HAL Cruiser Tries X: Our Review

We're back from our first cruise on Celebrity's The Reflection. We thought we would try X as so many family and friends told us that we would love it and that it was very similar or better than HAL. We booked an Aqua Class stateroom as we wanted to dine in Blu.

Here is the link to our review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=271081.

Overall, the ship has some great points and some weak areas. We do not feel that X is a good fit for us. Simply a meh experience, nothing to make us book again soon.

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I feel the same way about celebrity. I found the food to be either very good or very bad in the MDR. The wine service was pathetic, and you better plan to stand at the front desk for a half hour for the easiest of queries. I have no desire to cruise on celebrity again and I'm at a loss on why posters rave about celebrity. Most seem to be impressed by free drinks at the upper level perks.

We're back from our first cruise on Celebrity's The Reflection. We thought we would try X as so many family and friends told us that we would love it and that it was very similar or better than HAL. We booked an Aqua Class stateroom as we wanted to dine in Blu.

 

Here is the link to our review: http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=271081.

 

Overall, the ship has some great points and some weak areas. We do not feel that X is a good fit for us. Simply a meh experience, nothing to make us book again soon.

He tried Celebrity last May based on a lot of similar feedback. We were on Solstice... so just a little smaller, different configuration of some areas and a couple less food outlets on Solstice by comparison. Also got an AquaClass room. The bathroom itself was a little cramped by comparison but I was shocked at a lot of the rest of the feedback as our thoughts couldn't be more polar opposite for the most part.

I wonder if the extra deck of rooms on Reflection really makes for that much of a difference with service... Our housekeeping team was fantastic and never missed a beat - everything was provided as advertised and without having to ask, food delicious in all venues, we loved the burgers and dogs at the mast grill (and they tasted like the meats they claimed to be ;) ), desserts we found to be MUCH better than HAL's... comparing Blu to the HAL MDR which isn't a perfect apples to apples comparison... but read most reviews on here about HAL ships and the desserts are regularly criticized so not a big shock...

All in all we absolutely loved Celebrity and based on the ship and amenities (the 5 Solstice class all have differences and some things not on Solstice STRONGLY intrigue us like Qsine) they are definitely a contender for our attention and cruise money in the future.

Sorry you had a time that you classified as "meh" as our experience I would consider very similar was incredible... If the right itinerary presented itself I would suggest giving them another try... but even if you don't there's not a "dam" thing wrong with more cruises on HAL :)

The link worked fine for me. Thanks for the review. I do think it's good to try a different "brand" once in awhile. We ventured out only once on a ship other than HAL and did enjoy ourselves but still feel much more at home on HAL.

Like inthewaside, our experience was very different. We sailed in December on Reflection, MDR food was the best of any MDR experiences in 27 cruises (3 meals in MDR). Our stateroom attendants were fantastic, Murano was far, far better than Pinnacle.

The music in the Atrium was much better than I thought it would be, but I do agree with the OP it is a bit much for such a public place. Music at the pool was too loud during late afternoon. Other venues had solo, duet and groups that were good to very good.

The set up of the buffet is great with serving stations, but we too observed the finger lickers and less than well mannered patrons. Can't speak to the buffet food at dinner as we have never done that on any cruise.

Service on this cruise was excellent, still not quite as good as the normal HAL service.

Having said all that, I would not hesitate to cruise on HAL or =X=. For us, it is about price and itinerary. Our next cruise is on =X=, sky suite, bev package, grats, complimentary specialty dinner, and $500 obc for less than $1,200 each.

Ken

Thanks so much for the review. Very interesting.

When we went on X and didn't care for it people said it was because it wasn't a Solstice ship.

It seems that everyone has different experiences, ours pretty much matched yours.

Thank you for the review. Our first choice is always HAL, but we have sailed on Celebrity twice (Silhouette and Infinity). We had very good experiences with Celebrity, and the pros and cons of each line are pretty much a draw in our experience. When the right itinerary and price come along, we'll sail Celebrity again.

Service on our Celebrity cruises was excellent, no better and no worse than HAL,

we prefer their smoking policy over HAL's,

more restaurant choices besides the MDR, and they're always smart casual,

way better pizza but worse coffee

the ability to see menus, daily charges, etc. on the in-cabin TV,

I do miss the wrap-around deck for walking when on a Celebrity cruise though.

HAL does omelets better IMO :D

Got the link OK on the iMac - must have been operator failure.;)

It is reviews like yours that continue to make me rethink our 14 day Eclipse booked for 2/16. I suspect that there is nothing inherently wrong with "X", but suspect that it is not our cup of tea.

I was just out walking the dog, and ran into a neighbour who told me they had spent most of December on the Eclipse, I think she said - at least it began with "E"! (Sorry, senior moment.;)) She said it was amazing, even had a lawn on an upper deck. That's what I've always missed on HAL - a lawn. I almost asked if there were a lot of service dogs on board.:)

Thanks for your review. Its been a long time since we've sailed on Celebrity. We enjoyed our cruise but still prefer Hal. Sounds like you feel the same way.

I was just out walking the dog, and ran into a neighbour who told me they had spent most of December on the Eclipse, I think she said - at least it began with "E"! (Sorry, senior moment.;)) She said it was amazing, even had a lawn on an upper deck. That's what I've always missed on HAL - a lawn. I almost asked if there were a lot of service dogs on board.:)

Yes, there is a lawn area on the upper deck. It was roped off for most of the cruise and not available for use.

Thanks for your review. Its been a long time since we've sailed on Celebrity. We enjoyed our cruise but still prefer Hal. Sounds like you feel the same way.

Yes, this cruise made us appreciate HAL more. We knew that the cabin on X would be smaller and hoped that dining in Blu would make up for it. Blu was great and exceeded our expectations, but the cabin. There is actually a bump out at the bottom of the bed that allows you to walk around it, and you still have to turn sideways to walk around the bed. The rounded corners on the bed did not bode well for my 6'3" frame. The washroom was well appointed, but simply too small.

Like inthewaside, our experience was very different. We sailed in December on Reflection, MDR food was the best of any MDR experiences in 27 cruises (3 meals in MDR). Our stateroom attendants were fantastic, Murano was far, far better than Pinnacle.

 

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Would you mind sharing what is so much better about Murano than Pinnacle? Thanks. :)

Thanks for your review! My DH and I just completed our first HAL cruise after a cruise on reflection in Aqua class. We had a nice time on our X cruise but we would totally agree with your comparison of X and HAL. We canceled our Alaska cruise on X and now have a Neptune suite for Alaska this August on HAL.

Can't compare apples to apples as my X trip was on the older Century, so I am interested in seeing what it is like on the Solstice in a couple of weeks and doing a comparison. We thoroughly enjoyed our Century trip but missed from HAL the promenade deck, bathroom, laundry package, flowers, art work and especially the staff. Nothing wrong with Celebrity staff but just not as happy and outgoing as HAL staff.

But surprisingly one of the things I missed was the extensive cocktail list, you can order anything but on their menu they just have half a dozen selections/suggestions. One thing I like is being able peruse all the options and choosing something I haven't had before but like the sound of. Such a simple thing, but I really missed it.

I have only sailed once on X and it was on the Century a few years back. My personal opinion is the HAL staff can't be beat! I took my sister on her first and only cruise and she was in a wheelchair. Not once did any staff member offer any assistance when they could see I was having a difficult time rolling the chair out of the show lounge, which had an upward incline. I literally had to do a running start to make it up. Staff just stood by and laughed. We took my dear MIL, who has since passed, on an Alaskan cruise this past May. She was in a wheel chair and everywhere we went on the ship, staff always asked if they could assist us in any way.

I wasn't impressed with any aspect of X. Even the food is better on HAL. This is just my personal opinion.

Diane

I'm finding this interesting reading as we are about to do the reverse, we are sailing on Zuiderdam in two days time after many cruises with X. We have previously sailed with HAL but not for many years. We had an unfortunate situation where my vegetarian daughter was served a meal off the special vegetarian menu and it contained bacon. Needless to say we weren't too happy about it and although they offered us some OBC if we were to sail with them again within two years, we never did. Until now. The itinerary of this cruise was what we were looking for and fitted well into my husband's leave allowance. It will be just my husband and I this time so no vegetarian mishaps to worry about ;) we are excited to come back to HAL, which is a line we previously really liked. It will be interesting to compare the two lines. We are certainly looking forward to afternoon tea and the wrap around deck, both of which we missed on X. Oh and I've certainly enjoyed reading the posts on this board, great info and everyone is very friendly. :)

The link worked for me.

Thanks for your review.

Interesting review, thanks OP.

Glad to hear that you liked Blu as we will be in aqua class in April.

We found service on the Infinity (steward, dining room, and front desk) to be excellent, just like HAL.

We've never sailed X's S class ships. Our cabin was spacious on the Infinity...wonder if they shrunk the cabins on the newer ships.

Ouch! "The decor resembles a Hamton Inn" I think the decor of S class ships resembles a W hotel.

I just think this "modern luxury" wasn't your cup of tea

CC

Having sailed both HAL and Celebrity, I find each line has its individual pluses and minuses -- it just depends what is more important to each person, I guess.

In my mind anyway, Princess is sort of a middle ground between HAL and Celebrity. I'd put all 3 lines at about the same mid-high level, but Princess and HAL share more similarities than HAL and Celebrity.

HAL does have larger cabins than the newer Celebrity ships. However, the Celebrity cabins are cleverly designed and I do like their sleek bathrooms, albeit smaller. Celebrity public areas on their newer ships have a certain wow factor that, while not garish (like certain Carnival ships) is more modern than HAL.

I think Celebrity food is better than HAL food.....but I like innovative cuisine. Murano's for example seems to feature dishes with more interesting combinations of flavors than Pinnacle Grill, which features quite a few dishes that are relative simple (e.g., steaks, fish, chops).

I haven't noticed a big difference in service between the lines. Perhaps some HAL cruisers cruise enough on the line to be recognized and thus feel more welcomed/get better service.

Overall, I do think that if one really, really likes one particular line, it is difficult to go on another line and be subjective. One will miss the things one likes and the new things may not seem as good in comparison.

And here's my take on Celebrity, granted, it was their oldest and smallest ship. My experience was that it's apples and oranges, but I prefer the "oranges" of HAL.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1996340

Would you mind sharing what is so much better about Murano than Pinnacle? Thanks. :)

 

We enjoyed the complete experience. Service has been impeccable. Menu is wonderful; we have a hard time choosing. Our recent cruise we ate there twice; once I had the table-side prepared Lobster dish (delicious, albeit a little heavy, as in cream sauce), and the other the Chateaubriand, prepared to perfection. Cheese course is a home run, and the desserts we selected were wonderful. To me, Pinnacle feels a bit more crowded. Don't get me wrong, we eat at Pinnacle 2 or 3 times when on HAL, and the service has almost always been very good. I will give a thumbs-up to having the bar as part of Pinnacle, despite the "different" stools (thinking Zuiderdam at the moment).

I will also say that the upcharge at Murano is (Normandie, etc.) is getting way too high, but with flexibility as to time, there are usually discounts available.

Ken

We have cruised and enjoyed X and when we are looking at a cruise we consider both. I think both lines have strengths and weakness. X's wine offerings are signficantly better than HAL's but we like HAL's ship layout and itineraries better. Things like food and service we have found to be about the same however Qusine is very unique.