Holland America Noordam vs Celebrity Solstice in Australia/New Zealand

Has anyone had experience with Holland America Noordam or Celebrity Solstice in Australia/New Zealand or anywhere else and like to share their experiences and preferences?

Thanks

I am bumping this up because I’d love to hear what those with X experience will say. We recently booked Noordam for Jan., 2019 for Australia/New Zealand but I’m having 2nd thoughts after reading so many reviews saying Noordam is looking tired and worn and the scheduled dry dock has been cancelled.

Celebrity's Solstice class ships are beautiful and quite functional. Have sailed on Zuiderdam and while a nice ship, it can't compare with Solstice. We were most impressed when we walked aboard, given a glass of sparkling wine and entered the nine deck atrium with a tree suspended in the middle. While there is no wraparound deck, the other amenities including a great buffet layout won us over.

Celebrity S class ships are really on a different level than older HAL ships, such as Noordam. Not to say that the HAL ships aren't well maintained or that service has declined. It's just that Solstice is a very beautiful, elegant and sophisticated ship. And yes, the service and the food is also wonderful. I also love Celebrity's no smoking policy, except for designated outdoor areas. HAL's Pinnacle class ships (Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam) are actually quite comparable to Celebrity.

Has anyone had experience with Holland America Noordam or Celebrity Solstice in Australia/New Zealand or anywhere else and like to share their experiences and preferences?

 

Thanks

We were on the Solstice around both New Zealand and Australia in 2013. The ship was newer than any ship we have sailed on HAL, but we have chosen to do 36 days on the Noordam in 2019 for another Australian cruise. The Solstice didn't seem to have room for some activities. We had to negotiate space to play bridge on sea days. We could only be given long tables in one of the secret rooms 2 hours some days. The "Solstice" Celebrity ships are large and beautiful but have no viable card rooms or other areas for games. The Silhouette had a open area over the atrium that had seven tables and music echoed up to the area and you could not hear a voice next to you. People were using two of the tables to do their taxes the time we were trying to play bridge. I felt that Celebrity did not want us to do anything that was not revenue producing. I contacted the line and received a "so sorry" but no corrections would be made. We prefer HAL because they provide space for bridge and set up a card room, usually the Hudson room, and on the older Volendam, provided coffee, tea, water, and cookies both in the morning and afternoon. They reacted to the 40+ people who chose to play bridge on sea days but also gave space to other games. They wanted us to be happy.

Celebrity does not have the jigsaw puzzles so beloved by HAL cruisers. HAL provides so many opportunities to meet others who like to do the same things. There is always a core of puzzle people, an after midnight group. I love being able to read the NYTimes daily, for free in the Explorer Lounge.

Most of the HAL ships are old and have character. The cabins come with real night tables with drawers, a clothesline in the bathroom shower for bathing suits, a request fruit bowl, and a lighted makeup mirror at the desk. These things are in all cabins. They are not in Solstice ships.

I hope this helps. There is a big difference between the ships. We are Elite Plus on Celebrity and recently became 4 star on HAL. The perks from Celebrity did not influence our choice.

There would have to be a huge price difference or a considerably better itinerary for me to choose HAL over a Celebrity Solstice Class ship. Solstice Class are my favorite ships. They are beautiful and very modern. Plus, the entertainment is a lot better than on HAL.

We sail both HAL and Celebrity and like both lines. However, we were on the Noordam last February around NZ and Australia. The ship was lovely, our cabin was nice and the food was great. I would pick by itinerary. I picked the Noordam because it went to Tasmania.

One other consideration would be where the ship docks in Sydney if you are staying on and not disembarking. The Noordam docks at the White Bay (?) Terminal, and I think the Solstice is at the in town Terminal. If you are disembarking in Sydney, as we did, it doesn’t make any difference.

Whatever choice you make, this is a wonderful cruise. Enjoy.

Cathy

Which itinerary did you do? How many days and which ports?

I am bumping this up because I’d love to hear what those with X experience will say. We recently booked Noordam for Jan., 2019 for Australia/New Zealand but I’m having 2nd thoughts after reading so many reviews saying Noordam is looking tired and worn and the scheduled dry dock has been cancelled.

We have just returned from the 30 day collector tour of New Zealand, Australia and New Caledonia on the MS Noordam. Prior to sailing I also read of the Noordam and the condition which the ship was in. I am so glad we ignored the concerns and continued on with our plans. The MS Noordam is not new, it is over 10 years old so it has some blemishes and such but overall the ship was in great shape. The staff work tirelessly at keeping the ship shinning and clean. We did note that furniture in the stateroom was older and worn however the main areas of the ship are very up to date. The staff are continually painting, replacing carpet and doing regular maintenance. I am sure that the portable vacum cleaners run 24 hours a day - the ship was spotless. Having sailed recently on the Zuiderdam I would suggest that the Noordam is in better shape overall. We had a fantastic cruise and all I can say is that if you dwell on the state of repair of the ship you miss out on the fact that what makes Holland America great is the people and the itinerary. I cant say enough about the wonderful staff who worked tirelessly at making our stay so memorable. Go and enjoy the experience and forget the chatter.

I haven’t sailed Celebrity but have sailed the Noordam twice, their holiday cruise and a Princess cruise. I loved the Noordam as it is so relaxing, Staff great and food fantastic. Sure there is not as much entertainment going on but I like to read so was not an issue. My kids had fun as well even though the kids activities are not as plentiful as on other ships. I thought the ship looked great and has a great layout. I love the library and the crows nest. I think every cruise line has its positives and negatives

This is not an easy question to answer for someone. We've cruised Solstice from Sydney to Auckland. Beautiful ship, nice entertainment, excellent system for Open Dining, food at least equal to HAL in most cases, room service not as good as HAL's options, specialty dining more expensive but more variety.... Their classical music was in a very noisy location, not like HAL's Explorer's Lounge.

I like Solstice's buffet layout - many island stations, but HAL's works well enough.

IMO: There's more similarities between the two lines than differences of importance. We always choose by itinerary and price... as for the rest, we enjoy the best of whatever each line and each ship offers.

But that's us.... I don't know what your desires are, your preferences for your enjoyment on board, in ports, type of room... do you require a 360 promenade walking deck?

White Bay (where Nordam might park because it's small enough to) is more difficult to get to the center of town from, but if you are embarking/disembarking it won't really matter. If you are staying overnight from White Bay, take an Uber or a taxi and you'll still have a great time. Sydney is a awesome port!

It's nice to have choices! Enjoy, m--

We salied on Noordam last October and Solstice last December.

Noordam and Solstice are in the same class, but are quite different ships.

There is no walkaround under cover deck on Solstice - its walkaround is on the top deck and in open sun.

The are heaps of lounges around the pools in shady areas on Solstice, more than on Noordam.

The buffet on Solstice is huge with a great selection, more choices than in the dining room. A minus is they do not serve you, the tongs get passed from one person to the next. Noordam you are served at food stations in the buffet - the buffet menu duplicates the dining room.

The dining room menu of Noordam is better with more choices and in our opinion better quality. There is nothing wrong with Solstice food quality, it's just there is not the same number of choices.

Bottled wine is very expensive on Solstice, but if you get a drinks package as part of your deal it neutralises this concern.

Premium restaurants are expensive on Solstice ($50 pp) but there are several on Solstice and only two on Noordam.

There are quality lectures on Noordam, better than Solstice.

Music in lounges is more discrete on Noordam. Its always loud on Solstice. Probably because HAL target a slightly older client.

Solstice overall is modern and bright and airy. Noordam is more "old school'. Both ships are well maintained.

We traveled on the Solstice in January and February of 2014, from New Zealand to a circumnavigation of Australia. Prior to this we had only sailed on HAL ships for many years, but the itinerary was fabulous. I feel odd saying this, but our first reaction to the Solstice was, wow, everything works! We had no a/c issues, no bathroom problems, no water or other issues. We had become so used to dealing with issues on HAL that we were really surprised that we didn’t have any on the Solstice. On the other hand, the buffet was jammed every day, finding a seat was very difficult, the food wasn’t that great. However, the Solstice covered pool area was wonderful, with huge soft loungers, quiet areas, etc. We loved that at dinner every night there were always a shrimp cocktail, escargot, and creme brûlée available.

The fact that the a/c worked so well was a big deal to us, as it was bloody hot every day in Australia. Solstice issues - really loud hip hop music constantly, tiny library, specialty restaurants expensive and not that great. Pluses - the coffee cafe was wonderful, best iced teas on any ship, affogato coffee drink with ice cream was wonderful, etc, etc. We missed having a movie theatre like the older HAL ships had, but there were so many more activities than HAL. So, we would take the Solstice over HAL. However, this was four years ago, and things may very well have changed. The fact that the Solstice ports at Circular Quay is also a big advantage in my opinion.

As far as White Bay vs Circular Quay goes -

Solstice always docks at CQ because of its size. Great for transit passengers but difficult for joiners and leavers with private transport as parking is non-existent. Excellent for those joining trains or public transport.

Noordam docks at CQ when it is not taken by a big ship, otherwise White Bay. Transit passengers at White Bay have to take a ferry to get to the CBD. White Bay is excellent for leavers and joiners with private pickup or drop off as there is heaps of parking. Public transport, apart from the ferry to CBD, is non-existent.

We were on Solstice on a New Zealand Cruise (Sydney to Auckland) in 2014 and loved it! Beautiful ship and good food and fun passengers.

The advantages of HAL would have been a better itinerary (maybe one more port) and more outdoor space while going through the fiords (although most passengers left after 15 minutes so there was no viewing issues on Celebrity)

On Celebrity we are always invited to either the bridge, engine room, or helicopter pad sail away- never on HAL.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

In my mind, both ships are comparable enough that I'd choose almost entirely based on itinerary. Although I'd miss Celebrity's better evening entertainment, it's not so critical on a port-intensive cruise.

Some more differences I thought of -

Neptune suite on Noordam, exec lounge on same floor with honour (pay) bar, coffee machine in suite and free laundry. Personal concierge in lounge

Celebrity suite on Solstice, exec lounge on another floor with free drinks, no coffee machine in suite and you pay for laundry. Personal concierge in lounge on another floor. Celebrity suite has a butler who will bring you almost anything.

Like others the differences overall we feel are minor, the ships are in the same value class, and we choose based on itinerary.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

After much debate decided on Ms Noordam vs. Celebrity to Australia/New Zealand for March 2019. Any input into shore excursions outside the cruise line? We might be a group of six and we do not always book through the cruise line. Would appreciate any vendors that you utilized once in port.

After much debate decided on Ms Noordam vs. Celebrity to Australia/New Zealand for March 2019. Any input into shore excursions outside the cruise line? We might be a group of six and we do not always book through the cruise line. Would appreciate any vendors that you utilized once in port.

Have look at the past roll calls for Noordam when it was in NZ. Heaps of information there. Join the roll call for your cruise and ask your private tour question there, you will get a better response there.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

The 'really loud hip hop music constantly' is enough to put me off Celebrity