HAL vs. Royal- can someone offer recent opinions please

[katmu]

I was originally planning to cruise to Norway on HAL this summer, but due to a health issue I needed to postpone until next year.  I have another thread on the Northern Europe board asking for opinions about the differences between the 2 itineraries.  The option on Royal would be on the Anthem of the Seas for 7 nights and on HAL I would be looking at the Rotterdam also for 7 nights.  I will be cruising solo and this would be my first time on either line.  I am interested in good food, music especially blues and classical so HAL wins there, and enrichment/history.

 

My last cruise was in 2019 on Sky Princess, and I enjoyed that cruise for the most part as the food was generally good, the entertainment was enjoyable.  The one downside was that the ship felt crowded at times in the public areas, so that is one of my concerns with Anthem as it’s even bigger.  I have a bit of a mobility issue so I use a cane, so I won’t be using the bumper cars or other resort features on Anthem but I would join the trivia and would see the Rock of Ages show most likely.  The music walk on HAL is a big draw, and I’ve heard that there is a library?

 

HAL ends up being a bit more expensive all things considered but not enough to sway me one way or the other.  I’m comparing the HIA price against Royal price plus the cost of adding in Wi-Fi, gratuities, 1 specialty dinner and at least a non-alcoholic drinks package.

[OlsSalt]

Have never sailed on Royal Caribbean, but from your own descriptions my guess is you would like HAL ships a lot. 

[mrspeck]

This is fairly lengthy review I did on a short RCL cruise taken in 2022 from the eye’s of this primarily HAL cruiser…it may be of interest:

 

[bigbeergut]

We just got off the Rotterdam and there a lot of things I really liked about the ship.  However one thing I didn’t like were the crowds.  The pool deck area usually felt crowded and the Music Walk area also felt crowded.  I can’t speak to the other class of ships, but the Rotterdam delt significantly more crowded than any ship I’ve sailed on Royal or Celebrity.

[loveheart]

While RC ships are usually lager than HAL ships they tend to cater for a much younger crowd with lots of activities for kids and they can be quite noisy.  We love RC and the majority of our cruises have been with them but unless you can find one of the smaller older ships you may find sailing with them overwhelming. 

Our last cruise before Covid was on Independence of the Seas which was great but we didn't want to sail on any more ships with water slides and amusements so we opted for the more sedate HAL in January and we loved it.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

15 hours ago, mrspeck said:

This is fairly lengthy review I did on a short RCL cruise taken in 2022 from the eye’s of this primarily HAL cruiser…it may be of interest:

 

I really enjoyed your review, in our early years of cruising we did sail three Royal ships our very first cruise was on Monarch of the Seas but we did not like the food that much and considered most to be sub par so in the early 2000's HAL to us was far superior in food quality. After a 3rd try with Royal many years ago never looked again to try them. Possibly we should try again but with our 3 go to lines of NCL Haven, HAL and Princess no sure I have enough time to fit in another line 😄

[LAFFNVEGAS]

17 hours ago, katmu said:

I was originally planning to cruise to Norway on HAL this summer, but due to a health issue I needed to postpone until next year.  I have another thread on the Northern Europe board asking for opinions about the differences between the 2 itineraries.  The option on Royal would be on the Anthem of the Seas for 7 nights and on HAL I would be looking at the Rotterdam also for 7 nights.  I will be cruising solo and this would be my first time on either line.  I am interested in good food, music especially blues and classical so HAL wins there, and enrichment/history.

 

My last cruise was in 2019 on Sky Princess, and I enjoyed that cruise for the most part as the food was generally good, the entertainment was enjoyable.  The one downside was that the ship felt crowded at times in the public areas, so that is one of my concerns with Anthem as it’s even bigger.  I have a bit of a mobility issue so I use a cane, so I won’t be using the bumper cars or other resort features on Anthem but I would join the trivia and would see the Rock of Ages show most likely.  The music walk on HAL is a big draw, and I’ve heard that there is a library?

 

HAL ends up being a bit more expensive all things considered but not enough to sway me one way or the other.  I’m comparing the HIA price against Royal price plus the cost of adding in Wi-Fi, gratuities, 1 specialty dinner and at least a non-alcoholic drinks package.

I have to agree with what others are saying from what you are stating you like HAL over Royal HAL is going to be much more to your liking. I think you will find Royal to be even more crowded and the size of the ship far more over whelming.

[katmu]

The only other option for Norway next year on Royal is a 13 night that does have a stop in the Arctic Circle on Jewel of the Seas, but for the price Royal is charging for a cruise only fare, I would lean towards a 14 night on HAL or Princess at that point.  I did look at Celebrity’s itineraries for next year and the solo cabins on the one sailing I might have been interested in are sold out.  I do think I would be happiest on HAL overall as I would like a more low key environment.

[katmu]

15 hours ago, mrspeck said:

This is fairly lengthy review I did on a short RCL cruise taken in 2022 from the eye’s of this primarily HAL cruiser…it may be of interest:

 

I had read your review yesterday and found it very helpful in comparing the lines.  Your opinions mirrored much of what I’ve heard from some friends locally and have confirmed my thoughts that I would likely be happier on HAL.

[Haljo1935]

As cruising is fully back, all ships are at/near capacity, so I believe that's a non--issue.

The music does win out on HAL. If you don't do a drink package, you will typically get a discount when you order one, so buying individually may be better than getting a drink package, even non-alcoholic.

Enjoy!!

Edited February 26, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[tyger429]

19 hours ago, katmu said:

I was originally planning to cruise to Norway on HAL this summer, but due to a health issue I needed to postpone until next year.  I have another thread on the Northern Europe board asking for opinions about the differences between the 2 itineraries.  The option on Royal would be on the Anthem of the Seas for 7 nights and on HAL I would be looking at the Rotterdam also for 7 nights.  I will be cruising solo and this would be my first time on either line.  I am interested in good food, music especially blues and classical so HAL wins there, and enrichment/history.

 

My last cruise was in 2019 on Sky Princess, and I enjoyed that cruise for the most part as the food was generally good, the entertainment was enjoyable.  The one downside was that the ship felt crowded at times in the public areas, so that is one of my concerns with Anthem as it’s even bigger.  I have a bit of a mobility issue so I use a cane, so I won’t be using the bumper cars or other resort features on Anthem but I would join the trivia and would see the Rock of Ages show most likely.  The music walk on HAL is a big draw, and I’ve heard that there is a library?

 

HAL ends up being a bit more expensive all things considered but not enough to sway me one way or the other.  I’m comparing the HIA price against Royal price plus the cost of adding in Wi-Fi, gratuities, 1 specialty dinner and at least a non-alcoholic drinks package.

 

[tyger429]

i'm on the Norse Legends cruise in September  2024.  I've heard good things about Bergen and Geiranger, so that's why I chose that one!

Edited February 26, 2023 by tyger429

[katmu]

I’m looking at cabin types on the 14 day Best of Norway for 5/25/24 and I could use some advice from HAL veterans.  The least expensive option is an inside and there is a large category I available on Deck 4.  A solo oceanview would be $160 more than the inside but it will be slightly smaller and forward on Deck 1.  Regular OV midship deck 1 or Obstructed Veranda midship deck 4 are both showing the same price, and would be $860 more than the interior.  I’m thinking the obstructed veranda would be better than the OV even with the lifeboats there, and possibly hope for an upgrade.

 

The category I interior showed on some deck plans than it has a sofa as it can accommodate 3 but I can’t find any photos of a similar cabin.  

[AFNavigator]

14 minutes ago, katmu said:

I’m looking at cabin types on the 14 day Best of Norway for 5/25/24 and I could use some advice from HAL veterans.  The least expensive option is an inside and there is a large category I available on Deck 4.  A solo oceanview would be $160 more than the inside but it will be slightly smaller and forward on Deck 1.  Regular OV midship deck 1 or Obstructed Veranda midship deck 4 are both showing the same price, and would be $860 more than the interior.  I’m thinking the obstructed veranda would be better than the OV even with the lifeboats there, and possibly hope for an upgrade.

 

The category I interior showed on some deck plans than it has a sofa as it can accommodate 3 but I can’t find any photos of a similar cabin.  

If you are considering upgrading to an obstructed verandah, consider adding Club Orange to get the complementary within-category cabin upgrade.  That gets you your pick of whatever non-suite balcony would be available.  You just need to be ready to tell them which exact upgrade cabin you want at time of Club Orange purchase.

Unless the price has changed, Club Orange is $25/day, $175/week, per person--no singles supplement charged either.  I've read in other posts that the price may drop to $15/day for cruises 14+ days--perhaps another reader can confirm.  That's a steal for a single cruiser--you get the cabin upgrade, the Club Orange dining room, and priority status at most lines.