Thinking of trying a HAL cruise only sailed with Celebrity

[loving goldens]

Just wondering if these brands are comparable..... just wondering about the smoking policy on the ship as we are non smokers... we are not into loud large ships .. we are in our early 50"s.... should we go for it??? Thk u for any advice.... I think we want a change.... :D

[caribbeanboy]

Definitely you should go for it. Just came back from Koningsdam (4th HAL cruise) and everything was top notch. I would suggest to take a 7 day cruise out of Port Everglades and see for yourself. There is a new ship coming out in fall, and will do the 7 niters run out of PE.

[gemini19]

I usually do Celebrity cruises 3 times Solstice to Oz/New Zealand and Millenium to Singapore/Hong Kong. Just did Holland Zuiderdam to Panama Canal in December and loved it. Loved the people onboard and the room (signature suite) was very big for a 10 day cruise. I am currently looking into another cruise on Holland America.

[Lady Arwen]

We are long time cruisers with both lines. They both offer a very good product, but also some differences that you should be aware of. Celebrity's non-smoking (indoors) policy is outstanding and, unfortunately, HAL still allows smoking in the casino on Koningsdam, which tends to drift out into other areas. I don't know if this would be an issue for you.

 

Koningsdam's cabins are much smaller than any Celebrity ship, especially the interior cabins. No sofa, no chair, no small coffee table that are in all Celebrity cabins. Entertainment is a little lackluster on HAL compared to Celebrity. HAL ships tend to be quiet after 11:00 pm.

 

We find the food to be comparable on both lines and since food can be so subjective, you would need to make your own decision. Service is very good on both lines, but HAL would probably have an edge here.

 

You will tend to find an older demographic on HAL compared to Celebrity. Celebrity tends to attract a younger, more sophisticated group of people. However, after many cruises on both lines, I can assure you that any age would be happy sailing with either one.

 

Koningsdam in quite similar in style to Celebrity S class ships. Modern, bright, light colours. We think that Koningsdam is beautiful, but some HAL people still enjoy the traditional wood and brass found on HAL's older ships and this topic has become a debatable topic here on cruise critic.

 

HAL's itineraries are probably one of the best in the industry, although Celebrity is starting to be more adventuresome. We sailed to Alaska on Celebrity Solstice and were disappointed. HAL's Europe itineraries are excellent. The Caribbean is the Caribbean, so no real difference.

 

Whatever cruise you choose, you will be in good hands and I'm sure you would enjoy Koningsdam. It is right now our favourite ship of any cruiseline!

[caribbeanboy]

koningsdam is also in my top 3 list. Really loved the décor! that's reason I advised to take sistership Nieuw Statendam.

[carlyshenk]

We're elite+ with Celebrity. We felt like we needed a change. We did a 7 night cruise on HAL Veendam in January and loved it. We are also non smokers and had no problem on Veendam. They did allow smoking in the casino, but we don't spend time there anyway. We don't go to production shows so that was not a problem for us either. I think the service was better and the staff seemed friendlier. Food is so subjective but we found it just as good or maybe a little better than Celebrity. We liked it so much that we booked another cruise with HAL for next year. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

 

Carol

[loving goldens]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts very helpful!!! :) :)

[DocJohnB]

These are my two favorite lines. I have cruised more on Celebrity than HAL, but find them similar in many ways and dissimilar in others. Others have written of those and I agree with all that has been said (but have never cruised on the Koningsdam). I am currently booked on HAL for a 14 day Canada/New England cruise in May and Celebrity for an 11 day So. Caribbean next February.

I personally feel that you will be more than happy on HAL and believe "caribbeanboy" has a great suggestion. However, you don't have to limit a 7 day cruise to just Fort Lauderdale. The have 7 days out of Tampa (Caribbean), Boston (Canada/NE) and west coast (?) (Alaska).

"Lady Arwen" mentioned HAL's interesting itineraries and she is right.

I think the best way to answer your question is to take the plunge and book at least a 7 day and you will be able to make you own comparisons.

[Bouff]

We are Elite on Celebrity although our first two cruises were with HAL. We returned to HAL last year for a Panama Canal full transit and were not disappointed. We are booked with HAL for a 14 night Alaska cruise later this year. We noticed cut backs on Celebrity with Activities staff and the same is true on HAL. Not a lot to choose between them so it comes down to itinerary and price.

[winddawn]

Eurodam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, and Zuiderdam have non-smoking casinos. HAL's other ships allow casino smoking.

[Haboob]

Just wondering if these brands are comparable..... just wondering about the smoking policy on the ship as we are non smokers... we are not into loud large ships .. we are in our early 50"s.... should we go for it??? Thk u for any advice.... I think we want a change.... :D

 

We've sailed both HAL and Celebrity ...but not Celebrity in the last 15 years.

That may change now that HAL has abandoned Bermuda again.

 

"Your mileage may vary" :halo:

[drsel]

Celebrity 5* cruises are rated a little above HAL. Very classy, with gourmet food, fabulous shows and entertainment.

So I doubt that HAL is better. But you must try it out for variety!

[Lady Arwen]

Celebrity 5* cruises are rated a little above HAL. Very classy, with gourmet food, fabulous shows and entertainment.

So I doubt that HAL is better. But you must try it out for variety!

Elite+ with Celebrity, but I would not call it a 5* cruiseline and the food is far, far from being gourmet. Blu restaurant (for Aqua class cabins) is about as close as you'll get to upscale food, along with some of the specialty restaurants. The shows are good, but typical cruiseship quality and really not fabulous. I love Celebrity, but I don't want to overstate it's level of excellence. HAL is not better, but equal in many areas.

[cartervan]

We are three star mariners on HAL, but also have also sailed with Celebrity several times. We find them to be very comparable. We like both, and choose our cruises on the basis of itinerary and price. There is one little problem I have with Celebrity, however. There is just a bit more "class distinction" on Celebrity. There are several venues on the ship that are only for "suite people". We are two retired school teachers and like to use our resources to travel as much as we can, so we don't blow our whole budget on the high-priced cabins. I know that if you can pay more you want to get more, of course. But whenever I walk past Micheal's Club, for instance, and know that I'm not allowed to go in, I feel like a second class citizen. Maybe that's just me.

[OlsSalt]

Celebrity 5* cruises are rated a little above HAL. Very classy, with gourmet food, fabulous shows and entertainment.

So I doubt that HAL is better. But you must try it out for variety!

 

Some people chose HAL because of its far more interesting itineraries, better cabin layouts, consistently highly rated crew, more traditional design and less emphasis on the fluff and filler activities. Food on both cruise lines get in general very similar ratings. Two different brands that make two different groups of passengers very happy.

[Chewbecca]

Our last 2 sailings (& next) were with X, but we just got off Zuiderdam. We'd happily sail both again.

 

Obviously we all have different likes/interests but these are the things we noticed

 

- easier to find a seat in a bar on Z, X's bars, especially on the bigger ships can be crowded

- better lounge music on X, HAL's was more of a performance to be listened to rather than great background music

- Z's on board prices generally a lot lower: excursions, drinks, speciality restaurants, laundry, even Bingo!

- less alcohol consumed on Z

- main shows and MDR food comparable

- cabins comparable, husband likes the bath on Z

- Liked America's Test Kitchen on Z

[iancal]

HAL is great.

 

The trick is to select you ship carefully. They are different in terms of age, condition, and amenities. Select one that matches your preferences.

[avian777]

There are many differing opinions & preconceptions about Celebrity and HAL but IMHO only one significant difference between them - only HAL has a Roman Catholic priest (who celebrates daily Mass) on board every one of its cruises. Since spiritual renewal is an important component of our vacation experience, HAL is our hands-down choice. YMMV

[Aquahound]

Just wondering if these brands are comparable..... just wondering about the smoking policy on the ship as we are non smokers... we are not into loud large ships .. we are in our early 50"s.... should we go for it??? Thk u for any advice.... I think we want a change.... :D

 

I say go for it...for the simple reason that I promote cruising multiple lines. All in all, HAL is not bad.

 

Frankly, the service and food is exactly the same between these 2 lines. Aside from individual tastes, don't let anyone tell you that one line excels over the other in these fields because its simply not true. You'll get the same excellent service on HAL that you're used to on Celebrity.

 

Entertainment is very lacking on HAL. This is one area you might be a little disappointed. They don't put much effort into their main shows and the side entertainment (house band, etc) is the exact same thing every night. HAL doesn't have the themed party nights like Celebrity's 60s party and 70s night, and you might see 1 game show on your cruise. Plus, there is no entertainment by the pool.

 

As noted, HAL does allow casino smoking with the exception of a few ships.

 

On a good note, specialty restaurants are much more affordable on HAL. Also, if peace and quiet is what you're looking for, HAL will be a great fit.

[Wishing on a star]

No mileage at all there for me... Sorry. Zero.

 

We are Princess cruisers. Our next cruise will be on the Regal Princess.

And, I am thinking that in some ways, (not all of course), HAL will be a step down.

But when it comes to the basics, the cabin, food, etc.. They seem to be on-par. With slight differences of course.

 

The HAL itineraries, as mentioned, and the availability of their brand new ship, the Nieuw Statendam, have us placing a deposit on a Mediterranean cruise for 2019.

[loving goldens]

we like the S class ships with Celebrity so which class would be comparable on Holland? We are really liking the different ports of calls... Thks again for all the info... :D

[Lady Arwen]

we like the S class ships with Celebrity so which class would be comparable on Holland? We are really liking the different ports of calls... Thks again for all the info... :D

Koningsdam or the newest Pinnacle Class ship, which will start sailing in December, Nieuw Statendam. I personally love Koningsdam and we're Elite+ with Celebrity. The only thing that bothers me is that smoking is still allowed on K'dam in the casino. Hopefully, HAL will eliminate this issue as they have done on a few other ships in the fleet. Other than that, they are quite similar in food and service. You would be happy on either of these ships, I'm sure.

[OlsSalt]

we like the S class ships with Celebrity so which class would be comparable on Holland? We are really liking the different ports of calls... Thks again for all the info... :D

 

Perhaps the best way to compare without knowing anything about Celebrity ships is by size. How many passengers on the Celebrity "S" class.

 

HAL ships --in genreal-- start with the 600 or so passenger Prinsendam, then the 1200 to 1400 passenger older R and S class ships (Maasdam, Veendam, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Zaandam, Volendam), the next up is around 2000 passenger Vista ships (Zuiderdam, Noordam, Oosterdam, Westerdam) , the slightly larger but more variety Signature class ships (Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam) and the newest ones of all are over 2000, but under 3000 passengers (Konigsdam and the Nieuw Statendam).

 

Size matters mainly on HAL ships in the fact there are more options available to a larger ship with a larger numbers of passengers. But some options drop too - like being able to dock in smaller more centrally located ports. The more unique itineraries will mainly be found on the smaller, older HAL ships. So there may be no way to compare the two cruise lines, if it is the itinerary alone that interests you.

[Aquahound]

we like the S class ships with Celebrity so which class would be comparable on Holland? We are really liking the different ports of calls... Thks again for all the info... :D

 

HAL mostly compares to Celebrity M Class ships. Koningsdam is a little more Celebrity...ish. But even Koningsdam is still quite different. It's a nice ship and a really nice cruise, but she lacks the modern beauty of Celebrity S Class ships.

 

The best thing to do is go on HAL expecting different. Don't try to find Celebrity in HAL because it really isn't there. You might find that you like HAL for what's unique to them.

[Queen of Adventure]

Perhaps the best way to compare without knowing anything about Celebrity ships is by size. How many passengers on the Celebrity "S" class.

 

HAL ships --in genreal-- start with the 600 or so passenger Prinsendam, then the 1200 to 1400 passenger older R and S class ships (Maasdam, Veendam, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Zaandam, Volendam), the next up is around 2000 passenger Vista ships (Zuiderdam, Noordam, Oosterdam, Westerdam) , the slightly larger but more variety Signature class ships (Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam) and the newest ones of all are over 2000, but under 3000 passengers (Konigsdam and the Nieuw Statendam).

 

Size matters mainly on HAL ships in the fact there are more options available to a larger ship with a larger numbers of passengers. But some options drop too - like being able to dock in smaller more centrally located ports. The more unique itineraries will mainly be found on the smaller, older HAL ships. So there may be no way to compare the two cruise lines, if it is the itinerary alone that interests you.

Wow! This is one of the best size variable comparisons I've ever read. Thanks, OlsSalt :D