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barbon2
September 19th, 2007, 07:34 PM
We just complete our 4th cruise with HAL. We selected each of these cruises due to the port stops. I have always stated that I selected HAL over Celebrity because of certain 7 day itineraries, but would return to Celebrity if I were doing a Caribbean cruise.
We'll we're hooked!
After sailing on the Noordam to Alaska a few weeks ago we have selected the Eurodam for our next cruise to the CARIBBEAN.....
So obviously through a slow transition, HAL has now become our preferred line.
Barbara
hammybee
September 19th, 2007, 07:37 PM
Glad you found a preference in cruise lines and welcome home. :)
LAFFNVEGAS
September 19th, 2007, 08:20 PM
Barbara, that is great you have selected the Eurodam:) , what date are you going? We too are looking forward to returning to the Caribbean on the Eurodam. We have not been there since March 2005 but will return on the October 18th sailing in 2008.
sail7seas
September 19th, 2007, 08:42 PM
Soooo happy it is the very beautiful Noordam that 'sealed the deal' for you. She's a great ship with a wonderful crew, isn't she?

Happy you have found a line you are so happy with particularly seeing as it is HAL. ;)
CrystalWater
September 19th, 2007, 10:40 PM
The crew was definitely wonderful on the Noordam. Noticeably wonderful, but I also feel that way about Celebrity and also feel Celebrity had much better food! To each their own!!!
DedeM
September 20th, 2007, 10:02 AM
I haven't been on any HAL cruises yet, but I have to agree with you on the itineraries. Celebrity (not the Azamara line) always has the same dull ports in their 7-day Caribbean itineraries.

When I cruise on X with my mom, she rarely gets off at the ports so she doesn't care where we go, as long as there are good at-sea days too.

I, on the other hand, care a LOT about the ports. If I'm going to do yet another Caribbean cruise I'd like to have different ports other than Grand Caymen, Ocho Rios, St. Thomas, and Cozumel.

Celebrity really needs to shake up their Caribbean itineraries. They're very ho-hum and as a result they've lost my mom and I because we're sailing on the Westerdam in January instead of X.
rebeljohn
September 20th, 2007, 10:21 AM
Our cruise on HAL in Nov.(Zuiderdam) was chosen for the intinerary. I must say, HAL does a good job of mixing up the Caribbean ports. We are looking forward to visiting Grand Turk and Tortola for the first time........
jhannah
September 20th, 2007, 10:25 AM
If I'm going to do yet another Caribbean cruise I'd like to have different ports other than Grand Caymen, Ocho Rios, St. Thomas, and Cozumel. I know what you mean. However, there aren't that many of the Caribbean's lovely islands that have the infrastructure to handle cruise ships. Maybe that's why I've grown a tad cold toward the Caribbean. Been there enough that nothing is new and holds interest for me.
Jade13
September 20th, 2007, 11:17 AM
Glad to hear about the Noordam since we'll be aboard her next year.

We pick by itinerary BUT we are trying Celebrity first time in the Carribean. Due to the schedule we can fit an extra cruise in because of the availability of a 5 night cruise. This will be our first time with ship as the destination but Grand Cayman will be new. We have heard that the food is better and will definately come back with a review. I am not as impressed with the customer service. Right now we are booked with them for everything (first time for us), flights, hotels transfers, so if I don't find anything cheaper I will really be able to gve an overall review. Can you believe their prices are cheaper than doing it on your own?
kelmac
September 20th, 2007, 01:36 PM
We just complete our 4th cruise with HAL. We selected each of these cruises due to the port stops. I have always stated that I selected HAL over Celebrity because of certain 7 day itineraries, but would return to Celebrity if I were doing a Caribbean cruise.
We'll we're hooked!
After sailing on the Noordam to Alaska a few weeks ago we have selected the Eurodam for our next cruise to the CARIBBEAN.....
So obviously through a slow transition, HAL has now become our preferred line.
Barbara

Hi Barb,
We usually alternate between Celebrity and Holland America. Both lines are excellent, but you are correct, Celebrity's itineraries lack a creative sequence of ports. For that reason, we usually only cruise Celebrity on 10+ day cruises in the Caribbean. HAL does a better job in this area and It dosen't hurt have HMC as an option.
I would miss the Aqua spa, the Aqua spa cafe, the alternative restaurant, and the European cuisine if we did switch exclusively to HAL.

Enjoy!
Kel
Sky Sweet
September 20th, 2007, 01:44 PM
Our cruise on HAL in Nov.(Zuiderdam) was chosen for the intinerary. I must say, HAL does a good job of mixing up the Caribbean ports. We are looking forward to visiting Grand Turk and Tortola for the first time........

Hi Rebeljohn :)

We usually cruise on Celebrity, and will be taking our first HAL cruise on Westerdam in Nov. One of our considerations in selecting this cruise was that it included Grand Turk and Tortola which will be new ports for us. I have also heard that HAL's private island, Half Moon Cay, is one of the prettiest private islands of any cruise line.
newmexicoNita
September 20th, 2007, 04:18 PM
I know what you mean. However, there aren't that many of the Caribbean's lovely islands that have the infrastructure to handle cruise ships. Maybe that's why I've grown a tad cold toward the Caribbean. Been there enough that nothing is new and holds interest for me.
you are right and this is a problem that could develop with the cruise industry period. There are only so many places to go. We, like you have seen so much of the Caribbean it doesn't hold the same interest it did 5,10 or 20 years ago. I am sure new horizons will appear. I don't think this has anything to do with Celebrity or any other line for that matter.

nita
newmexicoNita
September 20th, 2007, 04:21 PM
We have 2 favorite lines, NCL and HAL, of course for very different reasons. Celebrity used to be up there, but after sailing HAL last year we were sold. We found the cabins nicer, the food much better and the service overall better. There were a few exceptions. The only down fall for us: the casino was awful with the few workers even worse. if you could have seen the look on the cashieres face you would wonder why she works at a job she hates so much.

Nita
btobey
September 20th, 2007, 04:55 PM
Barb, thanks for posting! After selling Celebrity for our honeymoon, DH and I were hoping to sail the same line for our anniverary next year, but we couldn't find a Panama Canal cruise with Celebrity to fit our limited time frame. So, we're newcomers to HAL and hoping that we like it just as much!
satchiesmom
September 20th, 2007, 06:57 PM
Barb,
Your post has a familiar ring to me, we have had exactly the same experience. Until we took our first HAL cruise in Jan. 2006, we would have sworn that nothing could ever lure us away from Celebrity. Because of time constraints and trying to coordinate with 2 other couples, we chose the above mentioned cruise on the Westerdam. We fell in love immediately! This past February I was back on Celebrity because I needed a 5 day cruise, and they provided that on the Century. While I enjoyed myself, I fould myself missing that inexplicable "something" that I feel whenever I'm on a HAL ship.
The only thing that I found I enjoyed more on Celebrity was the Murano, the Century's new alternative restaurant. While we always enjoy the Pinnacle, the Murano was unbelievable! That being said, I think we will stick with HAL for the most part, it seems to suit us perfectly.

Susan
barbon2
September 20th, 2007, 10:51 PM
Lisa, we are doing the Eurodam, 12/6/08.
I am not knocking Celebrity, never had a bad cruise on the line. It just seems that they are not as quick to produce new ships, except for the Soltice. As I stated before, at this time due to business constraints, we have to keep our cruises to 7 days, with a day or two before the cruise when needed. The 7 day itineraries on Celebrity just don't interest us or they are on much older vessels which we do not prefer.
I am not saying that I am exclusive to HAL, it is just that we use to look at other options before deciding on HAL. Now I look to see if HAL has what we want first (eg. the Eurodam) and if they do, look no further.
I think HAL offers larger cabins, and has wonderful service. Before the Noordam I would agree that the food on Celebrity was better but I can no longer say that after the Noordam.
Barbara
thomasale
September 21st, 2007, 07:45 AM
I too love Celebrity but this will be our second cruise on HAL and our summer cruise was on Princess. It is all about availability and ports and right now for us Celebrity does not have it...I still miss their Martini Bar :(
newmexicoNita
September 21st, 2007, 10:38 AM
Barb, thanks for posting! After selling Celebrity for our honeymoon, DH and I were hoping to sail the same line for our anniverary next year, but we couldn't find a Panama Canal cruise with Celebrity to fit our limited time frame. So, we're newcomers to HAL and hoping that we like it just as much!
If you are doing the 1/2 canal cruise it is awesome. we did it last year. The only draw back I can see to HAL is the night life or life period, is pretty minimal. Most everyone is in bed by 10pm. Of course Celebrtiy doesn't have a really active night life either. I think you will be happy with HAL.

Nita
Charliesmom
September 21st, 2007, 10:47 AM
Barbon 2,

We are also sailing on the Eurodam on 12/6/08. Perhaps we should start a roll call thread. Would you like to do it or shall I?

Roberta
btobey
September 21st, 2007, 10:59 AM
If you are doing the 1/2 canal cruise it is awesome. we did it last year. The only draw back I can see to HAL is the night life or life period, is pretty minimal. Most everyone is in bed by 10pm. Of course Celebrtiy doesn't have a really active night life either. I think you will be happy with HAL.
We are actually doing the full canal transit--very excited! And we are not really worried about night life at all; during our honeymoon, we usually either just hung out at the bar for a nightcap after dinner or went to the movie.
WELSH WIZARDS
September 21st, 2007, 11:52 AM
People on all cruise lines have things and experiences happen that they do not like, but I think its unfair to condem a whole cruise line on individual incidents. Single instances should not be held against everyone working on that ship, or company.
All cruises I have sailed on have had one or two things I could blow out of proportion, but set against the whole experience each line has offered they do not amount to anything serious enough to NEVER sail with that line again.
barbon2
September 21st, 2007, 01:26 PM
Barbon 2,

We are also sailing on the Eurodam on 12/6/08. Perhaps we should start a roll call thread. Would you like to do it or shall I?

Roberta


Already done Roberta :)
Glad to have someone count down the days with me.
Barbara
newmexicoNita
September 21st, 2007, 02:54 PM
We are actually doing the full canal transit--very excited! And we are not really worried about night life at all; during our honeymoon, we usually either just hung out at the bar for a nightcap after dinner or went to the movie.
You should be excited. You will love it. we only did 1/2 and it was one of our very favorite cruises.

Happy anniversary (well not yet) and have a wonderful time.

Nita