Holland America vs Celebrity

[MsMolly]

I have searched cruise critic but can't find any newer advise....only info that is years old. We have sailed Hal 3 times now and Princess once. We loved both for different reasons but are looking at a Celebrity cruise because we like the itinerary. Can anyone share their opinions and comparisons of Hal vs Celebrity for us? (ie entertainment, activities, food, service, friendliness of staff, comfort of rooms, etc) Thanks!!!

[KirkNC]

On many levels they are similar, we sail both based on itineraries. X is more contemporary in style of ships, no promenade to walk around but still quite nice. The smoking policy is much more restrictive on X. Food and service are similar. We found entertainment to be similar. If you enjoy wine, X's offering blow HAL away.

[eandj]

Agree with Kirk.

Which ship are you looking at? If one of the newer larger ships (Solstice, Equinox, Reflection etc) The ships are totally different than anything HAL has. The whole atmosphere, arrangement of public rooms,buffets etc. Very hip/hotel type style. HAL ships seem a little tired, altho I DO like the traditional feel on the three we have cruised.

 

I know some hate to read this but..imoDepending on itinerary and when, the passengers will be younger and more lively on those X ships. I know on the 10 days or less, in the Carib, X has a totally different crowd from what we have seen on HAL. I think the X entertainment is so-so. We do not think HAL does enough with entertainment to even get to the so-so level. But of course that is sooo subjective. Even DH and I can't agree.:D Same for food. We like them equally. But you would have your own tastes and have to try it yourself.

 

Try something new if you like the itieneray. You won't be disappointed with Celebrity. Just different. But then again with good service, food, entertainment etc very much similar.

Edited June 15, 2014 by eandj

[RMLincoln]

Our experiences are similar to KirkNC's above. We did a long trip of 4 months last Oct - Jan which included cruises on HAL, X and Princess (Australia - New Zealand - and back). Most of our cruising has been on HAL but twice on Celebrity which has bigger ships. This provides for more entertainment options. We have enjoyed X's lecturers and we find their Open Dining option to be well perfected - the best! X's rooms are similar and even insides (most, but do check your particular ship if this is a desirable) have a couch. Our balcony on Solstice did not have loungers, just chairs, not even foot stools, a bit disappointing. Shore excursions are similar and similarly priced in that I don't think you'd notice much difference. We have found that X can have very limited evening food offerings in the buffet (the case for us on Constellation but not so on Solstice, so it varies). The buffet had a very good array of food, easy to navigate but difficult to find seating at peak times.

 

Celebrity has very good to excellent food, most especially so if you are will to pay the extra $30 - $40 or more for specialty dining. I find the passengers to be a more outgoing crowd, more folks in the bars in the evenings than on HAL, maybe because of X's drinks packages.

 

Entertainment on X may be more comparable to Princess than to HAL but we gravitate to HAL's classical music which is mostly disappearing from ships these days - on Solstice, our last X ship, there was a classical trio but in a horrible venue so it was hardly worth trying to listen to, oh well.

 

Down sides of Celebrity for us: We have to pay our hotel gratuity up front at final payment if we reserve Open Dining, not a deal-breaker but less convenient; we don't get our stock-holders benefit for holding 100 shares of CCL stock.

 

If you have an itinerary you like at a price you can deal with I'd say give it a try. m--

[PathfinderEss]

We found lots of similarities between Celebrity and Hal. Nice cabins with good beds. Good food on both ships, but the one thing we did find different is the comradery between customers and personal. We have always like Hal personal better then Celebrity. Hal's staff always say 'hi' when you pass them in the hallways, in bar's, in restaurants. If you ask them how they are, they are always excellent. It is just a vibe of friendliness they give off compared to Celebrity.

Edited June 15, 2014 by PathfinderEss

[Germancruiser]

I do it the other way around- after 11 years and about 20 cruises with X we try HAL for the first time this october! My only worry is , if I will like the ship since from the pictures they look quite , well - colorfull! What look foreward to is the wrap around prommenade deck. The new X ships are nice I sailed three of them, but the total lack of a propper prommenade deck makes for very crowded upper decks esp. on sea days.

Can´t wait to see for my self which I like better- friends call me crazy because of the Elite status on X and the benefits I will not have on Zuiderdam- well can´t be helped!

[bob12]

We have sailed on Solstice class ships a few times and Hal once (Rotterdam).

 

We found the entertainment on Celebrity to be better. Larger production shows, more entertainment options more lectures. Food in the dining room is comparable. We found the Lido options in the evening on Celebrity to be better than HAL. Also the larger Solstice class ships have more options for shopping, and the public spaces are more varied (ie lawn on top deck).

 

Hal's friendly staff and more intimate atmosphere aboard a smaller ship was better. We also found the self serve laundry on HAL to be convenient.

 

While we enjoyed both HAL and Celebrity we found the ship board experience on Celebrity to be superior.

 

If we were to chose between the lines the itinerary would be the determining factor.

[sunviking90]

We have done many HAL cruises and sailed on our first Celebrity cruise this spring on the Solstice. We loved it! The ship was beautiful, our cabin was very well laid out, and I have to admit it was much cleaner than our cabins have usually been on HAL. We were in Aqua class which has its own dedicated dining room, so I can't comment on the MDR food. The buffet had wonderful selection, but it was all self serve, even the hot entrees, and this germiphobe was really put off by that. Too many people licking their fingers and then handling ladles. Yuck. I do prefer HAL's style of serving in the buffet, but not a deal breaker since I rarely go to the buffet anyway.

 

The cabins do not have bathtubs until you get to the suite level, but our bathroom was roomy, well laid out and had a wonderful shower! I didn't miss the tub at all.

 

I did miss HAL 's wrap around decks for our morning walks. This is something we really enjoy and one of the reasons we keep returning to HAL.

 

We found the crew just as friendly as HAL. All seemed to happy, smiling and always greeted us.

We loved the coffee bar and went there every morning and again in the afternoon for tea. Although they don't do an afternoon tea, they do serve a proper pot of tea there, and with a few treats it was just as enjoyable. It was much better staffed than HAL's Explorations Cafe, and you could just sit down and they would come and take your order. Very nice.

 

I would love to take another Cleebrity Cruise.

Edited June 16, 2014 by sunviking90

[julia]

You will never have a true basis of comparison until you actually sail other lines.

For us.... it is CELEBRITY for a lot of reasons.

If the itinerary fits your needs, then go for it.

You will not be disappointed.

Edited June 16, 2014 by julia

[iancal]

Itinerary and ship come first with us, then cruise line. We find them both very similar. Same great service.

 

But, if you have a good itinerary, AND you are doing it on a Solstice class ship then you have a winner. They are by far our favourite cruise ships.

[agabbymama]

Just another opinion.

 

I sailed Celebrity Constellation (similar in size to HAL Vista ships). I would say everything is pretty comparable on both except the wrap-around Promenade deck on HAL, and the very strict designated SMOKING policy on X.

 

I have absolutely NO INTEREST in Celebrity's (or anyone else for that matter) newer monolith ships. I sailed the Grand Princess at 110,000 GT and that large of a ship has no appeal to me at all. I can't even begin to fathom being on a ship with 5000 other people.

 

BUT everyone has to decide for themselves what is important to them.

[George C]

I perfer Hal, only did one celeberity on Solstice several years ago, waiter and food in MDR was terrible ( brand new waiter was a major issue there), did not like entertainment, loved specaity resturants and there lido/buffet was great for breakfast and lunch, if you dislike smoke you will love them and we were upgraded to a aft sky suite with butler which was great. This was several years ago and we will try them again.

[HokiePoq]

Just another opinion.

 

I sailed Celebrity Constellation (similar in size to HAL Vista ships). I would say everything is pretty comparable on both except the wrap-around Promenade deck on HAL, and the very strict designated SMOKING policy on X.

 

I have absolutely NO INTEREST in Celebrity's (or anyone else for that matter) newer monolith ships. I sailed the Grand Princess at 110,000 GT and that large of a ship has no appeal to me at all. I can't even begin to fathom being on a ship with 5000 other people.

 

BUT everyone has to decide for themselves what is important to them.

 

We've sailed both and agree with those who say they are more alike than different. We choose based on price and itinerary. The recent reviews on Infinity (which we are sailing on in January) have not been so encouraging. I have not sailed on the HAL ship you mention but after getting off the Westerdam in December, I realized there was not even ONE thing to complain about. HAL runs their ships very, very well. Had an issue the other time we sailed Celebrity and avoided them for several years because of total lack of positive response to my documented problem. Giving them two more tries next year. Our friends who are going love them (I think it's the Elite booze, lol) so we're giving it another try.

[bakcd]

We sail with both Holland America (3 star) and Celebrity (elite plus) and are happy on either for most sailings. Celebrity does have a slight edge because of the perks for repeat cruises and the Choice Air for one way flights. There are things I prefer on each line but the product is more similar than different.

 

I am able to maintain a gluten free diet with Celebrity or Holland America, but each handles it differently. Following my diet on our last Celebrity cruise was very difficult so I do look forward to my next HAL sailing for that reason. It is possible that HAL will have more of our business for this reason alone.

[fuzzywuzzy]

Just another opinion.

 

I sailed Celebrity Constellation (similar in size to HAL Vista ships). I would say everything is pretty comparable on both except the wrap-around Promenade deck on HAL, and the very strict designated SMOKING policy on X.

 

I have absolutely NO INTEREST in Celebrity's (or anyone else for that matter) newer monolith ships. I sailed the Grand Princess at 110,000 GT and that large of a ship has no appeal to me at all. I can't even begin to fathom being on a ship with 5000 other people.

 

BUT everyone has to decide for themselves what is important to them.

 

I agree with you with regard to the mega ships. Too big for me. I would rather not fight the crowds at the Lido deck for meals, etc. The Eurodam or the Noordam is big enough for me. It must be a pain too when these monster ships dock at the ports for disembarking, etc.

[eandj]

Just another opinion.

 

 

I have absolutely NO INTEREST in Celebrity's (or anyone else for that matter) newer monolith ships. .

 

X's largest ships carry about 2,700. They are not close to the monster class that RCI offers. What is interesting on these X ships, is they are very well designed and we felt more crowded on the Eurodam (which has about 600 less people) than I do on the X ships.

 

I agree, as itinerary is more important to us lately, we wouldn't be interested in RC's Oasis or Allure. However... those too are well designed and everyone I know that has cruised them rave about the lack of crowding, lines etc. But...no itinerary to speak of.;)

[Christine Frances]

X's largest ships carry about 2,700. They are not close to the monster class that RCI offers. What is interesting on these X ships, is they are very well designed and we felt more crowded on the Eurodam (which has about 600 less people) than I do on the X ships.

 

I agree, as itinerary is more important to us lately, we wouldn't be interested in RC's Oasis or Allure. However... those too are well designed and everyone I know that has cruised them rave about the lack of crowding, lines etc. But...no itinerary to speak of.;)

 

X Solstice Class has the best space ratio

 

Solstice 122000 tons / 2800 pax = 43.57

Grand Princess 109,000 tons / 2600 pax = 41.92

NA 86,000 tons / 2100 pax = 40.95

Eurodam 86,000 tons / 2044 pax = 42.07

 

I fully expect cruisetrail to jump in here tho lol

Edited June 16, 2014 by Christine Frances

[cruz chic]

I've done 2 Celebrity cruises and have zero desire to go back. I found that the food was either very good, or very bad. The service at the front desk was dismal. You would be standing in line for a half an hour for a simply query. The line up to get into anytime dining every night was at least 30 people deep whether you had reservations or not. I brought white wine into the dining room and had a heck of a time getting someone to serve/open it. The corkage was something like $25 at that time IIRC. I didn't finish it and the next night they slammed it on the table, no ice bucket or anything. No thanks.

[igraf]

You picked the two worst HAL ships with regard to space ratios: both Signature Class ships. The other HAL ships have space ratios ranging up to 45 (Amterdam and Prinsedam are the best).

 

reference: http://travel.travelocity.com/ecruise/ShipFinder.do

 

My reference showed a lower number for the Solstice.

 

igraf

 

 

 

 

 

X Solstice Class has the best space ratio

 

Solstice 122000 tons / 2800 pax = 43.57

Grand Princess 109,000 tons / 2600 pax = 41.92

NA 86,000 tons / 2100 pax = 40.95

Eurodam 86,000 tons / 2044 pax = 42.07

 

I fully expect cruisetrail to jump in here tho lol

[Mickb]

We have sailed with both lines and more recently on Eurodam in an SA suite and on Celebrity Eclipse in a sky suite. Although Eclipse carries many more passengers we felt more crowded on the Eurodam. It is a very personal thing but I think that despite being long term HAL fans, we are converted to Celebrity. Certainly I felt that the MDR food was better on Eclipse. Tamarind on Eurodam was simply outstanding - better than all 3 extra tariff restaurants on Eclipse.

The lack of a walk around prom deck is noticeable on Eclipse but the layout of the ship is better and certainly the pool area is more spacious. I'm not a fan of the lawn area but many are.

I am sure you will enjoy which ever you choose.

PS - At suite level, Celebrity give you a butler - ours was outstanding - HAL have a concierge lounge - adequate but not so personal!

[agabbymama]

We've sailed both and agree with those who say they are more alike than different. We choose based on price and itinerary. The recent reviews on Infinity (which we are sailing on in January) have not been so encouraging. I have not sailed on the HAL ship you mention but after getting off the Westerdam in December, I realized there was not even ONE thing to complain about. HAL runs their ships very, very well. Had an issue the other time we sailed Celebrity and avoided them for several years because of total lack of positive response to my documented problem. Giving them two more tries next year. Our friends who are going love them (I think it's the Elite booze, lol) so we're giving it another try.

 

Westerdam, Zuiderdam, Noordam, and Oosterdam are all Vista Class ships at around 82,000 GT carrying approximately 2000 passengers. That's plenty big for me.

 

I actually first sailed on the Old Noordam at only 34,000 GT in 1999 carrying 1254 passengers and 520 crew and loved her. She still sails as Celebration for Thomson Cruise Line. The only problem with the older ships are they don't have many balconies and therefore that drives the cost up considerably.

[auntjoy036]

Bakcd,

 

I chose Celebrity for my last cruises, many years ago, because of its well-earned reputation for good food. Since then, however, I've developed a gluten intolerance. Please share with me what made following a gluten free diet difficult on your last Celebrity cruise. And what does HAL do to make it easier?

 

Thanks.

 

Vicki

[bakcd]

You might do a search on the Celebrity board, go back about 2 weeks. Also search in the foodies section. I do know that gluten free accommodations vary by ship with some ships handling this much better than others.

 

HAL offers several replacement items of acceptable quality although my preferences tend to be the newer items now on the market. These items are available even if many things are only available in the dining room and require a 24 hour pre-order. At least that was the case on our last HAL sailing 2 years ago.

[iancal]

We find that ship design has more impact than size or even the space ratio numbers when it comes to feeling 'crowded'.

 

We have been on a few smaller ships that always felt crowded. We did not know any better at the time.

 

Things like elevator banks than let out smack dab in front of a crowded MDR entrance or directly in front of a front desk area or showroom, hallways that simply dead ended, or buffets that were designed for anything but customer throughput.

 

We feel the same way about space ratios. For us, it is more about design-how the traffic flows and how the ship amenities are laid out.

[pris993]

We are elite on Celebrity, only 2 star on HAL. Just finished a Nieuw Amsterdam TA. Have cruised on the Eclipse, Equinox and have a Silhouette booked for this October.

 

Both lines offer a good cruise experience. Even though we have cruised X more, we think HAL offers a more traditional cruise experience which we like. So we would give the edge to HAL.

 

You can only decide what you like best by trying it out.

 

We had amazing food and service on HAL in the MDR. We find the MDR noisey and crowded on this class of X ships, food hit and miss for us. We do find the buffet on X great.

 

Rooms prefer HAL, we had a mini suite. We have cruised CC, AQ class cabins mostly on X, on our next cruise we booked a 1B balcony, all the cabins are the same so did not see the value in paying more for CC or AQ. We felt BLU was over rated.

 

Entertainment on both lines is hit and miss for us.

 

We cruise more for the ports, both lines offer comfortable floating hotels for us.