HAL compared to Celebrity

[Bostonjetset]

1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Why did you have to tell your steward that?

There was a card in our stateroom with check boxes for extra things like ice service morning and evening and various pillow options. Evening turndown service was listed so I told him that we expected it twice daily service just because I saw it listed on the card. I assumed that they try to do it only once unless asked as I’ve heard about in other lines. But if asked they will do it twice. 

[Ken the cruiser]

3 minutes ago, Bostonjetset said:

There was a card in our stateroom with check boxes for extra things like ice service morning and evening and various pillow options. Evening turndown service was listed so I told him that we expected it twice daily service just because I saw it listed on the card. I assumed that they try to do it only once unless asked as I’ve heard about in other lines. But if asked they will do it twice. 

Thanks. Definitely good to know. Celebrity has an optional Go Green program where the steward only does a deep cleaning of the cabin once (morning or evening, your choice) and a quick tidy up on the other visit. But we still get our evening chocolate on the pillows. BTW if you choose the Go Green option, you get loyalty points. I just love those little carrots when a cruise line wants to create an air of motivation for you to go in a certain direction. 😎

[Umbarger]

We cruise both and like both.  Entertainment goes to celebrity. Food is good on both.  Celebrity has a younger crowd.  It's true everyone seems to go to bed early on Hal.

[DENIE]

Continuing to follow.  We are probably going to book this cruise.  Really appreciate everyone's comments.  It does solidify that, though we have mostly been primarily with Celebrity in recent years, it looks like we will equally enjoy this ship and HAL's offerings.  I understand lots of things are subjective (food, entertainment, etc.), and appreciate everyone's comments.  Incidentally, my wife and I "average" late 50's in age, but appreciate what HAL offers for entertainment, etc.  It sounds like the Koningsdam has many of the same kinds of offerings that Celebrities "S" class has (we loved the Silhouette)

 

Overall, my thought is that any day on a cruise ship is better than just about any place else!  

[12cruise2]

After reading this, we'll stick with HAL (based on price, more peaceful crowd, less offensive music around the ship and no one mentioned, smaller ships around 2100-2500 passengers.)  We really miss the 1250-passenger HAL ships, but they were getting old; the NA and Eurodam at around 2150 passengers are lovely on HAL as we prefer the promenade deck area with the comfortable lounge chairs in the shade with peace and quiet.  The Nieuw Statendam, Konigsdam and Rotterdam don't have the promenade deck with peace, quiet, shade and lounge chairs.  A balcony is only as good as whether you have sun/shade/wind when you want it.

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, 12cruise2 said:

(based on price, more peaceful crowd, less offensive music around the ship and no one mentioned, smaller ships around 2100-2500 passengers.) 

 

Celebrity has four ships that carry 2200 passengers: Millennium, Summit, Infinity and Constellation. The first two have just been refurbished to a very high standard and are lovely. (I was on Millennium in August.) The other two hopefully will be soon, although COVID has put that on hold for now.

 

They also have a lovely forward-facing lounge with comfortable seating (& that actually has live music at nights), and a covered promenade deck with lounge chairs. I can't tell you whether it is fully wrap-around as I don't use it for walking, but it is wide and has unobstructed views of the ocean.

 

NA and Eurodam are nice, but I have never "warmed" to the decor on either ship. It seems dark, heavy and eclectic in an odd fin-de-siecle way (as opposed to a fun, quirky way). 

[sailandcruise]

HAL = Windows (Microsoft/Intel); Celebrity = Apple for passenger use/classes

[Turtles06]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Celebrity has four ships that carry 2200 passengers: Millennium, Summit, Infinity and Constellation. The first two have just been refurbished to a very high standard and are lovely. (I was on Millennium in August.) The other two hopefully will be soon, although COVID has put that on hold for now.

 

They also have a lovely forward-facing lounge with comfortable seating (& that actually has live music at nights), and a covered promenade deck with lounge chairs. I can't tell you whether it is fully wrap-around as I don't use it for walking, but it is wide and has unobstructed views of the ocean.

We were on the “revolutionized” Summit in 2019, and agree that Celebrity did a great job. She’s just beautiful, and we’d happily sail on her again. As a walker, I can say that the promenade deck does not wrap around the bow or stern, but is otherwise wonderful, and the views are not obstructed by lifeboats as on newer builds. I was on that deck often, and for reasons I could not fathom, I hardly ever saw anyone else there. 
 

One negative I’ll mention is that Celebrity created a new suite-guests-only sun deck out of what was the only forward-facing exterior deck on the ship. It does bother me that this left everyone else with no equivalent space.  

If anyone is interested, I posted a review with photos of our Summit cruise here:

 

 

 

 

[twentyknots]

Hard to go wrong on either.  We've sailed on both many times and always a pleasure.

HAL is our favorite I'd say because of the Neptune suites, especially on the Vista ships.  Huge walk-around covered aft-verandah on deck 5.  We've stayed in 5190 on Zuiderdam and Oosterdam.  We also love the Neptune lounge and Pinnacle Grill for breakfast.   Dont know if Club Orange has eliminated some of the Pinnacle Grill breakfasts.

 

Celebrity gets the edge for decor we believe and cleaniness.  The Reflection at Christmas was beautiful.  And the Solstice was stunning.

 

Meals and staff are excellent on both.

 

Wife is back in the cabin by 9pm and I'm in the Casino, so an active night life means nothing to us.  Kudos to Celebrity for no smoking in the casino.

Edited January 19, 2022 by twentyknots

[Caribbean Chris]

For the past ten+  years pre-pandemic, we’ve alternated between the two lines, usually at least one each per year. Had lovely cruises on both in a variety of ships and rooms on both lines, from outside to Neptune suites. 
 

Celebrity’s Edge was a big turn-off for me when we sailed in 2019 due to the emphasis on all things hip & trendy. A few months later, HAL’s Nieuw Statendam a few months later, by comparison, was a winner for us - modern style but a strong focus on traditional passenger comfort, with HAL’s excellent crew plus more varied entertainment. We found the same and more when we sailed the new Rotterdam in November.

 

HAL definitely is my favorite and always feels like home for me. 

[Turtles06]

5 hours ago, twentyknots said:

Kudos to Celebrity for no smoking in the casino.

Agreed. They’ve shown it’s totally doable. 

[MarkWiltonM]

We have mostly cruised on Celebrity Solstice-class ships and HAL Pinnacle-class ships. They are more similar than different and we would choose one over the other based on itinerary and price. I think the buffet on HAL has better food more attactively presented; dining room food about the same on both. Specialty restaurants overrated on both. HAL has a formal tea every afternoon in the main dining room if you enjoy that (we do!); Celebrity puts out some scones and sweets in the buffet at 4 pm but it's self-serve and not really a "tea." The veranda staterooms on HAL's newer Pinnacle-class ships are nicer than on Celebrity's older Solstice-class ships. The showers on HAL are awesome: large and with fantastic water pressure. The shower head is detachable to use as a hand shower, unlike Celebrity's. And the television on HAL is directly in front of the bed whereas on Celebrity Solstice-class ships the television is midway between the bed and the desk (although it does pivot). Size of the staterooms is about the same. We don't care much for entertainment on any cruise ships so can't comment on that. We have not, and will not, sail on Celebrity's newer Edge-class ships. We don't like the "infinite veranda" concept (which is a sliding window) compared to a real balcony, and friends who know us well tell us we would not like the Edge-class ships because you don't get that feeling of being on a ship and on the water that you have on Celebrity's Solstice-class ships and HAL's fleet. Celebrity's Solstice-class ships are more spacious than HAL's Pinnacle-class chips with about the same number of passengers, but we don't feel too crowded on HAL.  

[Tom47]

We are considering HAL for a cruise itinerary not offered by Celebrity.  We have never sailed on HAL, and 8 times on Celebrity.  A big plus for us is Celebrity's no smoking at all on any inside part of the ship vs HAL's smoking casinos.  Thanks everyone for all your comments.

[zgscl]

21 hours ago, twentyknots said:

HAL is our favorite I'd say because of the Neptune suites, especially on the Vista ships.  Huge walk-around covered aft-verandah on deck 5.  We've stayed in 5190 on Zuiderdam and Oosterdam.  We also love the Neptune lounge and Pinnacle Grill for breakfast.   Dont know if Club Orange has eliminated some of the Pinnacle Grill breakfasts.

I haven't been on X yet but I have a really hard time switching because of this. I absolutely love the Neptune suites (particularly the aft wraps). A sky suite is usually a similar price (but I view the cabin as a downgrade), and a Celebrity suite is usually a significant price jump. Would love to give X a try but have not yet come across the right cruise and pricing. As nice as some of their suite amenities are they don't justify the price difference for me. 

 

On the Pinnacle ships CO has replaced PG breakfast. It is still feels exclusive (though it is open to all CO passengers and not just Neptune suite guests). I do prefer the Pinnacle breakfast, but I actually really did like Club Orange and the Pinnacle Class ship overall. The food was definitely the freshest I have had on a HAL ship. 

[DENIE]

Thank you everyone for all the updates.  Still sounds like a LOT to like!  🙂

 

[lyndarra]

On 1/18/2022 at 4:03 AM, Fouremco said:

DW and I have more or less alternated between HAL and Celebrity, with slightly more cruises with HAL. We tend to book based on itinerary, but given two identical cruises, would probably opt for HAL over Celebrity. We've sailed on both the Koningsdam and her sister ship Nieuw Statendam and enjoyed both.

 

Food and entertainment are very subjective. While neither line is quite as good as they were a decade ago, we can still eat very well and be entertained on either line.

 

Our last cruise was on HAL, and our next was to be on Celebrity until we cancelled a few weeks ago. When considering our next cruise, two HAL itineraries are at the top of our list.

 

 

I pretty much agree with all of the above. My last two cruises on HAL were in 2019. Up until then I had a marginal preference for Celebrity but, as I am more itinerary oriented, HAL is getting the nod. As for dining and service on each I found very little to seperate them and also found that quality of what is dished up can be dependant on the head chefs. I found differences between different ships of the same line. My last booked cruise (cancelled June 2020) was Alaska on HAL purely because of the itinerary.

[WesternBroncoCruiser]

On 1/17/2022 at 5:43 AM, HALrunner said:

I am curious, too. We are in the opposite situation: loyal HAL cruisers trying Celebrity for the first time. We typically sail in verandah cabins on HAL, but will be in a Sky suite on Celebrity Apex. From what I can tell, it appears Apex cabins/suites are smaller than similar HAL cabins/suites. That is just a guess, though. 

Can I guess from your profile pic you are WMU alumni? I am also a Bronco:)

Yes, Bronco, class of 87

[Mary229]

On 1/19/2022 at 7:56 PM, Tom47 said:

We are considering HAL for a cruise itinerary not offered by Celebrity

The itineraries are why I sail HAL.  When these threads arise I always go look at Celebrity but the itineraries my husband  and I are seeking are not there.  I might have to consider them for a cruise with my sister, she might like them. 

[WesternBroncoCruiser]

OK folks, I almost forgot about this thread, but we are back from our 6 nights on Hal and 12 Nights on Celebrity.    The wife and I would both rate them as excellent cruising experiences, but with a few subtle differences.   

 

We found that both cruise lines had amazing service in every aspect, cabin steward, dining room staff, bar staff, everywhere.  Food was excellent on both lines with a wide variety of choices every night.  We did specialty dining on both lines and I would rate the experience on both lines as top notch. 

We had Have It All on HAL and Always Included With Celebrity. 

 

We had to upgraded wifi on both lines to stream and cost seemed comparable. 

 

We had pre-paid gratuities on Celebrity, and had to have them added to our account on HAL

 

Beverage Package is unlimited on Celebrity, and has a 15 drink per day max on HAL.   There was only one day when this was a problem. On Embarkation day, I got 4 waters to take back to the room,  and didn't realize that they would count against my total.  I think I ordered two dinks in the bar for my wife that got charged to my card, so there was just that one day, embarkation day, that I exceeded the max on HAL.  They don't tell you that you are over the limit, they just start charging you for drinks.   Not a big deal, and when my wife went down and explained about the 4 waters for the room, they took off the extra charges for the drinks.

 

We attended a wonderful wine tasting with the sommelier on HAL. He was quite knowledgeable and impressed me with both his knowledge and the way he conducted the tasting.  We have always been impressed by the Sommelier staff on Celebrity and have attended many wine tastings that I would say were comparable to this one.   Just as a comparison, I did a wine tasting on Princess once with stingy pours and not the most knowledgeable staff that I felt like was a complete waste of my time and money. 

 

Wine list was very extensive and well thought out on both lines.  The nice thing was they were different, so I got to try different wines on the two cruises. 

 

I'd probably rate food, drinks and service equal on the two lines, so lets talk about the difference.

 

Entertainment was probably the biggest difference:

 

Loved the Music Walk and BB King All-stars.   Love the Comedians in the same space. We pretty much hung out in that space most evenings.  We are not sure why but they never had the Rolling Stone Rock room band going.  They might have been in quarantine or something. 

 

We enjoyed the BBC Earth Live Music and Videos -  a different concept and enjoyable.   The dance group only peformed once, latin ballroom show, very enjoyable.   

 

I preferred the entertainment on Holland America, but my wife loves the entertainment on Celebrity.  To be fair, she actually goes every night to the show on Celebrity, and I might go to the comedian.   She raved about some Icelandic violinist and some Irish tenors.   She has probably seen all the production shows on Celebrity several times but she said she loved listening to different singers put their own touch on the songs.   

 

On Celebrity I prefer to go to the lounges and listen to the smaller groups or band play, and though they didn't have that on HAL, the BB King All Stars really were right in my wheelhouse. 

 

Club Orange Vs MDR on Celebrity 

 

We did the Club Orange Upgrade and I loved the smaller more intimate dining room experience and not having to have reservations or a fixed time.   We dined usually after 8 pm most nights. 

 

We did the MDR on Celebrity and with the ship only 40% full it felt like a more intimate private dining experience.   However, on a full cruise, I think we would have much preferred the Club Orange experience to a full packed MDR on Celebrity.    

 

We did lunch at the Dive In and New York Pizza Deli most days and loved the offerings.

I loved the snacky things in the Dutch Cafe.  On Celebrity we ate lunch usually in the buffet where we could get pizzas or at the Mast Grill for burgers.   But we also enjoyed the international offerings in the Buffet area.  We were on Celebrity for many more days, so we ate in the buffet a lot more.   My wife ate a couple of lunches in the Lido Cafe on Holland and said she loved the food. 

 

Rooms - The rooms were similar, with a convertible bed next to a sofa and desk area.   Celebrity had slightly more square footage in the Standard Balcony Category.   

 

All in All, I would rate both lines slightly over Princess which is thought to be in the same category.   Also I thought it was going to be all "old people" on HAL, but acutally it skewed more to 50's 60's and early 70's, but perhaps the older people are still a bit nervous to cruise.   

 

 

 

[Tom47]

I just watched a Utube video by Gary Bembridge(Tips for Travelers).  He compared HAL, Princess, Celedbrity and Cunard--all premium class lines.  Some interesting info-helpful if you are considering traveling a new cruise line.

[*Miss G*]

27 minutes ago, WesternBroncoCruiser said:

Also I thought it was going to be all "old people" on HAL, but acutally it skewed more to 50's 60's and early 70's, but perhaps the older people are still a bit nervous to cruise.   

 

 

 

Thank you for your thorough review of both lines.  I have never been on Celebrity but I would consider them after reading this.  Regarding the above, for some reason certain posters promote the rumor that HAL is for the infirm and the aged, but my observations are more in line with yours:  40’s to 70’s and their young adult children.  This is a good fit for me.

[Azulann]

Past celebrity cruiser who  loves Sunset veranda cabins with aft balcony. What is the  equivalent  cabins on Hollands newest  Pinnacle class ships? 

[El Crucero]

We are veteran cruisers and this is just our opinion and preferences.

 

Of the Premium Cruise Lines (as defined by Gary Bembridge) we rate them as follows:

1. Celebrity
2. HAL
3. Princess

We rate Celebrity heads and tails above the other two, but they all have their pros and cons.  Having said that, we have started cruising more on HAL than Celebrity for the following reason.  The worst part of any cruise for us, living in Southern California, are the long, uncomfortable flights to get to distant departure points and the return home.  Consequently, we prefer a cruise that begins and/or ends in California.  A few years ago, Celebrity started to abandon the California market,  for example they no longer offer a Hawaii roundtrip beginning and ending in California (yes, there are still a few, but we are tired of California Coastal cruises).  HAL still serves the California market out of San Diego.  Therefore, we we are taking more cruises with HAL.  HAL is not our first choice as far as our cruise experience, but we always have fun on HAL and it is more than adequate.  YMMV.