Long time Celebrity cruisers want to go back to HAL..here's why.

Just returned from a trans Atlantic cruise on the Silhouette and here's my take briefly..

..service and crew were excellent

..food varied from good to excellent, (but is subjective)

..the ship is beautiful and clean

..nice Aqua class cabin and quiet dining in Blu.

..great benefits for Elite+ level (26 cruises on Celebrity)

Now you are wondering why I am asking about HAL. It is the music and the shows. They are so blasting loud as to leave you mostly deaf or your ears ringing afterwards. We enjoy going to shows even on a cruise ship. We also like to dance without being bombarded by rap or hip-hop at ear splitting levels!!! Celebrity even played rap at one of their outdoor specialty dining venues:mad:.

We have sailed HAL before. The last time was the Zaandam in 2004. I would appreciate some good truthful feedback from you HAL faithfulls.

Thanks,

Phil..........floridacruisers

Things have changed since 2004. Some good, some not so much. But so far I haven't been subjected to rap/hip-hop blasting. But who knows. With the wild popularity of "Hamilton," HAL might be inclined to offer some rap. (I certainly hope not.)

I hope HAL will give you the experience you seek.

You must have missed the thread about the BB King Blues Club and all the complaints about the loud music.

You must have missed the thread about the BB King Blues Club and all the complaints about the loud music.

DH wears ear plugs in this venue and thoroughly enjoys it, not too loud, he says, with his ear protection.

I, too, sailed Celebrity after a long absence from that line and discovered the same thing. While I like some rap, I don't want to listen to it at sonic boom levels. Like a previous poster, I pray that Holland doesn't introduce it to the dam ships, but who knows, some of the decisions they've made lately have a lot of us scratching our heads.

During daytimes on HAL you will now find overhead 'music' (sometimes I have to use the term advisedly) in just about every public area. In most places it is not too loud, and it is somewhat appropriate to the area, but it is there. If the area is otherwise fairly quiet, it can be obtrusive. For example, I hate the intrusion of 'jumpy' music when I am having my breakfast in the Lido; but it is there.

Near as I can find, the outside promenade deck is the only place that doesn't have any 'music', except when the Walk for the Cure is being held. Then, it practically blasts you overboard.

The worst episode was the time blaring music was being played in the normally quiet Explorers Lounge---aka 'The Reading Room'. It wasn't classical music, either, which is the usual background music there.

In the evening, the overhead music seems more subdued, but that might just be in comparison to the live music. The background music at the show can be too loud, especially when it's the HAL singers and dancers.

I found the BB King musicians were just about the right volume at the glass elevators, but that wasn't a great place to sit and listen.

Don't expect things to be the same as they were in 2004!

Not on HAL or any other mass market cruise line. Lots of changes, lots of cutbacks all around.

All the cruise lines are changing.

And so is HAL. Depending on the ship you want to sail on, depends on if changes have been made.

Everything started with the Koningsdam. And has spread to the Eurodam and now the Westerdam. Piano Bar gone -- now have dueling Pianos -- no chance to sing along. No Northern Lights. The BB King group in the Queen's Lounge on some ships and Crow's Nest on other ships -- way too loud for us. There is the Lincoln Center and the Billards Room. Slowly the places to dance and listen to music are disappearing.

Having experienced the recently redone Oosterdam which was "Koningsdamized" and the venerable Veendam, I would say that the HAL ships are still more sedate than Celebrity. BB Kings is loud, but the shows and the music in the lounges was not overly so.

Some similar thinking here - looking again at HAL after years on Celebrity.

Having sailed in an Aqua Class cabin on X and dined in Blu, I can tell you that there is nothing comparable to it on any HAL ship. The ambiance of the restaurant, the intimate and cozy atmosphere, the exceptional service and wonderful daily menu choices are just not available on HAL. If dining is really important to you, I would also point out that HAL does not have the variety of dining options that is available on X.

You should also examine the loyalty reward programs of both lines. It is my understanding that X offers more perks than HAL.

I found the service on HAL to be slightly better than what we received on X. X wasn't bad, it was just okay.

Personally, we found the sound of the shows on both ships to be too loud. Way too loud. It can be very difficult to listen to some of the singers hit the high notes on a cruise ship. I think the loudness contributes to the derogatory phrase, "cruise ship entertainment".

DAng! We just booked a TA on Koningsdam because Carnival, Royal and NCL were getting a bit " rambunctious" at times. I guess Cunard and Seabourn are next.

We have sailed on Celebrity ships quite a lot ( Elite+ as well) and liked both the (relative) intimacy of the smaller M-class ships and the elegance of the S-class. The loyalty perks on Celebrity are definitely better if you have reached one of the higher levels ( laundry, free internet minutes , free specialty coffees/teas, Elite breakfast in one of the specialty restaurants etc. Aqua class and its restaurant as well as access to the Spa are really excellent - but prices have risen so much and still more after "including" the "free" beverage package, that we rarely consider Celebrity any more. You can sometimes get good deals on both cruise lines, but again it is mostly the itinerary we look at when trying to find another cruise to enjoy. And as AQ is so much in demand prices in general are high, as are the suites.

The main reason for choosing HAL now most of the time are the better itineraries for some regions, for example the Eastern Mediterranean, Antarctica, Asia and especially the voyages offered on Prinsendam ( as the smaller ship).

We found the Celebrity ships noisier - we don't like blaring music all over the ship and even the background music on the decks, the buffet area etc. is rather loud - but the shows in general were better and there really is more of a nightlife. When on Koningsdam last year we found the ship virtually empty if you walked through some of the public areas after 10 o'clock. But we also found the shows on all the ships both on Celebrity and HAL much too loud and I keep wondering why nothing changes when so many people complain about the issue - on CruiseCritic, public talks with the Captain, surveys....

Food is comparable with some lows and highs on each and every cruise with both companies; we found the service on HAL a notch better - let's say a dozen smiles per hour vs. 8 ...:) for example in the buffet area or in regard to cabin attendants.

Just returned from a trans Atlantic cruise on the Silhouette and here's my take briefly..

 

..service and crew were excellent

..food varied from good to excellent, (but is subjective)

..the ship is beautiful and clean

..nice Aqua class cabin and quiet dining in Blu.

..great benefits for Elite+ level (26 cruises on Celebrity)

 

Now you are wondering why I am asking about HAL. It is the music and the shows. They are so blasting loud as to leave you mostly deaf or your ears ringing afterwards. We enjoy going to shows even on a cruise ship. We also like to dance without being bombarded by rap or hip-hop at ear splitting levels!!! Celebrity even played rap at one of their outdoor specialty dining venues:mad:.

 

We have sailed HAL before. The last time was the Zaandam in 2004. I would appreciate some good truthful feedback from you HAL faithfulls.

Thanks,

Phil..........floridacruisers

Ouch, ouch, ouch. It hurts just reading what you wrote about what was called "entertainment" on what you describe as a very lovely Celebrity ship. Does that describe what a HAL cruiser has come to expect on her HAL ships? I shudder at the thought of ever being exposed to what you just described.

(NB: I am old - so that makes a difference. When friends screamed for Elvis I was playing my Pat Boone 45's. Okay- full disclosure.)

However, entertainment is not a forte for HAL but it does offer at least a very nice menu of classical/traditional music venues, a New Orleans jazz group that is good for more active dancing, still areas for traditional ball room dancing, some late night disco, a variety of individual acts and okay song and dance team for its costumed main theater shows.

Thanks for the feedback. Please keep the comments coming as I know that the CC crowd is best for this kind of infromation. Thanks to all...:)

Phil...........floridacruisers

The biggest changes I've noticed on HAL have been the cutbacks to entertainment and the cruise director's staff. There are not as many activities. On our 10-day cruise on the Zuiderdam in February, there were only three production shows.

I will say after 11 Celebrity cruises I have never heard any rap music being played throughout the ship...although a couple may be sprinkled in the production shows. But I am so tired of production shows I rarely go. And the BB King Band on the Eurodam was by far the best band of any of our cruises over the past 40 years.

DAng! We just booked a TA on Koningsdam because Carnival, Royal and NCL were getting a bit " rambunctious" at times. I guess Cunard and Seabourn are next.

As longtime HAL cruisers, we were almost "scared" when we decided to check out the K'dam. We actually were not unhappy with it although we still prefer the smaller ships. While it was larger, it didn't feel like it. As far as dining, we really enjoyed the many venues and went to all of them except for the cooking one. The asian one was fabulous!

Regarding noise? Yes, BB Kings was avoided like the plague although it required a rush to get past it since it's basically out in the open. Dueling piano's was avoided also since neither person could really sing well at all. They should have just played. We don't usually do shows but we did hear the main showroom sounded pretty loud.

One thing we like on the HAL ships is the ability to find a quiet place during the day to read and not be disturbed. Happily, we were able to find that on the K'Dam in more than one place.

Linda R.

We are returning to HAL after a few years of Celebrity and Princess. What surprises and saddens me is that the shows do not change from year to year, even on HAL. We have taken the Eurodam, Regal and Silhouette repeating each ship the next year. Lo and Behold! On all three ships the song and dance shows were the same on all nights.

We enjoy the theater nights, but none of the ships' shows are worth seeing twice. We are back to HAL for spring. Since it's been about 4 years, I'm hoping the shows have changed.

I am just back from the Eurodam and while I agree with most of the posters here, I will say while BBKing's may have been a bit loud, I thought they were excellent and thought it was probably the best entertainment of the cruise.

I am just back from the Eurodam and while I agree with most of the posters here, I will say while BBKing's may have been a bit loud, I thought they were excellent and thought it was probably the best entertainment of the cruise.

On a recent Nieuw Amsterdam we saw a lot of people sitting outside the BBKing show room (Queens Lounge I believe). I assumed this was a spill over crowd but later I learned it was people who also thought the group was too loud, but they still liked listening to them. We did not stay very long ourselves but it seemed being loud was part of their music. Others in the room were having a very good time dancing and listening.

Just returned from Celebrity Reflection and while on board decided to book 2 future cruises both on HAL. I preface this by saying that we are 45 years old and book based on itinerary almost exclusively. We enjoyed the Reflection but felt that our balcony cabin was smaller than on HAL. I liked the variety of extra restaurants but was not overly impressed with several. I have never had a bad meal in Pinnacle but didn't love Murano.

We don't go to a lot of shows or bars but I will say that I thought the music from the 3rd floor atrium events was a bit loud.

We really missed the laundromat on a 16 night cruise. On the other hand the unlimited wifi package for $250 was fast and much less than I normally pay on HAL for the amount of minutes I need.

We would book either line depending on if they go where we want when we want. Caribbean is out for us and basic Europe is becoming less appealing. The South Pacific itinerary on HAL was much better than on Celebrity, more stops.

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Just returned from a trans Atlantic cruise on the Silhouette and here's my take briefly..

 

..service and crew were excellent

..food varied from good to excellent, (but is subjective)

..the ship is beautiful and clean

..nice Aqua class cabin and quiet dining in Blu.

..great benefits for Elite+ level (26 cruises on Celebrity)

 

Now you are wondering why I am asking about HAL. It is the music and the shows. They are so blasting loud as to leave you mostly deaf or your ears ringing afterwards. We enjoy going to shows even on a cruise ship. We also like to dance without being bombarded by rap or hip-hop at ear splitting levels!!! Celebrity even played rap at one of their outdoor specialty dining venues:mad:.

 

We have sailed HAL before. The last time was the Zaandam in 2004. I would appreciate some good truthful feedback from you HAL faithfulls.

Thanks,

Phil..........floridacruisers

Just off Equinox yesterday and did not experience sound issues; of course we sat upper deck in showroom or what we call, "Just in case sits". Music in public areas was excellent, no rap, all types of music from Glen Miller, The Temptations, etc.

We are +30 years cruisers on HAL but started 3 years ago trying other lines; Celebrity & Oceania.

Find Celebrity pricing better than HAL. Equinox very similar to Koningsdam in passenger count and size; Celebrity 20% more tonnage for 2,900 passengers. Balcony prices for both ships similar except Celebrity includes free tips, free drinks and nice cabin credit, plus entertainment must better on Celebrity.

Just off Equinox yesterday and did not experience sound issues; of course we sat upper deck in showroom or what we call, "Just in case sits". Music in public areas was excellent, no rap, all types of music from Glen Miller, The Temptations, etc.

 

We are +30 years cruisers on HAL but started 3 years ago trying other lines; Celebrity & Oceania.

 

Find Celebrity pricing better than HAL. Equinox very similar to Koningsdam in passenger count and size; Celebrity 20% more tonnage for 2,900 passengers. Balcony prices for both ships similar except Celebrity includes free tips, free drinks and nice cabin credit, plus entertainment must better on Celebrity.

Forgot to mention that Celebrity just started allowing passengers to book shore excursions prior to cruise and use onboard cabin credits as payment.

It is always good to periodically try out different cruise lines. Who wants to stick with the same old same old? Especially when there are so many changes in the industry.

Lots of great ships out there, why stick with one cruise line? You never know, you may find that HAL is right for you. If not, there are a few other good cruise lines.

Select you ship carefully. Match it to your requirements. Especially if you, like us, think that Celebrity's Solstice class ships are the among the best. But that certainly does not stop us from cruising on other cruise lines/ships.

went on celebrity 2 years ago and i agree there was music every where. not a quite place on the ship