My Comparison of HAL vs X - Pros and Cons

Background

We have cruised on HAL for a dozen plus cruises in Deluxe Suites or Penthouse and recently took our first Celebrity cruise on the Summit in a Celebrity Suite. While planning this cruise I was very anxious for comparison between HAL and X. I decided to post some HAL/X pros and cons.

· Check-In

o Pros

§ HAL - At each desk there is a camera to take the cruise ID picture. On X, after you checked in you then proceeded to a 2nd location for the picture taking.

§ X - Presented with champagne or mimosa as you board.

· Venues

o Pros

§ X - Michael Club – very pub like with many small craft beers. Also had nice entertainment each night.

§ X – Martini Bar with its frozen bar top. Loved the Martini sampler.

§ X – Revelations – better dance location compared to Northern Lights on HAL.

§ HAL – Crow’s Nest – with the panoramic views from the full width of the ship.

§ HAL – Piano Bar – No explanation needed

o Cons

§ X – Cellar Master self-service wine bar. Maybe a nice idea but never saw anyone use this venue.

· Staterooms

o Pros

§ X – Multi-room staterooms other than Penthouse

§ X – Bath room more luxurious but the raised bath/shower difficult to get in and out

§ HAL – More storage. I prefer the closets that convert from stacked shelves to hanging.

§ HAL – DVD player in room

§ HAL – larger balcony with nicer balcony furniture and cushions

o Cons

§ X – Lack of US outlets/plugs

§ X – Lack of lighted make up mirror.

§ X – Grab bars needed in bath/shower.

§ X – Shower height too low.

· Food

o I think the Buffet and Main Dining room are comparable.

o Pros

§ X – Normandie specialty restaurant is excellent. Normandie has a $40 upcharge but Suite guests get one comp’d meal. We ate two meals there and both were just outstanding. While I do love the Pinnacle Grill I do think Normandie is better. I do not know if Normandie is open for lunch.

§ X – Bristo on 5. A very nice casual restaurant with a minimal upcharge $5.

§ X – The two times we ordered room service they called to let us know it would arrive within 5 minutes. Give you time to get a robe on if necessary.

§ X – Saturday Brunch – many different food stations.

o Cons

§ X – No room service for breakfast on disembarkation day. The only breakfast option is the buffet.

· Suite Perks

o Pros

§ HAL – Neptune Lounge. I really missed the NL, from a simple continental breakfast to the full service concierge staff. Also the famous coffee machine.

§ HAL – Breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill.

o Cons

§ X – Was not sure how to utilize the butler and when to call the Butler vs the room steward?

· Miscellaneous

o Pros

§ X – All inclusive drink packages. We had the premium package which included all bottled water (still and sparkling), coffee drinks, and wine and cocktails up to $12 – anything over $12 you just pay the difference.

§ X – There were many activities that involved the ships officers which got them engaged with the passengers. Example: Dancing with the stripes, Water volleyball game, poker tournament, Navigation under the stars.

§ HAL – Can remain in stateroom until time to disembark.

§ HAL - Suite Luncheon – my favorite is the Indonesian Luncheon in the Pinnacle Grill.

§ HAL – Suite cocktail party. We were not invited to any Suite functions.

§ HAL – Elemis products in the bathroom especially the tingly shower gel.

o Cons

§ X – Not of enough bar staff in the Main Dining room. It would routinely take 30-45 minutes from the start of dinner until a cocktail would arrive. While wine would arrive quickly. Cocktails are not served by the wine stewards. Can’t recall if the same person is in charge of cocktails and wine on HAL.

§ X – No bar/lounge in close proximity to Normandie restaurant. It would be nice to go for a cocktail without having to travel to a different deck for dinner. On HAL the Pinnacle Lounge is next to the Pinnacle Grill.

§ X - Laundry – DH’s tuxedo shirt arrived laundered but not pressed and unfortunately he didn’t realize it until 15 minutes before dinner. He thought it had pressed and folded. On HAL shirts arrive on hangers.

§ X – The sofa in our suite was just plain uncomfortable for sitting and sleeping. I have slept on a HAL sofa sleeper and it’s quite comfortable and very comfy for sitting.

Will we continue to sail on HAL – ABSOLUTLY!

Will we consider future cruises on Celebrity – ABSOLUTLY!

I posted my review of our July 8th Summit cruise here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1675669

Loved the way you compared Foxy Terrier - thanks so much:)

Really great that you did this - adds a lot of insight for a lot of people.

Everyone can choose what's important to them.

Thanks so much - off to read your full review - and appreciate you providing the link as well.

Welcome home:):) Did you bring a room steward with you or are you toughening it out on your own;)

Thanks for the comparison, FoxyTerrier. I have never cruised on Celebrity, although I want to. The big pro for me on Holland America is their itineraries. For Cape Horn, I ended up sailing HAL again because all Celebrity's cruises missed either the Falkland Islands or Valparaiso. Glad I went before HAL dropped the Falklands. Itineraries favor HAL for a possible fall Mediterranean cruise, too.

Celebrity's Solstice Class ships get the best member reviews on Cruise Critic.

Celebrity Eclipse, 91% loved it

Celebrity Equinox, 93% loved it

Celebrity Silhouette, 90% loved it

Celebrity Solstice, 88% loved it

Compare to HAL's newest Signature Class

Eurodam, 83% loved it

Nieuw Amersterdam, 81% loved it

Full disclosure, Celebrity Summit, 82% loved it

Thanks for the comparison.

We haven't sailed "X" in years so it was interesting comparison.

Happy you enjoyed your cruise. :)

Thread so useful, added to my bookmark hoard.

Thank you!

Thanks for the report on your Celebrity cruise. You did a great comparison of the two cruise lines.

Thread so useful, added to my bookmark hoard.

 

Thank you!

so YOU are the one hoarding all the bookmarks lol

Great comparison, OP. I tend to agree with most of what you said, though I was on a different X ship. I'd sail on either line, depending on itinerary. I do have to say though, the stewards/staff on HAL just had a little special something that I didn't entirely feel on X. Their staff was really good, but the HAL staff was remarkable.

Thanks, great comparison! We enjoy both lines.

Our experience is very similar with the 2 lines. With regards to room service on X we were told we always had to order through our room steward (who doubled as our concierge). The kicker was that with dinner we could not order until after 7PM vs with HAL you can order as soon as the MDR is open.

On X we also had some drama at the pool each day with security having to be called to break up fights. Never seen a fight on HAL and certainly not over a deck chair! But that may have less to do with Celebrity and more to do with the particular clientele on the cruise.

Well done. I hope to cruise on Celebrity one day soon.

Thank you for taking the time to write your comparisons.

It is very much appreciated.

I have sailed on Celebrity more than HAL. But.... now returning to HAL. Celebrity is going the way of most cruise lines with bigger and BIGGER ships. I love the smaller and older ships that HAL has and hope they will continue to use and maintain for many more years! Prinsendam is next Oct. 31st. Can't wait!

very intersting, thanks, the one thing I disagree with is I thought MDR was much better on HAL and buffet was much better on Celeberity

Thank you for the comparisons.

As a frequent cruiser on X, and cruising HAL for the first time in Sept., I appreciated your comparisons. Thanks you. Altho never staying in a suite, appreciated the other general ppoints of your critique. I'd be interested in knowing your feelings after cruisein one of the new S class ships on X. A totally different feel than the Summit or other M class ships.

Food and entertainment are totally subjective, so I'm glad you didn't spend much time on that.

Thanks, FoxyTerrier, for such an easy-to-read, concise comparison! I'm particularly interested since we're thinking of doing the Summit for our 45th wedding anniversary next May...and sadly, the Veendam, will no longer do that run.

How did you find being at the Dockyard? Did the ferries run fairly often into Hamilton? I will read your review, too!

Thanks, FoxyTerrier, for such an easy-to-read, concise comparison! I'm particularly interested since we're thinking of doing the Summit for our 45th wedding anniversary next May...and sadly, the Veendam, will no longer do that run.

 

How did you find being at the Dockyard? Did the ferries run fairly often into Hamilton? I will read your review, too!

I too am sad the Veendam is leaving Bermuda - our taxi driver said she was being sold.

Actually being at Dockyard was better than I thought.

The ferries to Hamilton run hourly. The ferries to St. George's less often. The best deal is to get a 2 or 3 day bus/ferry pass.

There is a small mall at dockyard as well as a glass factory and pottery factory. A snorkeling beach with a $5 entry fee and the Bermuda Maritime Museum $10 the dolphin swim is located at the maritime museum so you can watch the dolphin swim included in that fee. If you want to swim with the dolphins that is not included.

There is also a small tram that runs from the ship to the various stops in the dockyard area.

There are also many tours run right from dockyard (not through the ship) such as jet ski, glass bottom boats, parasailing.

I think if you like HAL you should like X - while not exactly the same both are fine cruise lines.

Enjoyed your comparisons - we have sailed on Celebrity only twice - both 7-day and not in suites. Hopefully, we can find a 14 day cruise with an itinerary to our liking and try a suite. I don't think we would like the larger Celebrity ships as we prefer HAL's R and S class ships. But we thought the size of the Summit and Infinity were OK and similar to HAL's Vista class, I think.

Three years ago we sailed on the Solstice for a TA then we did the Carnival Miracle in between ( the only miracle was surviving ) for a week then 15 days on the Amsterdam doing the Panama Canal.

The Solstice is beautiful. Pristine white. Large cabins and pubil spaces. The Mdr is huge, too huge for me. Food OK I find the food on the M class ships better. The buffet is great with lots of choices and stations to aid in serving the massive numbers of guests. Lets face it though the whole thing is huge. Not warm and comfortable. The small indoor pool is poorly designed. The smallest of wave movement and water ends up every where forcing them to drain it.

I will not even bother to talk about Carnival other than to say it should be shut down due to the filth every where especially the buffet area. Disgusting!

Getting on the Amsterdam was so comfortable despite being in a Noro virus alert. The staff dealt with it so well. The food was awesome everywhere. Service beyond compare. We had only been on HAL once before this. We had a great time then but a few issues. So, we moved on to X but after the trip on the Amsterdam we vowed to return. We sail on the Prinsendam in October and can't wait.

X is great but the smaller HAL ships are truly the best!

Thanks for the review. Just goes to show how everyone's perceptions and experiences are different.

We don't care about Celebrity's offer of champagne or mimosa when we board. We just want to get to our cabin or up to the top deck. Besides, it is just' not so great run of the mill plonk'.

On our last Celebrity cruise (Istanbul) our pictures were indeed taken at the check in desk-we did not have to go to another station for this. I suspect it depends on where you board.

Actually being at Dockyard was better than I thought.

 

The ferries to Hamilton run hourly. The ferries to St. George's less often. The best deal is to get a 2 or 3 day bus/ferry pass.

 

There is a small mall at dockyard as well as a glass factory and pottery factory. A snorkeling beach with a $5 entry fee and the Bermuda Maritime Museum $10 the dolphin swim is located at the maritime museum so you can watch the dolphin swim included in that fee. If you want to swim with the dolphins that is not included.

 

There is also a small tram that runs from the ship to the various stops in the dockyard area.

 

There are also many tours run right from dockyard (not through the ship) such as jet ski, glass bottom boats, parasailing.

 

Thanks for the great comparative review. I just had to say that I spent some time working/living at the Maritime Museum longer ago than I care to count and of course none of that was there then. As I recall, if we wanted a drink we had to walk down the road to the bar at the prison. :)

Good comparison. We like both lines but things we like on both lines:

• Love the wrap-around promenade on HAL ships...X has nothing to compare.
  
• Like the aft pools on HAL
  
• Like that you can get specialty coffees in HAL dining room at no fee
  
• Love the more open feel of the X Solstice class ships
  
• Like the casual lido layout on X much better
  
• Food is good on both lines
  
• Entertainment (especially the broadway type shows) have become boring on both lines IMO...time to try something different
  

Thank you for your thoughtful comparison.

I do have a few observations having recently completed a TA on X late last year.

You wrote:

o Cons

§ X – Cellar Master self-service wine bar. Maybe a nice idea but never saw anyone use this venue.

We decided not to purchase the drinks package and instead went by the glass for cocktails and a Cellar Master card for wine. This worked out very well for us as we could compare some "better" wines than we would have normally. And when I wanted a proper cocktail before dinner my wife could have a great glass of wine. Or vice-versa.

You also wrote:

o Cons

§ X – Lack of US outlets/plugs

§ X – Grab bars needed in bath/shower.

We always carry a plug strip with us to charge cameras, phones to combat the lack of outlets.

We did have a grab bar in our shower and in fact we now have one in our renovated bathroom. One other item we appreciated was a raised bar in the shower. My wife loved this feature for shaving her legs.

I too am sad the Veendam is leaving Bermuda - our taxi driver said she was being sold.

 

Actually being at Dockyard was better than I thought.

 

The ferries to Hamilton run hourly. The ferries to St. George's less often. The best deal is to get a 2 or 3 day bus/ferry pass.

 

There is a small mall at dockyard as well as a glass factory and pottery factory. A snorkeling beach with a $5 entry fee and the Bermuda Maritime Museum $10 the dolphin swim is located at the maritime museum so you can watch the dolphin swim included in that fee. If you want to swim with the dolphins that is not included.

 

There is also a small tram that runs from the ship to the various stops in the dockyard area.

 

There are also many tours run right from dockyard (not through the ship) such as jet ski, glass bottom boats, parasailing.

 

I think if you like HAL you should like X - while not exactly the same both are fine cruise lines.

Thanks, Joni...because of your concise review, I am forging ahead and booking the Summit for next May....our 45th wedding anniversary...and am excited about trying something different.

We took the ferry out to the Dockyard one day in May to check it out...it was fine...I, too, won't have a problem being out there.

It is what it is...certainly I'd rather be in Hamilton, but if that's not an option with HAL, we all have to look elsewhere if we want to go to Bermuda.

Enjoy the way you presented the pros and cons of each line.