Just switched my large group from Celebrity to HAL!

[lucchese1]

This is my first post here so here it goes. Over the last 2 months I have been planning a May 07 Alaskan cruise for a group of fifty freinds and family to celebrate four of the couples anniversaries together. After strong reconmendation I choose Celebrity Infinity, we were all was looking forward to our first trip to Alaska.
I was fully ready to place deposits this week on the 24 cabins (mostly suites), but I became disturbed while really watching the boards and being shocked to see how many reocuring problems they were having with the noro virus(200 people sick on July Cruise), constant cruise delays due to pod drive and electrical problems (2 July cruises left a day late and a cruise in 4 weeks just cancelled), just about every person posting complanning about the embarcation and disembarcation process and worse of all was there unacceptable response to someone not seeing Hubbard glacier was here is a $200.00 room credit. :confused:
I called several times to Celebrity and there response was that there is not a problem at all and that there is always going to be a few complainers no matter what. I understand that but when a thread about if (I should change lines) is posted and the majority of the people who are previous celebrity guest suggest to move I said whoooo!
So just today I just decided to Jump Ship:eek: and put my group on HAL's Oosterdam next May 12th and I feel really good about the decision as do all of my group. Any hints from people that have sailed or organized a large group on HAL would be helpful since I or none in the group have been on HAL before!
Thanks in advance for any comments or help on this subject, also any HAL secrets would be great!

[torybruno]

Just wondering the age group of your "friends and family". I'm actually on the HAL boards because I'm researching a cruise for my parents anniversary. If you have a wide variety of ages, in my personal opinion you would all be much happier with Celebrity.

We did a HAL cruise on my kids winter break in February, with my parents, and there was a total of 22 kids on the ship. I'm not saying we wouldn't cruise with HAL again, but we would never take my kids on a HAL cruise again.

[AlohaPride]

Welcome to HAL! I have yet to cruise (my first is coming up) but from the advice and guidance I have received on these boards, I am sure we will be cruising with people of like caliber.

I think you will have a GREAT time on your Alaskin cruise. From the reading, researching, and "vicarious living" I have done I have never seen a complaint about HAL's Alaskin cruises.

I do not have children (as I'm only 23 and still in graduate school), but if I did have children, I would prefer a ship that only has a hand full of kids as to ensure that mine don't get lost in the crowd :D Also, if there will be kids traveling with you, you can call Ship Services (I believe) and they can give you actual head counts for each age group serviced by the different programs. Not too shabby!

Next, I have been in contact with HAL for many things (As I like to have everything planned waaaaaay out) and I have only ever had one bad experience with a HAL employee!

I guess, in general, you've come to the correct board! You will find the people on this board are experienced (aside from me), welcoming, honest, and extremely helpful!

Again, welcome to the HAL CC Boards...and have smooth sailings!!

[Grumpy1]

We did a HAL cruise on my kids winter break in February, with my parents, and there was a total of 22 kids on the ship. I'm not saying we wouldn't cruise with HAL again, but we would never take my kids on a HAL cruise again. Since there is no universal winter break week, a cruise in February will have a very different demographic makeup than a summer Alaska cruise.

[hammybee]

The number of children onboard any ship on any low-midpriced cruiseline, is primarily a function of time of year and cost. If the kids are out of school, spring break, summer vacation or December holiday breaks, there are going to be plenty of kids aboard HAL, Princess and Celebrity and most certainly the lower priced lines. There are some postings of HAL summer Alaskan cruises that had as many as 700 kids aboard.

The February winter break season in the Caribbean, tends not to bring out as many kids on any of the lines because many school districts only give 1-2 days off and therefore it is not conducive to a cruise vacation, unless the family pulls some extra days.

Family cruising is also often one of costs and for this reason, the lower cost carriers tend to get more kid business than the mid priced carriers. This goes out the window however, if any given cruise line prices the kid cruisers on the cheap to fill the ship. It all depends.

Those that prefer to not cruise with a lot of children, tend to cruise outside of peak times, in May- early June and late August-September, in Alaska. These are often the least expensive Alaskan cruises too. Given this is the timing of your cruise, it suggests that your group may be adult oriented.

Having sailed both Celebrity and HAL, my preference is HAL, assuming intinerary and costs are comparable. HAL dominates the Alaska market with the most ships and tours. More than likely, you will have a good expereince on either carrier and what is going on this summer will be different next summer.

Any cruise line or ship can be impacted by the Norvo virus. HAL has a well honed plan to contain it, when it does break out.

I think HAL gives its guests more space and better beds than Celebrity. Food is so subjective, that it makes no sense to me, to share opinions.

Before I get off my Pro HAL soapbox, be aware that HAL is holding all balcony cabins for the benefit of those passengers that book an extention tour. This does not mean one will not be able to secure a balcony, it just means they will not have first priority. I am not certain if this includes suites and other posters will have a better bead on this than I.

[hammybee]

Since there is no universal winter break week, a cruise in February will have a very different demographic makeup than a summer Alaska cruise.
__________________________________________________ ______________

Grumpy: Our posts crossed at the same time. As usual, you said it better and in less words than I.

[bepsf]

Lucchese1--

Welcome to HAL - you're gonna love it over here!

Be sure to work closely w/ your TA and your Oosterdam HAL Shipservices rep to coordinate your dinner reservations/seating arrangements, group shore excursions, pre and post-cruise travel arrangements & transfers, group check-in at the pier, etc.

If you're able to get a block of staterooms somewhat close to one another, that would be great - but if you don't I wouldn't be too concerned as there are a great many places aboard the ship to meet up and spend time together.

Might want to check out places to get shirts or ship-card holders made up ahead of time to distribute to your group so that your folks will be easily identifiable on deck and in port too - also makes for something fun to have and remember your special trip by.

Enjoy the planning & preparation - this is the fun part!
:D

[Grumpy1]

__________________________________________________ ______________

Grumpy: Our posts crossed at the same time. As usual, you said it better and in less words than I.Don't know about the "better" part, Hammybee, but when you type by the two fingered, hunt and peck system, brevity is the watchword!:D

[arzz]

Torybruno -- I, personally, would not expect to find kids on any cruise in February. In this part of the country we have no break at all at that time of year. I have cruised MANY Christmas and some spring break cruises as well as summer cruises. Even on HAL there are lots of kids at those times of the year -- and they are very well taken care of by the Club HAL folk. You will also find more kids on the Vista class ships than the older and smaller R and S class ships.

If, however, you are looking for wave tanks, rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, and movies under the stars etc, HAL is definitely the wrong place to be.

[Atomica]

As everyone else has said, Welcome to HAL!

The Oosterdam is a wonderful ship - I've been on her twice now, and I am sure it won't be the last! I'm sure you and your group will have a blast.

[lucchese1]

I really was happy with Celebrity untill just the last few weeks and who knows maybe the cancelled cruise in september is to fix the problem for good and every thing might be way better by then, but being the organizer(pied piper) I did not want to be the guy everyone is glarring at and thinking I better keep my life jacket very handy:eek: !!

Our group is a mix of ages kids (3) age 4 to 6 and (4) age 13 to 17 the rest are from 30 to 70. I choose an early itinerary because I thought the ports would be less crowded and the ship would be a more mellow group. Don't get me wrong we want to have as much fun as the next guy and with 50 funlovers aboard, I think we will make our own fun if need be!
I also noticed that HAL has way more shore excursions to choose from than Celebrity, even though it is much cheaper to book on line ahead of time.

Do the balcony dividers move to adjoin balconys??

What is the best seating time for a Larger groups and all of the shore excursions, current is upper level 7:45pm.

Thanks!:cool:

[KAYEF]

Oh, my gosh!~!
You are going to LOVE the "O"...............we were on her for a repositioning cruise...........Seattle, north to Vancouver, south to the Mexican Riviera, Guatemala, Costa Rica, through the Panama Canal and "all over' the Caribbean. Even after 24 days, we didn't want to get off!
Almost by accident we were in a glass elevator when the blazing "red" sun was setting; how amazing was THAT??????????? Red sun, sinking right into the ocean...............those glass elevators have you "hanging over the edge of the ship"............what a treat!!!
Be sure to have matching door signs (you can just make them on your computer as the C Cers often do) so everyone can celebrate with you!;)
You won't be wrong in choosing HAL; where are you all coming from?

[Bucky3]

There were only 9 in our group when we celebrated our 50th Anniversary on the Oosterdam last year in March cruising to Mexico from San Diego. We had 3 teens with us, and they loved it. We booked standard balcony cabins - 4 in a row - and opened the balcony partitions between them. It worked really well. We ALL enjoyed the cruise very much. This is a BIG ship compared to Holland's smaller Volendam, Maasdam, etc. It's almost like two different cruise lines. There were lots of well behaved youngsters onboard and all seemed to be enjoying themselves as were the adults. Bedding is wonderful and bathrooms are a nice size with tub/shower combination in our category.

Interesting you seem to have the same concerns I have regarding Celebrity. Originally we had booked one of their ships (would have been our first cruise on Celebrity) to Hawaii for our anniversary cruise - and it ended up being canceled! We were SO GLAD we had decided on the Oosterdam - our first time on Holland America. In May of this year we booked HA's Volendam to Alaska and had a wonderful trip on that ship as well although I found the two ships to be COMPLETELY different mostly because of their difference in size. The smaller ship was perfect for Alaska, almost no children, an older clientele, and we loved that too. For a diverse age group, you should enjoy the Oosterdam. Go for it and enjoy beautiful Alaska!

[lucchese1]

Were all from the Los Angeles area, and are so looking forward to this trip.

Another reason I changed was I forgot to mention that four years ago we were in Hawaii for a 15 day cruise on a newer Carnival ship and the from the hotel saw the ship coming in a day early. I called the line to see what was up and they told me the ships chiller (refers,a.c., etc)had broke down and our cruise was just canceled:eek: and please to go to a crisis center for instructions.

Ours happened to be at our hotel, so when we went down stairs there were people screaming at the crisis team and being really rude, I told the family when your handed a lemon make lemonade. Our crisis person was so relived that we were nice I think that Carnival went way over board to make it right, off course a full cruise refund, paid for our two previous nights plus four more at the hotel we were staying at, food vouchers for three squares a day for 4 days, our return flight home and a 50% discount for any cruise itinerary they had over the next 2 years.

We had a great time in Hawaii (almost a free trip) and then went on to a great Panama Canal cruise the following year. It was very reassuring, from first hand experience, to no that the Carnival company in a crisis situation handled it so well and knowing HAL is part of Carnival!

[Bramcruiser]

Think you made the right decision. I sailed on the Oosterdam and would heartily recommend it. I also think HAL is appropriate for all age groups so I think your large group will enjoy yourself on the ship.

[clogaltocruise]

Hi ~

I think you will be happy with your decision. We have cruised on 5 lines but chose HAL for our parents' 50th anniversary cruise. We knew their service was exemplary and our parents would be more than pleased. They were! We had 6 children in our group of 30. Our ages ranged from 7 to 79 and all had a wonderful vacation.

Everytime our niece and nephew come over, they pull out the photo album and reminiscence about their "best vacation ever".

Enjoy the memories you will be making!

Kathy

[Fran Record]

I also think you have made the right decision. I've taken several cruises and like Celebrity very much but for Alaska, I wouldn't sail on any but HAL. The reason is the viewing on HAL and in Alaska viewing is most important to me. One of HAL's signature areas is called the crow's nest and it high up with about 280 degrees of viewing (forward and both sides) with nothing blocking your view. Great climate controlled viewing in my opinion. I like to go outside some but it can get darn cold. At night the nest is a nightclub but during the day it is just a comfortable place to sit and view. Enjoy your cruise! Fran

[twiceblessed]

We just came back from an Alaska cruise on the Westerdam, a sister ship to the O. There were 11 of us, four kids, 5 people ages 31-48 and 2 over 60. It was a great cruise. Yes, you can have the balcony dividers opened up for you, we did. We also had adjoining rooms with our kids...really terrific. Lots of neat things to do with kids, though in May, I would think there would not be many children on board. On our cruise, there were a good number of people of all ages. My children (7 and 10) loved Club HAL. My parents are Crystal Cruisers and although they love Crystal, they still enjoyed HAL and felt it was perfect for a group with many ages.

Have a super time and don't look back!

[sirgonealot]

Planning a trip with others is always a challenge and the last thing you want are potential problems.

My last cruise was Alaska with five of my friends. They had either never cruised before or not on the cruiseline of my choice. That choice was Celebrity!! We had pod problems!!

My friends were very nice to me but I felt so guilty I did not enjoy myself as much as I could have. You see, I had been to Alaska before and they had not. Celebrity was certainly not as generous with us as with subsequent cruises. Money would not have compensated for what we missed or our time.

That was my ninth cruise with Celebrity.

I am now booked on a HAL cruise in November.

In April of 2004 I took a cruise on HAL and came away disappointed. Part my fault - it was Spring Break, but HAL did not deal with disruptive teenagers (parents fault) very well. I am ready to give them another chance.

I will say that their accomodations are better than Celebritys (and now they have undergone their SOE).

I think that Celebrity's Dining Room and general staff are superior to HALs, but I think I was just on a stressful cruise.

In my opinion, I think Celebrity has been sitting back on their previouus laurels and no longer care about the product they are providing to their customers.

I, for one, am looking for other options.

Alaska is absolutely wonderful. I hope you have a wonderful and problemfree cruise.

[griswalds]

I have been following Celebrity problems as well and I feel you have made a wise move. We have booked our first HAL cruise as well. However I should add that our 2 cruises with Celebrity were good and we did not experience any of the many problems that they now seem to be going through.

Griswalds.

[Miss Priss]

My Husband and I are confirmed HAL cruisers. We were introduced to HAL by friends and have never looked back. We have also sailed with Celebrity, Norwegian and the old America Lines. We haven't had a bad cruise, but the crew, excursions and food have convinced us to stay with HAL I, too, have been "in charge" of groups and the best thing you can do is plan ahead, but be ready for challenges.

We loved Alaska! It is so beautiful, I know you will have a wonderful time. HAL hasn't let us down yet!

[doone]

Welcome to the HAL boards. I sailed the Zuiderdam which is sister ship to the Oosterdam and had suite 5187, which is a corner aft suite. These balconies on the corner aft suites are spectacular. Perhaps at least one or two people in your group would want to get these suites as the verandah is huge, you could have a wonderful cocktail party on these verandah's with plenty of room, they are spectacular.

I'd book one of these suites again on the Vista Style ships in a minute. One word of caution, it is a long walk to these suites, if you have anyone with mobility problems, I would not recommend this suite for them. Other than that, they are spectacular.

Enjoy your cruise on the beautiful Oosterdam.

[lucchese1]

I just read, as suspected, that the Celebrity Infinity will go into dry dock during the time of the canceled itinerary in September to try and fix the problem with there pod drive system. I am still glad I made the decision to switch and look forward to our first HAl experience!

[Cachecara]

Hi Lucchese1,

I read your other post on the Celebrity board regarding your turmoil. I really think you made the right decision for you, and one I probably would have made for my own family.
I have sailed Celebrity several times and always had a great cruise, (I will be on Zenith in a month),but never on the M class vessels--the ones with the pods. Until the pod problem is fixed --if ever--I will probably not sail them. That is just me. Itinerary is important to me.
I have been anticipating taking an Alaskan cruise hopefully sometime in my near future--maybe next summer :rolleyes: . If I do, I know I will be booking HAL. After doing a couple years worth of research it seems they do ALASKA right. I love several of their itineraries and I hear their on board naturalists are da bomb.
I look forward to all these Alaskan reviews from everyone. Thanks. :)

[many cruises]

lucchesse1: (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/member.php?u=196997)
I know from experience that you made the right choice by not choosing Celebrity. We were on the ill fated Infinity to Alaska in July that had many, many, problems. It is not worth taking the chance on a "M" class ship. In November, we will be on our first HAL cruise on the Westerdam & we are looking forward to it.

[capeboy96]

Know I'm going to not be too popular on here. Have sailed 3 times on both lines. Definately prefer Celebrity now. Put together 2 group cruises last year on Celebrity- first the Constellation and then the Infinity to Alaska. Both are amazing ships with great food, decent entertainment, and the have the best thelasotherapy pools and specialty restaurants. Put together another group cruise this past March and selected the Westerdam (over the Infinity) after having great experiences on both the Maasdam and Statendam. Since I was the one who put everything together, and switched us off of the Infinity and onto HAL, I was the one who got nasty glares the whole time. The overall consensus from our group (all of us in our 30s) was that the Westerdam sucked (that was their word- not mine). While the cabin was one of the most comfortable I've ever experienced (almost up there with Crystal), the food and entertainment were both pretty bad. Ship had a constant sewerage smell on the upper deck that just wouldn't go away. Covered pool was ok but missed Celebrity's T-pool. Got a cut on the bottom of my foot from a screw poking out of the bottom of the hot tub. Ship is relatively new but looked very worn to me and already needing a dry dock to spruce things up. I have read enough about the Vista class ships that I will never step foot on one again.

Alaska is amazing. In 2004 I sailed on the Statendam doing a southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver. Ship was very nice with excellent food and service. Did like being able to see Glacier Bay. Did not notice much difference in the number of shore excursions offered between Celebrity and HAL. One HAL problem I did run into was that because HAL has an older clientele, a lot of the more active shore excursions got cancelled due to lack of interest. The biking in Sitka and snorkeling in Ketchikan were both cancelled at the last minute when I was on the dock and ready to go. Got to experience both with Celebrity last summer so was happy.

Good luck with the cruise. I would be happy to sail on HAL again in a heartbeat but only on one of their older, smaller ships.

[thomasale]

I too have been a happy Celebrity cruiser who, due to their recent problems, will be trying HAL for the first time. I have also booked a small group trip that will be trying Princess for the first time next summer. Looks like a good time to spread our wings...

[kelmac]

I'm huge Celebrity fan, but HAL is always our second choice. You can't go wrong with either of these cruise lines. Pod problems are very rare, and the M class ships of Celebrity are our favorites!!
We have four cruises coming up, two with HAL, and two with Celebrity.
Many HAL fans are like Avis fans, their favorite past time is bashing Hertz. :rolleyes: :)

Enjoy!
Kel

[xpcdoojk]

This is my first post here so here it goes. Over the last 2 months I have been planning a May 07 Alaskan cruise for a group of fifty freinds and family to celebrate four of the couples anniversaries together. After strong reconmendation I choose Celebrity Infinity, we were all was looking forward to our first trip to Alaska.
I was fully ready to place deposits this week on the 24 cabins (mostly suites), but I became disturbed while really watching the boards and being shocked to see how many reocuring problems they were having with the noro virus(200 people sick on July Cruise), constant cruise delays due to pod drive and electrical problems (2 July cruises left a day late and a cruise in 4 weeks just cancelled), just about every person posting complanning about the embarcation and disembarcation process and worse of all was there unacceptable response to someone not seeing Hubbard glacier was here is a $200.00 room credit. :confused:
I called several times to Celebrity and there response was that there is not a problem at all and that there is always going to be a few complainers no matter what. I understand that but when a thread about if (I should change lines) is posted and the majority of the people who are previous celebrity guest suggest to move I said whoooo!
So just today I just decided to Jump Ship:eek: and put my group on HAL's Oosterdam next May 12th and I feel really good about the decision as do all of my group. Any hints from people that have sailed or organized a large group on HAL would be helpful since I or none in the group have been on HAL before!
Thanks in advance for any comments or help on this subject, also any HAL secrets would be great!

Making vacation decisions based on the crazy people that post in these forums is probably not the wisest decision I have ever witnessed. All cruiselines have been affected by norovirus. HAL included. :rolleyes:

I hope you enjoy your cruise.

jc

[gizmo]

I think X treated the recently cancelled cruise pax pretty good. I got this from the X board.

Infinity will go into drydock in San Francisco from September 13 through September 24 to fix the pods. Celebrity wants to ensure a problem free South America season.

The September 13 Alaska sailing is cancelled. Guests should call the Re-Accomodation Desk at 800-8528175.

Compensation is a full refund, a free future cruise certificate (which excludes XPeditions and Holiday sailings) and reimbursement of airline change fees up to $100 per person.

For those that are booked on the September 23 15-night Panama Canal sailing:

This cruise now departs one day late, on September 24, and will skip Cabo San Lucas. Arrival into Acapulco is delayed by 2 hours. Compensation is $500/$600/$700 stateroom credit (depending on cabin type) + $200 off a future cruise.

I was on the September 13 sailing. As much as I regret not going to Alaska, I have to admit that a full refund plus a free future cruise is a generous offer

[Williebill]

I certainly think you made the right decision to go with HAL. My wife, two of our friends and myself took the Westerdam to Alaska this past May 7 and loved every minute of the trip. It will be a lot cooler that early in the season; but, what scenery!

[lucchese1]

I think X treated the recently canceled cruise pax pretty good. I got this from the X board.

Infinity will go into drydock in San Francisco from September 13 through September 24 to fix the pods. Celebrity wants to ensure a problem free South America season.

The September 13 Alaska sailing is canceled. Guests should call the Re-Accomodation Desk at 800-8528175.

Compensation is a full refund, a free future cruise certificate (which excludes XPeditions and Holiday sailings) and reimbursement of airline change fees up to $100 per person.

For those that are booked on the September 23 15-night Panama Canal sailing:

This cruise now departs one day late, on September 24, and will skip Cabo San Lucas. Arrival into Acapulco is delayed by 2 hours. Compensation is $500/$600/$700 stateroom credit (depending on cabin type) + $200 off a future cruise.

I was on the September 13 sailing. As much as I regret not going to Alaska, I have to admit that a full refund plus a free future cruise is a generous offer

That is truly generous!! for X to come through for all the people on that cancelled itinerary, thats even better than what happened to us on the last cruise we had canceled. Don't get me wrong I do truly look forward to cruising with them in the near future, but my real problem I had with X was getting them to admit to me that there was a problem and how were they going to address it in the near future as not to affect my sail date and all the ones in between. I have been directing all of the people in our group to visit this and other sites and it was a unanimous decision by all of us to change when a answer could not be obtained.

[griswalds]

Celebrity has handled scheduled dry docks well as indicated by the postings below. The problem with Celebrity is how they have handled the passengers during a cruise when the pods stop working on that specific cruise. There have been a number of Celebrity M ship breakdowns that has resluted in some "disasters" at sea and very poor compensation. It is well documented that the Celebrity M ships have pod problems (design issue) and the pods seem to go without any warning even if the ship has had a recent visit to dry dock.

Griswalds

I think X treated the recently cancelled cruise pax pretty good. I got this from the X board.

Infinity will go into drydock in San Francisco from September 13 through September 24 to fix the pods. Celebrity wants to ensure a problem free South America season.

The September 13 Alaska sailing is cancelled. Guests should call the Re-Accomodation Desk at 800-8528175.

Compensation is a full refund, a free future cruise certificate (which excludes XPeditions and Holiday sailings) and reimbursement of airline change fees up to $100 per person.

For those that are booked on the September 23 15-night Panama Canal sailing:

This cruise now departs one day late, on September 24, and will skip Cabo San Lucas. Arrival into Acapulco is delayed by 2 hours. Compensation is $500/$600/$700 stateroom credit (depending on cabin type) + $200 off a future cruise.

I was on the September 13 sailing. As much as I regret not going to Alaska, I have to admit that a full refund plus a free future cruise is a generous offer

[gizmo]

Griswald, I agree. I recall reading posts that indicated disasters because of the "POD Problem".

Luchese1, I think you made the right decision going with Hal. Those "POD Problems" cause nothing but havoc when one decides to break.

Hope you and your group have a great cruise. :)