Celebrity Millennium ships/HAL Vista ships

[Moriah]

Hi HAL cruisers! I've sailed on many HAL cruises and have 2 more booked already this year... but it seems that the group I cruise with is going to be trying some other lines in 2009. Can anyone tell me how the Celebrity Millennium Class ships compare with the HAL Vista class ships? And also, the Princess line? (I think the Sapphire?) Anyone sailed these AND HAL and can compare and contrast?

Moriah

[barbels]

I have sailed on the Noordam and on the Summit, Constellation and Crown Princess. While I like the Noordam, I'd have to say I like the Millie class ships the best. The cabins aren't as good as the HAL cabins, but I don't spend a lot of time in the cabin. I liked the public spaces of the Summit and Connie better and I loved the free thalassotherapy pool. These pools are under glass roofs and are much larger than the similar pools on the Vista ships.

On the whole I give a slight edge to Celebrity over my HAL experience, but I find them to be very close and I now book based on price and itinerary.

[jer_l]

I have sailed on the Noordam and on the Summit, Constellation and Crown Princess. While I like the Noordam, I'd have to say I like the Millie class ships the best. The cabins aren't as good as the HAL cabins, but I don't spend a lot of time in the cabin. I liked the public spaces of the Summit and Connie better and I loved the free thalassotherapy pool. These pools are under glass roofs and are much larger than the similar pools on the Vista ships.

On the whole I give a slight edge to Celebrity over my HAL experience, but I find them to be very close and I now book based on price and itinerary.
Having sailed on the Summit and the Infinity and the Oosterdam I totally agree.

[dakrewser]

It depends on what you're looking for. Check this older thread (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=231778&highlight=heavyweight) I started comparing the Oosterdam and the Infinity in detail.

We've not sailed one of the Princess "big boats" but our recent cruise on the Dawn Princess left us totally unimpressed - it was much less prefferable than either Oosterdam or Infinity.

[patnjohn]

While we like the Noordam, we LOVED the Summit & Constellation. Better beds on Noordam, but smaller cabin (balcony). Buffet area on HAL -there were tables & chairs set up in area where you get your food from, leaving a very narrow walk way. I would never eat at those table, people keep bunking into you. On X there were more stores & sidewalk sales. There were no "sidewalks" on Noordam & only 2 stores that I remember. One jewelry & one everything store including liquor. Show lounge set up better on X. Noordam did have 2 pools, one covered & one adult only, which I did like. All in all, I would sail X again and again.

[mafig]

I used to say I would never sail Celebrity again. Well, I've changed my mind and I am considering the new Solstice when she comes out.

However, the only ship of the M class I would go on is Constellation. The others seem to have a lot of maintenance issues. Have you been reading the Celebrity boards? They are always complaining about how run down these ships are getting. Why? Who knows? Even the good reviews say something like "well, the ship was nowhere near as bad as I heard it was going to be." Older ships can be kept up--we were on Volendam last year and I could see how HAL is called the "spotless" fleet.

Also, a previous poster stated there were more "sidewalk sales" on Celebrity. I, for one, do not consider that a good thing.:p

[hammybee]

I sail X and HAL. I love, love, love the complimentary thermal pool on X. I also tend to like the entertainment better on X. Food is subjective and both have strengths.

I like HAL cabins and public areas better. In the end, for me, it's all about the crew and that's where HAL stands out, in my book. It's about the genuine warmth and pride in a job well done that makes the HAL crew different from the others within their class. There is a real sense of teamwork.

[Bill S]

We've sailed on two Vistas and on the Millennium (just last November).

I agree with the above posters who give the edge in cabins and beds to HAL.

We are not great fans of the Vistas, but we were impessed with the open feel of the Millennium as compared to the Vistas. The staircases and landings all seemed much larger and the atrium area was huge. The library spanned two decks and the crow's nest lounge on the Millennium was immense as compared to the ones on the Vistas. The lounges were bigger and more airy than on HAL ships. The decor on the Millennium though, was a bit on the abstract side.

We also felt that Celebrity had just an edge over HAL on food and entertainment, and that Celebrity and HAL are very comparable in most respects.

[avalon1025]

although we had a good time on the Summit this past Feb. We did not find the food to be any better than HAL. We had a nice suite but missed the Neptune lounge and the great suite amenities on HAL. I did not care for the one outdoor pool area on summit as it was quite crowded on sea days. We find Holland slighty more refined. Also missed that teak prominade deck

[Moriah]

Wow, thank you all so much for your replies. I also followed the link to Dave's older thread - there is a lot to read on both! I'm going to print it all out and sit and get a feel for your comments. I am thinking it will be hard to part with HAL, but also good to try something now...

Thanks again everyone!
Moriah

[jer_l]

Wow, thank you all so much for your replies. I also followed the link to Dave's older thread - there is a lot to read on both! I'm going to print it all out and sit and get a feel for your comments. I am thinking it will be hard to part with HAL, but also good to try something now...

Thanks again everyone!
Moriah

Moriah,

When we went on our first HAL cruise in November we thought it would be hard to cruise on a line other than Celebrity. We are cruising again on HAL this summer (Alaska) and our next cruise will probably be on Celebrity to the Caribbean. What we have found is that there are two cruise lines, each with their own strengths, that we enjoy. I think you will find the same.

[kelmac]

Hi HAL cruisers! I've sailed on many HAL cruises and have 2 more booked already this year... but it seems that the group I cruise with is going to be trying some other lines in 2009. Can anyone tell me how the Celebrity Millennium Class ships compare with the HAL Vista class ships? And also, the Princess line? (I think the Sapphire?) Anyone sailed these AND HAL and can compare and contrast?

Moriah

Hi Moriah,

My wife and I are pretty much just alternating between Celebrity and Holland America. Both lines are excellent! We've sailed the Millennium twice, Summit once and the Constellation twice; we've sailed the Zuiderdam and the Westerdam. We have the Constellation coming up again at the end of the year, and we will board the Westerdam the day you disembark.

Here is my quick summary:

Celebrity gets the edge in dining room cuisine, ship design, alternative restaurant cuisine/service, aqua spa/aqua spa cafe, theater design, and deck spaces. In addition, as a frequent cruiser we have always thought Celebrity makes us feel special (ie -- six visits to the Captain's Table, special tours of the Galley, Bridge, Behind the scenes theater, first off Disembarkation, flowers/gifts in the cabin)

Holland America gets the edge in Cabin space/beds/beddings, wrap around promenade deck, Lido food, in cabin TV, Movie theater, lunch time in the Pinnacle Grill, and a special personable type of service. In addition, HAL has superior itineraries and HMC is the best private island in the industry.

Princess seems like a distant third choice.

We really do enjoy both of these cruise lines!:)
Below is an old review I did comparing the Westerdam to the Millennium:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=464131&highlight=Westerdam+Millennium

Enjoy your cruise!
Kel

[mizzmgc]

I agree with the majority of the posters above. The Millenium Class ships hold an edge over the Vista Class ships and basically for the very same reasons.

I would not hesitate to sail either cruise lines, while ignoring other lines.

[momofmeg]

I loved the connie and her free T-pool which was MUCH nicer then the HAL T-pool on the Westerdam-but as for everything else the Westerdam was better then the Connie. Especailly the food.

I have also been on the Caribbean Princess, this is a nice ship, decent food, but still-if you have only cruised HAL vista class you will be disapointed.