HAL fan tries Celebrity. My review if the Reflection April 5-12

[kazu]

very nice review. Thank you for taking the time to share it with us.

 

Very interesting and informative.

[foodgirl]

very nice review. Thank you for taking the time to share it with us.

 

Very interesting and informative.

 

Your welcome. Glad it can be of help to others. I have learned much from many on this board and wanted to return the favor.

[eandj]

Celebrity is our line of choice. We really like the Newest S class ships. And altho we were worried re number of passengers the first time, the ships proved so well designed that you never get the feeling of crowds. Their M class ships are smaller and have been updated nicely.

 

We have cruised HAL twice and are booked for another for Spain in late August. We are more comfortable on X. However as frequent cruisers, we look at itnerary more than ship when we are anxious to see new ports of call. HAL and Princess have taken us to some ports that X doesn't offer. (What we really don't like is that most of HAL's ships are so balcony cabin limited that the prices for them are totally ridiculous. )

 

It's fun to try new lines. Opens your eyes to new things. I don't think you can go wrong with HAL, X or Princess.

Edited April 21, 2014 by eandj

[kakalina]

My DH is also a smoker. Is there anywhere inside to smoke where one can get out of the heat or bad weather?

[Orlandocruiser]

No inside places to smoke - the most protected place to smoke in bad weather is what would be the promenade deck ( if it went all the way around ) port side. Also the port side smoking area on the pool deck on the S class ships is pretty well covered.

[CowPrincess]

Thanks very much for your review! We have avoided Celebrity because of their smoking policy. I truly appreciate you including your husband's perspective! Sounds like you had a lovely cruise.

[OBX-Cruisers]

Nice review. We were also HAL devotees and are 3 star with them and then discovered Celebrity. We have been on Mercury, Silhouette and Eclipse and have Solstice to Alaska in September and Eclipse booked again for a 14 day in December

Unfortunately Celebrity may be changing soon as they have decreased activity staff from 6 to 2 that was a hallmark of their many activity programs. that distinguished them from HAL.

HAL has too many old ships that have problems with their mechanical inner workings like plumbing and air conditioning. Celebrity phases out their older ships even when we thought the Mercury was great when we went on it and now the Century will be the next to go even though most people still seem to love it. This can be compared to the Maasdam that we have been on 3 times and thought it had major problems several years ago but is still used for longer cruises despite the reports of serious AC and plumbing issues that we saw and keep reappearing in reviews and are not addressed in refurbushing.

So there is a big difference between HAL and Celebrity in average age of ships.

 

When we go on HAL again we will aim at the Eurodam (again) or the Noordam or Nieuw Amsterdam and stay away from many of the others we have been on that are just aging out of the running. We love the wait staff on HAL but they crew on X are about as nice and we have met many pleasant and friendly Asians on those cruises as we have on HAL.................both lines are good but the ships are distinctly different in upkeep, repair and quality

Edited April 21, 2014 by OBX-Cruisers

[CoronaCRZR]

What a great review.

We have not been on them, but looks to be the line of choice on our next venture.

I appreciate the various notes and comparisons.

 

I personally feel that people who exclusively sail with HAL, are missing out on other beautiful ships and cruises available.

 

I think that HAL is becoming the line with the oldest fleet and many internal mechanical problems on many of their ships.

[foodgirl]

My DH is also a smoker. Is there anywhere inside to smoke where one can get out of the heat or bad weather?

 

Not inside but there is covered areas on deck 5 and also at the sunset bar aft on deck 15. DH loved both spots a great deal.

[OBX-Cruisers]

Unfortunately...............Carnival is killing HAL and seems to be proud of killing their shareholders in the process..........????

Edited April 22, 2014 by OBX-Cruisers

[madera1]

Thanks for sharing your notes about the cruise. We have primarily cruised Holland and Royal Caribbean and like both.

[madera1]

Thanks for sharing your notes about the cruise. We have primarily cruised Holland and Royal Caribbean and like both.

[Beejay4016]

Thanks for a great review. Friends of ours who have always been HAL people recently went on a Celebrity cruise and they too fell in love with it, so much so that they have booked another one for later in the year. We may end up being persuaded as I also love the idea of the lawn area. I think the two lines are probably so very similar, so it's good to read a really objective and informative review.:)

[POA1]

Foodgirl - DW & I were discussing your comparative review at dinner and we want to command you. You did a great job of explaining what you liked on each cruise line and why. Thanks again!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Wow, no loyalist backlash! I have to say that Holland America is my favorite board on CC, everyone seems to just enjoy cruising without wrapping their identity up in the cruise line.

 

I wrote a comparison between Carnival and Royal Caribbean a couple months ago, and no one has happy! Carnival passengers didn't like that I preferred RCL, and RCL didn't like that I had anything nice to say about Carnival.

 

We're trying Celebrity in 4 months, followed by HAL in the next 3-4 years. :)

[jkgourmet]

Thanks for the objective review. We've sailed both X and HAL multiple tines and agree with your opinions and reactions almost entirely.

 

While reading your review, One thought came to me repeatedly. You and your husband should definitely consider NCL. I know many X and HAL fans will say, "oh no - they suck.". But with your preference for casual dress only, it would be a huge benefit for you. While we did not find the NCL MDR to compare to the food and service in X and HAL MDR's, it was certainly preferable to the X and HAL dinner buffet every night. We also felt that the entertainment was much better on NCL than any other line we have cruised (princess, RCCL. Carnival, X, HAL). We were pleasantly surprised. And it's CHEAPER!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Forums mobile app

[shrimp56]

I just wish X had smaller ships. :(

Agreed. And they're selling the one I cruised on this February, Celebrity Century. I can imagine cruising Celebrity again, but I wouldn't go above the Millennium Class.

 

For a more emotion-laden comparison you can try my report: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1996340

[Okie1946]

I just wish X had smaller ships. :(

 

Did some research and found there are 3 X ships that fall into the Small Ship Class, but at the moment can't remember which ones. Did the research some time ago. So far HAL has been able to satisfy our itinerary requirements so will stay there until we feel the need to go looking.

 

Foodgirl - I do commend you for doing a really good comparative review and kept it totally unbiased.

 

Okie

 

Previous Cruises:

 

Alaska - Westerdam - September 2009 - 7 days

Alaska - Rotterdam - September 2010 - 7 days

Mexican Riviera - Oosterdam - April 2011 - 7 days

Alaska - Amsterdam - September 2012 - 14 days

[VioletHorse]

My last 2 cruises have been on Celebrity, and I do like them a lot. But I have a couple of observations regarding smoking and maintenance issues.

 

- If I were a smoker, Celebrity is not the cruise line that I would choose. Their smoking policy is very restrictive, and I'd be unhappy having to hike to one of the authorized areas to smoke. There are no interior areas of the ship where smoking is allowed, and there is no smoking allowed on balconies.

 

- On our last Celebrity cruise, the a/c in our room stopped working in the middle of the night causing the temperature on our room to reach a toasty 82, and workers were in the hallway just outside our state room pulling panels off the wall to access the a/c. Conversely, the rooms on the opposite side of our deck had their temps drop to the lower 60's. It took two days for them to remedy the situation. These rooms/HVAC were only 18 months old, having been added to the ship in Jan 2012.

 

- Do a search on the CC Celebrity forum for the Millenium Alaska cruise in August 2013. A major propulsion problem necessitated the debarkation of all passengers in Ketchikan midway through the cruise. Imagine trying to fly 2000 pax out of there when the majority of aircraft flying in and out of there are all puddle jumpers. It was total nightmare for those affected, to say nothing of the inept handling of the situation by Celebrity corporate. Many passengers waited months for compensation for the aborted cruise. Subsequent cruises were also cancelled as the Millenium limped from Ketchikan to Freeport for repairs.

 

No cruise line is exempt from maintenance issues any more. Preventative maintenance has gone the way of the dodo. It's your good fortune if breakdowns do not occur on your cruise, but it can and does affect all cruise lines.

[sppunk]

Agreed. And they're selling the one I cruised on this February, Celebrity Century. I can imagine cruising Celebrity again, but I wouldn't go above the Millennium Class.

 

For a more emotion-laden comparison you can try my report: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1996340

My issue with the M class are the severe mechanical issues they've faced. I love the design aspect of the Solstice class ships but simply the are too large for me to enjoy. I don't much enjoy ships with more than 6 decks between the lido and main dining areas - I hate elevators and walk hence this reason. :)

 

Your review was very nice indeed! Celebrity is I'm certain a great line - and I'm sure we'll eventually sail a Solstice ship. But it'll not be to Alaska or Europe where we really only cruise now.

[chrispb]

What a great review.

We have not been on them, but looks to be the line of choice on our next venture.

I appreciate the various notes and comparisons.

 

I personally feel that people who exclusively sail with HAL, are missing out on other beautiful ships and cruises available.

 

I think that HAL is becoming the line with the oldest fleet and many internal mechanical problems on many of their ships.

 

Absolutely. People rave about friendly staff on HAL but I must say I find staff equally good on other lines, if not better. Some of them move from one line to another anyway.

[iancal]

I agree. I keep reading about how wonderful the HAL staff is (front desk excepted). In our experience they are wonderful.

 

But truly, we have found the same level of service, friendliness, and personal sincerity on other lines as well. It is certainly not unique to HAL.

 

We hear the same sorts of comments from people who only cruise exclusively on other cruise lines such as Princess or Celebrity as we do from people who cruise exclusively with HAL.

[Hlitner]

There are just some folks who get addicted to a single cruise line and have great difficulty in considering any other option. Some of these folks also turn a blind eye towards any negative things on their beloved cruise line because it fits their own personal agenda of loving a single line. We cruise on many different lines (14 to date) and find that HAL seems to have some of the best "loyalists" in the business.

 

We became friendly with a 5 Star Mariner couple on a HAL cruise, and the lady would always complain that she was bored with the same shows, same menus, etc. But when I suggested to her that she try a different line where she would get different shows and menus the dear lady almost bit my head off! The idea that she would go on any other line was just not something that was ever going to be considered.

 

Hank

[Barrheadlass]

Loved your comparison, as I'm about to do one about HAL vs Oceania, which we just finished. Thanks for giving me ideas and being so complete!

 

 

Upcoming: Hurtigruten November 2014. Looking for the northern lights!

Edited April 22, 2014 by Barrheadlass

[Himself]

Thank you for the report on Celebrity!