Celebrity V. HAL

I don't "dress" for formal night on HAL, we eat in the buffet which is pretty much the same menu as the MDR...is the Celebrity buffet run the same as HAL ?

Maybe ask this on the Celebrity board, here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

Please, looking over there you will get a lot more info prior to your cruise.

I've traveled both lines within the past year. Celebrity does NOT offer a full dinner service in buffet except in the Canaletto Italian-themed restaurant. Celebrity offers a couple of stations, like pasta and stir-fry where you choose your own ingredients.

This is one advantage HAL has over X, so if this is the single criterion on which you are making a decision, HAL would give you better options. On the whole, the pluses and minuses of the two lines balance each other out and you can have a great cruise on either one.

There is another difference. Celebrity asks that people dress appropriately on formal nights in the MDR but Celeberity does NOT extend this request for formal attire to the other areas of the ship on those evenings.

There is another difference. Celebrity asks that people dress appropriately on formal nights in the MDR but Celeberity does NOT extend this request for formal attire to the other areas of the ship on those evenings.

And other than dressing formally to dine in the PG and MDR on formal nights, neither does HAL request for formal attire to the other areas of the ship on (formal) evenings! :)

And other than dressing formally to dine in the PG and MDR on formal nights, neither does HAL request for formal attire to the other areas of the ship on (formal) evenings! :)

Thank you for clarifying that! :)

From the HAL site: Is There A Dress Code?

In order to complement your fellow guests, Holland America Line asks that you observe the suggested dress code throughout the entire evening.

Maybe ask this on the Celebrity board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=28

 

Please, looking over there you will get a lot more info prior to your cruise.

Why would people on the Celebrity site know more about the DIFFERENCE between them and HAL.....

Why would people on the Celebrity site know more about the DIFFERENCE between them and HAL.....

because the op is considering Celebrity and asking how to dress on a Celebrity cruise . good advice IMO;)

I am not a big buffet fan. You may have some of the items in the Celebrity buffet that are offered in the MDR but do not count on it. And if they do, it will not be the complete list. Certainly the desserts are not the same, nor are the appetizers. As the OP said, Celebrity does have a few cook to order stations.

You will find that the Celebrity buffet has longer hours, ie it is open much later at night albeit one half of the seating and steam tables are often roped off after 8PM or so.

I would give the edge to HAL for buffet food but I would give the edge to Celebrity for hours of service/convenience.

because the op is considering Celebrity and asking how to dress on a Celebrity cruise . good advice IMO;)

I guess I was not clear...I don't dress formal on any ship, I just want a comparison on both buffets for formal night....which I now have from several people....and now I have to figure out why HAL is about twice as much $ as Celebrity for the same basic trip and the same ports...14 nights, Canada and New England....

We just got off the Summit. On all nights the buffet was open for dinner with some of the selections from the MDR. Also a pasta station, pizza station, stir fry station, Susi and the regular food which changed ever night. The Restaurant that used the buffet space at night is no longer in operation. We used it several nights and it was quite good.

on either line so i have no idea how someone would dress but I guess they don't put on formal wear in either line.

I guess I was not clear...I don't dress formal on any ship, I just want a comparison on both buffets for formal night....which I now have from several people....and now I have to figure out why HAL is about twice as much $ as Celebrity for the same basic trip and the same ports...14 nights, Canada and New England....

ok, I got it now. as to the price - it depends upon what you want.

I find HAL rooms nicer (depends upon the category perhaps). I also find the buffet superior (although we are not buffet fans, but if you are not dressing up you will be needing it), better room service options, etc.

You will need to balance out if the price is worth the differences. You might want to check the length of time in port for the two as well, too.

You might also want to compare the rooms. Just to be safe.

Then go on which ever one makes you happier;) If Celebrity has a good price and you are happy with everything else - then why not? and do come back and let us know how liked the cruise - no matter which one you sail:D

I have only been on Celebrity once and too much ship happened even for me. And believe me, the price was great. So, unlike others, I wasn't willing to give it a second chance (yet). I won't bore you with details - but I like my fresh squeezed oj on HAL. :) Have a great cruise no matter what you decide:)

If HAL is twice as much as Celebrity, and the itinerary is the same, then go with Celebrity. They are very similar-most differences are down to personal preference, ship, and crew.

We are about to book a Med. cruise. It came down to Noordam and Equinox. Same story, for a balcony on the sailing date that we want, Celebrity is about 33 percent less per person. Guess where we will be booking??? We can use the savings towards air or our pre/post hotels.

We care about being on a good ship-the cruise line does not matter to us as much as price if all things are equal.

ok, I got it now. as to the price - it depends upon what you want.

 

I find HAL rooms nicer (depends upon the category perhaps). I also find the buffet superior (although we are not buffet fans, but if you are not dressing up you will be needing it), better room service options, etc.

 

You will need to balance out if the price is worth the differences. You might want to check the length of time in port for the two as well, too.

 

You might also want to compare the rooms. Just to be safe.

 

Then go on which ever one makes you happier;) If Celebrity has a good price and you are happy with everything else - then why not? and do come back and let us know how liked the cruise - no matter which one you sail:D

 

I have only been on Celebrity once and too much ship happened even for me. And believe me, the price was great. So, unlike others, I wasn't willing to give it a second chance (yet). I won't bore you with details - but I like my fresh squeezed oj on HAL. :) Have a great cruise no matter what you decide:)

kazu, I have cruised with X twice. I would be interested in your cruising experience with X so I could compare it to mine. :)

we have not sailed with them in several years. We did like the line but HAL and Princess meet our needs. X was not considerably better.

If HAL is twice as much as Celebrity, and the itinerary is the same, then go with Celebrity. They are very similar-most differences are down to personal preference, ship, and crew.

 

We are about to book a Med. cruise. It came down to Noordam and Equinox. Same story, for a balcony on the sailing date that we want, Celebrity is about 33 percent less per person. Guess where we will be booking??? We can use the savings towards air or our pre/post hotels.

 

We care about being on a good ship-the cruise line does not matter to us as much as price if all things are equal.

Same here iancal. We were torn between Noordam and Equinox. We booked Equinox. We'll see how she fares against HAL. If i dont like it as much, I'll know better next time :-)

because the op is considering Celebrity and asking how to dress on a Celebrity cruise . good advice IMO;)

Thank you kazu. Just though if you want to know how they do it, read on their board, then compare to your experience on HAL.

I guess I was not clear...I don't dress formal on any ship, I just want a comparison on both buffets for formal night....which I now have from several people....and now I have to figure out why HAL is about twice as much $ as Celebrity for the same basic trip and the same ports...14 nights, Canada and New England....

Could the difference in price be attributed to the size of the ship? It seems to me that HAL's R and S class ships typically are more expensive than their Vista and Signature class ships. If the ships you are considering are the Maasdam and Summit then there's a considerable difference in size between these two ships. I would expect to pay more for an R or S class ship vs. Celebrity's Summit, which seems to be more comparable to a Vista Class ship.

Could the difference in price be attributed to the size of the ship? It seems to me that HAL's R and S class ships typically are more expensive than their Vista and Signature class ships. If the ships you are considering are the Maasdam and Summit then there's a considerable difference in size between these two ships. I would expect to pay more for an R or S class ship vs. Celebrity's Summit, which seems to be more comparable to a Vista Class ship.

Yes, we're comparing Maasdam EE 190sf at $6000 with Summit 07 170sf at $3850.... rooms are similar, stops are about the same....You would think that a $2150 difference between 2 quaility lines is because ? Are you saying that being on a ship that has 1500 people verses one that holds 2500 people is the reason HAL costs more?

Yes, we're comparing Maasdam EE 190sf at $6000 with Summit 07 170sf at $3850.... rooms are similar, stops are about the same....You would think that a $2150 difference between 2 quaility lines is because ? Are you saying that being on a ship that has 1500 people verses one that holds 2500 people is the reason HAL costs more?

yes, I believe it is - just like the Prinsendam costs more, Silversea costs more (no I'm not comparing hal to a 6star), but the bottom line, the smaller the ship, the more costlier it will be. they still have to run it and you might want to check the passenger to cruise ratio as well.

Same thing - Eurodam or NA are a lot cheaper than the smaller ships. So if bigger ships don't bother you - go with X - no big deal and we'll be looking forward to your reports.

I'd do HAL any day - but that's just me - It's YOUR vacation :D

kazu, I have cruised with X twice. I would be interested in your cruising experience with X so I could compare it to mine. :)

but I don't want to hijack the thread:eek: or disrupt the op from their decision because I am hoping that my experience was not the usual.

don't know if it's appropriate to post here - let's just say I wanted to be on HAL - if you want email me - it's in my signature or should we start a new thread? ;) hopefully mine was an exeptionally bad experience, but once bitten twice shy - suffice it to say I lost 6 pounds on the cruise (and I am not heavy):)

I guess I was not clear...I don't dress formal on any ship, I just want a comparison on both buffets for formal night....which I now have from several people....and now I have to figure out why HAL is about twice as much $ as Celebrity for the same basic trip and the same ports...14 nights, Canada and New England....

Could the reason be that the staterooms on the Maasdam are larger plus only the Maasdam goes to Montreal whereas the Celebrity leaves from Quebec City? Only the Maasdam, Crystal, Seabourn and the Veendam (2012) sail in and out of Montreal they can command more money for the sailing.

Could the reason be that the staterooms on the Maasdam are larger plus only the Maasdam goes to Montreal whereas the Celebrity leaves from Quebec City? Only the Maasdam, Crystal, Seabourn and the Veendam (2012) sail in and out of Montreal they can command more money for the sailing.

exactly that's what I was trying to say earlier when I said compare staterooms. Now, it was just one category, but I can tell you that my X experience and stateroom was no way in comparison to HAL:D