Celebrity faithful moving to HAL....questions

[JNLROSE]

Hi HAL fans, we have been Celebrity faithfuls for some time now but we're looking at HAL for a 14 night Hawaii cruise on Zaandam. From all the things I have heard & read, HAL promises to deliver at least as nice if not better cruise experience than Celebrity.

For those of you familiar with the Zaandam and especially with Celebrity ships, can you tell me the differences, the "sameness" and compare the Z. to the M class ships?

We're looking at an S suite---how does that compare in amenities & size to the Sky suite on Celeb.?

How does the outside pool area compare---plenty of chairs & sun?

Food--yes, I KNOW is subjective but can you give me a compairson here as well?

Thanks so much! I'm sure this will not be the last of my questions. :D

[kelmac]

Hi HAL fans, we have been Celebrity faithfuls for some time now but we're looking at HAL for a 14 night Hawaii cruise on Zaandam. From all the things I have heard & read, HAL promises to deliver at least as nice if not better cruise experience than Celebrity.

 

For those of you familiar with the Zaandam and especially with Celebrity ships, can you tell me the differences, the "sameness" and compare the Z. to the M class ships?

 

We're looking at an S suite---how does that compare in amenities & size to the Sky suite on Celeb.?

 

How does the outside pool area compare---plenty of chairs & sun?

 

Food--yes, I KNOW is subjective but can you give me a compairson here as well?

 

Thanks so much! I'm sure this will not be the last of my questions. :D

 

JNLRose,

 

We have cruised Celebrity 9 times and HAL 3 times; here is a short list of my impressions: (We've sailed the Zaandam's sister ship, the Volendam and all of the Celebrity ships, except the Infinity):

 

Holland America:..............Celebrity:

1) old school feel..............Modern feel

2) Indonesian crew...........European/International crew

3) All ships have altn Rest..Only the Millennium class ships have altn rest

4) Great food...................Excellent food

5) Lido buffet excellent......buffet great

6) Super beds/bedding.......average beds/bedding

7) large cabins.................better than average size cabins

8) bath tubs....................usually shower only

9) darker decor................brighter decor

10 Covered main pool........very open main pool

11 poor sun deck area.......plenty and varied sun deck areas

12 clumsy threater design..open, nice threater design

13 good entertainment......good entertainment

14 some shops.................many shops

15 wrap around prom deck. wide, but dead end prom deck

16 2 level dining room........2 level dining room (except Zeinth)

17 intimate dining room......open, airy dining room

18 great service (warm).....excellent service (formal)

19 aft pool open (nice)......aft pool Cent class (poor) Thlo pool excellent

20 aft deck areas great......aft deck areas small

 

We love both HAL and Celebrity!

Enjoy!

Kel

 

--

[JNLROSE]

Thanks Kel, that is just the info I was hoping to get. :D We've loved all our Celebrity cruises but thought something different might be in order.

How large is the aft uncovered pool area on Zaan? Do they open the covered pool area in warm weather?

[SeaGams]

Hi Rosie,:D

 

Like you I am a X faithful, but have been on five HAL cruises. All five were on either Zaandam or her sister Volendam in a S Suite. I think Kel's info was very accurate. I have to say the S Suite was much nicer and larger than the Sky Suite I had on Century. On M class ships I actually prefer an aft CC with the oversized verandah. My only issue with Hal was that the crowd was quite a bit older than on X. And no goat cheese soufle.:(

 

I think you'll enjoy HAL, and especially the S Suite. It seems as though several Xer's are trying other lines. We're going on Princess for the first time next month because X pulled their 10 night sailings on a M class ship. I'm sure we'll have a great time, as usual.

 

Let us know if you have specific questions that we may be able to answer for you!

[JNLROSE]

Hi Seagams!

We have sailed in the aft CC cabins also along with the Sky suites & the FV's on M class ships. The HAL S suite DOES look a lot nicer than any of those. Those aft balconies are our faves but like you---the itineraries on Celeb leave something to be desired lately. We were so disappointed with their 2006 schedule, we didn't even book a cruise this year. We're doing 3 2 week land vacations instead. We have the Connie booked for March 07 & now we're entertaining this 2 weeker to Hawaii.

Having said the crowd is older, we pretty much hang out by the pool all day, do late seating with pre-dinner cocktails in the champagne & martini bars then catch the entertainment or just go to the nightclub for a few drinks & people watching---is this something we can still do on HAL & enjoy it as much? We don't gamble, aren't much interested in dancing but love that sun!!! ALSO, how is the gym---we're into that too.

ALSO.....how's this culinary thing HAL has going? Cooking demos??? THIS is REALLY up our alley!

[the2ofus]

If you are looking at a Zaandam Hawaii cruise next October, please consider our CC group cruise leaving October 7th. The prices are very good and the companionship is excellent!:) All the details are on the Zaandam thread under CC Group Cruises in the main CC menu or you can click on the link below.

 

I have sailed on Zaandam's sister ship Volendam twice, though never in a suite, and loved her. Have never tried Celebrity.

[Krazy Kruizers]

What an excellent comparison you did of the 2 cruise lines.

[Randyk47]

Being a HAL fan and having crossed over to the "dark side" to cruise Celebrity last March I'd have to second Kelmac's comments across the board. A great comparison and matches our experiences exactly....though admittedly we've only had the one Celebrity cruise. The bottom line for us is that we'd cruise Celebrity again and most probably will given the right ship, itinerary, and cost. HAL is very comfortable to us and probably is stilll our preference but not to the exclusion of at least considering/trying other lines.

[kelmac]

What an excellent comparison you did of the 2 cruise lines.

 

Thank you!:)

 

Kel

[kelmac]

Being a HAL fan and having crossed over to the "dark side" to cruise Celebrity last March I'd have to second Kelmac's comments across the board. A great comparison and matches our experiences exactly....though admittedly we've only had the one Celebrity cruise. The bottom line for us is that we'd cruise Celebrity again and most probably will given the right ship, itinerary, and cost. HAL is very comfortable to us and probably is stilll our preference but not to the exclusion of at least considering/trying other lines.

 

Thanks Randyk47 -- you can't beat these two cruise lines!

 

Kel

[kelmac]

Thanks Kel, that is just the info I was hoping to get. :D We've loved all our Celebrity cruises but thought something different might be in order.

 

How large is the aft uncovered pool area on Zaan? Do they open the covered pool area in warm weather?

 

Hi JNLRose,

 

The aft pool area is pretty large; perhaps 200 people could sun and enjoy this area. Has a couple of hot tubs and an outside bar area, as well. The main pool area has a retractable roof and is usually open in warm climates. If it becomes cool, or windy, they will close it up.

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[SeaGams]

Hi Rosie, :):):):)

 

Haven't sailed on HAL in four years, so I can't help you with the culinary thing. But I will say the food was always excellent, and the breakfast and lunch buffets would put Celebrity to shame. Like you, we share the same on board life style, so I think you will enjoy HAL as much as Celebrity. And the gym was really nice! I only mentioned the age difference in case it would matter.

 

I especially liked a couple of the things HAL did for the suite passengers. Instead of having a captain hosted table in the main dining room, HAL had a privatel dinner in the specialty restaurant for all suite passengers. An officer was seated at each table so everyone felt special. They also hosted a cocktail party for suite passengers, with several of the officers and high management people in attendence. These two functions allowed us to get to know the officers pretty well.

 

I also recall that on formal nights an officer sat at tables in the main dining room. I don't remember if every table had an officer or not. Again, it's been four years since we sailed HAL so I'm not sure if they still handle things the same way.

 

I do have to add that the Zaandam holds a very special place in my heart. While aboard her February 2001, we met two wonderful couples that we have stayed in close contact with. As a matter of fact we have cruised with them since then, and will be together next month on the Sun princess.

 

Rosie, I think you would have a great cruise on any line because you have such a great attitude, and sound like a lot of fun. Let us know if you decide to give HAL a try, and let's hope that Celebrity will offer better itineraries in 2007.

[JNLROSE]

Wow, what GREAT info you guys! Thanks. :D

SeaGams, some of those things sound wonderful for the suite pax. I'm just glad they don't have butler's----they drive me nuts--always "lurking", I just don't need that much attention!:rolleyes: I like the idea of the officer's in the DR, I remember when I first sailed back in 1977, we had officer's in the DR on RCCL & it was a lot of fun to get to know them & learn about the ship & their sea lives.

HAL sounds like it would be a good fit for us.

[Rabbitlady]

Kelmac,

Great job on the chart you made. I agree! I often find a better deal on HAL cruises as well so we have booked them for our last 2 cruises and an upcoming cruise.

 

Rabbitlady:)

[TedC]

Wow, what GREAT info you guys! Thanks. :D

SeaGams, some of those things sound wonderful for the suite pax. I'm just glad they don't have butler's----they drive me nuts--always "lurking", I just don't need that much attention!:rolleyes:

 

 

 

I agree with you about hovering butlers .That's one of the many reasons we currently prefer HAL. If you need something the Neptune Lounge staff will take care of it

 

But there was a time we thought Celebrity was the best. We had taken two X cruises before our first HAL cruise. At that time we much prefered X food and weren't overly impresed with HAL food.

 

We went on a third X cruise and booked a fourth for the Med. But then we went on Prinsendam because of the itinerary, and had the best food we'd had on a cruise ship.

 

So we canceled the X Med cruise and booked Oosterdam in the Med. Since then we've been on six more HAL cruises and have a couple more booked.

 

We like the HAL ambience and the food has improved. (Although HAL still can't make good baked potatoes - they seem to be steamed - not baked.)

 

Celebrity is still a second choice, depending on itinerary and price - but for now we're sticking with HAL for the most part. We are leaving tomorrow for our first Radisson cruise - we'll see how they compare.

[SANDY BEACH]

Thanks Kelmac, that was a great comparison. Both are quality cruiselines but just a little different in some areas but overall both great. Even though the aft deck area on the M class ships on Celebrity are small, I love their ambiance. One of my favorite spots on the ship.

[SeaGams]

Rosie,:)

 

I agree with you completely about the butler issue. I felt that he was totally unnecessary, always hovering, and lent an air of arrogance to our choice of a sky suite. And we only chose this type of accomodation because Century does not have balcony CC category.

 

I don't believe Zaandam has a Neptune Lounge, but we always found our cabin steward more than willing to help us, or direct us to the proper person. I think you'll find the HAL service will be absolutely wonderful.

[JNLROSE]

Hi SeaGams!

We like the SS because of the size & the bathroom! The S suite looks even better. There is no Neptune on Zaandam???? DH will be bummed.

My TA is going to research Nov 2007 cruises for me when all the info is posted. She said RCCL & Princess also have some good HI trips, so we will have a lot of choices to look at. Really, knowing this itinerary, the ship, cabin & port for embarkation & debarkation are going to play a part along with the $$$$ of course!

[SeaGams]

Hi Rosie,

Isn't it great to have so many good options. After my Princess cruise next month I may be able to answer questions about them. Have you looked at sailing MSC or Oceania?? Both look very interesting to me.

 

And I agree the SS bathroom is quite nice, but I really love the huge aft verandah!!!

 

Maybe someone who has sailed more recently on Zaandam can clarify the status of a Neptune Lounge.

 

SeaGams

[JNLROSE]

We had a SS on Mercury last Nov. --Mexican Riviera--one of the "prized" sky deck ones--1215--they also have huge angled "cut out" balconies which were wonderful too. We had almost as much space as we did with the FV aft on Summit. :D Great for sail away parties.

[sailsalot]

Hi JNLROSE,

 

About the culinary program, I went to the cooking demonstration on the Westerdam recently and loved it! They had it well-organized, and it was a full crowd there. The ship's executive chef did the demonstration, with commentary about what he was cooking, ingredients, etc. The cruise director was also there to take questions from the audience. The stage was great, with mirrors angled on the work surface so that we could see what was being done. TV monitors were set up for closer views. A menu and recipes were passed out, and best of all, very attentive servers passed out samples of what was being cooked. It was a wonderful experience. It lasted about 30-45 min. They had 2 different demonstrations on our 7-day cruise. If you like cooking demostrations, you'll love this!!

[JNLROSE]

If you like cooking demostrations, you'll love this!!

 

This is SOOOOOOOOOOO good to know---we LOVE to cook! Thanks :D

[fllady]

Hi JNLROSE,

 

About the culinary program, I went to the cooking demonstration on the Westerdam recently and loved it! They had it well-organized, and it was a full crowd there. The ship's executive chef did the demonstration, with commentary about what he was cooking, ingredients, etc. The cruise director was also there to take questions from the audience. The stage was great, with mirrors angled on the work surface so that we could see what was being done. TV monitors were set up for closer views. A menu and recipes were passed out, and best of all, very attentive servers passed out samples of what was being cooked. It was a wonderful experience. It lasted about 30-45 min. They had 2 different demonstrations on our 7-day cruise. If you like cooking demostrations, you'll love this!!

Sailsalot, I think you just set our next cruise in March on Westerdam, thank you. It will be our first HAL. Anything we should look for while on board? Thanks for any suggestions.

[Randyk47]

Had to smile a bit about the hovering butler comments above. We sailed the Galaxy last year out of Galveston in a suite with a butler. Bottom line....near on to useless. Yes, he took care of us in a manner of speaking but he had such an attitude that I only asked him directly for assistance and was afraid he'd be mad that I even did that. He certainly didn't hover.....maybe saw him once a day if we happened to be in the cabin when he brought the afternoon snacks. We could have gotten by just fine without him....just a tip to pay for what I thought was little service.

 

JNLROSE - Welcome to HAL. I remember you helping me out last year when I was on the Celebrity board asking questions as a HAL cruiser trying Celebrity for the first time. I hope you enjoy HAL. :)

[winegirl]

Have decided to book September Alaska Explorer to see a bit of the inside passage (toured the main part of Alaska by land several years ago.)

 

My brother, a seasoned cruiser, swears by HAL. He's a bit younger than me. I'm 56, spouse 43, just sailed Med on Windstar and LOVED it!

I'd love a smaller boat than 1,800 but there are few small ships sailing from Seattle (we want to avoid the hassle of Vancouver airport and immigration, which was a nightmare the last time we were there.) So we are sailing from Seattle, with an overnight the day before. We have travelled on Cruise West before, but don't feel we want to spend over $ 10,000 for a week on their small boat, rubbing elbows with the same people, in a tiny, tiny cabin (under 100 sq. ft.) I just can't justify the price/value ratio, even though the small ship is desirable. I wish Windstar did Alaska!

 

Anyway, we can book a SS level suite versus some other options that we don't consider as desirable. Any tips on picking the specific room on the Navigation deck? Experience with SS level suites? Other tips we need to know? Is the dining open seating or are you always stuck with a big table? Will we feel like we fit in age wise? We like our privacy and are not barflys, gamblers or show people. Love great food and wine, love learning, nature, science and my spouse loves to be comfortable in a big, anonymous room. How is the Westerdam overall compared to other ships sailed on? This will be our 4th cruise (Cruise West in CA wine country, L'Abercrombie barge in Burgundy, Windstar in the Med.) Thanks all!