New to HAL - compared to Princess/Celebrity?

[shipfriend_max]

Hi @all,

 

For Aug. 2017 I am booked on Koningsdam, my first HAL cruise ever... :)

 

As you see in my sig. I have sailed several other cruise lines, including Princess and Celebrity, which are considered as most comparable (although I found NCL to be a little better than Celebrity in terms of service and food).

 

How does HAL compare to Princess, Celebrity and NCL?

What can I generally expect as service?

-Do I also get some complimentary items on warmer sea days, such as cold towels, or snacks, as I experienced with the other lines?

-Does HAL still feature ginger after dinner, and serve some snacks when ordering a drink @bar?

-Are there free drinks @gangway when returning to the ship?

-Buffet seems to be closed some hours - where do I get something free to eat during buffet closing times?

 

As I was really really satisfied with Princess and really looking forward to them, I expect HAL to be very similar to them, maybe even better... :)

[iancal]

We find HAL, Princess, and Celebrity to be very similar in terms of staff, service, etc.

 

We find the primary difference is the ship. Size, age, ammenities etc. vary on ships within all three lines.

Edited October 30, 2016 by iancal

[OCruisers]

While Princess is our favorite, we've also had very enjoyable cruises on HAL & Celebrity ... not so fond of NCL.

On HAL the buffet times are much more limited than they are on Princess ... but HAL does have VERY good (better than most) room service.

HAL service in general is as good as Princess & Celebrity.

Look forward to having a wonderful HAL cruise. :)

[Lady Arwen]

First, let me say that I'm quite surprised that you found food and service on NCL better than Celebrity. We tried NCL this past May on Breakaway and thought it was dreadful! Food was mediocre in our opinion (it is so subjective). Lots of other disappointments, so NCL is not for us.

 

We are Elite with Celebrity and Platinum with Princess, so we're very familiar with both lines. We have been on HAL a number of times and will be on Koningsdam this April to the Med. HAL is very similar to Princess and less so to Celebrity. HAL is more traditional and Celebrity more modern.....both lines do it well. Food is a notch up on Celebrity, but we like HAL service......outstanding. Princess feels more like HAL with a bit more glitz.

 

HAL is a bit lacking in the entertainment department. People tend to go to their cabins earlier than other lines. Celebrity has a no smoking anywhere indoors policy, which is a plus for us, especially in the casino. Princess shows are very good and Celebrity's are probably a bit better. HAL shows are okay.

 

I think you will find may similarities on all three lines. We chose HAL for our Europe cruise, because their itineraries are the best and we got an excellent price.....far lower than either Celebrity or Princess for comparable staterooms.

 

Enjoy whichever cruise you choose!

[new_cruiser]

Celebrity has a no smoking anywhere indoors policy, which is a plus for us, especially in the casino.

 

We are considering a cruise on HAL in Alaska. The only large ship line we have sailed on before is Celebrity. I'm pretty sensitive to smoke so this worried me. It hadn't occurred to me that there would be much difference in smoking policy on the lines.

 

So I looked up the smoking policy and it turns out that they are changing to a new policy in 2017:

HAL smoking policy now and 2017

That sounds pretty good. We should be able to avoid being around smoke and still enjoy the ship.

[Lady Arwen]

We are considering a cruise on HAL in Alaska. The only large ship line we have sailed on before is Celebrity. I'm pretty sensitive to smoke so this worried me. It hadn't occurred to me that there would be much difference in smoking policy on the lines.

 

So I looked up the smoking policy and it turns out that they are changing to a new policy in 2017:

HAL smoking policy now and 2017

That sounds pretty good. We should be able to avoid being around smoke and still enjoy the ship.

 

Smoking will still be allowed on HAL in the casino. Other than that, you should be fine, as I'm not aware of any other indoor smoking areas. You could check out the extensive smoking thread here on c.c. for HAL.

[shipfriend_max]

First, let me say that I'm quite surprised that you found food and service on NCL better than Celebrity. We tried NCL this past May on Breakaway and thought it was dreadful! Food was mediocre in our opinion (it is so subjective). Lots of other disappointments, so NCL is not for us.

 

Well - we have been on Jade Transatlantic in 2016, and we found both service and food to be very similar to Celebrity, with a slightly pro for NCL.

IMHO the MDR menu was a little more raffinated and inspired, and the service included some more nice gestures, I did not expect and I also did not find on Celebrity...

On NCL Jade the crew served some water ice and fruits during a warmer sea day, as well as on Princess.

Does HAL also do so?

 

Maybe on Breakaway the problem was the ship feels too urbanized, and on newer ships obviously NCL tries to push the extra-pay-restaurants.

Among the mixture of complimentary and extra-charge-restaurants maybe it was difficult to plan...

Or maybe just something went wrong, for what I'd really be sorry.

To clarify: I would not book the newer NCL ships, just Jewel-Class, or Sun.

 

HAL is a bit lacking in the entertainment department. People tend to go to their cabins earlier than other lines. Celebrity has a no smoking anywhere indoors policy, which is a plus for us, especially in the casino. Princess shows are very good and Celebrity's are probably a bit better. HAL shows are okay.

 

Ok, that's not sooo important for me, since I do not really care for theater shows or the like - I rather like open air cinemas if they are good - and on Princess, it was defintiely the case!! :cool: :cool: Really liked to get some complimentary snacks, and obviously it's the same with HAL's Koningsdam.

 

For me maybe the live music in bars is important, and overall to have some nice outside bars where I can sit and watch the seas, even in the evening... :)

Nightlife? I do not care... :)

 

@All: Thank you for your helpful replies!

[avian777]

... How does HAL compare to Princess, Celebrity and NCL?

 

There are a few differences and many similarities between (and among) HAL and Princess, Celebrity & NCL but IMHO only one significant difference - only HAL has a Roman Catholic priest (who celebrates daily Mass) on board every one of its cruises. Since spiritual renewal is an important component of our vacation experience, HAL is our hands-down choice. I hope you enjoy your first HAL cruise and, like so many of us, return for many, many more!

Smooth sailing ...

[travelnap]

I think you will enjoy your trip on HAL next year. You will be on their newest ship. I have sailed on all four lines that you mentioned and have enjoyed my cruises on all of them. They are probably more similar than different so if you were comfortable on the other lines, I think you will be comfortable on HAL. The service is usually very friendly and very good on HAL.

 

Food is always subjective but I have not gone hungry on any of the lines that I have sailed on. I was always able to find something that I enjoyed. With a Med cruise the cruise itself is usually pretty port intensive so the ship becomes secondary to the itinerary most of the time.

 

I would agree with your thoughts on NCL, I have no desire to sail on their newer large ships, but I do enjoy the jewel class of ships. But then I would not care to sail on any lines larger ships, as I prefer the medium sized vessels over the mega ships. Some people sail for the ship, where I prefer to sail for the itinerary.

 

Hope you have a great trip.

[shipfriend_max]

I hope you enjoy your first HAL cruise and, like so many of us, return for many, many more![/color][/size][/font]

Smooth sailing ...

 

Okay, all the spiritual renewals are no fact for me, but:

I also think I will return to HAL if I enjoy Koningsdam (what I clearly expect), because IMHO they now have very reasonable prices compared to others, not seldom they are a little cheaper than Celebrity, Princess or even NCL.

And a key agument for HAL is the Single Share Program, where I do not need to pay any single supplements... :)

 

QUOTE=travelnap]But then I would not care to sail on any lines larger ships, as I prefer the medium sized vessels over the mega ships.

 

I would agree with you, with an exception for Princess - I'd try out Royal or Regal Princess, because despite their size I think I would enjoy a cruise on those ships, their layout should make you feel like on a slightly smaller ship (unlike Liberty otS), and I'd enjoy the food and service level here... :)

 

Of course I really look forward to Koningsdam, the pictures really convinced me to book her! :cool:

[Tom O.]

We have sailed on HAL, Princess, and NCL.

I think HAL and Princess are similar in food quality and service. Both were superior to NCL for us (but our last NCL cruise was about 6 years ago).

Also we thought the NCL ships had a tacky look, with all their gaudy decorations, but we wouldn't have cared if the food and service were better.

We switched back to HAL from Princess, because we don't care for the design of Princess ships. On Princess many balconies are not private because people above look right down on you. This is because of a sort of pyramid shape of the upper decks.

Also, Princess ships were getting bigger and bigger, and we don't care for that. HAL still has several small and mid size ships. But you are on the Koningsdam, which is HAL's only big ship. Still, the Koningsdam is smaller than the really big ships that Princess and NCL have.

I don't know if HAL has fruit snacks or cold towels or anything like that. These are things we don't care about.

[MaisonRose]

First, let me say that I'm quite surprised that you found food and service on NCL better than Celebrity. We tried NCL this past May on Breakaway and thought it was dreadful! Food was mediocre in our opinion (it is so subjective). Lots of other disappointments, so NCL is not for us.

 

We are Elite with Celebrity and Platinum with Princess, so we're very familiar with both lines. We have been on HAL a number of times and will be on Koningsdam this April to the Med. HAL is very similar to Princess and less so to Celebrity. HAL is more traditional and Celebrity more modern.....both lines do it well. Food is a notch up on Celebrity, but we like HAL service......outstanding. Princess feels more like HAL with a bit more glitz.

 

HAL is a bit lacking in the entertainment department. People tend to go to their cabins earlier than other lines. Celebrity has a no smoking anywhere indoors policy, which is a plus for us, especially in the casino. Princess shows are very good and Celebrity's are probably a bit better. HAL shows are okay.

 

I think you will find may similarities on all three lines. We chose HAL for our Europe cruise, because their itineraries are the best and we got an excellent price.....far lower than either Celebrity or Princess for comparable staterooms.

 

Enjoy whichever cruise you choose!

 

Here is one observation: the food on Island Princess didn't hold a candle to HAL with Celebrity ok (but confused DR staff)

This is only my personal experience

HAL best crew but front desk just ok. Celebrity & Princess better service at front desk. But mixed nationality crew on Celebrity causes some problems in consistency.

Celebrity is the liveliest of the three.

Library and Culinary Arts on HAL outstanding.

HAL poor on speakers and main theatre shows. Celebrity had great speakers.

Princess bathrooms are showers with Fixed (high) shower heads.Celebrity showers nice. HAL has tubs with shower.

I liked the ship layout on Princess: and the Pub had fish and chips some days.

Celebrity trivia..weird.

New BBKINGS on HAL reallyrocks.

 

Truthfully, though, I don't know how these companies do the great job they do.

 

I repeat, one persons opinion.

SusanM

[denatravels]

There are a few differences and many similarities between (and among) HAL and Princess, Celebrity & NCL but IMHO only one significant difference - only HAL has a Roman Catholic priest (who celebrates daily Mass) on board every one of its cruises. Since spiritual renewal is an important component of our vacation experience, HAL is our hands-down choice. I hope you enjoy your first HAL cruise and, like so many of us, return for many, many more!

Smooth sailing ...

 

 

Will this be an issue for me if I'm NOT Catholic? I'm happy for you that you have this opportunity but I would prefer not to experience-- I remember in college there were people pushing their religions in the Quad-- not something I want to experience on vacation.

 

 

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[avian777]

Will this be an issue for me if I'm NOT Catholic? I'm happy for you that you have this opportunity but I would prefer not to experience-- I remember in college there were people pushing their religions in the Quad-- not something I want to experience on vacation.

 

 

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Attendance at Mass is completely voluntary - neither HAL nor the Catholics on board will pressure you to attend. So, unless you just cannot tolerate the thought of Catholics enjoying the celebration of Mass in private, it shouldn't be an issue for you. JMO

Edited October 31, 2016 by avian777

[denatravels]

Attendance at Mass is completely voluntary, so unless you cannot tolerate the thought of Catholics enjoying the celebration of Mass, it shouldn't be an issue for you. JMO

 

 

No-- that's perfectly fine. I just don't want to take part, so as long as that's ok (without being pushed or prodded), I'm good!

 

 

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Edited October 31, 2016 by denatravels

[Ken the cruiser]

HAL has them all beat when it comes to laundry service, hands down. Celebrity and Princess MAY be thoughtful enough to offer cleaning a bag of your laundry for a varying amount of money on longer cruises, but that's not a sure thing. On the other hand HAL offers an unlimited laundry service for $7 per day. So you pay one fee, usually with some of your OBC, and your laundry worries are gone. I don't know about you, but when we're on a cruise, one of the LAST things we want to think about is doing laundry, especially on longer cruises.

[iancal]

We cruise primarily on these three. Everyone has their list of preferences. Laundry and faith based services do not even make our list of priorities. We do use the former extensively while the latter is of no interest to us. But laundry is laundry to us. We use it and pay. A few dollars difference between the lines is not material to us in the grand scheme of things. What matters to us is that it is available, then the box is ticked so to speak.

 

Apart from actual ship design and maintenance differences we find it increasing difficult to find much difference between the three. HAL regulars will comment that the service on HAL is better and more personable etc. We have not seen this. Not to say it is not top notch but we have not seen a big difference between the three when it comes to this. They are all great. One real difference that is attributable to ship design, size, whatever-amenities. Some ships have more (or less) dining options, more entertainment options.

 

Same for food and for entertainment. All the same. Can be anywhere from very good through very mediocre to downright poor. It happens on all three lines/ships, and sailings. Personal preferences and tastes make the comparisons even more questionable. If we have a poor cruise experience on Princess it does not mean that we will not try Princess again. We will. But if we have a substandard experience on a ship due to physical issues such as ship maitenance, or unresolved cabin issues (A/C, plumbing, mold, condition of cabin, etc) we vote with our feet on that particular ship, not the cruise line.

 

The other variable is time. A cruise on any of the three during high volume vacation periods will not be the same as off season or shoulder (when many of us 'fossils' choose to travel). Same with cruise lengths across all three cruise lines. Huge difference between a 7 day cruise and a 17 day cruise. We are booked for 14 days in early Feb. It will be very different than 14 days in July/August or at Chrismas/Easter etc

 

These are some of the reasons we focus on ship, itinerary, and price. These three mass market cruise lines usually deliver an acceptable product with good/great value. Sometimes exceptional,sometimes not. You can count on average on all three but very good to exceptional is, IMHO, a crap shoot on all three. Notwithstanding what the boosters on each of the three lines claim this is our experience. And no so surprisingly we have also experienced cruises on RCI, NCL, and Carnival (yes Carnival) that compare very favorably (and some better) to the other three.

Edited November 1, 2016 by iancal

[shipfriend_max]

Okay, thank you all. :)

 

I also do not care @all about faith-based services or laundry, as well as shower curtains :rolleyes: - I really find it ridiculous to complain about such pragmatic aspects...

 

Yeah I also expect HAL to be at least very similar to Princess, especially in terms of food and service.

There both Celebrity and NCL have also been good to great, but looking back I missed the last extra premium-kick with Celebrity, as I just found them comparable to NCL.

For me the differences also make some extraordinary events beyond the standards, such as tea-time (there's even Royal Dutch Tea on HAL?), some complimentary extra gestures such as small snacks @sundeck, or some petit-fours/sorbet intermezzo during the dinner - that all makes the difference premium/standard for me, and that I missed with Celebrity...

[stevenr597]

Just completed our first cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We are either Elite or Plantinum Level Cruisers on Celebrity and Princess.

 

There are some similarities between the three lines as well as several differences.

 

We found our fellow passengers on HAL to be older than both Celebrity and Princess.

 

Activities are usually over by 11:00 P.M. (Casino stays open longer) than either Celebrity or Princess.

 

The shows in the main theatre on the Nieuw Amsterdam are fairly equivalent to Princess, but Celebrity's shows are much better. One exception is BB Kings which was fantastic.

 

Food on HAL is excellent, but we did prefer the Blu Restaurant on Celebrity.

 

As for the appearance of the ship, the Niuew Amsterdam is not in the same class as either the Royal Princess or Celebrity Equinox (Solstice Class).

 

In regards to the Senior Staff, they were all but invisible on HAL. We loved the Champagne Toast on Princess at the end of each cruise.

 

Generally there were more activities during the day and evening on both Celebrity and Princess. HAL had a more sedate atmosphere.

 

All in all, I would regard Princess and Celebrity as being a "step up" from HAL. But certainly, one would not make a major mistake in booking any of these three.

[shipfriend_max]

Ok maybe in Blu Celebrity still provides the service and quality they used to offer for all guests years ago...

 

That there is nearly no nightlife or less daytime activities I do not care, I am rather bothered by ridiculous pool parties.

 

IMHO the age group varies from itinerary to itinerary and also depends on time frame when you are sailing... [emoji5]

 

 

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[denatravels]

Just completed our first cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We are either Elite or Plantinum Level Cruisers on Celebrity and Princess.

 

 

 

There are some similarities between the three lines as well as several differences.

 

 

 

We found our fellow passengers on HAL to be older than both Celebrity and Princess.

 

 

 

Activities are usually over by 11:00 P.M. (Casino stays open longer) than either Celebrity or Princess.

 

 

 

The shows in the main theatre on the Nieuw Amsterdam are fairly equivalent to Princess, but Celebrity's shows are much better. One exception is BB Kings which was fantastic.

 

 

 

Food on HAL is excellent, but we did prefer the Blu Restaurant on Celebrity.

 

 

 

As for the appearance of the ship, the Niuew Amsterdam is not in the same class as either the Royal Princess or Celebrity Equinox (Solstice Class).

 

 

 

In regards to the Senior Staff, they were all but invisible on HAL. We loved the Champagne Toast on Princess at the end of each cruise.

 

 

 

Generally there were more activities during the day and evening on both Celebrity and Princess. HAL had a more sedate atmosphere.

 

 

 

All in all, I would regard Princess and Celebrity as being a "step up" from HAL. But certainly, one would not make a major mistake in booking any of these three.

 

 

Some of this (about the sedateness) on HAL might bug me on another itinerary, but I'm doing my first HAL cruise in the Baltics next summer-- 12 days with two sea days. I can't imagine I'm going to be looking for nightlife!! I've done princess and celebrity both ONCE. I wasn't all that impressed with celebrity, but found that I loved princess!! Hoping HAL will continue to be a viable option going forward, but the itinerary on their Baltics cruise was far superior than anything else I've seen.

 

 

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[Umbarger]

My favorite right now is Celebrity. Cruise lines are more similar than they are different. The reason I like Celebrity is because of the booking perks. They give me free drinks and free unlimited internet. We are currently on a HAL cruise no free nothing.

[shipfriend_max]

Okay, the perks do not really matter for me, since with any cruise line

I do not have such high levels for such things...

 

For me the most representative facts are what every guest can expect, without status or suite live... [emoji5]

 

And I finally have the feel that Celebrity has lost the final premium kick and does not show any superiority anymore compared to other lines...

 

 

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[Tom O.]

Every person who cruises has their own idea what is important on a cruise ship.

I divide these issues into basic needs and perks.

The basic needs include quality of the cabin; quality of food; service in restaurants and from steward; cleanliness of ship; how the ship handles processes such as restaurant seating, tendering, and disembarkation.

Perks would include ship entertainment; activities on board; internet service; laundry, smoking issues, etc .... the list goes on and on.

None of the perks are necessary, but each passenger has their favorites, and ones they could care less about.

Basic needs are required by all passengers to be performed well.

I think most cruise lines are pretty good at covering the basic needs.

A prospective cruiser has to consider which perks are important to him, and see which cruise lines offer them. Then compare these perks with cost and itinerary to make a decision.

Here on Cruise Critic you can find out what perks are available on cruise ships, and what people think of them. Just remember that if there were no perks at all, a cruise would still be an enjoyable experience.

[iancal]

Frequent customer perks are seldom a consideration when we book a cruise.

 

But, we do enjoy and appreciate some of them them. I would rank the cruise RCI/Celebrity (they cross honor each others levels) cruise perks at the top our our list, followed by Princess.

 

Based on our preferences and the dollar value we attach to perks, HAL's program would be at the bottom of the list. This would not preclude us from booking a HAL cruise. Just our assessment of the three programs.

 

RCI's complementary Diamond Lounge access and benefits are at the top of our list of preferences and value. They mirror many of the Neptune Lounge benefits, plus some others, at no zero cost to us. We enjoy then when we book our balcony gtys on RCI.

Edited November 3, 2016 by iancal