Help us decide between Summit and Eurodam

[pxy cda]

We have it down to two cruises:

Summit out of PR - 7 day cruise to southern carribean (one day at sea)

or

HA Eurodam our of FLL - 7 day cruise souther carribean2 days at sea

Itineries for us are a tie - we are good with either. Departure ports are even too as we have sailed out of both without any issue.

So it comes down to the ships - we are mid forties and are typically in bed before midnight or at the casino if late so late night disco no issue for us - we like an adult atmosphere and wanted to give these a chance (we are RCCL cruisers typically but thought wed like to try something new)

Would love feedback from folks who have travelled on these ships. How bad is summit (coming up for refurbish). How does HA compare in service, cabin, food?

I will be happy with either but would love some feedback - will post this on X board too!

Thanks fellow CCs I know I'll get good feedback here.

[world~citizen]

My opinion only, I think HAL does bigger ships poorly, well, not as well X. Summit isn't really big but it is getting there and Eurodam has already arrived.

HAL really excels with the smaller ships which are older, but more intimate. Eurodam class has a nice new restaurant (Tamarind) and that for me is the highlight of the ship. It is as if HAL got stampeded into the bigger ships. I haven't sailed the Niew Amsterdam, so maybe someone else can relate a more favorable account.

X service is generally comparable to HAL, but it is consistent in the larger ships. Dining and cabins in both are fine. Entertainment on X some say is better. I'm not so sure.

You say you want something new, then consider HAL...it is less like RCCL than X.

So I say you can't go wrong with either. If I am looking for a big ship experience, I book X. A smaller one...HAL.

I'm sure you will get different opinions, and that is all I can offer, an opinion.

Smooth sailing...

[pxy cda]

Yes - that is helpful. I am still leaning towards HAL.

We DO NOT LIKE the larger mega ships. my fave RCCL are Grandeur and adventure - we sailed IOS and were very dissappointed. ImhO you lose something with the larger ships re service and especially food quality.

[kazu]

I haven't been on the Eurodam, but I have been on her sister ship the N.A. Have been on Celebrity. I agree - I prefer the smaller ships, but if I were to choose between the two ships (Hal and X), then I would still choose HAL.

HAL offers things X doesn't. X offers things HAL doesn't. But I like my fresh squeezed orange juice and the intimate feeling I have on HAL (and IMO the nicer cabins).

My ds did the Eurodam this winter with her dh and children and loved it. they were quite impressed:) They have done several different cruise lines.

You probably won't go wrong on either - but I would do HAL. JMO ;)

[baggal]

I WOULD NOT recommend the Eurodam for a Caribbean cruise because of the "dam" cabanas on the main pool deck. IMO the pool area is absolutely crowded and claustrophobic - sea days at the pool are impossible.

Everything else about the Eurodam was great but the pool area cabanas are a deal-breaker for me in the Caribbean.

[cinnamon123]

imho i would go with hal, no question, x cabins are smaller, the summit is older
& my son is on her right now. he's cancelling his cruise for the later part of this
year on x. food on hal much better as is the bedding. he booked a luxurious
cabin & his back is killing him. (hard as a rock)
sorry baggal i'm getting one of those dam cabanas @ the lido pool. lol
hope this helps you to make the best decision for a great cruise.
cinnamon123:)

[fleckle]

I don't think you can really go wrong with either.
We like the food and service on both Celebrity and HA, with each doing some things a little better than the other.

If the smoking policy matters to you, for smokers HA is the better choice; for non-smokers Celebrity is.

The Summit has the wonderful Thalassotherapy Pool and Aqua Spa cafe.
HA has free fresh-squeezed OJ and free cappuccino in the dining room, both of which come at a slight additional charge on Celebrity, so that would not be a deciding factor for us.

For an embarkation port, we find Old San Juan much more attractive than Ft. Lauderdale and would rather spend our pre-cruise time there, but that is a matter of personal preference.

I would compare prices for equivalent cabin categories.
If going after the Summit refurb (in January, I think), if prices are approximately equivalent that would most likely be the deciding factor for us, the advantage of being on a freshly refurbished ship.

[flatcircle]

My DH and I have been on Summit (to Bermuda '10) and our HAL experience was Zuiderdam (Holidays '09/'10). Based on our experience, we have booked the Eurodam for this Christmas. Although the Summit was a nice cruise, we really don't have any outstanding memories of the ship or crew. Our Zuidy cruise, however, was outstanding from the moment we stepped on the ship. I have never experienced such friendly and attentive crew & we look forward to spending this Christmas with HAL!

[tcook052]

Is OP cruising this fall, pre-Summit's "Solsticization" which happens in January? If yes then I'd lean towards Eurodam. If no then it's a tougher decision as I think a refreshed Summit counts as a strong factor.

FWIW I had reserved Summit in Feb. but ultimately switched to Ryndam in Jan. as this Canadian found it too inconvenient and relatively expensive to get to San Juan as opposed to Tampa (or other Florida airports such as Miami or Fort Lauderdale) plus the CEL itinerary is busier and while I was quite interested inthe ports of call it does make for a busier week.

That's my input FWIW. Happy sales & sails! :)

[surfergirle]

Depends on Summits upgrades in Jan versus when you are sailing.

What I like about HAL that (most) X's ships do not have

Tamarind (utterly fantastic) Free lunch,
(Some Solstice class ships have the Silk Harvest, which I would go for)

Canaletto for free fantastic dinner. I mean it really is very good.

Afternoon tea for suites, and all the other suite perks which are in my opinion the best in the Biz.

MDR Breakfast via room service

Retreat Cabanas (the new X ship has some pretty costly cabanas, and only 8 I think) and no perks of HAL's retreat cabanas, HAL's cabana boys will go get a fantastic lunch for you, whatever is available that you want. They completely spoil you. Best service anywhere.

Bath Tubs in a lot of cabins, OV and up. In Suites, separate jetted tub and shower.

Bring all of the wine and champagne you want onboard.

That's what keep me booking Eurodam, versus Celebrity when I have 3 cruises in the works. These things are very important to me.

Even when HAL messes up, they always make it up, and the pro's of what I really care about outweigh the con's for me versus sailing a diff line.

Now, if Celebrity upped the perks for the cabanas, had more bath tubs, did afternoon tea in suite, etc etc I would think about booking them because I like Celebrity & RCCL service better...

But they don't, so I wont.

AND after the debacle that left RCCL cruisers in San Juan, and Carnival came out smelling like roses, well, I will probably never sail RCCL again, and I would think really hard before booking Celebrity, since they are a related line.

Just my 2 cents, everyone has things that are important to them.

[lvz2cruz]

I know you said you are fine with ports on either but Summit has a really good itinerary on this one where Eurodam is going to the "usual or typical" Caribbean ports. As you cruise in future years you will have the opportunity to do the Eurodam ports many many many many times whereas Summit goes to ports few do. You could be the only ship in port in Dominica or St. Lucia where you will be with 6-8 others in St. Thomas.
We love Celebrity but have cruised HAL lately because of better itineraries. Food and service are very good on both. Crew are always wonderful, friendly and hardworking. To me X wins on itinerary here.
I think Eurodam would be in better condition than Summit if you are going before her refurb. I would have sailed Summit in early November but DH could not get vacation time then so I can't say the ship would be that bad.
Summit has the free thalassotherapy pool where Eurodam's is smaller and charges. We have not been on X in a few years, but they had more activities throughout the day and evening. I prefer the pool/party band on X to Sharon and the Halcats but you can bring an Ipod to block her.
I think you will be happy with either choice. I would choose Summit because the ports would be something you can't do every day.

[pxy cda]

Well both boards have given me a lot to think about. But the smoking factor is a real issue for us. We are also getting the loyalty benefit if we sail with X as we have 5 RCCL cruises under our belts.

So X it is!

Now I have to figure out how to get to the coach store without all my luggage in tow....!

[Hlitner]

When you post a question like this on the HA thread most folks will tell you to go on HA. Post the same msg on the X board and most folks will tell you to go on X. From our point of view you can't go wrong with either line. I will admit that the Elite perks we get on X do sway us to X on some cruises, but HA lovers are used to getting very few perks for 3 or even 4 *. My X friends laugh when I tell them how long time HA cruisers really love their Medallions. On X the Elites love their 2 hour free cocktail parties (every day) and their special breakfast with drinks (every day). On HA we have to settle for a discount on wine packages. Oh well,

Hank