Celebrity Switch from Holland America

[EDLOS]

Having 14 cruises on HAL, I have witnessed a decline in all aspects of Entertainment, Activities, Enrichment programs etc., etc. and significant price increases in Shore Excursions, Beverage Packages, Dining venues.

I decided to book B to B Celebrity Asian cruises in February.

I have also heard there is also some slippage at Celebrity. Can anyone give me some definitive comparisons,

the good, the bad and/or the ugly. I have been on Celebrity twice before, one of which was the Galapago's

Xpedition which doesn't count and both were ten years ago.

Thank you !

[I_r_a]

Hey ED,

 

Nothing is as it once was.

 

=X= has slipped just as much as HAL has.

 

Don't sweat the small stuff.

 

Enjoy your trip.

 

Ira

Your choice of vessel might make a difference.

[LGNYcamper]

I was on my first Celebrity cruise this summer and won't be going back on this line again. There were dirty plates and glassware everywhere you looked (tables, flat surfaces, surrounding pieces of art) during the trip. No room to sit by the pools. People not doing their jobs. The service in Blu was wonderful, but the food was just ok. I'll be going back to Cunard for my next trip.

 

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[bigbenboys]

We have cruised in the past on HAL. I'm thinking we stated cruising with Celebrity about 2000. We now have 50 cruises and 28 with Celebrity and 7 with HAL. Once we started cruising with Celebrity we never went back to HAL. We cruised Millie, Hong Kong to Shanghai last January. We loved the cruise. We have done 3 cruises in Asia so far, and another booked for Dec 2018.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Celebrity gives you options to improve many aspects of your cruise: AquaClass gives you Blu restaurant [better than MDR] and any suite from the lowest Sky Suite up gives you a Butler, Luminae restaurant [even better than Blu plus you can order MDR choices if nothing appeals] and Michael's Club [classy bar with drinks, canapés and evening music plus the dedicated suites Concierge] and other amenities. ASAIK HAL doesn't offer anything like these benies for upper cabins or suites.

[twincheryl]

I was on my first Celebrity cruise this summer and won't be going back on this line again. There were dirty plates and glassware everywhere you looked (tables, flat surfaces, surrounding pieces of art) during the trip. No room to sit by the pools. People not doing their jobs. The service in Blu was wonderful, but the food was just ok. I'll be going back to Cunard for my next trip.

 

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Interesting... we are presently on our first Celebrity cruise on Millennium and think it's definitely better than RCCL. Haven't seen anything dirty, way more seating around the pool and everywhere else, staff very happy and helpful. Likely not any comparison to Cunard (which I have no experience with)...

 

 

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[thepoint]

Having 14 cruises on HAL, I have witnessed a decline in all aspects of Entertainment, Activities, Enrichment programs etc., etc. and significant price increases in Shore Excursions, Beverage Packages, Dining venues.

I decided to book B to B Celebrity Asian cruises in February.

I have also heard there is also some slippage at Celebrity. Can anyone give me some definitive comparisons,

the good, the bad and/or the ugly. I have been on Celebrity twice before, one of which was the Galapago's

Xpedition which doesn't count and both were ten years ago.

Thank you !

 

 

We were loyal HAL cruisers until two years ago. We always booked a Neptune suite. I got to the point where I felt we were not getting value for the money. We switched to Celebrity and after four cruises we are already Elite which gives us the free laundry the Neptune suite provided. Plus other benefits never provided by HAL. Even the lowest level suite on Celebrity gives you Lumina (intimate dining for suite guests only for breakfast, lunch and dinner), Michael's Club (far above the Neptune Lounge), Elite cocktail hous, plus other little niceties. Also in a suite, we have been invited to the bridge tour - that never happened on HAL.

 

The service in Lumina is definitely above any main dining room. The food in Lumina is usually better, plus you can also asked for the main dining room menu. The best thing about Lumina is you can just about create your own dish from the various items. It has been two years, so I don't know if HAL has the private dining for suites. I don't think I would go back to HAL if they don't offer this for Suites.

 

In my option, timing of the entertainment on Celebrity is off. Shows are at 7 and 9 versus HAL at 8 and 10. We haven't seen a show on Celebrity because of dinner timing. As far as shore excursions, Celebrity and HAl are about the same. They probably use the same companies. For the most part private tours are the way to go. They are usually less expensive and you control the timing.

 

I don't know if HAL has the beverage, onboard credit, and wifi perks for booking that Celebrity offers.

 

While right now we prefer Celebrity, if something can up on HAL that was a good deal and it was someplace we wanted to go we might try HAL again, but it would have to be a real bargain with perks for paying for a suite.

 

Enjoy your cruise. I hope my comments helped.

[kenevenpar]

We were loyal HAL cruisers until two years ago. We always booked a Neptune suite. I got to the point where I felt we were not getting value for the money. We switched to Celebrity and after four cruises we are already Elite which gives us the free laundry the Neptune suite provided. Plus other benefits never provided by HAL. Even the lowest level suite on Celebrity gives you Lumina (intimate dining for suite guests only for breakfast, lunch and dinner), Michael's Club (far above the Neptune Lounge), Elite cocktail hous, plus other little niceties. Also in a suite, we have been invited to the bridge tour - that never happened on HAL.

 

For clarification, at least the last time I was on, lunch in Luminae was only served on embarkation day and on sea days.

 

We are trying the reverse, and going to give HAL a try after a 10 year lapse, on their newest ship, Koningsdam.

 

Ken

[thepoint]

For clarification, at least the last time I was on, lunch in Luminae was only served on embarkation day and on sea days.

 

We are trying the reverse, and going to give HAL a try after a 10 year lapse, on their newest ship, Koningsdam.

 

Ken

 

 

Yes, your right about Laminae being closed on port days. Only on our first cruise on port days we were sent to Bistro on Five before it turned into Sushi. I would love to hear about your HAL cruise when you return.

[kenevenpar]

Yes, your right about Laminae being closed on port days. Only on our first cruise on port days we were sent to Bistro on Five before it turned into Sushi. I would love to hear about your HAL cruise when you return.

 

Will do! The suite benefits are nearly non-existent, but then the cost is less. We wanted a cruise over Thanksgiving, liked the itinerary and pricing better than Celebrity was offering.

[Pstreet12]

We, too, have decided to give HAL another try. We cruised in a signature suite last December and enjoyed the experience enough that we've booked another for this December. We love the amenities that go with a suite on Celebrity, but HAL is a bargain (generally) compared to Celebrity. I'm interested to see how we like HAL on this repeat cruise; we'll see whether it sends us right back to Celebrity or not.

[EDLOS]

We were loyal HAL cruisers until two years ago. We always booked a Neptune suite. I got to the point where I felt we were not getting value for the money. We switched to Celebrity and after four cruises we are already Elite which gives us the free laundry the Neptune suite provided. Plus other benefits never provided by HAL. Even the lowest level suite on Celebrity gives you Lumina (intimate dining for suite guests only for breakfast, lunch and dinner), Michael's Club (far above the Neptune Lounge), Elite cocktail hous, plus other little niceties. Also in a suite, we have been invited to the bridge tour - that never happened on HAL.

 

The service in Lumina is definitely above any main dining room. The food in Lumina is usually better, plus you can also asked for the main dining room menu. The best thing about Lumina is you can just about create your own dish from the various items. It has been two years, so I don't know if HAL has the private dining for suites. I don't think I would go back to HAL if they don't offer this for Suites.

 

In my option, timing of the entertainment on Celebrity is off. Shows are at 7 and 9 versus HAL at 8 and 10. We haven't seen a show on Celebrity because of dinner timing. As far as shore excursions, Celebrity and HAl are about the same. They probably use the same companies. For the most part private tours are the way to go. They are usually less expensive and you control the timing.

 

I don't know if HAL has the beverage, onboard credit, and wifi perks for booking that Celebrity offers.

 

While right now we prefer Celebrity, if something can up on HAL that was a good deal and it was someplace we wanted to go we might try HAL again, but it would have to be a real bargain with perks for paying for a suite.

 

Enjoy your cruise. I hope my comments helped.

 

Thank you for all the info above. I m not a Suite passenger, as I, traveling solo, would end up with one or two cruises per year as opposed to the four to five I take presently. Does that mean I am restricted to MDR or as on HAL, you pay a surcharge for the specialty restaurants if not in a Suite ??

The one thing I have never had on HAL was a quarrel with the MDR food and service. Being a Four Star on HAL I will miss the free laundry, particularly on the Celebrity B TO B for 29 days I have booked in February.

[thepoint]

You can visit all the speciality restaurants for a fee. Depending on how often you would like to go to a speciality restaurant, you may want to look into the dining packages that are offered. I don't know what they are because we only go once a cruise. I know the Celebrity website has info about them. Perhaps you could start a thread with that question because some people say it is better to buy the dining package once you board. (Free laundry to me is a wonderful benefit especially when you are on a long cruise.).

[keithm]

Having 14 cruises on HAL, I have witnessed a decline in all aspects of Entertainment, Activities, Enrichment programs etc., etc. and significant price increases in Shore Excursions, Beverage Packages, Dining venues.

I decided to book B to B Celebrity Asian cruises in February.

I have also heard there is also some slippage at Celebrity. Can anyone give me some definitive comparisons,

the good, the bad and/or the ugly. I have been on Celebrity twice before, one of which was the Galapago's

Xpedition which doesn't count and both were ten years ago.

Thank you !

We found the food quality on our Jan.2017 trip was far inferior to our 2015 trip. We did the Regal Princess in 2016 & found the food better in the MDR. The Eclipse specialty rest. however were excellent as always. Entertainment was not as good, either. Exceptions were the Comedians. Rondel Sheridan was the best I've seen on ANY ship. The splashy shows while "pretty" did lack a lot of substance. Peng Fei's show in 2015 was outstanding. I hear he's now on the big RCCL ships. We decided to change our 2018 trip on the Eclipse to give Oceania a try. Since the big storms(Irma & Jose) have really messed up the islands, we figure the mess won't be cleaned up until 2019. The Oceania trip is Cozumel & further south. We did book a 14 day trip on the Reflection in Jan. 2019. I figure the mess will be cleaned up or they'll pick other locations.

[CaribbeanBound]

Both are quality cruise lines. We are hooked on Celebrity.

 

Demographic-wise, HAL passengers are older, age wise, on average than any other mass cruise line. Of course, HAL's cruise itinerary helps to push the number higher. "Holland America offers 100-day-plus "Grand Voyage" cruises, taking the retired and those with a phenomenal amount of vacation time across the globe. Due to the length of these cruises, the average age floats around 75 for passengers on multi-month cruises." (Source io9).