Celebrity vs. HAL

[apfra.]

I thought I would post this on this board to get other opinions. I have been on seven Celebrity cruises and they are my favorite line. Recently, I went on the Westerdam to N. Europe. I was very disappointed. I don't know if it is because it is the shakedown period, but I don't think the two can compare.

The dining room food and the food in the specialty restaurants was far superior on Celebrity. I could eat my steak in seven bites, I counted! Our concierge was simply rude. The cabin service and the dining service was much more professional on Celebrity. Our waiter was slow, and made no effort to converse with us, or even get to know our names. They seemed to want to go out of their way for you more on Celebrity, trying to fix any problems that arise and apologizing for them. The service on HAL was just not European, it was "Filipino". It just lacked the grace and elegance of Celebrity. And, the staffs English was sketchy. I think it's in part because of the tips. They motivate the staff on Celebrity. On HAL, our stateroom attendant and waiter just did not care, and this is their newest ship.

Was this just a bad HAL cruise, or can it be compared in the same league as Celebrity? I won't judge HAL on this one experience, but so far, I think at its best it is equivalent to RCI's Radiance-class. Douglas Ward in Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships gives HAL four-stars, and Celebrity five. I always questioned this, but now I have to agree.

Adam

Celebrity Galaxy- 7/98
Celebrity Zenith- 7/99
Rhapsody of the Seas- 12/99
Voyager of the Seas- 8/00
Celebrity Millennium- 6/01
Radiance of the Seas- 10/01
Explorer of the Seas- 12/01
Celebrity Millennium- 4/02
Celebrity Constellation- 6/02
Celebrity Summit- 8/02
Radiance of the Seas- 8/02
Norwegian Star- 11/02
Norwegian Dawn- 12/02
Celebrity Infinity- 4/03
Radisson Seven Seas Voyager- 6/03
Crystal Serenity- 8/03
Monarch of the Seas- 10/03
Serenade of the Seas- 10/03
Mariner of the Seas- 12/03
Queen Mary II (Queen's Grill)- 03/04
Westerdam- 06/04
Crystal Symphony- 06/04

Miscellaneous ship visits:
The World- 12/02
Legend of the Seas- 11/03
Seven Seas Voyager- 01/03
Caronia- 04/04

[garydm]

Adam-And here I thought you were a Crystal fan??

Gary

[wwinfl91]

It is interesting you didn't enjoy your first HAL cruise. I had the same experience on my first Celebrity cruise on the Zenith last fall. I was very disappointed in the quality of the food on Celebrity especially after all the posts about how great the food was supposed to be on Celebrity. In general I thought the cabins were a little smaller than on HAL. I felt we got good service on the Zenith although I felt the shore excursion staff was not very helpful if you didn't buy their excursions.

Anyway we have enjoyed all our HAL cruises better than the Celebrity cruise we took. I have had people who have taken many Celebrity cruises to try the line again and see if the second time is better. I would suggest that you do the same with HAL.

Have a great next cruise.

[Sunviking]

Adam,

We haven't cruised on the Westerdam but we have taken 2 Celebrity and 2 HAL cruises and have had great service on both. I sailed on the Infinity in May to Hawaii and I thought the food in the dining room was good but no better than I have had on other cruise lines. We ate one night in the SS United States on the Infinity and while the service was exquisite I did not think the food or choices were as good as in the Pinnacle Grill on HAL.

We have enjoyed the Indonesian and Filipino staff and their service. Our cabin steward on our last HAL cruise on the Statendam went out of his way to anticipate our every need. Interestingly enough, on the Infinity our cabin steward was from Goa and his assistant was from the Philippines and their service was outstanding too. As far as language is concerned, we have found people whose English was limited on several ships and some of those people were Europeans.

We've been on 20 cruises and I can honestly say we've never had a bad one or had rude stewards. Maybe we've just been lucky.

Ann

[apfra.]

Gary—I am a Crystal fan. However, I try many lines and Celebrity is my favorite. It's the best bang for the buck in my opinion.

wwinfl91, Horizon and Zenith are poor examples of Celebrity, even though they make up more than 15% of the fleet. Mr. Ward gives them four-stars, surprisingly, the same rating he gives HAL ships. The cabins on that ship are small unfortunately. They both need to go. The Millennium-class is much better. When I spoke with veteran HAL cruisers onboard, they said that this ship is a poor example of the service they have received on the Statendam-class. Some went to the extent of saying that the Vista-class as a whole has been a disappointment. It is a shame that my cruise was still obviously in the "shakedown" period.

Ann, your right about the languages. Both the Filipinos and Europeans sometimes have trouble with English. It's just that the Europeans in general serve with more grace, elegance, and professionalism than the Filipinos, unless they are trained properly like on Crystal. I have found that the Filipinos in general get to "friendly" with the passengers, asking questions that are too personal for a server-passenger relationship. Some people like this, but it is just not the five-star way.

Pinnacle Grill:

We despised the Pinnacle Grill. Some people do not appreciate the food in the specialty restaurants in Celebrity. For some, it is overdone. That is fine, many prefer the more traditional American-cuisine of the Pinnacle Grill (I hesitate calling this cuisine). We hated it so much we demanded a refund but even the hotel manager refused to give us one.

First of all, the restaurant manager did not speak fluent English, which made it difficult to communicate with him. When we were escorted to our table, the waiter just left, leaving us to sit ourselves (he did not pull out the chairs, put the napkin in our laps, etc.) We were disappointed with our table, and since the restaurant was almost empty, we asked the foreign restaurant manager for a change. This request was not accommodated. After waiting 8-minutes for our menus, we finally decided to order. Our order was placed without a problem.

Then, two women with two young children came and sat near us. The children made much noise and, well, just acted like children. On Celebrity you must be 12 to dine in the specialty restaurants. At the Pinnacle Grill, the service was in general not attentive, which is unacceptable for this "outstanding" restaurant, especially when they were not busy. The waiters elected to converse amongst themselves. We accidentally spilled a glass of Champagne, and the waiters just starred, not knowing what to do. I finally had to ask for assistance.

Finally, our food arrived. My steak was overdone, and they offered to replace it, but I did not want to wait another 20 minutes. I ate it, and it was not even that great. Another person in our party ordered a special order of salmon. It was not a big thick fillet like we expected. It was the same fillet as the dining room. Just people it is a special order they cheapened out on it. So at the end, we asked to be at least partially credited, which was refused. We told them that we would come back for lunch another day to give them another try.

When we came back for lunch, it was not much better. The same problems as before--- poor service. The menu was exactly the same as the dining room. They could not get my order of no bacon on my hamburger right. I sent it back, asking for a new burger cooked without bacon (the taste and fats get into the burger). They just took the bacon off. I asked again, and they gave me a new burger, but the same fries, which still tasted like bacon. I did not bother. I must comment that the illuminated fruits on the wall lowered the ambiance of the restaurant to an upscale coffee shop.

So when you say that food in the Pinnacle Grill is better than the SS United States or her sister restaurants, I assume you are referring to a different Pinnacle Grill other than on Westerdam. My friend who is a veteran HAL cruiser dined with us, and he said that it could not compare to the Odyssey on the Rotterdam.

Maybe I was just unlucky with my experience on HAL. A lot of it is luck--- which stateroom attendant you will have, which waiter you will have, etc. I

Adam

Celebrity Galaxy- 7/98
Celebrity Zenith- 7/99
Rhapsody of the Seas- 12/99
Voyager of the Seas- 8/00
Celebrity Millennium- 6/01
Radiance of the Seas- 10/01
Explorer of the Seas- 12/01
Celebrity Millennium- 4/02
Celebrity Constellation- 6/02
Celebrity Summit- 8/02
Radiance of the Seas- 8/02
Norwegian Star- 11/02
Norwegian Dawn- 12/02
Celebrity Infinity- 4/03
Radisson Seven Seas Voyager- 6/03
Crystal Serenity- 8/03
Monarch of the Seas- 10/03
Serenade of the Seas- 10/03
Mariner of the Seas- 12/03
Queen Mary II (Queen's Grill)- 03/04
Westerdam- 06/04
Crystal Symphony- 06/04

Miscellaneous ship visits:
The World- 12/02
Legend of the Seas- 11/03
Seven Seas Voyager- 01/03
Caronia- 04/04

[dam1050]

It sounds like partly bad luck and perhaps some overly high expectations on your part.

I've been lucky in the 4 times I've eaten in the Pinnacle grill on different sailings I've been pleased each time.

I was also particularly pleased with the food on Celebrity Infinity and enjoyed the U.S.S. United States specialty restaurant there very much.

That said, I always enjoy the food on RCI as well, which tends to get many complaints on the boards from people, so what do I know ...........LOL

I found the food on Norwegian and Princess to be the least appetizing of the lot.

Was it just the food that made you prefer X to HAL , or were there any other mitigating factors?

Dave

[HighRoller]

Celebrity or HAL...??? I'd vote neither!....Princess Cruises rules!:cool: :eek: :cool: although maybe when I am 55 I might try HAL since I am a CCL shareholder and keep the $$$ in the family!

[Lois R]

Hi, I have sailed Celebrity 3 times since May 2003....will be trying HAL for the first time on Sept 11.....I am hoping for a great week:)

[Jacqueline]

Lois, I have sailed X twice once on the Zenith and most recently this spring on the Connie. As much as I enjoyed the Connie I thought the specialty restaurant was a huge dissapointment. So maybe the original poster and I would have a very different take on the whole experience, period.
BTW I much prefer the pool and open decks on Princess to X, even on the M class. And dont even get me talking about how abysmal the in cabin TV viewing is on X, even do pay per view. On the plus side the DR I though on X was more beautiful than any of the Princess ships. And many of the spaces were gorgeous, if you didnt look at the artwork. The Radiance class is the one I have been on that had artwork I admire, so again is very individual.
All ships have their plusses and minuses. Many seem to prefer staff from one part of the world versus another. Frankly, I loved it when there was more Italian staff which is largely a thing of the past. The Eastern European staff is dour by comparison (half my heritage).

[Lois R]

Jacqueline, hi:) you have cruised many more times than I have....I have not been on any M Class ships nor any on Princess.
twice on CENTURY and once on Mercury.......all 3 of my cruises were fabulous:D

I realize we all have different expectations and what is important to one person makes no difference to someone else.

For me, I never watch TV on a cruise, so that is not a factor for my cruising experience.
I rarely use the pool......I love to sit at a pool bar..have a drink, read a book, talk to a bartender....but salt water or fresh water...or the deck...they don't come into play for me. As long as I have a bar stool I am happy..oh I don't mean to portray myself as a lush LOL...I just do a lot of relaxing on a cruise:D

One of the most important aspects is the staff and crew, and how they treat their pax....sailing solo, I love to meet people...and it is so nice to have the crew remember your name and to have you feel welcomed aboard. I have always found that on Celebrity....I have always felt as if they love their jobs...with a sincerety that is quite rare.
I have a girlfriend who sailed the Zuiderdam last summer and she raved about the service. She told me they would remember my name after the first day and her service was as good as any of her cruises on X...as a loyal Celebrity cruiser, that is high praise. I always go on a cruise with a positive attitude and I do hope to have a wonderful HAL experience:)

And I don't even know if I am trying the "Specialty Restaurant"....I will decide that once I get on the ship. I have heard many things (most very good) but not sure what I am going to do at this point.

[dmarch@islc.net]

Hey Y'all,

I think I have tried 75% of all the lines that are out there. I always thought Celeb. delivered the most "bang for the buck", as another poster said. Unfortutly, they have done some schedule changes for 2006 that I'm not really happy with. I know HAL does some longer cruises, the staterooms look wonderful the fares are certainly in line with Celeb. So here is my one hesitation.....the food. Food on a cruise for my wife and I are extremely important. We went on HAL's Amsterdam about ten years ago. It was the only cruise we ever lost weight on! We told ourselves "never again" as we disembarked. I know that (because of CC) this was the exception and not the rule. Which HAL ship do recommend for winter 2006 doing 14 night Caribbean runs? Hows the food?

Thank you,

David
PS
Hi Lois!

[Lois R]

Hi David:) I started a Food thread....its somewhere on the page LOL...asking about everyone's favorites....check it out:D ....their food sounds very good!

[Jacqueline]

Jacqueline, hi:) you have cruised many more times than I have....I have not been on any M Class ships nor any on Princess.
twice on CENTURY and once on Mercury.......all 3 of my cruises were fabulous:D

I realize we all have different expectations and what is important to one person makes no difference to someone else.

For me, I never watch TV on a cruise, so that is not a factor for my cruising experience.
I rarely use the pool......I love to sit at a pool bar..have a drink, read a book, talk to a bartender....but salt water or fresh water...or the deck...they don't come into play for me. As long as I have a bar stool I am happy..oh I don't mean to portray myself as a lush LOL...I just do a lot of relaxing on a cruise:D

int.

Well, between us we have been on a lot of different kinds of ships...
I agree that people value different aspects of the onboard experience, hence the vastly differeing reviews. Also the particular staff that one happens upon really can sway a whole trip one way or the other in terms of the total experience.
For me, I love being at sea on open decks, so how they are laid out and the type of ambience is huge. I always use the pools, even when we were in Alaska and the Baltic ! On the other hand I never even go into the Casino, which is the main entertainment for some.
My kids always need some down time in the cabin- as do I. Last summer I was totally exhausted from snokeling and scuba diving and realyl appreciated being able to watch nearly first run movies like Bend It Like Beckham in my cabin (Princess). 14 days in the Baltic on the Brilliance with 4 sea days and it was harry potter every single day. People in prison get better tv ! And the lounge chairs by the pool were those kind with the plastic straps. Ouch.
But I also love chatting it up with the Bartenders and socializing onboard. With over a thousand people on each of these ships, its not hard to find nice people. Last cruise I made friends with some single gals traveling and we all went out to dinner one night (the specialty dinning room). Company was great even though the food and service was ho hum.
Now for my husband the workout equipment and gym is really important !

[Lois R]

Jacqueline, thanks for your reply:) I do appreciate reading about what others enjoy too!
And...If I meet a few folks who want to do the Specialty Restaurant I would go in a heartbeat:D....I have always enjoyed my own company...but for the specialty resaurant, seems like it would be more fun with friends;)

[helenp2]

We have sailed quite a few times with Celebrity and many, many times with HAL. We just got off the Summit's Christmas Holiday cruise, and while we felt that the ship was indeed beautiful, the food was just awful. On our first Celebrity cruise the food was excellent, it seems to be declining on every one of our Celebrity cruises since then. Celebrity's menu choice was just unacceptable. We found ourselves eating lots of salads and soups to satisfy our hungar. We were booked in a Conceirge class Suite that was a nice size with a large balcony aft. The bedding was a joke. I have only had 1 worst experience with a bad bed and that was on RCCL. Bed was uneven, head was lower than your feet and sagged in the middle - horrible. Housekeeping can not compare with HAL. Bathroom floor was dirty and needed to be scrubed on the day we arrived. We were traveling with my 2 Sisters who booked the family Suite right next to ours. They requested that the beds be made up as twins. Just unbelieveable - these beds measured 29" wide! HAL'S are 36" wide. You could not roll over on these beds without falling out. One of them ended up sleeping on the pullout sofa for 10 nights. For almost $4000 pp I don't think you should have to sleep on a pullout. There were soooo many glaring differences between these 2 lines that I doubt we will ever sail on Celebrity again.

[cruisinjudy]

Our most recent cruises have been on both Celebrity and HAL. We enjoy both. I also can not think of a bad meal on either one, except the tasteless fish I ordered one night on Mercury, so I returned to the beef choices on that ship, which were excellent.

As to the specialty restaurants, we have been to one on HAL and one on Celebrity. Of those two experiences, we preferred HAL's Pinnacle Grill. On another ship on either of them the experience may be different.

Princess was fine too, but I felt Grand Princess was a bit large! Our previous Princess cruises had been on smaller ships.

[Cathy Britvich]

I too lost weight on my recent HAL cruise on the Zaandam. To me the food was inedible. I was very disappointed in the service and the food, especially after having been spoiled by Celebrity. I am from California, and am used to some adventurous dining with lots of fresh ingredients and herbs and spices. If you like white bread, ranch dressing and canned peaches, you will love the food on HAL. If you like poorly trained waiters, or rude wine stewards, by all means cruise with HAL. On the other hand, if you look forward to 5 star dining experiences on your cruises, look for the big "Celebrity" on the side of the ship you plan to travel on.

Even though Holland America has beautiful ships, and the best beach I have ever been to (Half Moon Cay), this was my first and only HAL cruise. I can't wait to get back on a Celebrity ship. To be fair, I met lots of people from the midwest and other "red" states who love Holland America, and cruise with them over and over. When I was on my last Celebrity cruise, I actually met some people who were unhappy with the food on Celebrity because Celebrity did not serve ranch dressing for their salads. Now I know to tell them they will LOVE Holland America. Look for me on Celebrity from now on. CB

[crossingfan]

Adam

I agree completely with your experience on HAL. We were just on the Presidents cruise on the new "Westerdam" and it was terrible. The food and service were very poor. Celebrity is our favorite line also.

I just dont see how HAL can call themselves "premium" I dont see it in the areas that count!! They were once a great line, not anymore in my opinion.

Rick

[doone]

I think food is so subjective, what I like, you may not and visa versa. That being said, I have never sailed Celebrity, but had two friends who did. Each one of them said it was horrible, the food was the worst part of entire cruise. They each said the food was inedible, the service was ok, but nothing to brag about, they were just very unhappy with their Celebrity experience. One sailed on the Zenith and the other on the Summit. They are now back with their cruise lines of choice, RCCL and Carnival!! This is why there are so many cruiselines out there, one for all of us.

I hope all your future cruises meet your cruise expectations, but for me, HAL is mine.

[SCOTTDAVID]

I have never sailed anything but Celebrity on their Millenium-class ships and the food has been very good. The specialty restaurants are nothing less than outstanding. I know that food opinion vary by eater but I am something of a foody on land and consider myseld a pretty accurate judge of the food. I must say, my worst experience with Celebrity food is the "junk" - the burgers and pizza by the pool (they taste very hospital-cafeteria-like) and the buffets, they just aren't up to par but they are loved by the masses who can thing of nothing but stuffing themselves with unlimited food.

[Sueseb]

We have sailed on the Mercury and the Zaandam and found the Mercury far superior -- food and service.
It is diconcerting to, say the least, to find a HAL bag in your stateroom on arrival with someone's dirty underwear! And the following afternoon (our cabin was never made up before 3PM) to find a strange nightgown on my bed. The steward insisted that it was mine because it was under my bed!!! (It was a size 10; I am plus sized.)
My husband sent his shoes to be polished and it took a couple of days to get them back because he (steward) didn't know to whom they belonged. Obviously, he did not have them for formal night.
I can't recall the name of the specialty Italian restaurant but it was FREEZING and we felt like it was a bother for them to wait on us, never offered coffee with dessert etc.
All this said, a cruise is what you make it and we had a great time with great friends.
And, we are giving them a second chance in March but I must admit that the cruise was set up by others in the group who are first time cruisers. It probably would not have been our choice.

[Tatka]

I've been only on 1 of X and HAL ships (Century vs. Zuiderdam)

Liked better on X:

Service in DR faster and more professional and elegant.
Room attendants have less rooms to clean which let them do it faster.Also I always could acess steward by direct phone.

Liked better on HAL:

Bigger room in even lower category than we sailed on X.
Better bedding
More choices of fresh juices(loved it) and salads
We could wait in our room until our # was called on disembarkation
Fresh fruits in our room every day

I liked both cruises but would give a small edge to X (first cruise?)

RCCL food can't hold a candle to any of 2 lines.... but RCCL also has great features: beautiful ships with lots of glass and great views.
Great solarium pools working 24 hr a day. Possiblity to buy spirits on board and drink in cabin for a fee. Very friendly service (we found it a bit better than on HAL)