses on celebrity or celebrity soltice, as comfy as holland?, how is the staff on celebrity, as friendly and attentive as hal. Is the age demographic really younger on celebrity ( this is what rep at celebrity told me) in comparison to hal?


Help we want to put a deposit really soon


thanks:confused::confused:

My first cruise was on the Veendam and I was hooked. I love Holland America but prefer the smoking policy on Celebrity. Loved the matress on HAL.
I think you will enjoy either line.

[cnee]

Having just got off HAL's ms Ryndam (on Sunday), I have an opinion. This was our second cruise with HAL and we've been on 2 X cruises. It was not one to "write home about".

IMHO, X's service is better, quality of food is better and the left hand ALMOST ALWAYS knows what the right hand is doing.

[Maverick430]

can you tell us why you did not like the solstice?

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=72664

This is my review. It's long but happened on the Solstice would never happen on HAL. It was unacceptable by any standards.

[oceanbabe]

Dear Bella: We usually cruise on Celebrity. We thought we would try HAL for a change. I will be cruising in 2 weeks on HAL and nervous we are doing right thing. We will also be trying Princess next year. If HAL is as good as Celebrity, we will have a hard time choosing again which to do. We really like Celebrity and hope to like HAL and maybe Princess as much. We have heard Princess gives an ultimate ship tour. Does anyone know whether HAL does this? It isnt done on Celebrity. It is kinda expensive ($150), but everyone raves about it from Princess. The entertainment on Celebrity is also wonderful, any reviews about this on HAL? Thanks all, Elaine

[Dunelm]

I think both lines are great! The only difference may be in demographics. Having been on 16-day cruises on both lines. there were many more older, infirm people on Holland America, perhaps because H.A. gives them exceptional service. Also, I may be wrong but I think Holland America has religious services every day; Celebrity does not. This difference, too, may affect demographics of passengers.

[Maverick430]

Dear Bella: We usually cruise on Celebrity. We thought we would try HAL for a change. I will be cruising in 2 weeks on HAL and nervous we are doing right thing. We will also be trying Princess next year. If HAL is as good as Celebrity, we will have a hard time choosing again which to do. We really like Celebrity and hope to like HAL and maybe Princess as much. We have heard Princess gives an ultimate ship tour. Does anyone know whether HAL does this? It isnt done on Celebrity. It is kinda expensive ($150), but everyone raves about it from Princess. The entertainment on Celebrity is also wonderful, any reviews about this on HAL? Thanks all, Elaine

http://beyondships.com/files/Eurodam_10_port.PDF

According to this, the Eurodam offers a ship tour at 5PM. As far as entertainment I found HAL to be a better imo. Go with an open mind and realize things are going to be different. Celebrity is nice but I think the food and service on HAL is better. Have fun and I cannot wait to hear your review.

[world~citizen]

My opinion: Celebrity provides better vessels and on-board experience (but just by a nudge), and HAL has far better itineraries.

You takes your pick.

Smooth sailing...

[GeriatricNurse]

Having just got off HAL's ms Ryndam (on Sunday), I have an opinion. This was our second cruise with HAL and we've been on 2 X cruises. It was not one to "write home about".

IMHO, X's service is better, quality of food is better and the left hand ALMOST ALWAYS knows what the right hand is doing.


Really! You might think differently when you read the X thread, (with 1210 posts & counting), related to the disgraceful manner in which X has been handling the interrupted/cancelled cruise of October 13, onboard the Century!:mad:

[drcpa]

I have a upcoming Rotterdam cruise in Sept, 2011 and can't wait to see how it compares with last year's Solstice Med cruise.
If Celebrity (at least the Solstice) has a down side, it was not obvious to me.
Starting with the logistics of getting on and off the ship, the food, service, bars, quality, entertainment, personnel, gym, activities, housekeeping, smoking policy, and shore excursions were top notch. Additionally, the Solstice is a modern marvel.
When I expressed interest in the Rotterdam Iberian itinerary my TA said Celebrity and HAL were similar.
Now I'm intrigued to see if HAL really does represent quiet, sophisticated elegance or is that just code for an old cruise line, sailing old ships, with old policies.

[iancal]

Both lines are great. One thing we like about Celebrity is their new ships such as the Equinox. These are new designs from the ground up and they we like them very much. . Carnival Corp has been using the same 'frame' for its various cruise line ships-in the case of HAL the VISTA ships- so there is not much new there other than the paint so to speak. And of course, the usual new revenue generating features. If HAl want to truly move forward with their new marketing direction they will have to look at doing something similar.

[KirkNC]

I have a upcoming Rotterdam cruise in Sept, 2011 and can't wait to see how it compares with last year's Solstice Med cruise.
If Celebrity (at least the Solstice) has a down side, it was not obvious to me.
Starting with the logistics of getting on and off the ship, the food, service, bars, quality, entertainment, personnel, gym, activities, housekeeping, smoking policy, and shore excursions were top notch. Additionally, the Solstice is a modern marvel.
When I expressed interest in the Rotterdam Iberian itinerary my TA said Celebrity and HAL were similar.
Now I'm intrigued to see if HAL really does represent quiet, sophisticated elegance or is that just code for an old cruise line, sailing old ships, with old policies.

This will be an interesting comparision as to me the Solstice is the most impressive ship we have ever sailed on. The Rotterdam is smaller and older so I would not expect the ship to knock your socks off. I do expect better service and food on the Rotterdam. I will let you know after our Baltic cruise ;).

Kirk

[drcpa]

Thanks so much for your reply.
I cannot wait to hear your thoughts on the ship and your cruise. (And I spent a few years in the Raleigh area working at RTP. Lived up Falls of Neuse near the lake area. Always loved that part of the country, particularly the charm and grace of the Southerners.)
Have a wonderful cruise.