Live. Celebrity lover on Holland

[richsea]

HAL--Where the blue hairs roam and the lights go out at 9PM:p

 

As opposed to 10 or 11? I love Celebrity, but have had more than one new Celebrity cruiser remark that they roll the sidewalks up pretty early. Ever been in Quasar at 10:30?.....and see people?

[Cruise Junky]

Alaska. Juneau

Holland. Westerdam

 

I'm sitting on my cabin balcony as I see the Solstice coming into port. I immediately jump overboard and swim through the icy cold waters and I am rescued by the Celebrity tender boat. I am brought on board and tucked safely away for the remainder of my vacation.

 

Later: after my reverie.

I am sitting on my balcony cabin watching the Solstice leave port. I cry.

 

LOL...I so get this! we wanted to do the same everytime we saw a Princess ship in port and we were on the Zuiderdam. Never, ever again will we make that mistake.

[HokiePoq]

I am not a complainer but I am complaining. Look at my other 1600 posts and you won't find me "a complainer".

This ship is substandard. It needs to be scraped. You can feel the spongey floor boards as you walk down the hall. I keep hoping it will make it back to Seattle.

 

I'm very sorry you are having a bad time. Having a crowded ship is never good. We were packed like sardines on our recent X cruise and I probably noticed it because of cold weather forcing everyone inside. And, yes, we got sick as did many others with a respiratory illness. We still had a great time overall.

We've been on the Westerdam twice and I would not hesitate to sail on it again. The second cruise in the Caribbean had not a single problem and the first one only had problems with rude fellow passengers traveling in a large group. While there are older ships on HAL, this is not one of them. It's a different class. We are actually getting ready to spend 35 days on one of the oldest ones. We like both lines and get excellent service on both. Complain to the Hotel Director if you are receiving substandard service. That is not to be expected on HAL any more than it is on X.

Try to enjoy Alaska in spite of wanting to jump ship!

[wwcruisers]

I appreciate the OP starting this thread, and giving an honest review of his current HAL cruise. I'm always interested to hear what experienced X (and RC) cruisers think of other cruise lines they have tried. :cool:

 

As for HAL, I would be happy to try sailing with them -- IF they ever bring their smoking policy into the 21st Century, and ban balcony smoking. For us, it comes down to two things:

-- having a balcony is a deal-breaker for my DH, and

-- being able to breathe on that balcony is a deal-breaker for me. ;)

[tangerinebunny]

[Originally Posted by gsb View Post

HAL--Where the blue hairs roam and the lights go out at 9PM

 

As opposed to 10 or 11? I love Celebrity, but have had more than one new Celebrity cruiser remark that they roll the sidewalks up pretty early. Ever been in Quasar at 10:30?.....and see people?]

 

 

I accept full responsibility. We gave up on HAL's smoking policy and switched to Celebrity. My hair's not blue and I stay up til 9:15 sometimes, but I do look my age. And it ain't pretty.

 

gsb, you'll just have to find another younger line.

[chemmo]

You will definately have to treat yourself to anything you want on this cruise to make it special, there is no point coming off a cruise without some positives!

 

You really will have to book another X cruise asap or you may suffer severe post cruise depression.

 

Next time you are on X you will find it all new and extra special again.

 

Sincere thanks for your report and comments you have cheered up a very wet day in the UK!

[Rob the Cruiser]

What, exactly, is your problem???? :eek:

 

Time for popcorn!

[ClaudiaB]

So sorry to hear that you are not having a great experience on HAL.

 

We are not HAL cheerleaders but we do love HAL for the ambiance and have found the crew to be great on all of our HAL cruises.

 

I just posted on this board about trying the Reflection vs. Westerdam, posted on HAL and Celebrity and then decided to choose HAL. Now a lot of the comments have me reconsidering my choice. I can still change.

 

We have been in port on a RCI ship and dreamed, like you, of being on the HAL ship parked next to us. We haven't tried Celebrity yet. I just got a call from a Celebrity PCC and I told him I might switch. Still on the fence.

 

RCI has gorgeous ships but the food just doesn't compare to HAL in our opinion. I have heard that Celebrity is closer to HAL in the food category. We love the food in the Lido on HAL. Love that you can get a made to order omelet for breakfast and I love the oriental style "flavors of other countries and of course the "famous" bread pudding for lunch.

 

As you can see, I find more things to brag on than complain about on HAL but I have not been on the Westerdam.

 

Hopefully, you can enjoy the remainder of your cruise. We have been to Alaska twice (both times on HAL) and had a fantastic time.

 

Curious: Why didn't you book the Celebrity cruise to Alaska?

 

The omelets to order, the freshly made waffles and eggs made to order (yes you CAN ask for them to crack fresh eggs for your omelet or scrambled eggs) are great at Oceanview (the buffet). The international flavors at lunch on the buffet are also great. Wonderful curries. Many of the cooks can really do their "stuff" with the ethnic food and I've found several new favorites over the years. In my opinion you ought to change your cruise. Start with eating in Bistro on Five which is a small-charge restaurant but it avoids the sometimes madhouse of the buffet on the first few hours aboard and is a very relaxing way to begin your cruise, being waited on and not having to juggle your carry on luggage at the buffet. The buffet layout is great, though, as it's not just one long line like a cafeteria. There are island stations that you can just pop in and out of, so it's easy to maneuver. And no school trays to give it that cheap cafeteria feel!!

[wander]

The use of words such as "spongy floor boards" and "hope it makes it back to Seattle" lead me to discount all else the Poster said. They certainly have a right to be unhappy with a cruise, and I am sorry when any cruise does not live up to a posters standards (well, reasonable standards) but with such inaccurate terms as "floor boards" and extreme comments like "hope it makes it back to Seattle" I just shake my head.

 

I am NOT arguing about the overall impression of the ship, but I would bet that it will safely make it around various places in the world for some to come, at least in terms of structure. (Engines - another case and one I could not comment on.) AND there are NO FLOOR BOARDS in the corridors of cruise ships today. Metal plates - yes, floor boards - no.

 

(I was on a ship some years ago where down the corridor from me there was a spot in the deck that would "dip slightly" when you stepped on it just right (or wrong). However, floor collapse was not in question any more than when there is a "squeaky" spot in a hardwood floor.

Edited June 17, 2015 by wander

[TomTN]

HAL--Where the blue hairs roam and the lights go out at 9PM:p

 

As opposed to 10 or 11? I love Celebrity, but have had more than one new Celebrity cruiser remark that they roll the sidewalks up pretty early. Ever been in Quasar at 10:30?.....and see people?

 

You beat me to it. Both statements are true.

Hal closes at 9.

X closes at 10.

 

OK with me. I close anytime between 8 and 12.:cool:

[Cruise Junky]

The use of words such as "spongy floor boards" and "hope it makes it back to Seattle" lead me to discount all else the Poster said. They certainly have a right to be unhappy with a cruise, and I am sorry when any cruise does not live up to a posters standards (well, reasonable standards) but with such inaccurate terms as "floor boards" and extreme comments like "hope it makes it back to Seattle" I just shake my head.

 

I am NOT arguing about the overall impression of the ship, but I would bet that it will safely make it around various places in the world for some to come, at least in terms of structure. (Engines - another case and one I could not comment on.) AND there are NO FLOOR BOARDS in the corridors of cruise ships today. Metal plates - yes, floor boards - no.

 

(I was on a ship some years ago where down the corridor from me there was a spot in the deck that would "dip slightly" when you stepped on it just right (or wrong). However, floor collapse was not in question any more than when there is a "squeaky" spot in a hardwood floor.

 

I had the same issue with the floor boards on Zuiderdam..not sure if I'd have called them "Spongy" but that actually seems to fit...but they did pop down when I walked on them and then popped back up...and I'm not that big :) So I totally understand what they're saying.

[lais]

There are pros and cons to each, but I have never experienced a bad cruise on either line. Sure hope the OP's cruise gets better.

I'm not having a bad cruise. Alaska is beautiful, the port stops very nice and the saving grace has been our aft facing balcony. The food is good. I have been shocked by several things on this shabby old ship, yes shabby, from the first day boarding and therefore wished I was on the Solstice when I saw her in port. That's all. I didn't mean for this thread to get so out of hand but since it has i will flow with it. I have limited internet access so I will not elaborate too much now but when I get home and if I can learn how to upload pictures I would love to share some of the things that shocked me. Starting with the dirty towel folded in the bathroom, the pubic hair on the ripped sheets, 5 year olds (many) in the hot tubs with what looked like bubble bath ( in the adult pool too) unregulated and more.

[wallie5446]

I get it, if someone makes less than stellar comments about other lines, it's facts. If they make it about Celebrity they are labeled as complainers by the judgmental hypersensitive, cheerleaders of Celebrity.

 

We have sailed on 7 different lines, how many have you cruised on?

[Tatka]

I can say that we experienced the same issues on Zuiderdam in 2004 when he was two years old. She was not moldy, and in some ways even beautiful ship with all artwork, but service was ... lacking ... slow everywhere. Cabins were not made till we called several times, slow service in MDR with tons of errors. Show were good, but no other good smaller scale entertainment.

 

We still had a good cruise... way better than our cruises with Carnival, but it was difficult to understand all that buzz about premium line Holland.

 

We will try again, but won't expect premium experience. Celebrity was much better, even C class ships.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

I'm not having a bad cruise. Alaska is beautiful, the port stops very nice and the saving grace has been our aft facing balcony. The food is good. I have been shocked by several things on this shabby old ship, yes shabby, from the first day boarding and therefore wished I was on the Solstice when I saw her in port. That's all. I didn't mean for this thread to get so out of hand but since it has i will flow with it. I have limited internet access so I will not elaborate too much now but when I get home and if I can learn how to upload pictures I would love to share some of the things that shocked me. Starting with the dirty towel folded in the bathroom, the pubic hair on the ripped sheets, 5 year olds (many) in the hot tubs with what looked like bubble bath ( in the adult pool too) unregulated and more.

 

Well, I'm truly sorry for your experience, but I am also perplexed, as we were on the Westerdam only a month ago, and we did not find her shabby. MVPinBoynton, a regular poster here on the Celebrity forum, cruised the Westerdam last year, and took many photos:

 

http://www.thepreismans.com/westerdam_page_1.htm

 

He appeared to enjoy the Westerdam, and found her in good shape, and this was even before the dry dock she had last year.

 

So I don't know. Perhaps either a word to your cabin stewards, or a conversation with the guest relations manager, might help clarify and rectify some of the situations and cleanliness issues you are encountering. I repeat what I said earlier, I do truly hope your cruise gets better.

[vulcan1971]

What, exactly, is your problem???? :eek:

 

 

My thoughts exactly!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone 6 Plus on the T-Mobile 4G LTE Network using Tapatalk Pro

[HokiePoq]

I'm not having a bad cruise. Alaska is beautiful, the port stops very nice and the saving grace has been our aft facing balcony. The food is good. I have been shocked by several things on this shabby old ship, yes shabby, from the first day boarding and therefore wished I was on the Solstice when I saw her in port. That's all. I didn't mean for this thread to get so out of hand but since it has i will flow with it. I have limited internet access so I will not elaborate too much now but when I get home and if I can learn how to upload pictures I would love to share some of the things that shocked me. Starting with the dirty towel folded in the bathroom, the pubic hair on the ripped sheets, 5 year olds (many) in the hot tubs with what looked like bubble bath ( in the adult pool too) unregulated and more.

 

I, too, would be grossed out by what you found in the cabin. A call to the supervisor of housekeeping is necessary so that corrective measures will be taken. This is not typical. It is completely unsatisfactory on any line. It is better, though, no matter the line, to address problems while you are onboard rather than wait until return. Glad you are still enjoying Alaska.

[InTheWASide]

I had the same issue with the floor boards on Zuiderdam..not sure if I'd have called them "Spongy" but that actually seems to fit...but they did pop down when I walked on them and then popped back up...and I'm not that big :) So I totally understand what they're saying.

 

There was a mjaor issue with the floors on Zuiderdam during construction. Over time and dry docks they have tried to correct it but it's been an ongoing issue since launch regardless...

 

Basically as they were putting the floors together there's a mix of components that go together with water... except SALT water was used by the ship yard which made it fail to properly adhere

[CanadianDee]

Alaska. Juneau

Holland. Westerdam

 

I'm sitting on my cabin balcony as I see the Solstice coming into port. I immediately jump overboard and swim through the icy cold waters and I am rescued by the Celebrity tender boat. I am brought on board and tucked safely away for the remainder of my vacation.

 

Later: after my reverie.

I am sitting on my balcony cabin watching the Solstice leave port. I cry.

 

LOL. Best "complaint" I've read on these boards.

[avalon1025]

Last year I sailed the Westerdam in Alaska and two months earlier the Silhouette in the Caribbean. I love the Solstice Class, my favorite new ship class, but I had a great time on the Westerdam. Loved the Neptune lounge and ate all my meals in the Pinnacle. Both were very enjoyable experiences

[ECCruise]

I am not a complainer but I am complaining. Look at my other 1600 posts and you won't find me "a complainer".

This ship is substandard. It needs to be scraped. You can feel the spongey floor boards as you walk down the hall. I keep hoping it will make it back to Seattle.

As another poster has said, happens on Celebrity. We've had exactly the same "spongy" flooring on both S-Class (Solstice) and several M-Class ships.

 

Speaking of beer, I ordered a six pack before we boarded to be waiting in the room. It was there, in a bucket without ice. Six warm beers. When I finally found our room steward I had to explain about getting ice about 3 times. He said "you don't like the beer?" I said I didn't like it warm. It took a couple days but now I have ice everyday.

 

Exactly this happened on Celebrity Eclipse. Six bottles of beer, warm, no ice, no glasses, no opener. Took 2 days to get the ice and glasses, 3 days to get an opener, which was then removed from the cabin 2 days later.

[Fouremco]

There are numerous reason why people choose one cruise over another. It might be the itinerary, the duration, the specific ship, the food, the cruise line, etc., or a combination of those factors. Overall, we "prefer" Celebrity but have spent more sea days on HAL ships. Last year (Alaska) and this year (Canada/New England) we booked with HAL because they offered 7-day cruises that fit into our September schedules. Celebrity doesn't offer a comparable cruise in either location.

 

On the other hand, our next cruise after Canada/New England will be 2 weeks in the Southern Caribbean on the Eclipse, one of our favourite ships. We're miffed about Celebrity's late change in itinerary, now skipping Grenada in favour of an overnight, 2-day stay in Barbados, but overall are looking forward to the cruise and being back with Celebrity.

 

At the end of the day, both lines offer a similar product. We will continue to choose one or the other based on the many variables presented with each cruise possibility as we ponder our future bookings.

[TxnAquarian]

Thanks for the posting your thoughts on your cruise. We actually had booked the Westerdam for last month due to Glacier Bay and Sitka, but switched our booking over to Celebrity where we knew we'd be happier. We tried HAL once a couple of years ago - and while we had a good time, we really didn't like the ship. The towels in the room were gray and browning, all the public toilets were backed up, sheets were stained and water was leaking out of the ceiling while I was at the reception desk. We loved the staff, food and ports, but the shortcomings could not be redeemed. We might consider the upcoming new HAL ship if it has some itineraries we are interested in. While we were in Juneau, we were in port with the Zaandam, and I happened to run into one of the managers from the ship at Starbucks and we chatted about HAL. He admitted that the ships are not in great shape, with the exception of Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam that he likes very much.

 

 

 

Michael

[Champagne Cruiser]

We sailed the Westerdam last year. I thought the ship itself was comparable to the Celebrity M class ships (minus the thalassotherapy pool which I love.). The service from room stewards was outstanding, very very friendly, around constantly if you needed anything. The bottle of champagne, a gift for DH birthday was in our cabin and iced when we boarded. I give the higher marks to Celebrity food. But the biggest difference was the lack of entertainment. The bars with music were only before the early seating. We like to eat around 7 or 7:30 but all the music in the bars ended earlier. Even the trivia ended by 6:00. The production shows were only 30 minutes. However, one of the most entertaining and funniest shows was the finals of Dancing with the Stars. It was hilarious, not to be missed. We would definitely cruise HAL again for itinerary and price, but we cruise Celebrity for the best vacation experience. The HAL passenger demographics was definitely older (and we are in our early 60s!) and went to bed very early. Very quiet ship at night.

[Caribbean Chris]

Sorry your choice of ships disappointed you.

 

We currently alternate between X and HAL. We've certainly had ups and downs with both.

 

Our first X cruise was the worst experience I've had in 30+ sailings on multiple lines. Select dining had just been introduced and it was a disaster, with bad service and food. Our cabin was dirty and Century looked worn.

 

If we had not already been booked to sail transatlantic on Eclipse during its first season, I would have never booked X again. But we went on to have good experiences including on Century to Hawaii.

 

The 123Go inclusive has drawn us to book early on X lately and we've begun booking suites to get a better level of stateroom space and service, and look forward to Luminae. The specialty dining is outstanding on Celebrity. Both M and S class have great features.

 

But even without those elements on HAL, I love the line for its gracious crew, complete promenade decks, and traditional heritage. Some of the ships have incredible nautical antiques. There's less emphasis on trendy, which I prefer.

 

So stick with the line you love, but be aware that it could disappoint you, too, and someday HAL could delight you if you return.