"Dining Noise" - HAL verses Celebrity

[rodndonna]

We gave just completed our first Celebrity cruise after 4 HAL cruises since Covid.

 

Was not really surprised by anything as pretty much all of the "HAL verses Celebrity" aspects have been covered here on Cruise Critic  with regards to dining, bars, ambiance, activities, shoes, etc .. 

 

Except for one thing that I have not seen anyone mention that really struct me on Celebrity, and am wondering if is just me?

 

I though the "noise" level in the Celebrity buffet and dining room is much quieter. Yes, you can still hear the clanking of dishes and such, but it seems like maybe there is more noise mitigation (dampening) than on HAL, especially in the buffet. I even kept telling myself that maybe it was because it was not as busy when we were in there. But even in the buffet at disembrakation morning (like hard to find a seat full), it was nearly not as loud as the HAL buffet (I thought)

 

Is there better noise mitigation in the layout design itself? (quite different), better acoustic ceiling tiles?, different materials for less echos? (chairs/curtains/carpeting/etc), the way they transport around stuff on carts?, or ????

 

Or .....  am I just imagining things....??

 

[Mary229]

Interesting observation.  I wonder if their ships are built at the same shipyards.   It may be something Celebrity has installed as a special attribute.  It sounds like an excellent feature.

 

how was your cruise overall.  Would love to hear your remarks 

[Ipeeinthepools]

I'm not sure about which ships you've experienced but we recently sailed on the Rotterdam after numerous cruises on the S-class ships and I largely agree with your observations.  We found the MDR on the Rotterdam to be unbelievably noisy.  I think this is due the relatively low metal ceiling in the MDR on the Rotterdam with very little sound adsorbing material to be seen.  We normally have Select time dining on the S-class ships and that is on the second floor of the dining room with higher ceilings.  We really like the most forward areas on the S-class ships, they are a little more separated from the MDR and tend to be quiet.  In contrast, the first-floor dining areas on the S-class that are located under the second-floor dining areas, have relatively low ceilings and tend to be noisy, very similar to the Rotterdam.

[julia]

Nope, it's not your imagination...  X's Lido is so much quieter, nicer, and better laid out with the square stations.  On their E-class ships, there's a higher ceiling, and in the evening the lights are dimmed, creating a nice dining experience.  Conversely, on the Koningsdam recently, the overall noise level and constant tech-pop loud music made the Lido unpleasant. (Not to mention those ridiculously heavy, ugly, peeling chairs!) 😲

[rodndonna]

9 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Interesting observation.  I wonder if their ships are built at the same shipyards.   It may be something Celebrity has installed as a special attribute.  It sounds like an excellent feature.

 

how was your cruise overall.  Would love to hear your remarks 

 

Apparently (according to my husband), Celebrity (RCL) are built in southern France and Carnival mostly in Italy.

 

The cruise was a "safe" intro to Celebrity, 7 day southern Caribbean out of San Juan. The ship size would be closest to Eurodam so was trying to compare those onboard experiences.

 

Our "personal" assessment -

 

Dining (we are slower relaxed non-meat eaters) - 

HAL wins for Main Dining food (much better fish and seafood offerings)

Celebrity for Buffet (much better selection, especially for non-meat eaters)

Celebrity for dining ambiance (less noise, nicer buffet layout and sitting options in buffet)

 

Shows (we don't normally do shows, but saw 3 on our Celebrity cruise)

Celebrity won, but that could be because their shows are 7 (or 9) and 7 worked well for us as we normally eat at 8. The shows we attended were music shows, so can't comment on Comedians, Magicians or Broadway type shows.

 

Cruise Common Areas

HAL - big winner for outdoor space (really miss promenade deck)

Celebrity for indoor space (the lounges, atrium, coffee shop seemed nicer)

 

Music entertainment

HAL wins for overall quality of acts and evening music performances

Celebrity wins for live daytime music (after you learn to not just plunk down thinking they are about to play when you see the band, only to realize you are watching 30 minutes of set and sound check ... lol)

 

Rooms (comparing aft balcony in Eurodam and Millenium for size and age of ship)

HAL wins for room (nicer room, better nook and cranny spaces and bigger bathroom)

Celebrity wins for the balcony, it was HUGE (I think it was length of the main are of room with great shade cover)

 

Pools and whirlpools (we actually don't do cruise pools or hot tubs)

HAL wins for offering more shaded sit up (non lounger) chairs on the pool deck.

Celebrity has a nice looking adult only (depends on ship and hours) Solarium (we didn't use it though)

 

Activities (we don't participate except for maybe Trivia, but will lurk around to spectate)

Celebrity wins with a really wide range of activities through day and night. I thought it was kinda interesting that they had activities (game shows, pool volleyball) with guests against officers. 

HAL wins for enrichment type offerings

 

Casino (small players, $100-$300 maximum on 7 day cruise)

Celebrity wins, non smoking! and they run alot of little promos 

 

Ambiance (likely impacted by itenrary)

Celebrity more on the "fun" side, yet amazingly enough, better dressed in the evening (counterintuitive).

Instead of  thinking "Is this not Gala/Chic night??" on HAL, it was "Is this Gala/Chic night?"  on Celebrity. I think folks dressed better on this cruise than our HAL Norway (mostly Europeans) cruise. It was unexpected, but kinda nice for a change. A few families onboard and for some of them, the young girls appeared to want everyday to be a GALA day!!!

 

Final Synopsis

 

If I was recommending a cruise line someone that wants to try cruising I would say Celebrity as it has a wider offering to get an idea of what cruising offers.

 

Quite happy with both HAL and Celebrity, with maybe an edge to Celebrity (but that comes with a price difference). We have future cruises booked with both (and others) and look forward to them all equally for different reasons! 

[mcrcruiser]

I do not know the why but ,I do agree that the MDR  noise was much lower   on Soltice than Koningsdam . Another  thing was  the bread was better  on Soltice   .Celebrity also had much more silverware on the table  .They also had wine stewards

[rodndonna]

25 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

I'm not sure about which ships you've experienced but we recently sailed on the Rotterdam after numerous cruises on the S-class ships and I largely agree with your observations.  We found the MDR on the Rotterdam to be unbelievably noisy.  I think this is due the relatively low metal ceiling in the MDR on the Rotterdam with very little sound adsorbing material to be seen.  We normally have Select time dining on the S-class ships and that is on the second floor of the dining room with higher ceilings.  We really like the most forward areas on the S-class ships, they are a little more separated from the MDR and tend to be quiet.  In contrast, the first-floor dining areas on the S-class that are located under the second-floor dining areas, have relatively low ceilings and tend to be noisy, very similar to the Rotterdam.

 

We sailed all the Pinnacles, the Eurodam. The Eurodam was our "first: after Covid and pretty empty thought that may have been why it was better but maybe not just that. The rest (all Pinnacles) seemed really noisy to me.

 

Interesting assessment on the best areas - we are taking note!

[rodndonna]

6 minutes ago, julia said:

Nope, it's not your imagination...  X's Lido is so much quieter, nicer, and better laid out with the square stations.  On their E-class ships, there's a higher ceiling, and in the evening the lights are dimmed, creating a nice dining experience.  Conversely, on the Koningsdam recently, the overall noise level and constant tech-pop loud music made the Lido unpleasant. (Not to mention those ridiculously heavy, ugly, peeling chairs!) 😲

 

That was my assessment. On our HAL cruises we avoided the buffet at all costs, but was very pleasantly surprised on our experience with X's buffet .  Somehow on HAL I just felt like being back in a dining hall at University in the 80's ... and then with X it was like "wow, this is actually kinda nice!"

[rodndonna]

8 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

I do not know the why but ,I do agree that the MDR  noise was much lower   on Soltice than Koningsdam . Another  thing was  the bread was better  on Soltice   .Celebrity also had much more silverware on the table  .They also had wine stewards

 

I thought the bread was similar, but really liked the dips/spreads on X for the bread, The wine steward was a nice touch. Can't say I remember the silverware though , but I'll be checking cruise....

[mcrcruiser]

3 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

I thought the bread was similar, but really liked the dips/spreads on X for the bread, The wine steward was a nice touch. Can't say I remember the silverware though , but I'll be checking cruise....

Yes I had for gotten the dips which I used bread sticks for thos dips . We were also able to special  order the brown bread .It was truly to die for  taste 

[highscar]

The only time noise was annoying in the dinning room, last year on the Nordham for some reason the lower dinging room was not being used so anytime diners were upstairs with set timers. We had a large table close to us and different dinners each night. They were noisy chattering, causing a distraction but obviously enjoying each others company. T’s what it T’s. 

[OlsSalt]

The issue is which HAL ships - newer Pinnacle dining rooms are noisier (design flaw or intent?) than the older smaller ships, where the dining rooms are quite gracious and lovely.

 

Also depends if you choose the higher-traffic as you wish dining option, compared to the fixed dining times. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

The issue is which HAL ships - newer Pinnacle dining rooms are noisier (design flaw or intent?) than the older smaller ships, where the dining rooms are quite gracious and lovely.

 

Also depends if you choose the higher-traffic as you wish dining option, compared to the fixed dining times. 

 

I've only been on one PInnacle, K'dam. The MDR was noisier than I've experienced on other ships. The worst was the lower level way at the back, in a corner where the ceiling is low. The quietest was the upper level, near an aft corner.

Edited April 16, 2023 by 3rdGenCunarder

[YourWorldWithBill]

5 hours ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 I think this is due the relatively low metal ceiling in the MDR on the Rotterdam with very little sound adsorbing material to be seen.  

This seems to be the logical explanation. I've noticed that restaurants with low ceilings tend to be noisier, and a metal ceiling would amplify that. We'll be on the Rotterdam next month. I wonder if that was done deliberately, to always sound busy? Doesn't seem like the best idea for a cruise ship, but somebody made that decision. Room designs don't happen by accident.

[3rdGenCunarder]

28 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

This seems to be the logical explanation. I've noticed that restaurants with low ceilings tend to be noisier, and a metal ceiling would amplify that. We'll be on the Rotterdam next month. I wonder if that was done deliberately, to always sound busy? Doesn't seem like the best idea for a cruise ship, but somebody made that decision. Room designs don't happen by accident.

 

Loud restaurants have been a trend in NYC for years. It's busy, it's buzzy, it's happening! Aren't you excited to be here!!!  No, I'm mostly annoyed by the din.

[rodndonna]

53 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

This seems to be the logical explanation. I've noticed that restaurants with low ceilings tend to be noisier, and a metal ceiling would amplify that. We'll be on the Rotterdam next month. I wonder if that was done deliberately, to always sound busy? Doesn't seem like the best idea for a cruise ship, but somebody made that decision. Room designs don't happen by accident.

 

This post (hope this works) has pictures that shows the ceiling (was not the point of the post though) on the X Millennium that we just came off. The flat panels all had little holes (like acoustic tiles would have). We didn't eat in the second floor with the higher ceiling, maybe that floor was noisier.

 

 

 

[oakridger]

The MDR pictures are in post #308.  In the above link. 

 

Thanks for sharing @MeganGC1983 trip report @rodndonna!

 

~Nancy

[cruisemom42]

7 hours ago, rodndonna said:

 

Music entertainment

HAL wins for overall quality of acts and evening music performances

Celebrity wins for live daytime 

 

Ambiance (likely impacted by itenrary)

Celebrity more on the "fun" side, yet amazingly enough, better dressed in the evening (counterintuitive).

Instead of  thinking "Is this not Gala/Chic night??" on HAL, it was "Is this Gala/Chic night?"  on Celebrity. I think folks dressed better on this cruise than our HAL Norway (mostly Europeans) cruise. It was unexpected, but kinda nice for a change. A few families onboard and for some of them, the young girls appeared to want everyday to be a GALA day!!!

 

I think the overall ambience on Celebrity ships, which you comment on above and summarize well, is one of the main things that draws me to Celebrity over HAL. I also like the more modern (but still generally tasteful) decor — although the latest X ships are a bit over the edge. I like the slightly buzzier feel and in general slightly elevated dress. Sometimes on a HAL sea day I feel a bit like I’m sitting in a geriatric facility.
 

There has been not much “enrichment” on my current Westerdam cruise. Today is only the second EXC talk I more than 20 days onboard, and it is on board games - really?!?!?!

 

I do think the Millie and other M class ships represent the best transition for HAL cruisers. They are smaller, nicely updated and certainly aren’t “crazy fun ships”. 
 

For my preferences, Celebrity music is better, especially with Lincoln Center gone. Celebrity’s full show orchestra and various bar acts are good and are encountered frequently (better than canned music in lounges for sure). 

[YourWorldWithBill]

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Loud restaurants have been a trend in NYC for years. It's busy, it's buzzy, it's happening! Aren't you excited to be here!!!  No, I'm mostly annoyed by the din.

Exactly. If I can't carry on a conversation in a restaurant, I probably won't go back. I'm in Dallas, and it's the same thing here with new restaurants (which pop up every day).

Nice pictures, @rodndonna

[rodndonna]

8 hours ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Exactly. If I can't carry on a conversation in a restaurant, I probably won't go back. I'm in Dallas, and it's the same thing here with new restaurants (which pop up every day).

Nice pictures, @rodndonna

 

I agree.-  but they aren't my pics - they are just pics I lifted from another poster  @MeganGC1983 who is currently on the cruise following our cruise last week and posting - so I'm just reliving the experience through her posts and photos  😃

 

 

 

[MISTER 67]

We’ve sailed on Celebrity ships 4 times last year and so far once this year with another cruise on Equinox coming up besides 5 previous times. At this point in time Celebrity beats HAL in just about the whole cruise experience including food by a wide margin as well as entertainment. Service is about the same except Celebrity services the cabins twice a day with chocolate mints on the pillows every night. Celebrity also offers lobster at no extra charge as well as shrimp cocktail as an everyday appetizer. There is no comparison when it comes to the buffet, Celebrity has better buffet food and great variety plus they aren’t skimping on butter. We were on the New Amsterdam last December and you just about had to beg for butter and cream cheese. Right now the only thing I like better are the Vista and Signature class ships on HAL though the Equinox and her sister ships are excellent vessels as is the smaller Infinity.

Edited April 17, 2023 by MISTER 67

[Cruiz'nBaers]

2 hours ago, MISTER 67 said:

We’ve sailed on Celebrity ships 4 times last year and so far once this year with another cruise on Equinox coming up besides 5 previous times. At this point in time Celebrity beats HAL in just about the whole cruise experience including food by a wide margin as well as entertainment. Service is about the same except Celebrity services the cabins twice a day with chocolate mints on the pillows every night. Celebrity also offers lobster at no extra charge as well as shrimp cocktail as an everyday appetizer. There is no comparison when it comes to the buffet, Celebrity has better buffet food and great variety plus they aren’t skimping on butter. We were on the New Amsterdam last December and you just about had to beg for butter and cream cheese. Right now the only thing I like better are the Vista and Signature class ships on HAL though the Equinox and her sister ships are excellent vessels as is the smaller Infinity.

We love Celebrity, but have sailed HAL quite often.  HAL is great for longer and more immersive itineraries, for example, the VOV we did last summer.  On HAL you pretty much have to entertain yourself during the day.  Food, atmosphere, entertainment and music on Celebrity are far superior in my opinion and experience, but again, Celebrity costs more.  I can’t imagine what the price of the VOV would have been on Celebrity.  We have a cruise booked on the Koningsdam in February to Hawaii and the South Pacific for 35 days and will go knowing what to expect and know that the destination is the key.  On Celebrity, we cruise for shorter durations and enjoy the ship experience and the destinations.   These are just my observations.