Cruised on HAL twice this summer, now leaving on Celebrity next weekend for the first

[FlorenceItaly]

time. I am so curious as how the two will compare. I was on the Maasdam and Veendam this summer. I will be sailing on the Celebrity, Horizon, which the ship size is comparable (48,000 tons vs 55,000 tons).
On HAL both solo, had one inside room and one outside room. This trip is also solo, and have booked CC class, but no balconies on this ship, so basically an outside room with amentities. I was so spoiled by HAL's beds and linens, I thought CC was a good choice for this cruise. I am most curious to compare the level of service, as both is touted to have outstanding service. My experience, although, wonderful on HAL, was the service was average. I have sailed RCI twice since my HAL cruises this summer, and I sure do miss the appetizers before dinner. I always enjoyed having a cocktail and appetizer in the lounges before dinner. ..such a nice "extra". I do not think Celebrity offers this. Will I come home, and Celebrity will be my line of choice, or will it be HAL??

Marie

[doone]

Have a wonderful time. I'll be curious to read your comparison review when you return. Bon Voyage!!!!!!!!

[Ine]

After 3 HAL cruises, we cruised on Celebrity's Mercury last September. It was a pleasant surprise I must admit.

OK, the free appetizers before dinner were not there (in just 1 bar we got some minor appetizers), on the other hand there was the Sushi bar at 6pm. Excellent if you have 2nd seating.
In general the food was just a little better on Mercury.
The staff was extremely friendly, often even more than on HAL.
We missed the captain's cocktail with shaking hands and individual introducing. Now it was a gathering in the theatre with a short speech from the captain. On HAL the officers are more mingling with passengers.

It will be a difficult decision in future what to sail.

[Leslieswiger]

I love Celebrity and enjoy sailing the Summit. If your in a CC cabin enjoy the service. I have been told that both the Zenith and Horizon have now been sold. Enjoy yourselves and Happy Sailings...Leslie:)

[localady]

Marie-

Bon Voyage to you!! I too am interested to hear what you think of the CC class on Celebrity. Have a great trip!:)

Safe seas and blue skies!:cool:

[Druke I]

Like a previous poster above, have sailed HAL 3 times, and did our 1st on Celebrity's Mercury this past March. We usually cruise Princess, and thought Celebrity more like HAL in ambience, etc. We think Princess has best variety of itineraries.

Food service on Celebrity very similar to HAL (and a cut above Princess).

Only negative (our opinion) about Celebrity was total lack of flowers about the ship.

I think most HAL cruisers would be comfortable with Celebrity - the seem to be going after the same market.

[Ziggy7]

Marie,
I wish I was going with you :) I cant wait to hear your comparison, althogh for me I would expect more from Celebrity for the prices they charge :)
I know you will have a great time no matter what! :)

[FlorenceItaly]

Marie,
I wish I was going with you :) I cant wait to hear your comparison, althogh for me I would expect more from Celebrity for the prices they charge :)
I know you will have a great time no matter what! :)

Yes, they are HIGH. I suspect this will be my ONLY solo cruise on Celebrity, as they are typically 200% more often than not.

This is a repo cruise, and it was a last minute decision on their part(as it was originally scheduled for drydock) so I got a REALLY good deal...too good to pass up, especially for 12 nights. There are many solo CC'ers on this sailing. Also, it is one of their older, smaller fleet so that helped with the pricing. In all fairness, my sis and I are booked on the Mercury next Spring, inside for less than $650pp, but it has been booked since April too.

Marie

[FlorenceItaly]

Like a previous poster above, have sailed HAL 3 times, and did our 1st on Celebrity's Mercury this past March. We usually cruise Princess, and thought Celebrity more like HAL in ambience, etc. We think Princess has best variety of itineraries.

Food service on Celebrity very similar to HAL (and a cut above Princess).

Only negative (our opinion) about Celebrity was total lack of flowers about the ship.

I think most HAL cruisers would be comfortable with Celebrity - the seem to be going after the same market.

I'll be sailing with Princess for the first time next year....dh and I...It's been fun experiencing the different cruise lines.

Marie

[Lisaanne]

We have sailed on Crown,Carnival, Princess and the Celebrity Horizon. This Christmas will be our first time on HAL. While we have enjoyed all our cruises, Celebrity's Horizon stood out head and shoulders above the rest for food and service. We have been on brand new ships that were beautiful, but fantastic service is always a big plus. You will enjoy the Horizon. Who says that you have to pick a favorite line and stay with them? Have a great cruise!!
Lisaanne

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Marie, I hope you have a wonderful cruise. I too will be very interested in your comparison. Celebrity is one of the lines we would like to try. We like HAL but I agree the service is not always there (most of the time but not always). I was extremely amazed in a little 3 dayer last December on RCI how they would bend over backward to do anything for you there service was top notch. Unfortuately the Food is a big problem it does not compare to HAL's, so please let us know what you think.

[Ziggy7]

Marie, I hope you have a wonderful cruise. I too will be very interested in your comparison. Celebrity is one of the lines we would like to try. We like HAL but I agree the service is not always there (most of the time but not always). I was extremely amazed in a little 3 dayer last December on RCI how they would bend over backward to do anything for you there service was top notch. Unfortuately the Food is a big problem it does not compare to HAL's, so please let us know what you think.
We are doing the 4 dayer on Monarch of the Seas (jr. suite for me and my best friend) any tips???? Our Ladies only cruise :)

[kruzkeen]

I have sailed on the Horizon as well as HAL S class ships. I think a physical comparison between the Noordam and the Horzon would be more in line.

I will be interested to hear your comparisons between Horizon and HAL S ships in regard to interior decoration and physical layout ie. how easy to get around the ship and also the amount of covered outdoor deck space if you want to be sheltered from the weather.

12 days in November is a good idea, hope you enjoy yourself.

Ken

[Tatka]

I've only been on Century ( next class after Horizon) and Zuiderdam.

It's difficult to compare ships that are 20,000 tons aand 7 years part but...

HAL beats X in buffets options and inside/standard outside cabin sizes. I loved new bedding and fruit basket in cabin. I loved production shows better too.

Celebrity definitely beats HAL in service in dining room (much more professional) and how fast and often rooms are made. (On three occasions on Zui our room was made after 12pm, after my call). Dinner food is also better on X. (but it is close)

[Keith Rita]

We cruised on the Horizon for New Years. It compares very well with HAL. The food. in our opinion, was a little better. The friendly staff gave us just as good service than on our HAL cruises. It was our second Celebrity cruise and it was much better than our Mercury cruise in '99. The Horizon did disappoint us a little in the lack of enough live music, as we like to dance. Also, the ship seemed more crowded then all our HAL cruises. We would definitely cruise the ship again if the circumstances were right. :) :)

[Orcrone]

I considered taking the Horizon on a Bermuda cruise before deciding on HAL to the Caribbean. If they had it available earlier I may have taken your cruise. I've seen some great rates advertised, and since I live local I'd only need to fly one way. We're leaving out of Norfolk on the Maasdam a day ahead of you. Have a great cruise and let us know what you think when you return.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

We are doing the 4 dayer on Monarch of the Seas (jr. suite for me and my best friend) any tips???? Our Ladies only cruise :)
Ziggy funny you should ask? Just this evening at dinner DH and I were talking about CC and I mentioned you were doing a Girls Weekend cruise on the Monarch. The Monarch is a great ships for her age the ONLY down side is the food is just fair to good but the service was wonderful. We went the weekend between Christmas and New Years last year. This was our second time on the Monarch. I had wanted to do a Girl's weekend cruise the weekend after you with a good friend who just went thru a nasty divorce but she want to wait till the weather is warmer. I told her we had great weather last year. Those prices were pretty good before Chirstmas when I checked it earlier this year. She offers all the usual cruise things. Lounge entertainment is usually pretty good. We enjoyed 2 guys who did duelling pianos last year. When we were on her last year we got the last available cabin we booked it just 7 days before she sailed. We had one of the most forward outside cabins on the Port side. Cabins are half the side of HAL especially in the bathroom area but for 3 days it is fine. The first time we sailed on her we had the larger outside staterooms the floor below the Jr Suites. We meant some people staying in the Jr Suite and we sat out on their blacony talking for a long time when we did the Western Caribbean. I think you will really like the cabin but the bathroom is still really small:eek:

[Ziggy7]

Ziggy funny you should ask? Just this evening at dinner DH and I were talking about CC and I mentioned you were doing a Girls Weekend cruise on the Monarch. The Monarch is a great ships for her age the ONLY down side is the food is just fair to good but the service was wonderful. We went the weekend between Christmas and New Years last year. This was our second time on the Monarch. I had wanted to do a Girl's weekend cruise the weekend after you with a good friend who just went thru a nasty divorce but she want to wait till the weather is warmer. I told her we had great weather last year. Those prices were pretty good before Chirstmas when I checked it earlier this year. She offers all the usual cruise things. Lounge entertainment is usually pretty good. We enjoyed 2 guys who did duelling pianos last year. When we were on her last year we got the last available cabin we booked it just 7 days before she sailed. We had one of the most forward outside cabins on the Port side. Cabins are half the side of HAL especially in the bathroom area but for 3 days it is fine. The first time we sailed on her we had the larger outside staterooms the floor below the Jr Suites. We meant some people staying in the Jr Suite and we sat out on their blacony talking for a long time when we did the Western Caribbean. I think you will really like the cabin but the bathroom is still really small:eek:Thanks Lisa! Come with us!!!! Whats that saying "and six makes eggroll" whatever it means but we would love for you to join us :) We got a really good deal, three of us staying in the jr. suite and 2 staying on an inside cabin, I'm trying to suprise them with an upgrade to an outside by the time we sail. I am the only one who has cruised before so they will think this is wonderful even if its tiny hehehe. Already my best friend has discovered they will not be serving lobster (her most favorite meal), she still looks at my pics and drools hehehehe, Thanks soooooo much for all the info too, not much out there for the small 3 & 4 day crusies. Thanks Marie for letting us share your thread :)

[Roadwork]

Enjoy your cruise. Celebrity is a good line and we have always experienced good service.

[OCruisers]

Marie .... You're going to have a wonderful Celebrity cruise! How do I know? Well, if you have been happy with HAL, you'll also enjoy Celebrity! :D
Agree with those who say both are going after the same market! We enjoy both very much!

Looking forward to hearing your opinion when you return!

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[Cinder]

I too, will be curious about your comparison. I almost booked X out of Baltimore last year, but decided not to due to the lack of balconies.
I recently booked Radisson for a Bermuda cruise next May, and for the first time, will be sailing solo.
Surprisingly, Radission's single supplement was only a few hundred dollars, not the normal 150-200%, so even though the line is more expensive, it may prove more cost efficient, especially since wine, etc, is included with dinner. I'll let you know how it works out for me!

[Tricia724]

We took our first Celebrity cruise in Alaska in June (Summit), and I thought it was comparable to HAL...better in some ways and not better in others. I have to say that the dining room service was better on Celebrity than it has been the last year or so on HAL. The food was also very good but not heads and shoulders above that which I enjoyed last winter on the Oosterdam. HAL has my vote for entertainment and cabin comfort (noisy cabin on Summit).

I would not hesitate to sail Celebrity again based on my cruise experience. I was annoyed, however, that I had to fill out an application to join their "Captain's Club" (for repeat cruisers). I mailed it when I returned home in June but have never heard a word from them. At least HAL keeps bombarding me with offers to sail with them. It's nice to be wanted!

[gizmo]

You may miss the appitizers but I doubt you will have meatloaf on the menu.:D

I hope you write a review when you return. Have a great cruise.

[FlorenceItaly]

You may miss the appitizers but I doubt you will have meatloaf on the menu.:D

I hope you write a review when you return. Have a great cruise.

LOL! Yes, I will definitely post an update upon my return.

Marie

[Tinknock50]

LOL! Yes, I will definitely post an update upon my return.

Marie
Have a great time Marie! I wish I was going with you :)

[FlorenceItaly]

funny you should say that because you are one of the people I thought of when one of our Solo Roll Call cruisers couldn't make it. She was offering her 12 night, in Concierge Class for $535!! You probably saw this offer in Amber's newsletter this weekend. What a deal, but I "think" I remember mentioning the cruise to you a few months ago, when I booked it, and knew it wouldn't work for your time frame. I'll give a full report upon my return.

Marie

[FlorenceItaly]

for the wonderful well wishes. I have so enjoyed my HAL cruises, and I think HAL and Celebrity are very similar so I have no doubt this will be a wonderful cruise. I am looking forward to experiencing Concierge Class as this will be an upgrade for me, especially solo cruising.

Marie

[Tinknock50]

funny you should say that because you are one of the people I thought of when one of our Solo Roll Call cruisers couldn't make it. She was offering her 12 night, in Concierge Class for $535!! You probably saw this offer in Amber's newsletter this weekend. What a deal, but I "think" I remember mentioning the cruise to you a few months ago, when I booked it, and knew it wouldn't work for your time frame. I'll give a full report upon my return.

Marie
Oh sure...tempt an addict!!! LOL

Thanks for thinking of me :) I agree HAL and Celebrity are about par.

Bon Voyage!

[FlorenceItaly]

HAL or Celebrity, but the CC solo group pricing is fantastic for Sept 2005(see my sig). We would love to have you join us. There is a great group of us. Go to group cruises, for more info, if you are interested. It will be our first Princess cruise.

I typed all this and it just occured to me the dates might conflict with your Alaska trip!

Marie

[Tinknock50]

HAL or Celebrity, but the CC solo group pricing is fantastic for Sept 2005(see my sig). We would love to have you join us. There is a great group of us. Go to group cruises, for more info, if you are interested. It will be our first Princess cruise.

I typed all this and it just occured to me the dates might conflict with your Alaska trip!

Marie
Well, my Alaska cruise ends on the 17th so I could just fly directly to your cruise....but then I probably wouldn't have a job when I got back:)