My take on Crystal vs HAL

From John and Diane's thread:

Rafi--I see that you have cruised on Crystal and HAL--

Is there a comparison --or are they in different leagues???

Markf, I'll start with a question. What HAL ships have you sailed?

I'm currently at my fire department office and just checking Cruise Critic briefly but I'll try to respond later. I would say they are in somewhat different leagues but I will gladly cruise both.

Roy

I'll make a couple of preliminary statements:

I'll rank my top cruise choices something like this:

1:Crystal

2:Prinsendam

3:Windstar

4:HAL R&S ships

5:Cunard

6:HAL Vista/Signature

Somewhere well below:RCI,Silversea,Carnival,Celebrity

Since I've never been on a Vista, it may be a bit unfair to rate them below Cunard, but I feel justified from my knowledge of the ship architecture from Queen Elizabeth/Queen Victoria and my experience with the Cunard/HAL cultures. My main reason for choosing Cunard is their excellent enrichment programs.

I've previously said that the closest line to Crystal is Cunard, and that's a bit of a double edged sword. While I like what Cunard does, they're a step or 2 behind Crystal in virtually everything and offer few real advantages (Other than price, QM2 promenade deck, and regular transatlantic crossings).

At the end of my past combination cruise, I listed these advantages of the Crystal Symphony and Prinsendam:

Advantages of the Crystal Symphony:

1. The Lido Guys. While the restaurant may be nominally a buffet the service provided by these people is legendary. You can carry your tray to your table, but you will have to turn down an offer at least once to do this, something I never experienced on the Prinsendam. Once you are seated they will check on you regularly, remember your preferences, offer to get something that goes with what you have, and make sure your coffee cup stays full. Their ability to remember names from one cruise to another is legendary.

2. Mark Farris: For many years on the Symphony I rarely visited the Avenue Saloon. There are actually several recent changes that have been good for me, including the elimination of smoking there, but the big change has really been Mark Farris. A master singer and pianist he has an excellent repertory, works masterfully with the crowd, remembers passengers from cruise to cruise and is just a lovely personality. On the rare cruises when he is on vacation the Avenue Saloon has less than half the usual crowds. Mark also does a cabaret in the showroom when needed which is one of the highlights when it happens (often when the sea conditions cause a planned show to be canceled).

3. Crystal Visions: On every cruise (except possibly one with no sea days) Crystal provides an intensive and varied enrichment program. On the Prinsendam I had 9 sea days and 3 or 4 presenters, on the Symphony between the 2 cruises there were 8 sea days and 10 varied presenters. The sessions always allow time for interaction with the audience.

4. Trident Grill: The sandwich station on the lido deck makes superb sandwiches and makes an excellent late risers breakfast.

5. Port maps and shore excursions: At each port we get a map and description of the port with details on the highlights of various sites and information about the area, currency, and other information. They were head and shoulders above any thing we saw on the Prinsendam. All shore excursions meet in the starlite club (think P'dam Ocean Bar but bigger) and leave as a group with an escort from the ship who helps alleviate any questions and problems that arise on the tour.

Advantages of the Prinsendam:

1. Cold Soups: Rarely on the Crystal menu, I enjoyed the cold soups at least 5 times a week on the Elegant Explorer.

2. Crew shows: The Indonesian and Filipino crew members each put on a show most cruises which they work very hard at in addition to their usual duties and put on a polished and entertaining show, a token both of their appreciation of their passengers and love of their homelands.

3. Poolside dining: I had looked forward to the enclosed back deck on the Prinsendam but found I did not use it on the warm Amazon days. No worry, I found a better substitute. Just outside the Lido Cafe and a stone's throw from the grill there are tables set up with service from the deck stewards. The view is superb and there's a choice of middle tables in the sun or outer tables shaded by the sports deck. I enjoyed most of my breakfasts and lunches there.

3. Protestant chaplain on longer cruises: Longer cruises pretty much means every cruise on the Elegant Explorer. While Crystal's priests do a fine job with Sunday interdenominational services, they are no match for the chaplains who share our version of faith and have activities on sea days.

5. New shows: I sailed both the Symphony and the Prinsendam in 2011. On both of those voyages the onboard entertainers did 4 shows. When I was back this fall, the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers did 5 shows on the first cruise with 3 repeated on the second. 2 of the 5 shows were repeats from what I saw in 2011, and a third was a rework of a show I know I've seen before. The Prinsendam Singers and Dancers did 6 shows and every single one of them was something new that I had not seen before in 2011. I may have just hit a lucky period when the shows changed but 6 new shows was a big boost for the entertainment value of the cruise. The shows were a bit simpler with less in the way of sets and costumes but the quality and freshness of the shows was a real joy.

It would be very difficult for me to come up with a similar list of things any cruise line other than HAL does better than Crystal. Since I was really talking about the onboard experience, I didn't mention 2 of HAL's big advantages (1) Significantly less price, and (2) 15 ships doing a wide variety of interesting itineraries.

I do consider them pretty much in different leagues, but that's not a uniform difference, and there are enough things I love about HAL that I really treasure being on both.

Roy

We have sailed on both.

IMHO, Crystal is in a completely separate league. No comparison.

Having said that, for our tastes and preferences, the mass market lines such as HAL, Celebrity, and Princess offer much better value.

We have sailed on both.

IMHO, Crystal is in a completely separate league. No comparison.

Having said that, for our tastes and preferences, the mass market lines such as HAL, Celebrity, and Princess offer much better value. Our travel budget goes much further them-especially when we book in the cancellation window!

My only cruise on HAL was on Zuiderdam--the 10 night cruise from FLL to Panama Canal and back, which was not memorable, from a service point of view , or food.

Been on about 20 cruises

My most frequent cruises are as a full suite user on Norwegian, but have been on Aqua class on celebrity, and a few RCCL.

About to leave on breakawy in the haven.

More recently Norwegian has dissapointed us, and I am looking to crank it up to a Crystal, or some similar line.

I have seen your previos blogs and I also follwo Keiths on Crystal. Once I retire that would be a goal..

Crystal is truly awesome I think I see a couple of warnings for you involving dining. First, formal on Crystal is pretty serious, in that the lido cafe is not normally open for dinner. The minimum requirement for dressy nights (roughly 2 per week) is a jacket. The lido cafe is not open in the evening, so there really is no alternative to the dining room other than room service.

The other thing is that they really have essentially fixed dining. There is "dining by reservation" but you can not plan on just walking into the dining room and being served. Crystal Serenity has a casual restaurant called tastes that I understand is now mostly open for dinner but it wasn't the norm when I was last on the ship. I should have more of an opinion about it after my next cruises.

If these reservations are not a problem, I highly recommend Crystal. I think you should also consider HAL's smaller ships where I think you would find more personal service than on the Zuiderdam (apparently not one of the favorite HAL ships of people here). Good luck with your decision.

Roy

I'll make a couple of preliminary statements:

 

I'll rank my top cruise choices something like this:

 

1:Crystal

2:Prinsendam

3:Windstar

4:HAL R&S ships

5:Cunard

6:HAL Vista/Signature

Somewhere well below:RCI,Silversea,Carnival,Celebrity

 

Since I've never been on a Vista, it may be a bit unfair to rate them below Cunard, but I feel justified from my knowledge of the ship architecture from Queen Elizabeth/Queen Victoria and my experience with the Cunard/HAL cultures. My main reason for choosing Cunard is their excellent enrichment programs.

 

I've previously said that the closest line to Crystal is Cunard, and that's a bit of a double edged sword. While I like what Cunard does, they're a step or 2 behind Crystal in virtually everything and offer few real advantages (Other than price, QM2 promenade deck, and regular transatlantic crossings).

 

At the end of my past combination cruise, I listed these advantages of the Crystal Symphony and Prinsendam:

 

Advantages of the Crystal Symphony:

 

1. The Lido Guys. While the restaurant may be nominally a buffet the service provided by these people is legendary. You can carry your tray to your table, but you will have to turn down an offer at least once to do this, something I never experienced on the Prinsendam. Once you are seated they will check on you regularly, remember your preferences, offer to get something that goes with what you have, and make sure your coffee cup stays full. Their ability to remember names from one cruise to another is legendary.

2. Mark Farris: For many years on the Symphony I rarely visited the Avenue Saloon. There are actually several recent changes that have been good for me, including the elimination of smoking there, but the big change has really been Mark Farris. A master singer and pianist he has an excellent repertory, works masterfully with the crowd, remembers passengers from cruise to cruise and is just a lovely personality. On the rare cruises when he is on vacation the Avenue Saloon has less than half the usual crowds. Mark also does a cabaret in the showroom when needed which is one of the highlights when it happens (often when the sea conditions cause a planned show to be canceled).

3. Crystal Visions: On every cruise (except possibly one with no sea days) Crystal provides an intensive and varied enrichment program. On the Prinsendam I had 9 sea days and 3 or 4 presenters, on the Symphony between the 2 cruises there were 8 sea days and 10 varied presenters. The sessions always allow time for interaction with the audience.

4. Trident Grill: The sandwich station on the lido deck makes superb sandwiches and makes an excellent late risers breakfast.

5. Port maps and shore excursions: At each port we get a map and description of the port with details on the highlights of various sites and information about the area, currency, and other information. They were head and shoulders above any thing we saw on the Prinsendam. All shore excursions meet in the starlite club (think P'dam Ocean Bar but bigger) and leave as a group with an escort from the ship who helps alleviate any questions and problems that arise on the tour.

 

Advantages of the Prinsendam:

1. Cold Soups: Rarely on the Crystal menu, I enjoyed the cold soups at least 5 times a week on the Elegant Explorer.

2. Crew shows: The Indonesian and Filipino crew members each put on a show most cruises which they work very hard at in addition to their usual duties and put on a polished and entertaining show, a token both of their appreciation of their passengers and love of their homelands.

3. Poolside dining: I had looked forward to the enclosed back deck on the Prinsendam but found I did not use it on the warm Amazon days. No worry, I found a better substitute. Just outside the Lido Cafe and a stone's throw from the grill there are tables set up with service from the deck stewards. The view is superb and there's a choice of middle tables in the sun or outer tables shaded by the sports deck. I enjoyed most of my breakfasts and lunches there.

3. Protestant chaplain on longer cruises: Longer cruises pretty much means every cruise on the Elegant Explorer. While Crystal's priests do a fine job with Sunday interdenominational services, they are no match for the chaplains who share our version of faith and have activities on sea days.

5. New shows: I sailed both the Symphony and the Prinsendam in 2011. On both of those voyages the onboard entertainers did 4 shows. When I was back this fall, the Crystal Ensemble of Singers and Dancers did 5 shows on the first cruise with 3 repeated on the second. 2 of the 5 shows were repeats from what I saw in 2011, and a third was a rework of a show I know I've seen before. The Prinsendam Singers and Dancers did 6 shows and every single one of them was something new that I had not seen before in 2011. I may have just hit a lucky period when the shows changed but 6 new shows was a big boost for the entertainment value of the cruise. The shows were a bit simpler with less in the way of sets and costumes but the quality and freshness of the shows was a real joy.

 

It would be very difficult for me to come up with a similar list of things any cruise line other than HAL does better than Crystal. Since I was really talking about the onboard experience, I didn't mention 2 of HAL's big advantages (1) Significantly less price, and (2) 15 ships doing a wide variety of interesting itineraries.

 

I do consider them pretty much in different leagues, but that's not a uniform difference, and there are enough things I love about HAL that I really treasure being on both.

 

Roy

Great information Roy!!

Roy, Thanks for the comparisons. Very nicely done.

We have sailed on both.

 

IMHO, Crystal is in a completely separate league. No comparison.

 

Having said that, for our tastes and preferences, the mass market lines such as HAL, Celebrity, and Princess offer much better value. Our travel budget goes much further them-especially when we book in the cancellation window!

You are forgetting Roy isn't just comparing HAL. He has Prinsendam at #2, just below Crystal. I've never sailed Crystal and probably never will because of the lowest priced cabin size and the dinner situation. I LOVE seeing that my favorite ship is rated just below a luxury line. That's how I feel---when I compare Prinsendam with Regent, where we have had experience.

You are forgetting Roy isn't just comparing HAL. He has Prinsendam at #2, just below Crystal. I've never sailed Crystal and probably never will because of the lowest priced cabin size and the dinner situation. I LOVE seeing that my favorite ship is rated just below a luxury line. That's how I feel---when I compare Prinsendam with Regent, where we have had experience.

Well, we all know that Roy has good taste :D

Seriously Roy - this is a great thread and so appreciated. Elaborate as much as you have time for or want to.

There are eager beavers waiting :D

I know that the time is coming where the smaller HAL ships will disappear so we will need to look at options. Knowledge is power - thank you:D

I am another Prinsendam fan. The size of the ship, the crew, library, food, classical music and the lovely large cabins are just some of her special qualities.

Ranking is often very subjective. It's all about individual preferences.

Definition of "luxury" usually evolves around "pumpering in your cabin and at your table". However the list of items that constitute luxury at sea is far longer.

Another example of a subjective ranking is cruise ships rating by Conde Nast.

If you look at the best ships in "medium size" category you'll see Crystal ships on top that is understandable.

The presence of dwarfy floating boxes (formerly Renaissance ships) raises a question: who are the voters (health condition and scope of interests) and what were the questions ?:confused:

Nevertheless it's quite symptomatic that the Eurodam (Holland America's best ship) found her place next to "luxury" cruise ships.:)

Ranking is often very subjective. It's all about individual preferences.

Definition of "luxury" usually evolves around "pumpering in your cabin and at your table". However the list of items that constitute luxury at sea is far longer.

Another example of a subjective ranking is cruise ships rating by Conde Nast.

If you look at the best ships in "medium size" category you'll see Crystal ships on top that is understandable.

The presence of dwarfy floating boxes (formerly Renaissance ships) raises a question: who are the voters (health condition and scope of interests) and what were the questions ?:confused:

Nevertheless it's quite symptomatic that the Eurodam (Holland America's best ship) found her place next to "luxury" cruise ships.:)

Believe it or not, we actualy chose Prinsendam because of her rating on Conde Nast. I had never heard of her before and our only experience on HAL was on the original Noordam in 2000. I don't take that list too seriously anymore. There are ships on it, where I'm just shaking my head.

I agree about the 3 SMALL former Renaissance ships as being nothing special. I think people are seeing the glitz and glamor.

You are forgetting Roy isn't just comparing HAL. He has Prinsendam at #2, just below Crystal. I've never sailed Crystal and probably never will because of the lowest priced cabin size and the dinner situation. I LOVE seeing that my favorite ship is rated just below a luxury line. That's how I feel---when I compare Prinsendam with Regent, where we have had experience.

I've never been on Regent, but I had the same experience with Silversea. Supposedly a luxury line, but I got the impression that they were the equal of Crystal on the frills, and the equal of Royal Caribbean on the basics.

Crystal's base cabins are far roomier than their square footage suggests. Dining is a matter of personal preference and Crystal's is not for everybody.

Roy