HAL vs. Celebrity -- Concrete differences

[elycelynne]

[quote name='Charles4515']That is up to her to decide. She asked for concrete differences. She did not indicate what would be a factor in answering the question. I met the lady on the Westerdam and I don't know what would be a factor.[/quote]

Hey, Charles, I was wondering if you remembered me or not! Hope all is well with you.

To answer the question, there are a lot of things I could find out on my own -- like differenes in itineraries. Also, since I don't cruise that frequently yet, the high loyalty program perks aren't of that much interest to me at present. Additionally, since I sail solo and would probably never occupy any cabin higher than a standard balcony (although maybe on Celebrity I might splurge for Concierge Class since the price difference between the two can be pretty minimal), the differences in suite perks aren't a big concern either.

What I'm mainly trying to ascertain are differences in general shipboard life. For example, when I mentioned that HAL has the dedicated piano bars which, with a few exceptions, are sing-along, while Celebrity has Michael's Club, which appears to be geared more toward general musical entertainment and not participation. Also, the fact that HAL has a sit-down tea every day, while with Celebrity you have to get your tea and goodies in a buffet line and when they do feature one, it costs $25.00.

So in this general vein, when I ask for "concrete" differences, I was thinking more along the lines of differences in things that are actually offered onboard to the general passenger population. (Another example -- on HAL everyone is entitled to the same room service breakfast menu, while those who occupy Concierge Class or higher get an expanded one. Or the fact that the thalassotherapy pool on Celebrity is included, while on HAL its counterpart is part of the pass that you have to purchase. So I guess things that also fall under the category or "stuff you have to pay for one line that's included with your fare on the other.

I'll wrap up now since I've gotten more long-winded than I intended [I][SIZE=1][gee, ya think?][/SIZE][/I], but hopefully this is a good summary of the intent of my original post.

[pearliemae]

[

When we were looking for longer European itineraries (21-35 day range) we didn't see anything with Celebrity other than transatlantic.

Make your own Back to Back cruises on Celebrity and put together the time you want to spend on board.

[Jade13]

[quote name='marcb71a']
We were on Oceania this summer, France and Spain, and fights were breaking out over laundry machines.[I].[/I][/quote]

I thought they were more sophisticated than that.

[jer_l]

As you will see from my signature I have just returned from a cruise on the Westerdam (completing 42 days), but have had several cruises on Celebrity (58 days) and one on Carnival (four days--which was too long). Our first cruise was on X and that set the expectations for us. It was a difficult decision to take our first HAL cruise, but we wanted to return to the Mexican Riviera and X was no longer sailing there. We found we also liked HAL and found that while things are different, they are both quality cruise lines and will probably be the only ones on which we sail in the future. We have not sailed on the largest ships of either line.

While there are differences in the two lines I think individual experiences influence how we view those differences:

Decor--I would say that HAL has a more traditional look/feel than X. While I like the overall traditional look of HAL I think the Grand Foyers on X are much nicer than the Atriums of HAL. I like descending the lighted marble staircase on the X M-class ships on formal nights arm in arm with my wife. I don't know why, but it makes me feel good. On the other hand, some of the "art" on X is really strange.

Dining--Overall, I prefer the food on X and feel they certainly have better desserts. (But then, I really don't care for Bread Pudding nor Baked Alaska. If I did I might like HAL just as well.) My wife says the pizza on X is much better than on HAL and I know that the sushi on X is much better. (All the sushi I've seen on HAL is made with either smoked or cooked fish.) On the HAL side we love the PG and our first encounter on this past cruise with Canaletto was terrific!

Entertainment--We are both musicians and much prefer the Celebrity Orchestra over the HalCats and the Cast Shows on X are never a disappointment for us. On the other hand, we have encountered some party bands on X that could put a damper on any party with singers who consistently sang flat. Overall, the entertainment in the lounges for the 2 lines are comparable.

Ship layout--I feel that X ships are more "open". When going to dinner or a show on X you will often pass through lounges and hear the music featured there. Some of the lounges span 2 decks on X so you can enjoy the music from either floor. On HAL I like the fact that you pass right by the string quartet on the way to dinner and you can enjoy classics even if you don't have time to linger.
The promenade deck on HAL is a big (really big) plus as far as ship design compared to X.

Cabins--HAL definitely excels here in cabin size and in comfort of the beds.

Crew--the crew of both ships go out of the way to serve. We've had our best waiter on a Celebrity cruise and our best Room Steward on HAL. The PG Managers on HAL have been excellent. Our least favorite waiter was on our first HAL cruise. We were so accustomed to our waiter call us by name on Celebrity that we were surprised that our waiter never even asked our names on the Oosterdam. Actually we also had a room steward on that cruise who was very nice, but failed to even clean our room one day until we finally called the front desk at 5 pm to find out why. (He was new and had just missed it even though we were away from the room most of the day.) One thing I have noticed (and this is a small thing)--on HAL when someone is cleaning a stairwell or hallway they may greet you, but continue to work while doing so, but on X they will stop and greet you and then continue cleaning after you pass. On X they even stop the vacuum cleaner until you have passed.

Officers--We have found the officers on X to be friendlier, but that may be because we have had much more contact with them. We've been fortunate to be invited to the Captains Table on 2 different X cruises and to the bridge at one of the sail aways one of those same ships. For us, the Captains Club cocktail party has been a great time to get to know the officers since they circulate and sit and visit with the guests. The Mariner Brunch only gives you a chance to shake hands when you enter.

With all that said--I'm glad there are two cruise lines we really enjoy and are able to choose between based on itineraries and what works best for us for that cruise.