Returning to HAL - comparison to X

[chisoxfan]

Love HAL but haven't cruised them in several years just because.... we prefer newer ships and HAL itineraries haven't worked out for us. The music on HAL (BB Kings) is a game changer as we just got off Apex and I thought the bands were playing along with pre-recorded /soundboard.

HAL also has traditional balconies that in our opinion surpass the IV's on X. We have booked Retreat on X but pricing is ridiculous. They (HAL)  haven't designed their new ships around suite passengers which is refreshing. Are doing Ascent this Jan and am hoping music quality is better but also was just getting ready to call HAL to check some options for next year. After a few decades of cruising we have HAL and MSC Yacht Class on radar unless there is dramatically reduced pricing available for X Retreat. This whole cruise thing used to be so simple.

[Chewbecca]

We sail both lines, last cruise was X, next on HAL.

 

For me:

Food is slightly better on HAL

Entertainment slightly better on X although trivia is better on HAL

Packages much better on HAL

Itineraries better on HAL

HAL has a fab, reasonably priced laundry service 

Speciality restaurants are better on HAL, partly because the cost is better

Bars are better on HAL Vs Edge class. More similar to M class (which I prefer in terms of bars, lounges and layouts)

Luminae is my favourite restaurant of all, no comparable on HAL

Rooms very similar between the two lines depending on age / refurb status.

 

I like to sail all different lines to mix it up a bit! Azamara this year and Oceania planned for next. Wasn't a fan of MSC YC. 

[melusina]

16 hours ago, iceman93 said:

I'm not discounting your opinion at all, but I just want to point out mine which is different.  After trying the production shows on our first few cruises we realized they weren't for us and stopped bothering.  We still like the contracted magicians, comedians, etc. but the big stage shows don't do anything for us.

 

So HAL dropping them was actually a huge benefit from our perspective, because we much more enjoy the musical entertainment they have now.  And the quality of drinks, food, and particularly service levels are perhaps the most important things to us.  For my family, HAL continues to deliver what we care about and enjoy.

This is helpful to me. We've booked our first ever cruise on celebrity this year, based on itinerary. If we like cruising, HAL has a transatlantic in 2025 which wiuld be perfect for us to do Spain afterward. We're not really much intetested in tbe evening entertainment but want to be comfortable and reasonably well fed, and orefer a quieter experience. I think we'll like HAL.

[hrhdhd]

3 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Yes, $55/day for HIA; that was a very recent price increase, so hope to see it sit there a while.

Thermalpass is $50/day, $149/7 days, $299/14 days - no discount for pre-paying.

I paid $149 for the thermal suite pass prior to my cruise and it's currently being sold onboard for $179.

[crystalspin]

2 minutes ago, hrhdhd said:

I paid $149 for the thermal suite pass prior to my cruise and it's currently being sold onboard for $179.

Huh, that may be the new price fleet-wide? IDK have never priced it...

 

ETA: Guessing that because @Haljo1935 usually knows the stuff! 

Edited December 11, 2023 by crystalspin

[Real NHDOC]

Oh, yes, and Laundry...which someone else mentioned and reminded me.  HAL gets an 11 and X gets a 0 for Laundry service.  Not just the cost, which is outrageous on Celebrity but the quality of the service which is terrible.  Clothes come back looking like they literally pulled them out of the dryer and balled them up in the bag.  We have taken to just hand wash essentials and take the rest off the ship for laundry it is so bad on Celebrity.

 

Even before we got free laundry on HAL we bought the unlimited $7 a day service but now that we get free laundry it is hard to go anywhere else.  So, yes, even more important than entertainment is laundry.

[Xcelsior]

21 hours ago, iceman93 said:

I'm not discounting your opinion at all, but I just want to point out mine which is different.  After trying the production shows on our first few cruises we realized they weren't for us and stopped bothering.  We still like the contracted magicians, comedians, etc. but the big stage shows don't do anything for us.

 

So HAL dropping them was actually a huge benefit from our perspective, because we much more enjoy the musical entertainment they have now.  And the quality of drinks, food, and particularly service levels are perhaps the most important things to us.  For my family, HAL continues to deliver what we care about and enjoy.

Completely agree.  I have seen about 100 production shows too many.  I have zero interest in them.  Would rather have guest performers and good singers on board in the bars/lounges.  Alternatively, give me a good playlist that doesn't not have overplayed wedding songs (Kool & the Gang, the Village people and Abba) on constant repeat.  Just give me current  TOP 40 songs and I'll be happy.

[chisoxfan]

Just 'returned' to HAL  booking a 14 night cruise. One other thing I also like is that unlike X they seem to offer a more reasonable deposit return policy ie. most of X deposits are non-refundable unless you pay a king's ransom up front. The Club Orange is also intriguing although I have to admit I essentially got three different answers from three HAL agents regarding availability. 

ps. would also personally be fine to lose the big production shows. 

[jagger16]

We have sailed on Celebrity and HAL and like them both for different reasons, many of which others have already mentioned. One thing we really noticed after our last two Celebrity cruises is that HAL has a lot more deck space, especially forward and aft. There just always seems to be more options on HAL for places to sit from covered to full sun, and quiet to active.

[boulders]

My first cruise on Celebrity was in January, 2023. Before that, I had sailed on HAL twice, in 2012 and 2013. Between 2013 and 2023, I only sailed once, on RCCL. 

 

The Celebrity cruise was 11 nights on Constellation to the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. It was just OK. The shore excursions were very good. I had been to Costa Rica 20 years ago, and I was glad to go back. The food was disappointing. There was only one night when a salad was offered. The quantity of vegetables with the main course was very small. This was surprising as the cruise left out of Tampa, so I would expect fruit and vegetables to be easy to get. The entertainment was disappointing as well. There was only one performance in the main theater that I wanted to see, but I couldn't get a seat. I generally really like Bingo on cruises, but there was none on Celebrity, only Deal or No Deal, which was rushed and not interesting. 

 

The HAL cruise was 48 nights on Noordam from San Diego to Australia and New Zealand. I just got off 2 weeks ago. I really liked this cruise. The food was great. Surprisingly, even when we were weeks away from the last major port, salads were abundant and fresh. The main courses had a good quantity of vegetables. I did not notice repetition in the menu. There was roast chicken, salmon and lasagna every night, in addition to about 6-8 other main courses. My table mates, who were more experienced than I, were able to order a garden salad or a Caesar salad whenever they wanted, even if they weren't on the menu. There was at least one salad on the menu every night.

 

Entertainment on HAL: There was a lot. I'm sure I'm going to forget something. There was Bingo just about every sea day. There was also Deal or No Deal. The young lady who ran both was engaging and made both fun. There were lots of trivia sessions, generally 3 per day. There was dueling pianos in Billboard On Board and a piano/cello duo in another venue. Unfortunately, I never got to see the piano/cello duo as I was either playing trivia or eating dinner at the times they were playing. There were bridge lessons every sea day between San Diego and Sydney. These were very well attended. Due to the length of the cruise, I got to be a pretty good bridge player. The lessons were 2 hours in the morning and then there were games for 2 hours in the afternoon. There were two groups that performed on the main stage - One Step Dance Company and Cantare. I'm not a fan of singing, so I didn't go to the Cantare performances, but I heard that they were good. One of my offspring is a professional dancer, so I did go to the dance performances. The staging and the quality of the dancers were excellent. I highly recommend them. Due to the length of the cruise, we got 2 different casts. One got off in Papeete and the next got on in Sydney. There were also dance groups that got on in Honolulu and in Papeete to perform for one night. The Papeete group was very good. The Honolulu group was not. There were in depth lectures given frequently in the main stage, most by the cruise director, but some by experts. There were also daily talks by the cruise director where she interviewed either experts or members of the crew. There was one talk by all the senior officers that was held in the main stage and was very well attended. 

 

TLDR: The food on HAL was a much high quality than on X. The entertainment was about equal quality, but there was much more available on HAL. I did pay more for HAL than X - about $200/day as a solo for an inside cabin on HAL vs $130/day as a solo for a balcony on X. The demographics were about equal on both lines - average age about 70 and very few children. I'm quite a bit younger than that average. I had a lot more fun on the ship with HAL, than I did on X. 

 

[Petronillus]

18 hours ago, Real NHDOC said:

Oh, yes, and Laundry...which someone else mentioned and reminded me.  HAL gets an 11 and X gets a 0 for Laundry service.  Not just the cost, which is outrageous on Celebrity but the quality of the service which is terrible.  Clothes come back looking like they literally pulled them out of the dryer and balled them up in the bag.  We have taken to just hand wash essentials and take the rest off the ship for laundry it is so bad on Celebrity.

I tend to take the excellent laundry service on HAL for granted. From these comments I've come to appreciate how much of a competitive edge it is. DW & I always avail ourselves of the reasonably priced by-the-bag option, but plainly even for the 4- and 5-star Mariners the laundry is one of the behind-the-scenes elements that contribute to the quality of life on board ship.

 

 

[JJSAsail]

We just got off the Beyond yesterday and recently sailed on the Nieuw Statendam. There was nothing specific to say negatively about Celebrity.  We sailed Aqua class. enjoyed the shows and meals and definitely got our money's worth from the premium beverage package but we probably won't sail Celebrity again. The ship is noisy. The entertainment was interesting, but we liked the music on Hal more. We also adore club orange and all of its perks. We can't wait for our upcoming cruise on the Rotterdam. If I had to say why I think Celebrity isn't a good fit for us anymore it would be that it's trying to accommodate too many audiences. Young and hip with the gold asteroid walkways and whatnot. Hal knows its audience and it's us. We still want to be fed well and entertained. But a little more sedate is nice too. Have fun on your cruise! 

[montythecat]

I do like JJSAsail’s summary. I would go along with that and 

would add that we preferred the food on HAL in terms of

quality and more imaginative menus. For us, Celebrity does

seem to have lost its way and that is particularly 

noticeable on the Edge Class ships.

[chisoxfan]

4 hours ago, montythecat said:

I do like JJSAsail’s summary. I would go along with that and 

would add that we preferred the food on HAL in terms of

quality and more imaginative menus. For us, Celebrity does

seem to have lost its way and that is particularly 

noticeable on the Edge Class ships.

I agree that X has lost its 'edge' on their new class of ships. We just got off Apex and have a suite on Ascent upcoming. The Retreat product on Edge class is impressive with dedicated pool area, lounge, and Luminae but generally the price is insane and they keep removing benefits (OBC, tips, butlers).

So if we get a great deal on a suite on a warm weather, hang out on the ship cruise we would consider X but only in Retreat.  The rest of the Edge class design is uninspiring and quirky where the old S class was really innovative and classy but getting long in the tooth. 

Our old standby of AQ on S class ships has been taken out by removing real balconies on the new generation (Thermal suites were never that nice IMHO and not improved on Edge class). So for us (like MSC) X has become a suite only option and not a go to cruise line.

We are excited to try Rotterdam (have only sailed Westerdam and Eurodam before) this summer and the Cub Orange concept appears to be an attractive plus. I know the music will be 10X better than X. JMHO

 

[mcrcruiser]

On 12/10/2023 at 2:54 PM, rj59 said:

I have over 100 days on HAL, and 6 Celebrity cruises the past year, and got off Reflection yesterday. To me the obvious, glaring, depressing difference is that Celebrity had 3 production shows on a 6-nt cruise, with aerialists, acrobats, inflatable animals, lots of going into the audience. Edge-class ships have two production casts and 3 different venues and an amazing MainStage. . Dancers/singers also do atrium parties and shows. HAL decided singers/dancers cost money and so chose corporate sponsorship in music venues instead of shows. They’ve gotten rid of contracted interpretive dancers and another corporate sponsorship of a classical quintet, so now at nights you get some lame singers, a corporate history lecture, or a nature movie (corporate sponsorship, of course). It’s dreadful and sad for those of us who loved HAL production shows and who see production shows on every other large cruise line, including Broadway shows. On my Celebrity cruise I could have shows on stage and in the atrium most nights, but even on 4 nights on Eurodam I was completely bored, and walked out of the awful singing quartet. To me, no drinks, food, or level of service can make up for not having something basic to any cruise, especially not with the high prices of HAL now. 

Yes HAL prices are considerably higher than pre covid . They uped their prodes t help Carnival Corporation  lower their huge debt load  . Carnival corp also has a no waste food program in place  . .We are 3 star Mariners with HAL & Elite Plus with Celebrity .We sailed both lines post pandemic . O honestly can say that Celebrity had  better food in the MDR & great dervice .along with much more live entertainment ,like the stahe shows & atrium entertainment . We were never bored on the Soltice where we did N2N cruises this past March . Because Celbrity rarely sails from the West coast & Me DW can no longer fly is the reason we sail on HAL ships fro our home port in San Diego . HAL is known for long itineraries & that imo is the only other diffrence between the  2 cruise lines . 

 

 Mind you that we have adjusted to HAL but ,at the same time wish  they had stage shows in the World Theatre. another  thing we noticed I had to ask doe our win gift in Trivia with HAL not with Celebrity . Thise things do stand out in my mind .;because ,when will the raised cruise fares equaly a better ventertaunment package on HAL ships . another interesting this is Princess is adding new shios but ,there are no new ships planed for the HAL fleet & Hal has 2 ships built in 1999 & a much slaler fleet than Provess . Perhaps that is telling but we can not be sure at this time what it truly means for this cruise line for the future 

[countingbackwards]

Having sailed both...I prefer HAL, but imagine that most who like one will have fun on either of them.  Here are the standout differences:

 

HAL has better food for beef eaters especially - included excellent MDR steak or prime rib is available just about every day.  X steaks were not as good - always overcooked.  Burgers at the Dive-In are delicious, whereas the Mast Grill burgers are awful frozen pucks thrown on a grill.  Fresh meats and roasts at the buffet on HAL that are well-prepared vs. overcooked and bland on X.

 

I prefer the X specialty restaurants in general, but they cost a lot more than HAL's so I'll go to max 1 per cruise - with HAL, a 2nd trip doesn't make me feel guilty for wasting more $$ on a meal that I already paid for.

 

X has the best bar - the Martini Bar has no peer on HAL.  But...those drinks are pricey.  I'm plenty happy with the drinks that are just as good on HAL without the big price, and as a result I order them more freely.

 

X has better coffee and tea at Al Bacio than anywhere on a HAL ship.  Snacks are better at the Dutch Cafe, but the priority for me is the coffee, and it's just OK.

 

HAL is more reasonable in all "after booking the cruise" costs.  Cheaper drink packages, cheaper excursions, cheaper specialty restaurants.

 

X is like Cunard and old-time cruising - a lot of the ship reserved for the high rollers.  I don't like the idea of a class system...the HAL system of being able to buy individual pieces (cabanas, Club Orange) is far nicer...even if I'm not a customer for any of it, I like to know that I can be.

 

Entertainment is just way better on HAL.  I love good, honest live music.  BB King's lounge is something I would happily pay for on land - especially when coupled with the HIA package.  What luxury to watch talented musicians play jazz and blues classics with "included" drinks flowing.  On X, they have big cheesy stage shows that aren't quite good enough to charge for on their own...HAL has the big cheesy dance shows to compete with that, but X has nothing that comes close to BB King (or the Rock Room for that matter).  During the day, I prefer the trivia games by the adult pool on HAL to the more energetic zumba etc. by the main pool on X.

 

HAL's atmosphere is elegant and relaxing; X's atmosphere is urban chic that feels somewhat forced to me.  We're still gluttons on a cruise ship consuming far too much food and drink...nothing about that is chic.

 

The balconies on HAL are nicer than any line I've been on.  The teak deck and footstools included in base balcony rooms make it feel more appealing to enjoy your balcony than the more industrial feel of X balconies (I haven't been on the IV on Edge class, only M and S class balconies).

 

Now having said all that - I love cruising both lines.  I'd go for whichever was the better price on a given itinerary.  Of course, HAL has better itineraries most of the time and lower prices, so it's a while since I've been on X now.

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by countingbackwards

[montythecat]

I love the Entertainment paragraph written by “countingbackwards”.

I wish I had written it !

[RICHARD@SEA]

I returned from a cruise on Rotterdam on 3 December 2023 - it is my last w HAL after 130+ days.  I have not sailed on Celebrity since the early 2000's

 

I'll be looking at more lines like Explora & Silversea.

 

I did hear several different passengers  comparing Celeb to HAL....most preferred Celebrity.

 

As far as my experience  - HAL food was pretty tasteless cafeteria food that was consistently cold(I also had food poising from a dinner in the Pinnacle Grill).

 

The evening entertainment was similar to a bad assisted living / over 65 home.

 

There were other MAJOR problems encountered.

 

 

[montythecat]

Dear RICHARD@SEA,

As a matter of interest which elements of the evening 

entertainment didn’t you like ?   I am not familiar with

homes for the over 65s.

[OlsSalt]

On 12/13/2023 at 4:18 PM, RICHARD@SEA said:

 

...........

I'll be looking at more lines like Explora & Silversea.

............

 

FYI: 11 day FLL-FLL Eastern Caribbean

Silversea: $7,000

HAL Suite: $3,000

[CNSJ]

1 hour ago, OlsSalt said:

 

FYI: 11 day FLL-FLL Eastern Caribbean

Silversea: $7,000

HAL Suite: $3,000

That’s a great deal of difference! add 50 a day for HIA and HAL still half cost.  Plus those itineraries have around 7 port days, so you may eat meals off ship.  

[melusina]

On 12/13/2023 at 2:09 PM, countingbackwards said:

Having sailed both...I prefer HAL, but imagine that most who like one will have fun on either of them.  Here are the standout differences:

 

HAL has better food for beef eaters especially - included excellent MDR steak or prime rib is available just about every day.  X steaks were not as good - always overcooked.  Burgers at the Dive-In are delicious, whereas the Mast Grill burgers are awful frozen pucks thrown on a grill.  Fresh meats and roasts at the buffet on HAL that are well-prepared vs. overcooked and bland on X.

 

I prefer the X specialty restaurants in general, but they cost a lot more than HAL's so I'll go to max 1 per cruise - with HAL, a 2nd trip doesn't make me feel guilty for wasting more $$ on a meal that I already paid for.

 

X has the best bar - the Martini Bar has no peer on HAL.  But...those drinks are pricey.  I'm plenty happy with the drinks that are just as good on HAL without the big price, and as a result I order them more freely.

 

X has better coffee and tea at Al Bacio than anywhere on a HAL ship.  Snacks are better at the Dutch Cafe, but the priority for me is the coffee, and it's just OK.

 

HAL is more reasonable in all "after booking the cruise" costs.  Cheaper drink packages, cheaper excursions, cheaper specialty restaurants.

 

X is like Cunard and old-time cruising - a lot of the ship reserved for the high rollers.  I don't like the idea of a class system...the HAL system of being able to buy individual pieces (cabanas, Club Orange) is far nicer...even if I'm not a customer for any of it, I like to know that I can be.

 

Entertainment is just way better on HAL.  I love good, honest live music.  BB King's lounge is something I would happily pay for on land - especially when coupled with the HIA package.  What luxury to watch talented musicians play jazz and blues classics with "included" drinks flowing.  On X, they have big cheesy stage shows that aren't quite good enough to charge for on their own...HAL has the big cheesy dance shows to compete with that, but X has nothing that comes close to BB King (or the Rock Room for that matter).  During the day, I prefer the trivia games by the adult pool on HAL to the more energetic zumba etc. by the main pool on X.

 

HAL's atmosphere is elegant and relaxing; X's atmosphere is urban chic that feels somewhat forced to me.  We're still gluttons on a cruise ship consuming far too much food and drink...nothing about that is chic.

 

The balconies on HAL are nicer than any line I've been on.  The teak deck and footstools included in base balcony rooms make it feel more appealing to enjoy your balcony than the more industrial feel of X balconies (I haven't been on the IV on Edge class, only M and S class balconies).

 

Now having said all that - I love cruising both lines.  I'd go for whichever was the better price on a given itinerary.  Of course, HAL has better itineraries most of the time and lower prices, so it's a while since I've been on X now.

 

We booked our fitst ever cruise on Celebrity for May because of the itinerary and if we like cruising are considering a transatlantic on HAL in 2025. But i have to say, after seeing YouTube tours, that as you say the forced urban chic of Celebrity makes me think we'll be more comfortable on HAL. But - new experiences!

[cruisemom42]

On 12/13/2023 at 3:09 PM, countingbackwards said:

HAL's atmosphere is elegant and relaxing; X's atmosphere is urban chic that feels somewhat forced to me.  We're still gluttons on a cruise ship consuming far too much food and drink...nothing about that is chic.

 

I've not ever noticed any "forced" urban chic on X ships, but I haven't been on the Edge class ships. I like the X ships for their brighter, lighter decor. Sometimes when I spend too much time onboard a HAL ship, I feel like I am in a kind of golden, twilight haze, never quite fully lit. I get the same feeling in the endless casinos in Vegas....

 

HAL's Pinnacle ships are a bit brighter, a bit more reminiscent of Celebrity's S-class ships, which I really like. The artwork on the Pinnacle ships (or at least on Nieuw Statendam) also feels a bit more modern, playful, tongue-in-cheek -- dare I say urban chic?? 😉

[countingbackwards]

56 minutes ago, melusina said:

We booked our fitst ever cruise on Celebrity for May because of the itinerary and if we like cruising are considering a transatlantic on HAL in 2025. But i have to say, after seeing YouTube tours, that as you say the forced urban chic of Celebrity makes me think we'll be more comfortable on HAL. But - new experiences!

I’m sure you’ll enjoy both HAL and Celebrity…they’re similar to me in every way other than what I’ve mentioned.  I prefer both lines to Disney, RCCL, Carnival and most land-based vacations.

 

I will echo what others have said - new vs old ship can make more difference than the line.  HAL on the old Veendam was REALLY laid back and lacked crowds everywhere…which I loved.  Rooms were basic but large.  Not much in the way of dining or entertainment options.  Rooms were also basic and large on Celebrity M class, though their rooms were recently renovated and the M class has twice the passengers of the  so it doesn’t have the same laid-back vibe.  Celebrity M class is likely closer in character to the mid-sized HAL ships, which I haven’t sailed on.  
 

One thing though - the older ships with the bigger rooms work far better if you’re putting 4 in a room.  Otherwise I prefer the more modern but smaller rooms on new ships.

 

Pinnacle class on HAL is really quite similar in ship design to S class on Celebrity.  My comparison in my previous post is most accurately read as a comparison between those 2 classes of ships. 
 

Celebrity Edge class has no equivalent on HAL.  I’m sure they’re lots of fun though.

[RICHARD@SEA]

On 12/15/2023 at 1:01 PM, OlsSalt said:

 

FYI: 11 day FLL-FLL Eastern Caribbean

Silversea: $7,000

HAL Suite: $3,000

Its all about quality over quantity...this ROTTERDAM cruise was a waste of money all around - I went for  R&R, fresh air on my balcony, peace & quiet at sea - none of which I got - this is the only time I ever wanted to disembark a ship early - i actually looked into flights out of Curacao back to FT Lauderdale.  After 6 days of not sleeping , bad food & no response/action  from management I had enough!!!