Just booked a HAL cruise

[RickT]

Between the current Celebrity pricing and the same old itineraries, I just booked a 16 day HAL cruise for the summer. It's a Med cruise on the Eurodam. Not only is it offering some ports that Celebrity isn't, it's about $1200 cheaper per person than the closest X cruise that is only 12 days.

 

I know it doesn't include a drink package or big shipboard credit. I've cruised HAL before and am OK with the differences.

 

I'm glad X is doing so well, but sad that their pricing and repetitive itineraries have forced me to go elsewhere. I still wish they would vary their itineraries more. I even looked at the recent 2017 schedule and saw little change.

 

I'll miss X this summer.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Variety is the spice of life. Maybe it'll make you appreciate X more, who knows? When you want a certain itinerary, sometimes you just have to jump ship. That's what we've had to do because Princess doesn't offer a Bermuda cruise or southern Caribbean cruises out of SJU anymore. Hope you enjoy your new booking.

[JMG]

Our first cruises were on HAL and in spite of the comments...we found it to be a great cruise line. We booked HAL because at that time, RCI charged brochure rates for bookings made within 6 months of the sail date. HAL offered a better price.

 

Our accommodations were fantastic! The food was great and we had a wonderful experience!

There are pluses and minuses to all of the cruise lines. You just have to book the one that suits your time and offers an itinerary that is of interest!

[stinsowm]

With all the negativity I am reading from the Celebrity cruisers hoping you enjoy your Holland American cruise!

[M&Dcruisers]

Honestly, I getting a little tired of Celebrity also. I'm having trouble finding new and exciting itineraries with them. So, I've just booked my first non-Celebrity cruise. It's a Polynesia cruise with Oceania.

[Andy]

Hi Rick T,

 

Over the past 2 months, we've sailed twice on Royal Princess. Interestingly, the first sailing was outstanding. Yet, 6 weeks later, on the same ship - the sailing was very good, but not nearly as good as the first sailing. Hard to imagine that so much changed in 6 weeks - but it did ! One of the major issues - they made a major menu change in the MDR, adding three Curtis Stone items - which were the same for the 10 days, while dropping some crucial everyday items such as Steak and Grilled Salmon. Sadly, the Curtis Stone items were abysmal. Coupled with no acceptable back up items, the Maitre'd being unwilling to offer anything off menu, and a very poor waiter, we wound up skipping the MDR on the last 3 nights of the Cruise - which is a first for us. Thankfully, the buffet was pretty good for dinner (better for lunch) - so there was always something to eat.

 

Don't get me wrong, we had a very nice Cruise, mostly due to tons of excellent onboard entertainment, especially Perry Grant, who always makes the cruise for us. IMO, they have Celebrity's entertainment beat by a mile. With that said, when we evaluated the entire cruise, we missed Celebrity very much, and hope to sail with X, at least one time this season.

 

Unfortunately, Mom suffered a serious injury last week, and our lives have been thrown into turmoil, along with our cruise schedule. I've barely slept in 8 days. What little sleep I've had, has been sitting in a chair ! On the bright side, we learned today, that she won't need surgery, and will make a full recovery. We're both incredibly thankful for the positive news ! We're planning to sail again in late January.

 

The bottom line is, sometimes, it's not the worst thing to take a break from your favorite brand, if only to see what else is out there. I'm glad we sailed Princess - but we can't wait to be back onboard a Celebrity ship.

 

Hope you have a great time on Eurodam !

Edited December 10, 2015 by Host Andy

[wwcruisers]

Andy -- I'm so sorry to hear that happened to your mom. Glad to hear that she is on the mend. Get some sleep, OK?

 

To the OP -- thanks for posting your thoughts on HAL. Honestly, with all of the higher prices and gimmicks that we're seeing on X -- DH and I are also considering other cruise lines. Since we are on the West Coast, Princess and HAL are the obvious alternatives. The one thing that's currently keeping us away from HAL is the balcony smoking policy. Hopefully, they will come into the 21st Century soon, regarding that. :cool:

[Northern Aurora]

Hi Rick T,

 

Unfortunately, Mom suffered a serious injury last week, and our lives have been thrown into turmoil, along with our cruise schedule. I've barely slept in 8 days. What little sleep I've had, has been sitting in a chair ! On the bright side, we learned today, that she won't need surgery, and will make a full recovery. We're both incredibly thankful for the positive news !

....

 

 

Host Andy: While we've never met I face-to-face I always have felt that I know you. I also hope your mom will make a full recovery.

 

And a quick comment regarding RickT's original post: Given some of the prices on some itineraries it appears to me that someone at Celebrity headquarters is becoming a "legend in his or her own mind." That phrase is used by a friend when he thinks that someone over estimates their own power/intellect/skill. In this case someone is so convinced in the power of Celebrity product they are ignoring pricing strategies of their competitors.

[woodley]

"Variety is the spice of life"

 

enjoy your cruise.

[MicCanberra]

Variety is the spice of life. Maybe it'll make you appreciate X more, who knows? When you want a certain itinerary, sometimes you just have to jump ship. That's what we've had to do because Princess doesn't offer a Bermuda cruise or southern Caribbean cruises out of SJU anymore. Hope you enjoy your new booking.

 

I agree, this is also why we have cruised with various lines but keep coming back to X when the itinerary and timing suit.:D

[K&RCurt]

We have only cruised on HAL and have a Celebrity cruise up next. Admittedly it is a very specific type of full ship Charter, but it is a switch in cruise line, nevertheless.

 

If you spend any time at all on the HAL forum and here on the Celebrity forum, you would be hard pressed to know which line is being discussed if you took out line-specific terminology. Changes in Suite percs, complaints of declining food quality, reclassification of cabins, lower staffing levels, etc. I think every line is cutting costs aggressively and making changes designed to sell "sizzle" but change the steak from Prime Porterhouse to Choice Chuck.

 

The great majority of folks who have sailed both lines has always said that X and HAL are more similar than different.

 

We love the Eurodam and are positive you will have a great cruise!

[Bobocasey]

I agree really not much difference between the two lines. However we have cruised so much with X we are running out new ports. Wish X would try some different itineraries. Our next cruise we are trying Oceania because of their itinerary. Yes, they are more expensive but why pay to go back to the same old ports just to go on a cruise?????

Edited December 10, 2015 by Bobocasey

[hcat]

Hi Rick T,

 

Over the past 2 months, we've sailed twice on Royal Princess. Interestingly, the first sailing was outstanding. Yet, 6 weeks later, on the same ship - the sailing was very good, but not nearly as good as the first sailing. Hard to imagine that so much changed in 6 weeks - but it did ! One of the major issues - they made a major menu change in the MDR, adding three Curtis Stone items - which were the same for the 10 days, while dropping some crucial everyday items such as Steak and Grilled Salmon. Sadly, the Curtis Stone items were abysmal. Coupled with no acceptable back up items, the Maitre'd being unwilling to offer anything off menu, and a very poor waiter, we wound up skipping the MDR on the last 3 nights of the Cruise - which is a first for us. Thankfully, the buffet was pretty good for dinner (better for lunch) - so there was always something to eat.

 

Don't get me wrong, we had a very nice Cruise, mostly due to tons of excellent onboard entertainment, especially Perry Grant, who always makes the cruise for us. IMO, they have Celebrity's entertainment beat by a mile. With that said, when we evaluated the entire cruise, we missed Celebrity very much, and hope to sail with X, at least one time this season.

 

Unfortunately, Mom suffered a serious injury last week, and our lives have been thrown into turmoil, along with our cruise schedule. I've barely slept in 8 days. What little sleep I've had, has been sitting in a chair ! On the bright side, we learned today, that she won't need surgery, and will make a full recovery. We're both incredibly thankful for the positive news ! We're planning to sail again in late January.

 

The bottom line is, sometimes, it's not the worst thing to take a break from your favorite brand, if only to see what else is out there. I'm glad we sailed Princess - but we can't wait to be back onboard a Celebrity ship.

 

Hope you have a great time on Eurodam !

 

Andy..

Hope your mom makes a full recovery...and that you get some rest...

Happy you will sail again in January...

 

Appreciate all the Princess info...we are booked on Ruby for 2017, but seriously thinking about Azamara if we can swing it...Recent Celeb ads are showing extra perks creeping back in...so who knows? Much will depend on Equinox in Jan...reviews are good !

 

Have a nice Dec holiday season.

hcat

[Caribbean Chris]

We like both Celebrity and HAL for different reasons.

 

Boarding HAL always feels like coming home to me, the waiters and room stewards are usually excellent, and I love the promenade decks and Internet/coffee/library locations. Carnival Corp stock is the gift that keeps on giving.

 

We continued sailing on X because friends were enjoying Elite perks (better than HAL's Mariner bens) and we wanted to join them. The "book next cruise on board" benefits like big OBC + 123Go kept getting better, so X captured us again before we disembarked. The X suite benefits have pulled way ahead of HAL's. The smoking policy is a winner.

 

I am happy to book either one depending on price and itinerary, and we're currently sailing with both lines each year.

 

But now that we're ready to cruise a lot more and also to try the higher end lines - another point in Celebrity's favor is that loyalty points are honored on their other brands. (Not the case for Carnival Corp brands like HAL). That has encouraged us to book Azamara for 2017, and it would encourage us to try RCCL sometime for a fun, last minute getaway since we live in Florida.

[senorjim]

Between the current Celebrity pricing and the same old itineraries, I just booked a 16 day HAL cruise for the summer. It's a Med cruise on the Eurodam. Not only is it offering some ports that Celebrity isn't, it's about $1200 cheaper per person than the closest X cruise that is only 12 days.

 

I know it doesn't include a drink package or big shipboard credit. I've cruised HAL before and am OK with the differences.

 

I'm glad X is doing so well, but sad that their pricing and repetitive itineraries have forced me to go elsewhere. I still wish they would vary their itineraries more. I even looked at the recent 2017 schedule and saw little change.

 

I'll miss X this summer.

 

Interesting, We are 4 star (getting close to 5) on HAL and our next cruise is on Reflection in January. The main reason for booking on Reflection was to sail with good friends who chose that cruise. We love HAL and the food and crews and itineraries but we are tiring of the entertainment. Seems to be same old same old especially on our recent 26 day Med/Transatlantic on Zuiderdam. I'm sure you will enjoy your HAL cruise and I'm sure we will enjoy our first cruise on Celebrity!

Jim

[Mary El]

We too are loyal Celebrity cruisers. We are Elite +. But am tired of the same old, same old. Have booked a Princess cruise over the holidays, 15 days, through the Panama Canal. And have booked a 56 day cruise on HAL, lots of exciting new ports.

 

Celebrity has to start thinking of new itineraries. There is so much to see in this world.

[tomcruiser1234]

I hope this is not to far off the thread.

 

We are X fans all the way and love all the perks, however had to make a choice on a Trans Pacific in the spring. Sydney to Seattle on RCL or Sydney to Honolulu on X.

 

RCL was offering 24 nights / vs X is 18 nights ending in Honolulu at about the same price. I hated to give up on all those CC points and perks with X we were used to but Each line has their selling points.

 

We have not traveled on Hal since Alaska over 5 years ago and had a great time.

 

My thinking now is to go for the most bang for the $$$ and if I really want to make certain on perks Ill book a suite.

[Gracie115]

.

 

My thinking now is to go for the most bang for the $$$ and if I really want to make certain on perks Ill book a suite.

 

This is our thinking too.....wish we could sail X all the time....just not feasible, practical, or smart anymore to do so.

[BosoxI]

Yup, after we complete our three upcoming X cruises, our next one is likely to be on Regent. I'm investigating them and MSC today.

[parallax]

As much as we like Celebrity, we sometimes get bored and like to mix it up. We have done Royal, HAL, Oceania and MSC. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Oceania was probably the nicest cruise we went on but that was before kids. Royal doesn't interest us anymore even though many would say it is perfect for our daughter. She gets enough of the Royal experience (water slides, etc.) at summer camp. To the surprise of some, we have been doing MSC. We love the Yacht Club and will be enjoying it on our next cruise. However, our following cruise, we will be returning to Celebrity.

[shipshape sam]

Between the current Celebrity pricing and the same old itineraries, I just booked a 16 day HAL cruise for the summer. It's a Med cruise on the Eurodam. Not only is it offering some ports that Celebrity isn't, it's about $1200 cheaper per person than the closest X cruise that is only 12 days.

 

I know it doesn't include a drink package or big shipboard credit. I've cruised HAL before and am OK with the differences.

 

I'm glad X is doing so well, but sad that their pricing and repetitive itineraries have forced me to go elsewhere. I still wish they would vary their itineraries more. I even looked at the recent 2017 schedule and saw little change.

 

I'll miss X this summer.

 

We enjoyed HAL when we sailed HAL on our 2 occasions: Alaska and Caribbean. Our favorite private beach is Half Moon Cay. I personally liked the bar on the bluff in the shade overlooking the beach with a great view.

 

Still like Celebrity too! Enjoy. I think it is good for each of us to try other cruise lines vs just listening to other opinions.

[L75317]

We have been on several HAL cruises and our first Celebrity sailing was on the Reflection last month. We love HAL for the crew and outstanding service. I really relax on a HAL cruise and love the layout of the ships. Despite several issues on our sailing, we enjoyed our Celebrity cruise and booked the Silhouette for April. We enjoyed the vibe of the ship and found the food to be very good. The ship was beautiful and sparkling clean. What we missed from HAL was the Promenade deck for walking the entire ship after dinner in a covered area. The decks on the Reflection aren't set up this way. We also missed the Crow's Nest. The Reflection chopped up their Sky lounge for suites. We also felt like there is quite a class system on Celebrity that you don't get on HAL. We are excited about our Silhouette sailing and will probably return to HAL soon because we want to sail the Koningsdam.

[mamamzee]

We have only cruised on HAL and have a Celebrity cruise up next. Admittedly it is a very specific type of full ship Charter, but it is a switch in cruise line, nevertheless.

 

If you spend any time at all on the HAL forum and here on the Celebrity forum, you would be hard pressed to know which line is being discussed if you took out line-specific terminology. Changes in Suite percs, complaints of declining food quality, reclassification of cabins, lower staffing levels, etc. I think every line is cutting costs aggressively and making changes designed to sell "sizzle" but change the steak from Prime Porterhouse to Choice Chuck.

 

The great majority of folks who have sailed both lines has always said that X and HAL are more similar than different.

 

We love the Eurodam and are positive you will have a great cruise!

 

 

 

Agree about the forums. After we sailed on HAL in a Neptune Suite, others were complaining that the toaster in the Neptune Lounge had been moved.

[MicCanberra]

I have cruised X and Princess but haven't cruised HAL, I will one day and it is good to know that they are more alike that different. I have found that with Princess also. One line may do some things better than the other in some aspects but not in others. One line gives me better perks while the other has a better itinerary range. :D

[westcoastcruiser]

We, too, have sailed HAL and fully enjoyed them. Their smoking policy leads us to book with X, all other things being equal. X has better loyalty perks IMO. But we will go with the itinerary that suits us best &, if HAL, keep our fingers crossed that smoke from a nearby balcony does not blow our way. And, I agree, X needs to mix it up a bit to keep us coming back.

 

X cannot expect to raise prices, cut corners and expect people to keep sailing back to the same ports over and over again. JMO.