Hopefully next time HAL, anyone cruised Celebrity?

[agabbymama]

I have not sailed Equinox, NOR WOULD I. I have no interest in a 122,000 GT :eek: ship that carries almost 3000 passengers. Largest ship I was on was the Grand Princess at 110,000 and that was too big for me to walk from end to end.

 

Zuiderdam at 82,000 GT carrying almost 2000 is plenty big enough for me. I love HAL's Promenade deck that encircles the ship, making it easy to get anywhere on the ship you want to be. No matter where you are on the ship, you get to the Promenade and it will take you forward, aft, or anywhere in between. I have only cruised on Celebrity Constellation (because it was close in size to Zuiderdam) but no matter where we were on what deck, we were constantly being told we had to go up a deck or down a deck to get where we wanted to go, it just was not an easy ship to navigate (not sure about Equinox design, only know it's BIGGER).

 

I don't need all the new stuff they are putting on ships these day, if I want an amusement park Disneyland, Sea World and Universal Studios are all in my back yard.

 

I cruise to be on a sailing vessel (HAL ships still have the ocean liner feel to me) visiting different ports. The ship is really my hotel and mode of transportation. I do attend the shows in the evenings, but none of the other activities.

 

OP, I hope you enjoy your cruise!

[scamper]

That's not what we experienced. We found that the HAL suites and perks were much better than X. X has butlers' date=' but ours was terrible - the folks in the Neptune lounge provided a much better experience. Also no Neptune Lounge, or breakfast in the Pinnacle.

[/quote']

 

This is what keeps me off X. In my experience, the fares for comparable suites on X are also significantly higher than the DVS on HAL. Admittedly, the Royal and Penthouse Suites on X look more spacious (in some cases) and appear grander looking at the floor plans, but all I care about when I book a suite is a private concierge lounge, priority tendering, and space. In that order.

[navybankerteacher]

IMHO, it's better to have them than not, but reward programs "benefits" are negligible (literally nothing) when it comes to cruise comparisons.

I don't think that these little things overweight tremendous lack of amenities on Celebrity in comparison with best HAL ships. :)

 

Agreed. Celebrity gives better little bells and whistles, while HAL gives a better overall cruise. Because I sail for the cruise, and not the bells and whistles, I prefer HAL. Celebrity, however, is a vey close second ahead of the rest of the pack.

[George C]

Have not cruised Equinox but did a sister ship, I would love to try Equinox, would not want to cruise Zuiderdam again. I like trying differnt lines.

[matondo]

I've taken two celebrity cruises and I'm not a fan. There is nothing to bring me back there. I hope you will let is know what you thought of it when you get back. Both Princess and Hal have a much better product IMO.

 

I will let you all know what I think when we get back. I will be interested to hear what DH thinks as he is much more discerning when it comes to cruising.

 

I took a 5 night Carnival cruise solo last November and loved it. I should add Carnival is a totally different league from HAL or Disney, the only other lines I have been on. Think Carnival double A baseball and HAL and Disney major league or Carnival was more of the beer crowd and HAL and Disney more wine. Not that there is anything wrong with that just the way I FELT it was.:D

[KirkNC]

We are sitting on the airport returning from a fantastic Antarctica cruise aboard the Infinity. Upon our return I plan to post a comparison of the two lines but we did book another X cruise while on board. That may let you in on our thoughts ;)