HAL Volendam and Celebrity Millennium in SE Asia

We recently returned from a very enjoyable cruise to Indonesia on the Volendam originating and terminating in Singapore. A year ago, we travelled from Singapore to Hong Kong on the Celebrity Millennium. We concur with many others who state there are only marginal differences between the two lines and these ships. The ships entered into service in late 1999 and mid-2000. Volendam carries 1432 passengers while Millennium carries 2138. We are somewhat frequent cruisers with 13 on Celebrity, 4 on HAL, 2 on RCCL and 1 on Paul Gauguin. Here are our thoughts on the differences. In other categories, the lines are so similar we did not discern a significant difference.

- Boarding. HAL uses the old cruise terminal downtown which we found to be crowded even though there were 400 passengers doing a B2B. Although we arrived before 11 and quickly checked in, it went downhill from there as boarding was delayed with insufficient seating in the terminal. Celebrity uses the new, spacious and efficient Marina Bay Cruise Terminal. With the delayed boarding, having immediate access to our cabin was moot plus there was no sparkling wine when boarding.

- Dining. Delicious food on both, but since food is so dependent on individual tastes, I will only compare related areas. HAL had several SE Asian inspired options while Celebrity stuck to their standard menu. Lots of waiters in Volendam’s Lido to clean tables quickly and deliver drinks as needed.

- Internet. Celebrity’s is far faster almost approaching speeds at home for browsing and email. HAL’s has not been upgraded and is similar to dial-up.

- Staterooms. HAL and Celebrity have both upgraded much of their product to match their newer ships. However, HAL has paid particular attention to the bathrooms which have all been renovated. On HAL you need to climb into the bathtub to take a shower while on Celebrity you are out of luck if you want a bath (except in high end suites). Storage space is excellent on HAL.

- Guest Speakers. On Millennium, there were two excellent guest speakers, one providing area history and information and the other retracing the route of Marco Polo in addition to ship’s staff doing port presentations. Volendam had none.

- Entertainment. Both had visiting entertainers who were good with those on the Millennium being a bit better. There was a world of difference in the cast shows with those on Volendam being sophomoric, dancers doing a few basic moves and singers who were marginal performers. Those on Millennium were true professionals backed by a seven piece orchestra. The Indonesian crew show was probably better than the cast show and it was certainly better attended.

- Flowers. This is one of HAL’s points of distinction and the Volendam was no exception with orchid and flower arrangements throughout the ship.

- Frequent Guest Program. Celebrity has significant rewards even at the lower levels, e.g., happy hour with complimentary drinks. After six or so cruises, one gets limited free laundry and a specified number of faster free internet minutes. Top tiers gain much more. Levels transfer to RCI and Azamara. HAL’s provides you very little with no transferability in Carnival’s various lines.

- Evening Activities. It was pretty dead after people left for the late dining seating. With the more impressive shows, there is activity later in the evening on Celebrity.

As mentioned previously, the two lines are more alike than different. In the future, we have two cruises booked with HAL (Koningsdam and Niuew Statendam) and one with Celebrity (Constellation). These cruises were chosen based on itineraries, not cruise lines or ships.

We noted that Volendam has been pulled from the SE Asia trips being replaced on some by Maasdam and others by Westerdam. The 14-day Indonesian immersion cruise is not on the schedule for 2019. Based on the small ports and tendering requirements, we would guess it may not return as the bigger HAL ships are far too large for the available infrastructure. In some of the ports, even the Volendam overwhelmed the infrastructure.

This is posted on both the HAL and X boards.

HAL Volendam and Celebrity Millennium in SE Asia

Nice report and glad you now have two go to cruise lines.

Keith

Thanks for sharing the info.

Thank you for your comparisons / review. Sounds like the Volendam is in good shape.

Always hard to compare an older 1400 passenger ship to a 2100 passenger ship - a better comparison would be to what HAL Vista ships offer compared to the Celebrity choice.