Hal cruise after several Celebrity cruises

[cruisingnewtoit]

3 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Have never done a HAL cruise, only major mass market line we haven't done at least once.

 

What is the age comparison between the 2 lines, say on a 7 day Alaska, and what is the HAL smoking policy now?

 

To the OP, what was the better South American itinerary that led you to choose HAL? I know that is a lazy question, but there it is.

My DH & I sailed HAL to Alaska last year. We are both in our early 40's. 

[DENIE]

To the OP...thanks for posting!  Always love to read comparisons.  We did a HAL cruise on the Oosterdam in 2010, and will be on our 3rd X cruise this November. Sticking with X for now as we are starting to build some rewards, and have really enjoyed our 2 previous cruises.  That said, we loved the Oosterdam, and would certainly sail HAL again if the price/itinerary presented itself.  Good to have choices!

[Ken the cruiser]

13 hours ago, bebe08 said:

We  went to 3 of the main theater shows - they were all guest entertainers and were very good..definitely on par with Celebrity. 

There were lectures and interactive games but we didn't participate so can't comment on that.  There is definitely alternative entertainment available before/during/after the main theater shows.  Considering the Zaandam is a smaller ship, we were actually surprised that the variety of entertainment seemed to at least equal and on same days surpass what Celebrity offers on bigger ships.  

That’s good to hear HAL has changed their policy with regards to professional lecturers like you might see on an X cruise. As of last year you would only see them on cruises 15 days or longer.

 

Also, glad to see they have brought back interactive game shows as well where passengers can participate. For awhile they seemed to stop those unless they were associated with some BBC Earth presentation. That is always one of the many entertainment options we like going to on a X cruise.

[cangelmd]

Thanks everyone for the responses to my post.

Interesting to hear about the number of international travelers and the age ranges.

Some friends of ours did a HAL cruise to Australia and New Zealand recently and had an amazing trip.

We love Celeb and will be Elite this year, but may have to look at HAL for some more exotic itineraries.

Edited May 8, 2019 by cangelmd

[Turtles06]

17 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

Thanks everyone for the responses to my post.

Interesting to hear about the number of international travelers and the age ranges.

Some friends of ours did a HAL cruise to Australia and New Zealand recently and had an amazing trip.

We love Celeb and will be Elite this year, but may have to look at HAL for some more exotic itineraries.

 

We love Celebrity (and just hit "Elite" [I hate that term]), but took our first HAL cruise last summer because of the itinerary -- the Viking Passage -- 20 days from Copenhagen to NY by way of Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and the Canadian Maritimes.   We'd had our eye on this itinerary for quite some time, but would not sail with HAL while they allowed people to smoke on their balconies.  When HAL finally ended that policy, we booked immediately.

 

The itinerary was as amazing as we had hoped, and we had an excellent time, and there were enough things we liked about HAL itself that we'd sail HAL again for the right itinerary, and ship.  It's hard to compare cruise lines without regard to the ships.   We were on the Zuiderdam,  an older ship that is a very comfortable size and easy to get around, and which has a true promenade deck.   The food in the MDR was excellent (though I think Celebrity's is even better), as was the service, but in 20 nights, we needed a break from that kind of dining, and HAL's buffet on that ship, especially at dinner, is no match for Celebrity's.  The choices were limited and really didn't vary.  (The "distant lands" station, for example, was always Italy! )   Only a couple of specialty dining venues on that ship.

 

The entertainment was also limited --- the Billboard Onboard pianists, though very talented, repeated their songs and sets.  Same for the Lincoln Center Stage musicians.   We rarely got to the main theatre because we had traditional dining at 8pm, and the shows for that seating were at 10pm, far too late on this very port intensive cruise.

 

Some of the other things we did love about HAL (in addition to the food and service in the MDR) -- no class distinctions (which is where Celebrity is moving) -- everyone was invited to the bow for the sailaways from our amazing ports.  The sailaways were also narrated by one of the destination staff members.   We also liked the fact that there was table service for beverages (water, lemonade, coffee, etc.) in the buffet, and that passengers were NOT allowed to serve themselves most food there.  (This is standard, it was not a response to any illnesses.)  The room service was excellent, with hot food arriving hot (and, with so many early-morning excursions, we really appreciated that breakfast orders were consistently delivered at the start of the half-hour window we’d requested).  There was a port guide in our stateroom upon embarkation, with a map of each port, points of interest, places to eat, etc. -- although we’d of course researched our ports in advance, this was a helpful addition.

 

In terms of demographics, at least on this long cruise, I'd say HAL and Celebrity are fairly similar.  Celebrity's S-class ships remain our favorite, but, as I said, we would sail HAL again.

 

Edited May 8, 2019 by Turtles06

[cangelmd]

29 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

We love Celebrity (and just hit "Elite" [I hate that term]), but took our first HAL cruise last summer because of the itinerary -- the Viking Passage -- 20 days from Copenhagen to NY by way of Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and the Canadian Maritimes.   We'd had our eye on this itinerary for quite some time, but would not sail with HAL while they allowed people to smoke on their balconies.  When HAL finally ended that policy, we booked immediately.

 

The itinerary was as amazing as we had hoped, and we had an excellent time, and there were enough things we liked about HAL itself that we'd sail HAL again for the right itinerary, and ship.  It's hard to compare cruise lines without regard to the ships.   We were on the Zuiderdam,  an older ship that is a very comfortable size and easy to get around, and which has a true promenade deck.   The food in the MDR was excellent (though I think Celebrity's is even better), as was the service, but in 20 nights, we needed a break from that kind of dining, and HAL's buffet on that ship, especially at dinner, is no match for Celebrity's.  The choices were limited and really didn't vary.  (The "distant lands" station, for example, was always Italy! )   Only a couple of specialty dining venues on that ship.

 

 

Thanks Turtles! That's a very useful reply with real information. The friends I mentioned who went to Australia don't cruise much, so they can't give that kind of comparison - that's one of the wonderful things about cruising, it's can always be great.

 

And I agree about Elite, especially since we will likely go no higher, ever.

[Nang]

On 5/8/2019 at 8:27 AM, mafig said:

I was looking for the cruises that include the beverage package on HAL, but I didn't see any.  Are they on just a few cruises?  Or are they like Princess, where when they offer a free beverage package it is for sailings far into the future.  (We are looking at December 2019 Holiday sailings)

HAL typically release their Explore 4 promotion in July/August each year which includes a "free" beverage package. Prices of the cruise to get the perk included can go up but usually significantly less than the cost of the beverage package. If you book the cruise now you can refare/rebook it with the perks included once they release the promotion (as long as you do NOT book a non-refundable fare now). Not all cruises will be offered with the Explore 4 so you cannot rely on it coming up. Also you can only refare prior to final payment which is usually 90 days before the cruise.

Edited May 9, 2019 by Nang

[villauk]

On 5/8/2019 at 4:16 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

We love Celebrity (and just hit "Elite" [I hate that term]), but took our first HAL cruise last summer because of the itinerary -- the Viking Passage -- 20 days from Copenhagen to NY by way of Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and the Canadian Maritimes.   We'd had our eye on this itinerary for quite some time, but would not sail with HAL while they allowed people to smoke on their balconies.  When HAL finally ended that policy, we booked immediately.

 

The itinerary was as amazing as we had hoped, and we had an excellent time, and there were enough things we liked about HAL itself that we'd sail HAL again for the right itinerary, and ship.  It's hard to compare cruise lines without regard to the ships.   We were on the Zuiderdam,  an older ship that is a very comfortable size and easy to get around, and which has a true promenade deck.   The food in the MDR was excellent (though I think Celebrity's is even better), as was the service, but in 20 nights, we needed a break from that kind of dining, and HAL's buffet on that ship, especially at dinner, is no match for Celebrity's.  The choices were limited and really didn't vary.  (The "distant lands" station, for example, was always Italy! )   Only a couple of specialty dining venues on that ship.

 

The entertainment was also limited --- the Billboard Onboard pianists, though very talented, repeated their songs and sets.  Same for the Lincoln Center Stage musicians.   We rarely got to the main theatre because we had traditional dining at 8pm, and the shows for that seating were at 10pm, far too late on this very port intensive cruise.

 

Some of the other things we did love about HAL (in addition to the food and service in the MDR) -- no class distinctions (which is where Celebrity is moving) -- everyone was invited to the bow for the sailaways from our amazing ports.  The sailaways were also narrated by one of the destination staff members.   We also liked the fact that there was table service for beverages (water, lemonade, coffee, etc.) in the buffet, and that passengers were NOT allowed to serve themselves most food there.  (This is standard, it was not a response to any illnesses.)  The room service was excellent, with hot food arriving hot (and, with so many early-morning excursions, we really appreciated that breakfast orders were consistently delivered at the start of the half-hour window we’d requested).  There was a port guide in our stateroom upon embarkation, with a map of each port, points of interest, places to eat, etc. -- although we’d of course researched our ports in advance, this was a helpful addition.

 

In terms of demographics, at least on this long cruise, I'd say HAL and Celebrity are fairly similar.  Celebrity's S-class ships remain our favorite, but, as I said, we would sail HAL again.

 

 

 

Some interesting points there, thank you; HAL may be worth considering for the right itinerary.

[cavecreekguy]

On 5/8/2019 at 11:16 AM, Turtles06 said:

 

We love Celebrity (and just hit "Elite" [I hate that term]), but took our first HAL cruise last summer because of the itinerary -- the Viking Passage -- 20 days from Copenhagen to NY by way of Norway, Iceland, Greenland, and the Canadian Maritimes.   We'd had our eye on this itinerary for quite some time, but would not sail with HAL while they allowed people to smoke on their balconies.  When HAL finally ended that policy, we booked immediately.

 

The itinerary was as amazing as we had hoped, and we had an excellent time, and there were enough things we liked about HAL itself that we'd sail HAL again for the right itinerary, and ship.  It's hard to compare cruise lines without regard to the ships.   We were on the Zuiderdam,  an older ship that is a very comfortable size and easy to get around, and which has a true promenade deck.   The food in the MDR was excellent (though I think Celebrity's is even better), as was the service, but in 20 nights, we needed a break from that kind of dining, and HAL's buffet on that ship, especially at dinner, is no match for Celebrity's.  The choices were limited and really didn't vary.  (The "distant lands" station, for example, was always Italy! )   Only a couple of specialty dining venues on that ship.

 

The entertainment was also limited --- the Billboard Onboard pianists, though very talented, repeated their songs and sets.  Same for the Lincoln Center Stage musicians.   We rarely got to the main theatre because we had traditional dining at 8pm, and the shows for that seating were at 10pm, far too late on this very port intensive cruise.

 

Some of the other things we did love about HAL (in addition to the food and service in the MDR) -- no class distinctions (which is where Celebrity is moving) -- everyone was invited to the bow for the sailaways from our amazing ports.  The sailaways were also narrated by one of the destination staff members.   We also liked the fact that there was table service for beverages (water, lemonade, coffee, etc.) in the buffet, and that passengers were NOT allowed to serve themselves most food there.  (This is standard, it was not a response to any illnesses.)  The room service was excellent, with hot food arriving hot (and, with so many early-morning excursions, we really appreciated that breakfast orders were consistently delivered at the start of the half-hour window we’d requested).  There was a port guide in our stateroom upon embarkation, with a map of each port, points of interest, places to eat, etc. -- although we’d of course researched our ports in advance, this was a helpful addition.

 

In terms of demographics, at least on this long cruise, I'd say HAL and Celebrity are fairly similar.  Celebrity's S-class ships remain our favorite, but, as I said, we would sail HAL again.

 

Thank you for your detailed post. I've been on a few HAL cruises and really love them. Am now considering my first Celebrity cruise so I really appreciate these types of comparison posts.

 

I took a friend on a HAL cruise once, and before the cruise he asked me if they still had "different classes on the ship." I knew he meant were there were areas on the ship (such as restaurants and lounges) that were reserved solely for "first class" or "second class" passengers, like he probably saw on that Titanic movie. I assured him that was mostly a thing of the past. At least, my experience on HAL was they don't have that kind of thing. But, as I read more, it seems like Celebrity might. I noticed you mention: "Some of the other things we did love about HAL (in addition to the food and service in the MDR) -- no class distinctions (which is where Celebrity is moving) -- everyone was invited to the bow for the sailaways from our amazing ports." So, are only certain class of passengers allowed on deck during sail ins and sailaways? Can you elaborate on what other kinds of experiences are divided by class on Celebrity?

 

I'm thinking of a 14 day cruise, and especially for that length of time, that kind of thing would really turn me off.

 

Thanks!

Edited June 7, 2019 by cavecreekguy

[Cruise Junky]

On ‎5‎/‎7‎/‎2019 at 7:10 AM, jkgourmet said:

We would LOVE to return to HAL.  For many reasons, but Especially since X is going in the direction of a two tier class system by taking significant amounts of public space and restricting it to upper class passengers.

 

But we are price sensitive.  We sail in the cheap seats.  When X includes an alcohol package and gratuities, I can't find any other pricing that comes close.  😞   (And we don't give a rip about internet.  Get all we need in port with Wi-Fi or 4g)

I just booked HAL on the same route as Reflection, Amsterdam to Rome for September 2020. HAL is 12 days, X 11.  HAL came in $2,000 Cdn cheaper and included a drink package that doesn't need upgrading and a specialty dinner.   As mentioned above they do Explore  4 promos but right now there's an early booking promo that includes drinks.  We booked their brand new ship, the Nieuw Statendam.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Cruise Junky

[Covepointcruiser]

Please don’t sail on Holland American expecting  no class distinctions.   You will get more if you pay more.   The Neptune  Lounge  is exclusively for higher level suite guests.

they will also be adding a suite restaurant so they can be competitive with the other lines.

 

 

[Cruise Junky]

8 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Please don’t sail on Holland American expecting  no class distinctions.   You will get more if you pay more.   The Neptune  Lounge  is exclusively for higher level suite guests.

they will also be adding a suite restaurant so they can be competitive with the other lines.

 

 

  Is the suite restaurant Club Orange?  or are they adding another one on top of that?  Club Orange is open to anyone that wants to pay for it.

[Roz]

4 minutes ago, Cruise Junky said:

  Is the suite restaurant Club Orange?  or are they adding another one on top of that?  Club Orange is open to anyone that wants to pay for it.

I think it's capacity controlled for those outside out Neptune and Pinnacle suites. 

 

Roz

[Cruise Junky]

2 minutes ago, Roz said:

I think it's capacity controlled for those outside out Neptune and Pinnacle suites. 

 

Roz

it is but at least you can buy a package for it which you can't for the Celebrity areas.

[bEwAbG]

Club Orange is only on the two newest ships so far.  The original announcement said they would be roping off a section of the MDR for Club Orange on the other ships but so far that hasn't happened and there has been no other info released.  I believe it's Princess that has a similar concept re: using the MDR instead of a separate space.

 

The only other suite-specific area on HAL ships is the Neptune Lounge, which is really nothing to write home about (same food and drinks you can get elsewhere; there is a concierge team that handles front desk duties).  I like it but it's not comparable to what you get on Celebrity as a suite guest (dedicated restaurant, private lounge, the sun deck area on refurbished ships, free booze, etc.).  Of course, Celebrity is very often much higher in cost to pay for all of that.  

[Ken the cruiser]

17 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

Club Orange is only on the two newest ships so far.  The original announcement said they would be roping off a section of the MDR for Club Orange on the other ships but so far that hasn't happened and there has been no other info released.  I believe it's Princess that has a similar concept re: using the MDR instead of a separate space.

 

The only other suite-specific area on HAL ships is the Neptune Lounge, which is really nothing to write home about (same food and drinks you can get elsewhere; there is a concierge team that handles front desk duties).  I like it but it's not comparable to what you get on Celebrity as a suite guest (dedicated restaurant, private lounge, the sun deck area on refurbished ships, free booze, etc.).  Of course, Celebrity is very often much higher in cost to pay for all of that.  

You're saying a Celebrity sky suite with all 4 perks (free grats, premium beverage package, unlimited internet for 2 and $300 OBC) plus a butler, access to the Luminae restaurant and Michael's is generally more expensive than a Neptune suite on a similar itinerary? I don't think so.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Ken the cruiser

[Kartgv]

We recently completed our first HAL cruise after sailing mostly with Celebrity and Princess in recent years.    We were on the Volendam, one of her older ships, so our experience might have been different than on some of the newer ships.    Some of the things we really liked:

 

- Being served in the buffet, rather than everyone handling all the utensils, etc.   Much of the food was prepared to order and the variety was pretty good.   The salad bar was wonderful.   We never had any problem finding seating even at peak times.

- The complete wrap-around beautiful promenade deck, with lounge chairs in some areas.

- Wonderful COMFORTABLE seating areas scattered all over the ship, chairs and sofas with back cushions, many right in front of large windows.   The Crow's Nest was especially nice.   

- Great grill area next to the pool.    Excellent burgers and a few other selections cooked to order; you're given a beeper to come and get your order when its ready.

- Excellent bar service - server knew our names and preference, had our drinks ready shortly after they spotted us arriving.  

- Little things - slippers, never having to wait for an elevator, a 6 page daily newspaper in multiple languages available near the buffet each morning, real towels and paper seat covers in the public rest rooms, fresh flowers all over the ship, even potted orchids on tables in the buffet.

- NO blaring music or art auctions...none!  

 

There were some negatives.    Dining room service, including drink service, was often slow.  The ship décor was classic European, somewhat dark and dreary.  The cabin was poorly laid out, awkward closet doors in narrow hallways, very annoying drawers that could only be opened from a bottom notch, which meant bending down to the floor to get things out.   TV set was small and ancient.    Entertainment was weak unless you enjoyed the stringed classical trio.   Food wasn't memorable, though usually fine.    Buffet hours were limited, with no 24 hour service venue except room service.      

 

As others have said, we'd sail HAL again, especially out of San Diego, but probably try to find one of their newer ships.   

Edited June 7, 2019 by Kartgv

[George C]

1 hour ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Please don’t sail on Holland American expecting  no class distinctions.   You will get more if you pay more.   The Neptune  Lounge  is exclusively for higher level suite guests.

they will also be adding a suite restaurant so they can be competitive with the other lines.

 

 

Suite perks are terrible on hal, Neptune lounge offers no drinks ,just snack and coffee, micheals is a much nicer lounge with free drinks all day. Concierge in Neptune was useless on one of our cruises on handling a simple problem. Higher end suites are very nice on hal. 

[Turtles06]

4 hours ago, cavecreekguy said:

I noticed you mention: "Some of the other things we did love about HAL (in addition to the food and service in the MDR) -- no class distinctions (which is where Celebrity is moving) -- everyone was invited to the bow for the sailaways from our amazing ports." So, are only certain class of passengers allowed on deck during sail ins and sailaways? Can you elaborate on what other kinds of experiences are divided by class on Celebrity?

 

I'm thinking of a 14 day cruise, and especially for that length of time, that kind of thing would really turn me off.

 

Thanks!

 

3 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Please don’t sail on Holland American expecting  no class distinctions.   You will get more if you pay more.   The Neptune  Lounge  is exclusively for higher level suite guests.

they will also be adding a suite restaurant so they can be competitive with the other lines.

 

 

 

I gave an example of the type of class distinctions to which I was referring -- opening the bow to all.  Yes, HAL does have a lounge for suite guests.   But what Celebrity is doing on the M- and S-class ships is taking away what have previously been public spaces open to all, in particular the forward-facing high deck space that's been turned into the Retreat for suite guests.  That deck space, to me at least, is an important part of feeling connected to the water.   It's a great place for sail-ins and sailaways, and for just watching the ocean go by on sea days.  And the newest ship, Edge, as I understand it has been created from the start with that as the Retreat space.   Celebrity is also carving up some of the Sky Lounge  -- another beautiful forward-facing space  -- to create additional suites. I have never been on a Celebrity ship where the bow was opened to everyone for any sail-in or sailaway.  It was that sort of physical segregation to which I was referring.   

Edited June 8, 2019 by Turtles06

[cachouonacruise]

OP I am curious if things changed on HAL recently regarding Art sale and other merchandise sale.

 

We cruised on the Rotterdam (2014) and the Maasdam (2015). Food and services were excellent and loved the piano bar as well as the sommelier. 

 

We did not like as much, the pushy attitude of employees responsible for art auctions or some other sales. We found that in general, we were less sollicited/harassed by these type of events/attitudes on X. I would appreciate your perspective on these activities.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

4 hours ago, George C said:

Suite perks are terrible on hal, Neptune lounge offers no drinks ,just snack and coffee, micheals is a much nicer lounge with free drinks all day. Concierge in Neptune was useless on one of our cruises on handling a simple problem. Higher end suites are very nice on hal. 

 

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I'm fine with a suite just being a bigger and nicer room, similar to most hotels.  I've never booked a suite before, but have an average cost of $140 per person, per day, for a signature suite, on our next two cruises.  The class structure beyond that, I couldn't care less, so long as they don't start making cuts to incentivize people into them.

[MVPinBoynton]

On 5/7/2019 at 4:23 PM, cangelmd said:

To the OP, what was the better South American itinerary that led you to choose HAL? I know that is a lazy question, but there it is.

 

We have been on 3 HAL cruises and have thoroughly enjoyed them all.  The last one was a South America/Antarctica cruise.  It was a 23 day cruise compared to Celebrity's 14 day version.  Most importantly, HAL spent 3 days in Antarctica compared to just 2 for Celebrity, plus it also went up the west coast of SA.  Surprisingly, the price for the much longer HAL cruise was slightly less than the X cruise.  I will happily cruise on either line, although X's Elite Plus perks do help when picking cruises.

[MVPinBoynton]

On 5/7/2019 at 4:23 PM, cangelmd said:

To the OP, what was the better South American itinerary that led you to choose HAL? I know that is a lazy question, but there it is.

 

We have been on 3 HAL cruises and have thoroughly enjoyed them all.  The last one was a South America/Antarctica cruise.  It was a 23 day cruise compared to Celebrity's 14 day version.  Most importantly, HAL spent 3 days in Antarctica compared to just 2 for Celebrity, plus it also went up the west coast of SA.  Surprisingly, the price for the much longer HAL cruise was slightly less than the X cruise.  I will happily cruise on either line, although X's Elite Plus perks do help when picking cruises.

[MVPinBoynton]

Sorry, double post.

Edited June 8, 2019 by MVPinBoynton

[George C]

10 hours ago, Stateroom_Sailor said:

 

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I'm fine with a suite just being a bigger and nicer room, similar to most hotels.  I've never booked a suite before, but have an average cost of $140 per person, per day, for a signature suite, on our next two cruises.  The class structure beyond that, I couldn't care less, so long as they don't start making cuts to incentivize people into them.

We really like signature suites , great size , we only got full suites when we were offered good deals on upsells.