My Comparison of HAL vs X - Pros and Cons

[FoxyTerrier]

Thank you for your thoughtful comparison.

I do have a few observations having recently completed a TA on X late last year.

 

You wrote:

 

 

o Cons

§ X – Lack of US outlets/plugs

§ X – Grab bars needed in bath/shower.

 

We always carry a plug strip with us to charge cameras, phones to combat the lack of outlets.

We did have a grab bar in our shower and in fact we now have one in our renovated bathroom. One other item we appreciated was a raised bar in the shower. My wife loved this feature for shaving her legs.

 

Hopefully I will rememeber to bring a plug strip on our next X, but have never needed them on HAL. As I recall on HAL there are US outlets in the bedroom and also a set in the dressing room area. There were plenty of European outlets though.

 

As for the grab bar, did you also have a raised tub/shower combo? I found the tub up so high it was a doozy of a first step trying to get out with nothing to hold on to. I would guess it's 20-24" from the tub to the bathroom floor.

[chrisbu315]

I have only done one cruise on each (Solstice on X and Westerdam on HAL), both in the past 8 months. I love them both. Here are some of areas where one has a clear edge over the other IMO:

 

Bath robes - HAL

Bath towels - HAL

Orange juice - HAL (freshly squeezed and free)

Overall service - X (particularly in dining rooms)

Extra fee restaurants - X

Enrichment programs - HAL

Carry on wine - HAL

Thermal suite - HAL

Cabin wow factor - X (I had standard balconies on each)

Cabin functionality - HAL