I know we all love HAL the MOST but

[Toad]

if you for some unknown reason couldnot book HAL, which cruise line would be your second choice and most nearly mimic the wonderful experiences we have all had on HAL? Since I have never cruise on any other line I am just wondering what might be close?

[RuthC]

Don't have a clue. I'd have to start researching as if I were brand new to cruising. Of course, I am more aware now than I was even a few years ago (thanks, CC! :) ), and have found an excellent place to do the research, but it would be almost like starting from scratch.

[Taylor]

if you for some unknown reason couldnot book HAL, which cruise line would be your second choice and most nearly mimic the wonderful experiences we have all had on HAL? Since I have never cruise on any other line I am just wondering what might be close?

RCI would be my choice. We had a wonderful cruise on the Serenade of the Seas; a beautiful ship.

[TedC]

Regent Seven Seas Cruises (formerly Radisson) would be our first choice. We sailed with them last January and it was a class act.

I've also heard good things about Oceania, but their cabins are significantly smaller than HAl's.

[jimmy2x]

Another vote for RCL - two cruises on Brilliance and one on Grandeur. Had great times on all three.:)

[CJcruzer]

I am a HAL lover, however, I have booked Oceania for next year's Baltic cruise because they have the only Scandinavian/Baltic itinerary with a 3 day stay in St. Petersburg!!! I booked my first balcony - since the balcony room Oceania has is approx the size of the outside room I usually book on HAL - but good news!!! I actually paid less for a balcony with oceania than I would have paid even with my Mariner discount for the similar 14 day on the Prinsendam - both ships have approx the same # of pax - they both do the Kiel Canal .....but Oceania's itinerary just won me over - for now....

will miss the yum-yum man - and te bread pudding - hope the beds are as heavenly as HAL's - *sigh*

On sleepless nights, I just try to pretend I am sailing on a HAL ship!!!

CJcruzer

[Sheebah]

I love Princess, but for different reasons. The Diamond Princess is a gorgeous ship in my opinion. You cannot and probably will not beat HAL's beds or service though.

HAL is a bit more refined all around, but I find the decor on HAL to be guady. Princess is tasteful and understated. I'd recommend Princess to anyone who enjoys HAL.

[Cruiseoften]

I am a HAL lover, however, I have booked Oceania for next year's Baltic cruise because they have the only Scandinavian/Baltic itinerary with a 3 day stay in St. Petersburg!!! I booked my first balcony - since the balcony room Oceania has is approx the size of the outside room I usually book on HAL - but good news!!! I actually paid less for a balcony with oceania than I would have paid even with my Mariner discount for the similar 14 day on the Prinsendam - both ships have approx the same # of pax - they both do the Kiel Canal .....but Oceania's itinerary just won me over - for now....


Interesting! We just today received Oceania's new brochure.......DH snagged it right off - tomorrow I may have a chance at it!:D

[Bramcruiser]

No other cruise line can exactly mimmick HAL but...............the other line I am currently interested in is Cunard. Both are from the old days of transoceanic travel and have long histories. Although they ended up in different directions they are both far from being party ships or places for thrill seekers.

Just glad to have choices and that HAL is still up there.

[Toad]

Love getting so many replies so quickly, and thanks for the specifics, it helps narrow my choices.... Guess room size is best on HAL, but sounds as if price might be better elsewhere. Do love the service on HAL, but want to hear more. Food? ship size? We prefer smaller ships, have done the Noordam and thought it was TOO big, but loved all of the smaller ships, Volendam Zaandam, Rotterdam and Ryndam. Hope this helps you to give more answers.

I am a toad waiting for my next cruise in order to turn back into a princess. BTW Jimmy2X are you married to Claire?

[lougee1043]

celebrity -- galaxy -- we were on her last year and found her similar to hal

[AZjohn]

DW ande I really enjoyed Oceania. True, the balcony rooms are a bit smaller and no bath, but beds and pillows were just as nice as HAL. It's a small ship but food and service were great. If we could find the right deal/ports, we wouldn't think twice about booking it. Good luck with your search!
John

[dougnewmanatsea]

Complicated question! Depends on the itinerary and on the particular ship.

Aside from HAL, I love Cunard but I do not view Cunard as a substitute for HAL at all. I am not especially keen to do a cruise on them; for crossings though they are the best.

As a substitute for HAL... I guess my first choice would probably be Oceania. I do not think I care for the open-seating thing but nonetheless everything I've heard about them is wonderful so I will have to try them. Beyond that, the three "R" ships at Princess are very appealing, but the rest of their ships are too big. Celebrity has a nice product, but again... Ships too big. Orient's MARCO POLO is about right in most respects so I would certainly give her a try. Peter Deilmann's DEUTSCHLAND is not at all a substitute for HAL but highly compelling anyhow.

Note one thing about the ships I've mentioned... They are all modestly sized! To me, the S- and R-class ships are about the upper limit of what I will willingly choose, size-wise. Any bigger than that and you will have me looking for other options... And that includes the Vista-class ships. (And yes, I know both Cunard's ships are big but while I do not like big ships for cruises it is a totally different story for crossings.)

Ultimately there is very little that I would categorically not go on - it really depends on what the other choices are! HAL may not even be the first choice (especially a Vista-class ship) depending on what else is out there.

[~Nereus~]

At one time we sailed HAL almost exclusively. We booked a couple of Celebrity cruises and found their product to be of the same quality as HAL but just a little different. We have now cruised HAL for 150 days but twice that on Celebrity. We find that Celebrity has better pricing on transatlantics and tie that in with a European cruise B2B. I have found that the size of the ship has very little influence on my cruise enjoyment.. My favorite ship now is Celebrity's Century... just over 70,000 tons. HAL's older ships have much nicer art than Celebrity. I have never cruised on the Vista class.
I can't think of any two cruise lines being more similar in product quality and types of cruisers on board.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Good question.

We have done Cunard, Princess, NCL and only 1 RCI (will never back on them).

We are now thinking about trying Crystal.

[kryos]

if you for some unknown reason couldnot book HAL, which cruise line would be your second choice and most nearly mimic the wonderful experiences we have all had on HAL? Since I have never cruise on any other line I am just wondering what might be close?
Celebrity is pretty close to HAL ... at least the Zenith is ... I don't know about other Celebrity ships since I've never sailed on them. But the Zenith offered me a similar experience as HAL, though not quite on the same level in all aspects. Some of those really nice HAL touches were clearly missing, though the food on Celebrity I found to be at least on a par with HAL ... maybe even a slight edge.

I don't have a whole lot of cruising experience, though ... so I am sure others can give you more varied opinions. I do know, however, that over the course of years ... if the good Lord gives me a lot of cruising years ... I'd definitely like to try some other lines ... if for no other reason than to be able to say I sailed them. Some of the lines I would like to try would be NCL (just to sample Freestyle cruising), but I would bring along a friend ... because what the heck ... their single supplement is 200% anyway ... might as well have a friend along to share those freestyle dinners with; then maybe I'd like to sail a smaller RCCL ship; I'd like to try Windstar and then when I am ready to do an Alaska cruise, definitely one of the smaller ships of CruiseWest. I'm also looking forward to experiencing the QE2 next April ... that definitely will be an experience of a lifetime.

I think folks that restrict themselves to only one cruise line are cheating themselves. True ... if you are happy on HAL, you should stay loyal to HAL ... as I do ... but every now and then, I don't know, it seems good to shake things up and try something different ... if for no other reason than to keep crusing a fresh and new experience.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Druke I]

Well, Princess gets the bulk of our business - we think they have the best variety of itineraries.

We tried the new Oceania Cruise Lines' Regatta into the Baltic last August.
Great itinerary, including the Kiel Canal, and the best food we have experienced afloat, bar none.

Oceania's dress code (country club casual) greatly simplifies packing.

We had considered HAL's Prinsendam for the Baltic, as it also includes the Kiel Canal, but Oceania had a two-for-one with free air special, so it came in much cheaper than HAL.

We'll be on Oceania's Nautica this Nov., Istanbul to Singapore, via the Suez.

[Atomica]

I would really like to try Oceania, Cunard and Celebrity. I would sail on NCL again, specifically to try some of their newer ships. NCL's not bad - just different. I did enjoy the activities that they had onboard, the staff were all very friendly (though not as universally as HAL's), and the ships are well-kept.

There's probably not a line out there that I wouldn't try at least once.

[MBeamTX]

I'm with Taylor and Jimmy2x - we've had two great experiences on Royal Caribbean.

Choose a Radiance class ship (Radiance, Brilliance, Jewel or Serenade) on a longer itinerary and it will be every bit as relaxed and lovely as a HAL cruise. At least, that's been our experience. We've done a 2-week Panama Canal cruise and a 10-day Southern Caribbean cruise, both on Serenade of the Seas.

Here are some of my random observations:

We usually book suites these days and RCI's Owner's Suite beats HAL's S suite in my book. The bathroom is huge with tons of counter and cabinet space, a roomy bathtub and separate shower, and even a bidet. There is a big screen TV that separates the living room area, with its L-shaped couch, from the bed. A vanity with lots of mirrors and cabinet space is adjacent to the bed. It also serves as a desk, with dial-up internet connection jacks. There is a wall of mirrored closets opposite a bar/counter area, plus a small dining table with 2 chairs. You could probably have 30 people at a get-together in the suite and out on the balcony.

HAL's suite does have one nice advantage over the RCI Owners Suite: the dressing area. RCI's Grand Suite is more comparable to HAL's S, although perhaps a little smaller. We were in a Grand Suite last time and it was very comfortable for 3, as is the HAL S suite.

HAL's Lido, especially on the Vista class ships, is better than RCI's Windjammer buffet. HAL has better desserts, especially of the sugar-free variety (Dad is diabetic). And of course there's the ice cream bar! RCI has only soft-serve machines.

HAL has a more diverse room service menu. I think that you can also order from the dining room menu during dinner hours on RCI, but we never tried to do that.

HAL's concierge lounge is better overall - more spacious, with better, more varied "nibbles" throughout the day. RCI's concierge club is too small for the number of people who use it (suite passengers and upper-tier loyalty program members) - BUT, RCI does provide a complimentary cocktail time every evening. Children are not allowed in the club during this time.

HAL has gorgeous fresh flowers and more art, but RCI also has interesting art and a more impressive multi-story atrium called the Centrum.

Many of the RCI ships, such as Serenade, have two alternative (pay) restaurants, Chops and Portofino Italian Restaurant. There is also the no-cost Seaview Cafe, with fish and chips, Cuban sandwiches, chicken fingers, etc., that is open some afternoons and very late nights.

We had friendly dining stewards on RCI, every bit as much as on HAL. One of our stewards from last year's cruise was back on Serenade this year and we got to visit a bit and catch up on her life. (Right after our 2005 cruise, she was going back to India for her brother's wedding. It turned out that she got engaged on that trip and had subsequently been back to get married.) We had different servers this year but they were equally friendly and helpful. On Caribbean night they served banana bread that my dad loved. The next 2 nights he kidded the asst. steward when he brought around the bread basket, asking "where's the banana bread?" On the third night, they presented him with a covered plateful of banana bread! He took it back to the cabin. Each of the remaining 4 nights of the cruise, he was presented with another plate of banana bread, made, according to our dining steward, "by my mother!"

Both times on RCI, our muster drill has been in a lounge. :D

But RCI doesn't have anyone like the YumYum Man.

HAL's bedding is absolutely wonderful! And RCI's is not, at least not right now. All RCI ships are scheduled to be fitted with bedding that sounds a lot like HAL's ensemble. I guess I'll find out next September!

And finally, the one thing that my mom and I really, really love on RCI: the Solarium is an adults-only pool and hot tub area with an exotic theme decor and very comfortable loungers. It's always pretty quiet and relaxing, even though the pizza cafe is in there. (Kids can only get pizza and leave back to the main pool area. Although there were no kids on our 2 cruises, so I never saw this policy tested.) Plus, at least one of the pools and hot tubs is open virtually 24 hours a day, so if the Solarium is being cleaned and you want to swim at midnight, there is the main pool to use.

In the end, I think the 2 lines come out pretty evenly matched. They each have their own unique touches.

Whew, didn't intend for this to be so long, but I hope it's helpful. It's definitely not intended to be a we-sail-in-a-suite brag :o . My dad uses a wheelchair and has limited vision. I share the suite with my parents. On a longer cruise, it's important that we not be tripping over one another, so that all of us survive to disembark. We just need the space. :)

If you look at my signature, you'll see we've just decided to enjoy both HAL and RCI. Hope you find something you like just as much.

Happy cruising,
Susan

[kelmac]

Celebrity and HAL come in #1 and #2 with us. They both offer uncrowded ships, with great food and service. Their cabins tend to be a little more spacious than the mass market cruise lines. We find these two lines are just about interchangeable and their costs are pretty equal. Itineraries vary ship, to ship, and HAL may have the edge here.
Both offer a traditional cruise experience. We often do a BtoB, matching a HAL ship, with a Celebrity ship. Next up: Millennium/Westerdam.

Enjoy!
Kel:)

[~Nereus~]

you'll see we've just decided to enjoy both HAL and RCI. Hope you find something you like just as much.

Happy cruising,
Susan

I think you can add a few other lines as well. Anyone who is determined to cruise only one line is missing a lot of wonderful cruising opportunities. To me it's like only buying (choose one) GM/Ford/Chrysler/Japanes/German cars without test driving the competition.

[newmexicoNita]

Celebrity is pretty close to HAL ... at least the Zenith is ... I don't know about other Celebrity ships since I've never sailed on them. But the Zenith offered me a similar experience as HAL, though not quite on the same level in all aspects. Some of those really nice HAL touches were clearly missing, though the food on Celebrity I found to be at least on a par with HAL ... maybe even a slight edge.

I don't have a whole lot of cruising experience, though ... so I am sure others can give you more varied opinions. I do know, however, that over the course of years ... if the good Lord gives me a lot of cruising years ... I'd definitely like to try some other lines ... if for no other reason than to be able to say I sailed them. Some of the lines I would like to try would be NCL (just to sample Freestyle cruising), but I would bring along a friend ... because what the heck ... their single supplement is 200% anyway ... might as well have a friend along to share those freestyle dinners with; then maybe I'd like to sail a smaller RCCL ship; I'd like to try Windstar and then when I am ready to do an Alaska cruise, definitely one of the smaller ships of CruiseWest. I'm also looking forward to experiencing the QE2 next April ... that definitely will be an experience of a lifetime.

I think folks that restrict themselves to only one cruise line are cheating themselves. True ... if you are happy on HAL, you should stay loyal to HAL ... as I do ... but every now and then, I don't know, it seems good to shake things up and try something different ... if for no other reason than to keep crusing a fresh and new experience.

Blue skies ...

--rita
ok, I haven't sailed HAL is ages, so really can't compare, but I hope our canal cruise is better than Zenith or we will be really disappointed. Other than a very clean ship I can't think of too much super positive to say about our cruise on her last December. There were only a couple really negatives, but only a couple positives as well. If I wanted to spend extra money I would choose either Oceania or SeaDream; if I was looking at cost first I would stick with NCL as we love their new ships and the relaxed friendly crew plus the variety of dining choices. NMnita

[MBeamTX]

I think you can add a few other lines as well. Anyone who is determined to cruise only one line is missing a lot of wonderful cruising opportunities. To me it's like only buying (choose one) GM/Ford/Chrysler/Japanes/German cars without test driving the competition.

I agree, sampling a variety can be good. By "just", I simply meant that we've decided not to choose a favorite between HAL and RCI. That said, I'm not going to book a ship and itinerary that I am pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy. For example, we like traditional dining, so I doubt we would consider NCL. To me, freestyle sounds like more work. I'd certainly consider sailing Princess or Celebrity, but so far I haven't found the combination of itinerary, ship and price that I couldn't refuse. When I've compared cabin sizes, prices and amenities, HAL and RCI have won. Princess cabins are generally smaller for like categories, for example, and you have to move up to a suite to get a bathtub. Celebrity's "Celebrity Suites" are a good size but don't have a balcony, at least on the Millennium class ships. Moving up to a suite with a balcony is much more expensive.

Anyway, I shop around and consider all sorts of possibilities, and so far both HAL and RCI suit us very well.

Happy cruising,
Susan

[jimmy2x]

I am a toad waiting for my next cruise in order to turn back into a princess. BTW Jimmy2X are you married to Claire? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/images/buttons/quote.gif (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=7331968)

That would make me a bigamist;). I suspect that my wife might take exception.

[lizf]

We left NCL after it seemed to go downhill....

Tried Oceania first after reading all the hoopla. Not for us. Let me say this, try it but don't book more than one trip until you do it. For us it sounded soooooo good. Our policy is, don't book more than one cruise until you try the line. Sooooooo glad we waited. We would have cancelled any others as soon as we got back and were so much happier to just say goodbye. You say smaller rooms. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Anyways, just not for us in any department.

If HAL, which we had tried before, weren't there I don't know what we would have done. Probably would have tried Celebrity. We had one booked and canceled it as soon as we tried the Prinsendam. Hands down. HAL wins. Now I think we'd quit cruising if we had to go searching again. I guess we'd go ahead and try Celebrity, and maybe Princess again. Other than that, I don't know. Maybe Regent. Thankfully we don't have to go there, right?

[dougnewmanatsea]

You say smaller rooms. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Anyways, just not for us in any department.
Just out of curiosity, what else didn't you like?

If you wrote a review, I'd love to read it.

[Toad]

I have been on this board for quite a while now and I must say so many of you have given me wonderful answers and plenty to think about... informative, if not a little confusing. I am going to research right now. Sounds as if I should look at Celebrity, or RCI, or Oceania...... YIKES!

[kryos]

ok, I haven't sailed HAL is ages, so really can't compare, but I hope our canal cruise is better than Zenith or we will be really disappointed. Other than a very clean ship I can't think of too much super positive to say about our cruise on her last December. There were only a couple really negatives, but only a couple positives as well.
I think I've mentioned this before ... but in all fairness to HAL, I should say that my expectations going into that Zenith cruise were very, very low. I got the cruise dirt cheap ... and I mean dirt ... by going as a guest of a travel agents group. By cheap, we are talking less than $350 for a five-day cruise, INCLUDING port charges, taxes, single supplement AND prepaid gratuities. Can't get any more dirt cheap than that.

So, I wasn't expecting luxurious accommodations (and believe me, I didn't get them), nor was I expecting even half-way edible food. Happily, I was pleasantly surprised in how wrong I was on this second point. The buffet and the dining room had food at least as good as on HAL, if not better. Service was also excellent, though of course I missed those special HAL touches ... like the Yum Yum man. The buffet on the Zenith particularly blew me away. Such variety and quality! I remember standing there one afternoon at this heaping salad bar just singing "food, glorious food ... " :)

My room was a joke, but then I got what I paid for, so I can't complain. The bed was flush with the wall on one side, and had about a foot of clearance to the wall on the other. On the side with the clearance, there was an overhead bunk built into the ceiling. If you didn't watch yourself, you could conk your head but good on that upper bunk. Believe me, I did a couple of times. The ice bucket was made of chintzy metal. Two hours after ice was put in there, it was melted. Often I could come back to the room after dinner and my evening activities to find only water in that pitcher. Too bad if I wanted a cold soda during the night. Since the room didn't have a refrigerator, and there was no ice in the bucket, your only option was to call room service and order sodas with a fresh pitcher of ice.

As for onboard activities, the Zenith seemed to have a bit more going on than the average HAL cruise, though I can't say for certain because I didn't participate in very much. As part of my dirt cheap fare, I had to attend classes onboard the ship ... thus leaving little time for other activities. I do know that some in our group enjoyed the karoke (sp?) that took place in one of the lounges just about every night.

I can't speak about the shows ... again, never attended any.

The only thing I can say about Celebrity is that I felt I got a tremendous value for what I spent on that cruise. Also, I know that others (not with our group) also got some pretty good deals. I spoke with some of the folks on my rollcall and they were not paying too much more than I was for similar accommodations.

Now, when I sail HAL, I pay quite a bit more, so my expectations are much higher. If I had been assigned a room like that on a HAL cruise, I'd be jumping and screaming at that front desk until the room was changed or I got a major onboard credit. I would have never tolerated such accommodations at full price. But for what I paid on Celebrity ... and the fact that this was an extra "bonus" cruise taken less than a month before my 30-day Hawaii/South Pacific one specifically because of how cheap it was ... I feel I got more ... far more ... than my money's worth.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[FRANKIEDNYC]

:) I agree with you Kryos Celebrity is about as close as it gets, especially the smaller ships ie Zenith and Horizon Don't forget the welcome aboard cocktail upon embarkation and the 2pm lemon sorbet on the weather decks, and frozen washcloths passed out to cool youi off. Nice touches!!

[dougnewmanatsea]

The buffet on the Zenith particularly blew me away. Such variety and quality!
I'm very surprised to hear you say that.

I felt the same way I first cruised on HAL, and I still think their buffets are by far the best.

The ones I had last month on ZENITH were not bad, but not good either. I gathered from regular Celebrity passengers I spoke to that they were below the usual standard of the line.

On the other hand, the dining room food was just as good as HAL's.

On the whole I think Celebrity is a very good line, and we do need to keep in mind that ZENITH is their smallest and oldest ship... And they are not spending any money on her (hence the rather worn-out furnishings in my cabin, etc.).

[Toad]

As the OP I am now really confused....... are there any smaller ships, say 1400 pax or less then HAL that have balconies? I looked at Zenith and don't think they have them????? Most of the Celebrity ships seemed huge! We prefer the smaller ships, but do like to have a balcony. Thanks

[newmexicoNita]

I think I've mentioned this before ... but in all fairness to HAL, I should say that my expectations going into that Zenith cruise were very, very low. I got the cruise dirt cheap ... and I mean dirt ... by going as a guest of a travel agents group. By cheap, we are talking less than $350 for a five-day cruise, INCLUDING port charges, taxes, single supplement AND prepaid gratuities. Can't get any more dirt cheap than that.

So, I wasn't expecting luxurious accommodations (and believe me, I didn't get them), nor was I expecting even half-way edible food. Happily, I was pleasantly surprised in how wrong I was on this second point. The buffet and the dining room had food at least as good as on HAL, if not better. Service was also excellent, though of course I missed those special HAL touches ... like the Yum Yum man. The buffet on the Zenith particularly blew me away. Such variety and quality! I remember standing there one afternoon at this heaping salad bar just singing "food, glorious food ... " :)

My room was a joke, but then I got what I paid for, so I can't complain. The bed was flush with the wall on one side, and had about a foot of clearance to the wall on the other. On the side with the clearance, there was an overhead bunk built into the ceiling. If you didn't watch yourself, you could conk your head but good on that upper bunk. Believe me, I did a couple of times. The ice bucket was made of chintzy metal. Two hours after ice was put in there, it was melted. Often I could come back to the room after dinner and my evening activities to find only water in that pitcher. Too bad if I wanted a cold soda during the night. Since the room didn't have a refrigerator, and there was no ice in the bucket, your only option was to call room service and order sodas with a fresh pitcher of ice.

As for onboard activities, the Zenith seemed to have a bit more going on than the average HAL cruise, though I can't say for certain because I didn't participate in very much. As part of my dirt cheap fare, I had to attend classes onboard the ship ... thus leaving little time for other activities. I do know that some in our group enjoyed the karoke (sp?) that took place in one of the lounges just about every night.

I can't speak about the shows ... again, never attended any.

The only thing I can say about Celebrity is that I felt I got a tremendous value for what I spent on that cruise. Also, I know that others (not with our group) also got some pretty good deals. I spoke with some of the folks on my rollcall and they were not paying too much more than I was for similar accommodations.

Now, when I sail HAL, I pay quite a bit more, so my expectations are much higher. If I had been assigned a room like that on a HAL cruise, I'd be jumping and screaming at that front desk until the room was changed or I got a major onboard credit. I would have never tolerated such accommodations at full price. But for what I paid on Celebrity ... and the fact that this was an extra "bonus" cruise taken less than a month before my 30-day Hawaii/South Pacific one specifically because of how cheap it was ... I feel I got more ... far more ... than my money's worth.

Blue skies ...

--rita
rita, I think value is the secret. We did get a good deal on our Zenith cruise but certainly not what you got; it was our granddaughte's wedding and there were 10 cabins booked, everything from inside to a suite. I actually can't complain about anything except our servie in the dining room: we did have CC service cabin which wasn't much, but the price was right. From what the young set had to say (most experienced cruisers) they were treated pretty second class; almost as if the wait staff didn't expect the proper tip or whatever. Our wait person spent a couple of minutes each night telling us how hard he worked for us while forgetting to give DH a menu two times out of five: he rushed the guys through if they ordered 2 entrees and was just not that great. the one morning we ate in the dining room it took us almost an hour to even get our order: I will admit it was the day we had to report to imagration so many decided to eat in the dining room, but there was almost no apology for the servce. It wasn't just us, many we talked to were not excited about the ship or the food. I thought the basic food was as good as any line, but thing like Escargot was the worst. On the other hand our Connie cruise was very nice. Again, not what I had expected with all raves, but certainly not bad and the orice was less that we could get a similar catagory or NCL. Yes, if the price is right and we don't set our expectations too high all ships can be fun. Would I cruise Zenith again? For the right price, sure but only if it met with all our requirements at the time. NMNita

[dougnewmanatsea]

As the OP I am now really confused....... are there any smaller ships, say 1400 pax or less then HAL that have balconies? I looked at Zenith and don't think they have them?????
ZENITH does not have balconies.

The other Celebrity ships do have balconies but they are also much larger. (They are very nice ships - much nicer than ZENITH - but too big for my taste.)

If you want smaller ships with balconies, other than HAL's ships I would suggest perhaps looking at Oceania or at the smallest Princess ships (PACIFIC, TAHITIAN and ROYAL PRINCESS). These ships carry around 700 passengers and have plenty of balconies.

Of course the "luxury" small ships like Silversea and Regent have them also, but I would not consider those an alternative to HAL as the fares are so much higher.

[Toad]

Thanks Doug that does help narrow the search.

[~Nereus~]

ZENITH does not have balconies.

The other Celebrity ships do have balconies but they are also much larger. (They are very nice ships - much nicer than ZENITH - but too big for my taste.)

A year ago (Jan 2005) I cruised on Veendam for two weeks and sailed B2B on Zenith for two weeks. I preferred the Celebrity touch on Zenith but Veendam is a much nicer ship. Century at 70,000 tons has never felt as a large ship to me. It feels much roomier and I thought it was smaller than HAL's Amsterdam.

If you were ever to try a Celebrity ship it would be my recommendation. I'm cruising Century B2B2B in October. I am still looking for the best deal on a HAL ship to sail in January for another comparison.

[newmexicoNita]

Again, as we all know food is very subjective: we did like the salad bar offered in the Zenith buffet but otherwise we were not impressed, nor were we impressed with the buffet on the Connie. The presentation was nice, but the food was just average. Frank mentioned the frozen towels, and drinks upon arrival: these are nice but for those who dont' drink Champagne there isn't much else and we have found the towels to be offered only every so often. Now that the Horizon is long gone I wonder if the Zenith will follow. SO far there doesn't seem to be any plans to move her. yes, the dining room food on the Zenith was very good, it was the service that bothered us. NMnita

[Bill S]

We are going to see how cruising with Princess compares with HAL , but only because or group of close friends here want to go on an E. Med cruise in the fall of 2007, and the itinerary the majority chose as their first choice was a Star Princess cruise! Big ship, smaller cabins, and a lot more dining choice is what I've noticed so far from the brochure. I have 15 months to warm up to the change! I'll have a good time, regardless because we will be visiting Venice and Santorini among other neat places. :)

[dougnewmanatsea]

I cruised on Veendam for two weeks and sailed B2B on Zenith for two weeks. I preferred the Celebrity touch on Zenith but Veendam is a much nicer ship.
In terms of the ship, I think ZENITH has more in common with the NIEUW AMSTERDAM and NOORDAM of 1983/84 than anything in the HAL fleet today.

The S- and R-class ships are about the same size as ZENITH, but there is no question in my mind that they are far, far nicer ships in every respect.

Again, as we all know food is very subjective: we did like the salad bar offered in the Zenith buffet but otherwise we were not impressed, nor were we impressed with the buffet on the Connie.
Yes, the "made-to-order" selections - salads, pasta, grill, etc. - were very good (as they should be, since that sort of thing is rather difficult to screw up). On the other hand, I thought the other choices were just average, and the variety was definitely not on par with HAL (but then, the space was much smaller than HAL's Lidos).

That said, the buffets were still much better than many other lines I've been on! Indeed, there was nothing wrong with them; they just didn't "wow" me like the dining room food did. And the food in the dining room was excellent, and more than made up for the rather ordinary buffets.

Frank mentioned the frozen towels, and drinks upon arrival: these are nice but for those who dont' drink Champagne there isn't much else and we have found the towels to be offered only every so often.
Both of these things are pretty inconsequential to me. At any rate, I only saw the towels once. The embarkation drink consisted only of Champagne (and who knows if it was real Champagne?). It was rather hilarious, really - step onto the ship, a guy hands you a glass with one sip of Champagne, you take one sip, thus emptying the already-mostly-empty glass, and two steps later you hand the empty glass to another guy.

I do not drink but I was told that the Champagne was flat and tepid anyway!

I should add that we were not escorted to our cabin, as Celebrity claims one should be.

But as I said, none of these things make any difference to me, anyway. However, no doubt they do for some people!

And of course there are "little touches" on HAL that Celebrity doesn't have - for example, hot hors d'oeuvres. I thought it was rather amusing that the pre-dinner Captain's Club Party aboard ZENITH featured petit fours. I do not think I have ever been served petit fours before dinner before!

Now that the Horizon is long gone I wonder if the Zenith will follow. SO far there doesn't seem to be any plans to move her.
It is just a matter of time.

Nothing has been announced yet, but personally I expect her to go sometime in 2008, after she completes her currently scheduled itineraries.

If they plan on keeping her longer, they really ought to put some money into her as she is beginning to look a bit worn around the edges. Nothing major, just worn carpeting in the stairwells and passageways, worn soft furnishings in cabins, chipped shower surrounds etc. She is clean and tidy but obviously the home office does not want to spend any money on things that they would actually have to pay for, like new carpets or refurbishing cabin bathrooms.

At this point it is only minor but if they keep her for another two or three years without doing anything else, she could begin to look a bit threadbare.

yes, the dining room food on the Zenith was very good, it was the service that bothered us.
I was fortunate to have both excellent food and service - but I think service is even more subjective than food. Or, at least, there is more variation in service. For the most part, one's impresion of the ship's service will be formed by a few people - primarily your cabin steward, dining room stewards and the other people you hand a tip to at the end of the cruise ;) ! If you just happen to not have a good dining room steward, your whole experience will be marred.

As I said, I found the service excellent, but I couldn't tell you what it was like in a cabin at the other end of the ship, or a table at the other end of the dining room!

The overall impression I get is that Celebrity can be excellent, but that there are a lot of variations in quality right now. If you look at the Celebrity board, the reviews there are generally a lot more "mixed" than they are here on the HAL board. I have little doubt that Celebrity can be as good as HAL - the real question is whether they are as consistent.

[lizf]

Just out of curiosity, what else didn't you like?

If you wrote a review, I'd love to read it.

Sorry to not respond sooner. I usually check the roll call board and don't always stop here on the main board. This cruise was last November.

I did post a review but not on CC. I posted on a different board because of the way the people had been treated on the Oceania board here whenever they say anything that isn't good. Since I don't like to get flamed, and you can see very plainly how that family who was bumped earlier, was treated on that board until the owner admitted it was the cruise lines fault and they were wrong and he fixed it. After that I was very glad I hadn't posted there.

Doug-The food was not good at all. So many things I had heard, like the best hamburgers anywhere were at the grill. Well, they are all pre-cooked and put in a covered container to sit until they are briefly reheated upon ordering. You know what happens to hot meat that sits like that, tastes like airline food. Then the buns weren't even heated. I really don't call that the best of anything. Most of the fruit pies, etc had been baked and frozen ahead and were so very dry they were not good. Everything on the buffet was cooked ahead and was not hot. We like hot food, not lukewarm. This was big to us after the best food on the seas comments we had read. At the specialty restaurant I ordered the chocolate dessert with ice cream and asked to have it warmed, it was served to me still frozen solid. I asked for maple syrup one morning and even went to the main dining room and got the same cheap simple syrup as they had at the buffet. Not even imitation maple. We just found all of the food to be very average at best. Even the steaks were not served hot. When we boarded I had asked to have our refrigerator emptied in our room so I could put water and cokes we brought with us, I got ignored and our cabin stewaress never would even smile at us the entire cruise.
This was a transatlantic with the ship returning from Europe to the states. We were not told that they do the reburbishing while the passengers are onboard, so the main dining room was closed for the first 2 or 3 days after we boarded so they could recarpet the dining room. They sounded like they were jackhammering the old rug up. We went to high tea which was very close to the dining room and the sounds from the dining room gave me a splitting headache. I told one of the waiters that couldn't they stop the noise until after the tea was over? He shouted over the din "Well, I don't like it either!" To which I replied, "Well, we paid for this cruise..............I don't think you did." It was stuff like this the entire trip. Very unfriendly crew who didn't seem to know or care what to do. When you went to breakfast you could not touch any of the food on the buffet to serve yourself. You had to be served. Well, the one server for the line often left to find something that was missing and you were to wait until she/he returned. One time I took the spoon to serve myself and someone came running over and grabbed it from me and scolded me for trying to serve myself. This was just not the level of service we expected. There were no shows in the evenings other than the CD and her staff put on a couple of shows and there was a juggler/comedian who couldn't juggle too well because of the rough seas. The entire upper deck was closed to the passengers for the cruise because we heard they were building the private cabanas which would be rented out when they were completed. Other parts were also closed off and on, like the special spa/hot tub/pool. We didn't want to use it but some of the other passengers had paid for it and couldn't use it most days.
I did fill out the comment sheet and did let them know of our disappointment and we never heard a word from the main office. A couple of ladies from the crew came by the room and I explained in detail the problems we found with the cruise and they took notes and assured me that our comments would get to Miami. Never heard anything and we did not pursue it any further. If they had offered us a discount or even a free cruise, we wouldn't have taken it. We had enough and are too old for that sort of thing. We had loved NCL for years and felt it was declining more than we wanted to stick with, but this was worse than anything we ever found on NCL.

So please, don't flame me, this is my opinion and the opinion of my DH. I don't want to start up the remarks that sometimes are made about people who haven't liked Oceania. There is more but I don't want to repeat it again. Doug-I know you wouldn't say anything out of the way, but I really don't want the other kind of comments about "Well, she is just a typical complainer anyway". Just click on my name and read my previous posts and you will see that is not true. I still get a sick feeling in my stomach when I recall that trip. The boarding process was bad, the crew unfriendly (except for the CD and her immediate staff). There was very little to do on the ship for this trip. I hope it is the exception rather than the rule, but we met many, many other passengers who told us without our asking that they would never return. The feeling generally just wasn't very good on that trip. More complaining than I wanted to get involved in. It is rare when people just stop you as you are walking around and tell you things, but this happened to us more than once or twice. Escaping to the room didn't work because the room was just so very tiny. The bathroom is the smallest I have ever seen. I didn't get to see a suite, but the balcony rooms were just really, really tiny. The balconies were of a good size but it was November on the North Atlantic and we were tossed about like a cork, so you didn't want to go on the balcony. The ship flooded due to the high seas and we had the smell of the rooms that were soaked to contend with for the rest of the trip. One lady told the front desk that she thought someone had not made it out of the room. It really did smell bad. I think it just molded or the toilets must have overflowed. They had no way to clean them so the people were moved to the other side of the ship. We were only about one half or less filled so there was lots of rooms for them to move to. I must say that some people did say they liked the cruise. We just listened and didn't say anything, we wondered what they had cruised on before. So that is most of it. It isn't something you want to hear and trust me it isn't something we wanted to experience. Liz

[kryos]

:) I agree with you Kryos Celebrity is about as close as it gets, especially the smaller ships ie Zenith and Horizon Don't forget the welcome aboard cocktail upon embarkation and the 2pm lemon sorbet on the weather decks, and frozen washcloths passed out to cool youi off. Nice touches!!
The half glass of champagne you get at embarkation? That's about all I got. As for sailaway, stewards came around offering these cool looking tall drinks, kinda letting the passengers assume they were free. Once you raised the glass to your lips, though, they immediately asked for your card and then proceeded to charge you something like $13.95 (oh, but you get to keep the glass ... big deal!)

I was shocked that any cruise line would stoop that low to sell drinks and have never experienced that sort of thing on HAL. On my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise in January, they offered free rum punch at Sailaway (the only HAL cruise I've been on to do so ... probably because of the length and special nature of the cruise) ... and that punch was indeed FREE.

Like I said, I enjoyed my Celebrity cruise and felt I got more than my money's worth. I probably enjoyed it particularly because it was on a ship like the Zenith ... an oldie, but most definitely a goodie.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

I'm very surprised to hear you say that.

I felt the same way I first cruised on HAL, and I still think their buffets are by far the best.

Oh, make no mistake ... I LOVE HAL's Lido. But, the buffet on Zenith ... at least the cruise I was on ... and perhaps the selections I made there ... was outstanding too. Of course, I mainly eat salads at the buffet and maybe Zenith's salads were exceptionally good?

Blue skies ...

--rita

[dougnewmanatsea]

As for sailaway, stewards came around offering these cool looking tall drinks, kinda letting the passengers assume they were free. Once you raised the glass to your lips, though, they immediately asked for your card and then proceeded to charge you something like $13.95 (oh, but you get to keep the glass ... big deal!)

I was shocked that any cruise line would stoop that low to sell drinks and have never experienced that sort of thing on HAL.
You have been spoiled by HAL ;) !

This is standard procedure on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and yes, it is tacky and maybe a tad unethical. (That said, recently they have been rather discreet about it - in the old days on Royal Caribbean, they just would not take no for an answer.)

I think they may do it on some other major lines, though as I recall at least those usually have a little sign on the tray saying "$13.50" or whatever.

They don't do it on HAL and I hope they never will.

One thing I saw on ZENITH that was new was that on the first day of the cruise, at sailaway, the entire pool area was set up as a "Celebrity Showcase" with different tables "previewing" the art auctions, spa treatments, duty-free options, casino and various other opportunities to donate money to the cruise line. I thought that was rather tacky.

On the other hand, I don't like HAL's constant announcements about bingo. On Celebrity (and, at least in the past, Princess) there is a strict "no unecessary announcements" policy. This, along with the dining room food, is one of the few things Royal Caribbean hasn't changed about Celebrity. (At least until recently, incessant and annoying announcements were an integral part of the Royal Caribbean experience.)

[AWED23]

Love getting so many replies so quickly, and thanks for the specifics, it helps narrow my choices.... Guess room size is best on HAL, but sounds as if price might be better elsewhere. Do love the service on HAL, but want to hear more. Food? ship size? We prefer smaller ships, have done the Noordam and thought it was TOO big, but loved all of the smaller ships, Volendam Zaandam, Rotterdam and Ryndam. Hope this helps you to give more answers.

I am a toad waiting for my next cruise in order to turn back into a princess. BTW Jimmy2X are you married to Claire?2 choices....If the money is available go Regent seven seas or go Princess!

[newmexicoNita]

Oh, make no mistake ... I LOVE HAL's Lido. But, the buffet on Zenith ... at least the cruise I was on ... and perhaps the selections I made there ... was outstanding too. Of course, I mainly eat salads at the buffet and maybe Zenith's salads were exceptionally good?

Blue skies ...

--rita
As much as I really didn't think the Zenith buffet was anything at all, the salad bar was the best we have ever seen. You are certainly right about that. NMnita

[Love Cruises]

Good question.

We have done Cunard, Princess, NCL and only 1 RCI (will never back on them).

We are now thinking about trying Crystal.
We did 6 cruises on CRYSTAL and thoroughly enjoyed that line. The food and service were fantastic. Their cruises however have just gotten so expensive. My husband and I would rather go on 3-4 HAL cruises a year than 1 CRYSTAL cruise. But if you do go on CRYSTAL, I'm sure you will thoroughly enjoy it!

[Bramcruiser]

This is standard procedure on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and yes, it is tacky and maybe a tad unethical.
I think they may do it on some other major lines, though as I recall at least those usually have a little sign on the tray saying "$13.50" or whatever.

They don't do it on HAL and I hope they never will.

Not entirely true. It only occured once on the HAL trip I did last year but at the sailaway party..................................yes, the guy came by with a tray of these exotic drinks offering them to those arriving for the festivities. At the time they really should have mentioned that they were either complimentary or being offered for a charge. Most embarking passengers are still trying to figure out the ship and the services and very few would be knowledgeable whether an offer of a drink at a sailaway party is free or not. As soon as we accepted it a woman following behind the server asked for the cards and processed the charge to our onboard account. Immediately I thought of my past experience on Carnival where this was done throughout the entire voyage. Thankfully, this was a one time event on the HAL trip.

Like you HostDoug, I think the practice is highly tacky and unethical. As for the glasses you get to keep, they all stayed behind on the ship by the end of the voyage.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Not entirely true. It only occured once on the HAL trip I did last year but at the sailaway party..................................yes, the guy came by with a tray of these exotic drinks offering them to those arriving for the festivities.
I'm surprised and sorry to hear that. Fortunately I have not seen this on HAL, and I hope I never do!

So I guess the question is - do any of the Big Six lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Princess, NCL, HAL, Celebrity) not do this?

[florisdekort]

Celebrity is my #1. I do however want to experience other lines, so I am about to book my first HAL cruise. I am looking forward to being able to compare the two! :D

[hammybee]

I always cruise for intinerary first, cruisline second and a new port means a lot to me.

I guess I would be inclined to choose Princess as it is the only one in the "affordable" price range I have yet to sail but then again several of the Oceonia intineraries look darn good.

[kryos]

One thing I saw on ZENITH that was new was that on the first day of the cruise, at sailaway, the entire pool area was set up as a "Celebrity Showcase" with different tables "previewing" the art auctions, spa treatments, duty-free options, casino and various other opportunities to donate money to the cruise line. I thought that was rather tacky.

HAL did something similar on my Hawaii/South Pacific cruise. A couple of afternoons, they set up a "clearance sale" by the pool ... all those tee-shirts and jackets and other HAL-logo items they were trying to get rid of ... presumably to make way for new stuff. They also do the atrium sales periodically during the cruise ... gold by the inch and all that sort of stuff. Tacky, but I guess they need to make a buck ... and I have no problem with that, just as long as people are aware the stuff is for sale. With the drink routine on Celebrity, that was a low blow. Lots of people had no idea they would be expected to pay, and once they took a sip from that glass, they were kind of stuck ... although I will say that I did see some people actually putting the glass back on the tray and saying "no thanks." I just hope those servers didn't try to resell the same glass again.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Sage]

We would definitely choose Crystal. We were very impressed with not only the excellent food, the outstanding entertainment, but the service was really the best thing. It was like having a Neptune Lounge throughout the entire ship. Our next cruise is on the Crystal Serenity in November.

[~Nereus~]

If any of you are serious about trying a cruise on celebrity, there are some wonderful prices on Constellation Transatlantic Sept 15 2007. Many frequent cruisers and posters have already booked and are active in posting. Constellation is 90,000 tons and holds about 2,000 pax. We cruised last year and are going again.

A good outside cabin and flight costs about $1,800 pp. Balconies only slightly higher.

[Toad]

Loved your answers and will consider all for the future, however today we booked the Veendam for two weeks in March! I guess I feel comfortable for the moment with what we know and love! Thanks again for all your help, still a very interesting thread.