Thinking of a Change

[savannahgirl1]

We have sailed HAL a couple of times. Once 10 days on the Volendam, loved it. And honeymooned 7 days on the Veendam, loved it. But we feel like we are getting in a rut so we are thinking of trying the Celebrity Solstice. It would be a 7 day Western Caribbean. Have any of you sailed Celebrity, particularly the Solstice and what would your advice be? We don't mind the slow pace of HAL, we entertain our selves fine. We haven't experienced bad dining on HAL and the crew is wonderful. So would we be happy on Celebrity? Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

[kazu]

We have sailed HAL a couple of times. Once 10 days on the Volendam, loved it. And honeymooned 7 days on the Veendam, loved it. But we feel like we are getting in a rut so we are thinking of trying the Celebrity Solstice. It would be a 7 day Western Caribbean. Have any of you sailed Celebrity, particularly the Solstice and what would your advice be? We don't mind the slow pace of HAL, we entertain our selves fine. We haven't experienced bad dining on HAL and the crew is wonderful. So would we be happy on Celebrity? Any advice is GREATLY appreciated.

 

I sailed Celebrity - but not the Solstice - I found the rooms smaller in comparison to HAL (remember we do suites most times). to me, the service wasn't as good and the ship felt busy.

 

Celebrity has some very good ratings though and some cc'ers really like it. hopefully others will join in. Hal's beds are definitely more comfortable IMO.

[Randyk47]

We've cruised on Celebrity once and really enjoyed it. We haven't been back but it's been more a case of economics and itineraries than any misgivings about Celebrity. I really can't address the difference in cabins as we had a Royal Suite which is more or less comparable to HAL's deluxe suites. We did notice the bed was not quite as good, actually no comparison, but we still managed to get our sleep so it wasn't a deal breaker. Food is subjective and we thought the food on our cruise was good though we cruised with traditional Holland America cruiser and they didn't care for the food at all. Service is pretty much like food and while we thought we had maybe the best MDR service of all of our cruises our friends, who ate at a different time and therefore a different table, thought service was average. If we noticed any difference in the service it was in the bars and it was lacking in comparison to Holland America. Guess the bottom line is some things were better on Celebrity, some about the same, and some not as good as Holland America. Pretty much a wash.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I hope you posted this on the Celebrity board as well because you'll get a lot of good info there.

 

We sailed on the Solstick in October 2010 and it is, without question, the most beautiful ship we have sailed since it all began in 1982. We did the Eastern Caribbean, but loved it so much that we have booked the Western itinerary for a special celebration in January 2012.

 

It is a huge ship so you can't compare it at all to the Veendam or Volendam. And absolutely the cabins are smaller than those 2 ships. We sailed in Concierge Class which is a step up from the standard verandah in amenities, but not size. Still, even though walking into the cabin (even after seeing pictures) had me stop in my tracks, once we unpacked I was amazed at the amount of storage space. We were on the hump so had a much deeper balcony. There are a lot of pictures on Webshots if you click on the link in my signature.

 

Laffnvegas also cruised on Solstice and loved it and she would be an excellent source for you. Google her "Live from..." ... it will give you a great idea for comparison purposes since Lisa is an avid HAL fan, but was surprised to love the Solstice.

 

Celebrity is my favorite cruise line. HAL is 2nd in line right now (though not overall for all our experience). Recently I've been disappointed in HAL and feel it is not living up to the standard of excellence they promise. Still, I would cruise on HAL again if the price and itinerary are what I'm looking for.

 

I happen to love the staff on Celebrity and feel the service (now) far surpasses that of HAL. I realize every cruise is different so not everyone would feel the same way.

 

Also, the food on Celebrity is superior for my taste. Again, this is subjective. We loved the Oceanview Cafe for lunch and breakfast ... never crowded, so many choices and the food was yummy.

 

I could go on forever because I loved it that much and can't wait for our next cruise in January except I hate to rush time and we have 2 vacations in between. My suggestion is give it a try.

 

BTW, not sure about your age group, but we have definitely noticed that Celebrity seems to have more younger people, both in age and spirit. We are older and there were lots of passengers in our age group, but there were far more younger people on the cruise than on our recent HAL cruises.

 

Happy cruising whatever you decide!

[savannahgirl1]

Thanks for the replies. We are both in our 30's and actually love HAL because it is so quiet. We don't need climbing walls, or wet t-shirt contest to keep us happy. We are happy sitting on the balcony watching the world go by. I think we may be leaning toward Celebrity if for nothing more it is $1400 cheaper than the same cruise itinerary on the Ryndam. The only difference is on the Ryndam we would be able to visit Chitchan Itza on a ship excursion but on Celebrity it would be Tulum. So I guess I just have to decide if Chitchan Itza is worth an extra $1400. :rolleyes: I welcome all opinions because I am a Libra and one of the most indecisive people on the planet as is my husband. :D

[Lizzie1213]

We sailed Celebrity once (not the solstice though). Although we still prefer HAL, we really had a lovely cruise. I think our cabins were a little bigger on HAL, though we spend so little time there it doesn't matter that much to me. Also, the food was better on HAL, except for the sushi.

 

I am sure you will have a wonderful vacation.

[iancal]

Our last two cruises have been on Celebrity-the Equinox and the Millennium. We feel that Celebrity cruises were as good as, or better than any cruise we have been on to date. Our Equinox cruise (Solstice class) was about the best ship that we have been on in all respects. Celebrity's Solstice class ships have, in our opinion, have set a new standard in the industry for their size.

[HeatherInFlorida]

...........We don't need climbing walls, or wet t-shirt contest to keep us happy. We are happy sitting on the balcony watching the world go by. I think we may be leaning toward Celebrity if for nothing more it is $1400 cheaper than the same cruise itinerary on the Ryndam. ......... :D

 

Not to worry ... none of that stuff on Celebrity. It really is a very similar feel in that way.

 

Just remember that if you really want a ship the size of the Ryndam, the Solstice isn't for you. It's a very large ship. We prefer smaller ships ourselves, but we really didn't feel the Solstice was any larger than the Westerdam. But it is definitely larger than the S and R class ships.