A first-time X cruiser's take on Celebrity vs HAL

[vicd1969]

I recently sailed for the first time on Celebrity, on board the Summit from San Juan to Bayonne. All of my previous cruises were on Holland America, and here are some thoughts on my personal comparisons between the two cruise lines. I’m more of the frugal cruiser type, so will not be testifying about premium suites and dining. I'm also not yet a longtime cruiser, thus this post may be intended more for those with fewer than 5 cruises on their belt. As always, people can and will have different views and experiences.

 

 

Embarking: San Juan is very accessible. Found out that Celebrity actually asked for a hard copy of my boarding pass, which I didn’t bother to print. I had to break out my laptop to show them, and even then they still had to write some information down manually. Otherwise, since the boarding time was pretty stretched from 11 AM to about 6 PM, there were no long lines and it took like 15 minutes total. Once on the ship, however, our room wasn’t ready until almost 2 PM. I prefer the more paperless approach and earlier readiness of the room on HAL, but with proper preparation it’s not a big issue. Very slight edge to HAL.

 

 

Cabin: I had a Deck 2 ocean-view cabin. It seemed smaller than the HAL OV cabins on the Vista and Signature class ships, and a bit more dated. The Summit really needs the refurbishment for its cabins expected in early 2019. The bed was not as nice and firm as the ones on HAL, and there was less storage space. The shower and toilet worked fine. The S-class ships would have better cabins, I’m sure. Our cabin attendant was highly visible and fixed up the room very quickly between our trips to the dining areas. Service-wise, he was on the same level as the better attendants I’ve had on HAL. On the whole, slight edge to HAL here.

 

 

Internet: Celebrity didn’t have a ship app available for the Summit. Plus to HAL. Internet Speed was decent enough, especially in public spaces, for me to connect to email and work VPN. I think SpeedTest results were about 2.5-3.0 Mbps. Generally, this is a win for Celebrity.

 

 

Casual Dining: The Ocean View Café was a bit mixed compared to HAL. It’s superior to HAL in terms of grilled-to-order meats available for lunch and dinner, and drink stations are more accessible. Desserts are better on Celebrity’s buffet. HAL is far superior with its breakfast offerings and Asian foods. While HAL’s buffet has more limited hours, the 10:00 – 11:00 late night offerings are more complete on HAL than on X. HAL also wins with the Dive-In Burger, since Celebrity’s burger stand doesn’t do grill-to-order without some cajoling and the fries are nowhere as good as the Dive-In’s. Celebrity has better premium coffee and gelato stands, especially the free treats available at the coffee stand. So if you’re more of a burger-and-fries person, HAL wins the snack department. If you crave the sweet stuff for snacks, X wins.

 

 

Main Dining Room experience: Celebrity had better meat-based dishes, but HAL has superior seafood and appetizers. Celebrity did offer as “always available” shrimp cocktail and escargots. The dishes were very lightly salted on my Celebrity cruise, which can be a very good or a very bad thing depending on one’s taste and health requirements. Lobsters were bigger on my HAL cruises. Even for a first-time cruiser, I noticed that while for the most part still tasting good, there have been cutbacks on the level of offerings in the Celebrity MDR. Unlike HAL, Celebrity has on paper better MDR dining options for Aqua and Suite class passengers, a subject for debate at another time. Like HAL, even though I had “any-time / select” dining, I was able to secure reservations for the early 530ish time at the same table each night. My regular waiters were fantastic, able to accommodate my sometimes-rushed meal schedule while at the same time very attentive. So food-wise, HAL is better but service in MDR on both lines have been excellent for me.

 

 

Shipboard Activities: No question, Celebrity beats HAL by a mile here. First of all, with about the same number of passengers, Celebrity had about 2-3 times the number of staff dedicated to passenger activities. For devout Catholics, HAL’s onboard priest would be a plus, however. Our CD Patrick and his associate manager Manuel were outstanding emcees / game show hosts. There were multiple events that included active participation from ship officers. There were like 4-6 Trivia-related events each day (including port days) and with my cabin mate and me doing well, we were able to win a nice beach tote bag and t-shirt, along with several deck of cards, a lanyard, and several of those “X” medal ribbons. A much nicer haul than the small pins we usually receive from HAL. The shows, dancers, and singers on Celebrity were of higher quality. Live music was available throughout the ship at night. HAL is better with classical music, and the BB King set is great, but it just doesn’t have the variety. For example, one night I just wandered out to the stern outdoor buffet seating area, and there was a fantastic duo performing acoustic numbers superior to main stage performances on HAL. The Summit’s activities really helped create some good memories for me.

 

 

Fellow Passengers: Demographics-wise, like HAL there weren’t that many kids on the cruise (I heard there were 53 onboard). Mostly because I wasn’t sailing with a group this time, I had more personal encounters with fellow passengers. Met some really nice and sweet folk onboard, especially during dinner and trivia. Highly related to the itinerary ending in New Jersey, a lot of passengers were from the PA-NJ-NY area. A bit more blunt and pushy at times, but also more willing to chat and get raucous and energized during large game show events like 80s music night and the Marriage game. Can’t compare since passenger demographics at the upscale mass market segment are more dependent on itineraries than cruise line.

 

 

 

Disembarkation: So much better at FLL than Bayonne. First of all, FLL has Global Entry, Bayonne doesn’t. We also had to wait in line about 20 minutes for the passenger bridge to clear, something that never happened on HAL. The long line did move somewhat decently once we were inside the terminal. I guess the powers that be wanted us to experience the “tired, poor, huddled masses” vibe at the nearby Ellis Island.

 

 

Here is my analogy take between the two cruise lines. HAL is like the nice aunt you visit who has a house near a city with lots of things to do during the day (ie, shore excursions). She’s a great cook and provides a family home atmosphere for you. However, she lives in the suburbs with more limited nighttime options. Celebrity is like the good friend from college who now lives in the City in a condo. He or she also treats you well, it’s not the family-level of comfort and flourish, but you will have a good time at their place. Lots of fun things to do with your friend after work. However dining can get expensive if you want really good food. For me, choosing which cruise line is not an “either-or” proposition, but more about what kind of pace and vibe I want at the time. Like a lot of postings have said, chances are that you’ll have a good cruise on either line.

[Cruise Junky]

Haha..I love your summary. Great comparison - thanks

[Quo Vadis?]

Thank you for the very comprehensive comparison. It has been a while since our last HAL cruise but we always consider it an option.

 

We have a nice collection of HAL trivia prizes that include a track suit, a warm sweat shirt and a DAM hat. We also have a number of HAL bucks and books of stamped activities that we were told would be good the next time we sailed because the prizes were gone..... so were the redemptions on the next cruise.

 

Strange how trivial matters are so memorable even a decade later.

[FlorenceItaly]

Great comparison. Thank you. We are sailing on our first HAL next month after being away for many years. We have mainly been cruising Celebrity lately. We have one upcoming Celebrity cruise, two HAL and one RCI(after being away many years) booked through 2020.

[George C]

We just did summit for first time , we have done several Hal cruises in suites and other cabins. Really thought summit was far superior to Hal for casual dinning . Suite perks are not even close , celebrity by a mile, Hal had no suite lounge with free drinks all day and no suite dinning room, like all celebrity ships have. But always liked trivia on Hal.

[Keys2Heaven]

It's a good thing I have both aunts and college friends that I like to visit!

[chemmo]

Really enjoyed reading your review...So nice to read factual and personal opinions so well expressed!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Thanks for the review, we try our first HAL cruise in 4 weeks. This was very reassuring, and hopefully we'll buy a future cruise deposit. While I think Celebrity does a great job, HAL wins on exoitic itineraries.

[loving goldens]

Thank you very much for your review.... this is so helpful because we are new to cruising ( only 4 done ) and only with Celebrity... we just booked our first with HAL..... :D

[villauk]

Great review, thanks for posting :). HAL must have really poor entertainment because I wouldn’t say that X’s is brilliant, especially since they reduced the activity staff numbers a few years ago. As you said, it may be because of the wonderful, energetic crowd you had on your sailing.

[Wingman2010]

Loved the comparison!! We are about to sail for the first time on X and are interested in some of HAL's itineraries. Thanks for taking the time......

[ebtrip]

Thanks for review. Have been traveling on X for many years, but will be doing a Cruise Land tour in Alaska on HAL. We haven’t sailed on HAL since 1998. Should be interesting.

[TeaBag]

Loved your analogy. We have not sailed on HAL.

[cachouonacruise]

Thank you for the very well presented and factual analogy. With only 5 cruises behind us, including 2 on HAL and one on X, I could totally relate to your experience.

 

The only elements on which you did not seem to focus on and for which I would feel important to mention, are the sales push, especially the art sales push, which I found much more agressive on HAL than on X, and the visibility and friendliness of the captain and crew, which was much better on X than HAL.

 

But all and all, both cruises lines offer similar and very enjoyable holiday experiences. I love your analogy between the aunt and the friend! Excellent!

 

 

 

 

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[I_r_a]

Thanx for sharing, Vic

 

Ira

[K12Guy]

The value of your review is that it shows different 'personalities' between ships and cruise lines. I would imagine that if we were to cruise on the Summit we could then compare it to the Eclipse and there likely would be significant differences. Your review was well done and very appreciated! Thanks for taking the time and effort! I'm just curious if you would move up to suite if the cost was right for you?

[Covepointcruiser]

If this was your first trip on Celebrity how was the quality of MDR Food declining. This decline was compared to what MDR?

[vicd1969]

Thank you for the very well presented and factual analogy. With only 5 cruises behind us, including 2 on HAL and one on X, I could totally relate to your experience.

 

The only elements on which you did not seem to focus on and for which I would feel important to mention, are the sales push, especially the art sales push, which I found much more agressive on HAL than on X, and the visibility and friendliness of the captain and crew, which was much better on X than HAL.

 

But all and all, both cruises lines offer similar and very enjoyable holiday experiences. I love your analogy between the aunt and the friend! Excellent!

 

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Thank you for the kind words. I fully concur with your view on the X crew being very friendly. I didn’t encounter any aggressive art sales pitches, but did tend to avoid that area. The photographers could be determined at times, but never were triuly aggressive. But my experiences on HAL were pretty similar to X’s. One thing I did notice was that the X wine stewards took “No’s” for an answer better than the HAL ones.

[DENIE]

Very enjoyable review! Loved the comparison. We've done one cruise on each, and honestly really enjoyed both! Booked on Celebrity for our second cruise (our first time to book a second on the same line) this November.

[vicd1969]

If this was your first trip on Celebrity how was the quality of MDR Food declining. This decline was compared to what MDR?

 

I noticed that the MDR served fish like Tilapia one night, and just haddock on “chic” night. In my view, these fishes aren’t usually quite associated with “fine” dining, even on a mass preparation scale. Most other dishes were good and nicely executed, just nothing amazing. Things may be different in Luminae, but I didn’t attend dinner there.

[Luvcrusn]

Thanks to the OP for the review and comparison. It was interesting. I was a bit puzzled by one part of the review of the MDR however since the title of the thread indicates that OP is a first time X cruiser. "Even for a first-time cruiser, I noticed that while for the most part still tasting good, there have been cutbacks on the level of offerings in the Celebrity MDR." How would the OP notice cutbacks?

As someone who has sailed for years on X, I'm not saying they don't exist, but if it was my first time on a sailing a new cruise line, everything would seem new without being able to compare the current cruise on X to what X offered in the past.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Thanks to the OP for the review and comparison. It was interesting. I was a bit puzzled by one part of the review of the MDR however since the title of the thread indicates that OP is a first time X cruiser. "Even for a first-time cruiser, I noticed that while for the most part still tasting good, there have been cutbacks on the level of offerings in the Celebrity MDR." How would the OP notice cutbacks?

As someone who has sailed for years on X, I'm not saying they don't exist, but if it was my first time on a sailing a new cruise line, everything would seem new without being able to compare the current cruise on X to what X offered in the past.

 

Probably going off previous hype, and fellow passenger comparisons, especially being apart of a group. We've not had the MDR since 2014, so I'm hoping that the quality is and remains decent. As much as we enjoy BLU, I can't afford it on every cruise, sometimes OV make the most sense.

[Luvcrusn]

Probably going off previous hype, and fellow passenger comparisons, especially being apart of a group. We've not had the MDR since 2014, so I'm hoping that the quality is and remains decent. As much as we enjoy BLU, I can't afford it on every cruise, sometimes OV make the most sense.

Our last cruise not in Blu was in December 2016 on Eclipse. We dined in the MDR all but one evening and enjoyed ourselves. If you've enjoyed it in the past, you will enjoy it again. Yes there have been some changes, but we've always found it quite lovely.

[sunpsyche]

Loved the style and relatability of your review. We’ve not sailed HAL yet, but this was a very good comparison that helped me understand the differences and get a good feel for the line. Thanks!

[woody14h]

We have just completed the Transatlantic in Apr. aboard the Koningsdam. We are 3 star with HAL but had not cruised with them in 7 years. We are Elite + with X. The major difference for us was the smoking policy. HAL allowed smoking in the Casino. This permeated the whole area and wafted to a lower floor. Fully noticeable when going to the MDR. We didn't use the casinos much and will not cruise with them again until the policy is amended. If you are a smoker then you will have no problem like HAL. Service couldn't have been better. Food is subjective so no comment there. We enjoyed both. We are ready for our Fall TA on Reflection.