X versus HAL to Hawaii

[Igggy]

I need some help folks. I'm trying to compare a 14 night R/T to Hawaii from the West coast, HAL and X. As much as one can, I'm trying to compare apples to apples. The sailings I'm comparing are the Zandaam departing Dec 5, 2007, and Summit departing November 9, 2007. I'm comparing the Verandah stateroom (229/63 SF) on HAL and the CC stateroom (191/41 SF) on X.

Questions:

1. The X stateroom is $5200 and the HAL stateroom ranges from $6600 to $7000. Why the large difference?

2. How noticeable is the extra 60 SF on HAL?

3. X does an overnight in Maui, and HAL does theirs in Oahu. Which is preferable?

 

Any other observations or advice is much appreciated.

 

Cheers

[Ine]

We sailed Summit (X) to hawaii last March and had a 2B verandah cabin.

The bathroom on X is much smaller then HAL. On HAL those rooms have a full bath, on X shower only and less space. However we were happy with it.

Also most verandahs are smaller than on HAL. On X 2 chairs and a small table.

However the cabins are more or less similar, with desk and couch in front of the window.Service was excellent, food was very good.

 

I would prefer overnight in Maui, if the ship dockes in Lahaina. Rent a car and drive around, easy to find your way. Visit Tropical gardens, Iao Needle, maybe drive up Haleakala and Lahaina is a nice small town. Kaanapali is close with nice beach.

Honolulu is nice to visit Pearl harbor (go early to avoid long lines), Waikiki is a busy highrise seasideresort and Honolulu is a big town.

[agabbymama]

You might want to search on this board for Summit pod problems. I'd be very leery of booking the Summit or Infinity. Since I found this board last year, I think there have been two or three pod failures. I sure woudn't want to risk booking Summit. I was booked on the Constellation, and sweated bullets that her pods stayed healthy, as I had already paid for airfare, hotels in New York City, transportation in New York City, etc. Constellation is the last of the 4 sister ships and for some reason doesn't seem to have the unreliability that her sister ships do. We did have a lovely cruise to New England/Canada for fall foliage without any pod failures. Just a word of warning, BEWARE.:eek:

[GORDONCHICK]

I will only address #3, and say that it depends. It depends largely on what you want to see more. Oahu has the hustle and bustle (unless you get to the North Shore and the like) while Maui is much more laid back. I would look at what you would like to see on Oahu and Maui. Then use that as a guide to decide. Personally, I loved Maui so much more. Don't forget to pick up pineapple wine from the Tedeschi Winery on Maui! Great dessert wine.

[caviargal]

Cabin wise, I prefer HAL with their excellent bedding and large bathrooms. Also, the larger balcony would be a major plus for me as we use it quite a bit.

 

Itinerary wise, I agree that Oahu is more bustling but I did not find Maui to be particularly laid back. It is a typical resort area with large hotels and lots of people. Laid back in Hawaii would be the Big Island, IMO. Either location will provide plenty to choose from in terms of dining and entertainment.

 

I like the size of the Zaandam but am admittedly a fan of smaller ships.

 

And I agree that, on a port intensive itinerary, the pod issue would be a consideration. If problems would make or break your cruise, HAL might be a better choice.

[Drew B]

You might want to search on this board for Summit pod problems. I'd be very leery of booking the Summit or Infinity. Since I found this board last year, I think there have been two or three pod failures. I sure woudn't want to risk booking Summit. I was booked on the Constellation, and sweated bullets that her pods stayed healthy, as I had already paid for airfare, hotels in New York City, transportation in New York City, etc. Constellation is the last of the 4 sister ships and for some reason doesn't seem to have the unreliability that her sister ships do. We did have a lovely cruise to New England/Canada for fall foliage without any pod failures. Just a word of warning, BEWARE.:eek:

 

 

Hmmm... If the pods started malfunctioning during the sea days on the way BACK from Hawaii, they'd have to slow down and it might actually take an extra day or two to make the crossing. They would have no choice but to extend the cruise... SIGN ME UP! QUICK!!!

[agabbymama]

Hmmm... If the pods started malfunctioning during the sea days on the way BACK from Hawaii, they'd have to slow down and it might actually take an extra day or two to make the crossing. They would have no choice but to extend the cruise... SIGN ME UP! QUICK!!!

 

DrewB, That made me laugh. :) If all you want are sea days, that would be fine, but I get bored easily, I love the ports and destinations to keep me busy and on the go. And I don't think I would cruise from LA to Hawaii, I'd fly over and just cruise the Island. I would be really upset if the Alaska fiasco had happened on my cruise. I cruise for the destinations, not the ship. My recent cruise to New England/Canada couldn't very well be done by car in 11 days (from NYC to Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax, Quebec and Saguenay River). We covered a lot of territory you wouldn't be able to get to. But Celebrity did change our itinerary so we had three at sea days Southbound (BORING). Made all of our Port stops on the Northbound leg so we were busy every day. Let me tell you by Wednesday afternoon on the return I was about ready to jump overboard! Just kidding, but I was bored to tears.:eek: Was certainly ready to disembark Thursday morning.

[Drew B]

DrewB, That made me laugh. :) If all you want are sea days, that would be fine, but I get bored easily, I love the ports and destinations to keep me busy and on the go.

 

I love ports, too, and I wouldn't willingly give up a port day for an "at-sea" day. However, if the extra "at-sea" day was a bonus over and above all of the scheduled ports, I'd be beyond thrilled. Especially since they wouldn't be charging us for the extra day, and may even offer some modest compensation for the inconvenience of the schedule change...

[Igggy]

Thanks to those that have replied so far. I would really like an opinion as to the large disparity in price.

 

Cheers.

[agabbymama]

Haven't a clue as to the disparity in price. I do know HAL was approx. $2600 for a balcony cabin for 10 day New England/Canada cruise and Celebrity was $2600 for an 11 day. So maybe HAL is just higher priced than Celebrity. I do feel HAL was more elegant than Celebrity (chimes over the loud speaker to announce dinner), little guys in Phillip Morris outfits ringing a little triangle dinner chime, teak promenade deck all the way around the ship, wooden deck chairs with wool blankets for those that want to sit on the promenade deck even though it is freezing. Both Celebrity and HAL had real towels in the public restrooms, beautiful sculptures and decor. But my vote still goes to HAL for the feeling of overall elegant ambiance of the older Cruise Liners, but now that all the cruiselines have started with specialty dining rooms, that may change on HAL too. Didn't know that Carnival owned them when I sailed them to Alaska, as I did Carnival to Mexico and decided I didn't like them. Glad I didn't know it at the time, as it might have influenced me away from HAL, and it was such a totally different cruise experience. :D

[SoCalGal]

I found the same to be true when booking our third Alaskan cruise. Out of all the cruiselines we looked at, Celebrity was lower priced for nearly the same itinerary and stateroom size. We always book Concierge Class. We personally love Celebrity so this will be our third time on the Summit...we sailed on the Millennium in the Med. and really enjoyed it too. My parents went to Alaska on the Infinity at a much lower price than Princess could offer. Each time we compared the prices/itineraries with other cruiselines, Celebrity was almost always lower priced. (Don't tell anyone). The CC staterooms are very comfortable with plenty of room to store everything. Service is excellent and overall the food is very good. I don't think you can go wrong with Celebrity...we have always been very pleased.

[caviargal]

Thanks to those that have replied so far. I would really like an opinion as to the large disparity in price.

 

Cheers.

 

First of all, I do not consider those amounts a "large" disparity, though it does bear consideration.

 

I imagine there a few factors that influence the pricing on the sailings.

 

One is the ongoing pod issue on that class of X ship.

 

Zaandam is also a smaller ship that has an established following and I imagine they can charge more for the cruise than X which is currently having some issues.

[TWELVEOHONE]

1. The X stateroom is $5200 and the HAL stateroom ranges from $6600 to $7000. Why the large difference?

2. How noticeable is the extra 60 SF on HAL?

3. X does an overnight in Maui, and HAL does theirs in Oahu. Which is preferable?

 

In my opinion HAL cost more because they can get more. Average age on HAL is well above 50's while Celebrity is younger

 

The 60 SF difference depends on how much timm you plan to spend in your cabin. Its nice to have the additional space but then you have to weight it against the higher cost

 

I just returned from a land trip to Hawaii. We spend 4-days on Maui and 2-days in Oahu. In my opinion the 2-days in oahu was sufficient as we were able to climb Diamond Head and see Pear Harbor. The only attraction we missed was teh Hawaiin Culture center and I was told that it is not all that great but very boring and long (all day).

 

Actually 4-days in Maui was not enought their was so much to see and do.

Rent car and drive the road to Hana it is only about 50 mile but takes all day. The most magnificiant vegitation water falls and scenery you will see

 

On the way to the road to Hana you will go through a town Paila (sp) Stop in Charles Cafe great Macadamia pancakes recommended by Rachel Ray. Across the street down the block you can buy yourself a box lunch to take with you on the drive no place to purchase food.

 

After breakfast at Charley's you will drive past a resturant Moma's Fish House. If you want the best fish dinner you have ever had make a reservation here for your trip back from Hana. Warning, it is expensive but without a doubt teh most enjoyable and best dinner we had in a long time

 

The sun rise over Haleakala was also worth getting up 2:00am to see. Warning bring a warm jacket as it get cold up on the volcano. If you take the bike tour they supply you with jackets.

 

A real authentic laua at old Lahaina with the pig and all is a must. Leave early and tour Lahaina before going to the Laua.

 

These are the three most popular things to do. There is much more as you can see 1-day or even 2-days which is better is still not enough.

[caviargal]

In my opinion HAL cost more because they can get more. Average age on HAL is well above 50's while Celebrity is younger

 

.

 

IMRE, this age disparity was not a factor. In the old days of cruising HAL (late 80s) I felt they attracted a senior crowd. This was not true of my HAL cruise five months ago.

 

IME, X in general attracts an older clientele as well.

 

We had an aft corner suite on HAL and simply loved the balcony. We entertained there, and had breakfast and lunch out there many times, as well as sunned in private.

[mountainmare]

I also agree that while both lines are more upscale than RCI or Carnival there is a different feel to the cruise experience.

HAL is more traditional and formal. Formal afternoon tea, the dining experience is more formal and in general (although my first Celeb cruise was recently on the Millennium) I feel that the general service is better, such as the buffet venues.

Our embarkation and disembarkation experience on Celebrity was very good. In general on our cruise we found the passengers a bit younger and less formal. Some of the service people were bored or outright rude in the buffet, however our personal service people (the ones who would be tipped) were excellent.

We have been looking at the Hawaii cruises, but have been leaning to a land vacation.

When you really look at the days at sea you are not getting to spend that long in Hawaii.

I wish that the government would change the rules so that any cruiseline other than NCL would be able to do an island- only itinerary. My TA just took a group on NCL and advised that we would probably not be happy with the NCL America service.

[GORDONCHICK]

Actually 4-days in Maui was not enought their was so much to see and do. Rent car and drive the road to Hana it is only about 50 mile but takes all day. The most magnificiant vegitation water falls and scenery you will see

 

On the way to the road to Hana you will go through a town Paila (sp) Stop in Charles Cafe great Macadamia pancakes recommended by Rachel Ray. Across the street down the block you can buy yourself a box lunch to take with you on the drive no place to purchase food.

 

The sun rise over Haleakala was also worth getting up 2:00am to see. Warning bring a warm jacket as it get cold up on the volcano. If you take the bike tour they supply you with jackets.

 

A real authentic laua at old Lahaina with the pig and all is a must. Leave early and tour Lahaina before going to the Laua.

 

These are the three most popular things to do. There is much more as you can see 1-day or even 2-days which is better is still not enough.

 

We loved the Road to Hana also, and we went the extra mile (don't know the real distance) and went to the Seven Sacred Pools - beautiful and relaxing if you brought your swimsuit. The "black sand" beach is really not sand, but lava rock so water shoes would be great as well.

 

And we did find food along the road to Hana. We stopped at a roadside stand and I got to try grilled breadfruit. At that stand, the lady told us about an off the path place to go to get some great photos (literally over the hills and through the woods).

[GORDONCHICK]

I also agree that while both lines are more upscale than RCI or Carnival there is a different feel to the cruise experience.

HAL is more traditional and formal. Formal afternoon tea, the dining experience is more formal and in general (although my first Celeb cruise was recently on the Millennium) I feel that the general service is better, such as the buffet venues.

Our embarkation and disembarkation experience on Celebrity was very good. In general on our cruise we found the passengers a bit younger and less formal. Some of the service people were bored or outright rude in the buffet, however our personal service people (the ones who would be tipped) were excellent.

We have been looking at the Hawaii cruises, but have been leaning to a land vacation.

When you really look at the days at sea you are not getting to spend that long in Hawaii.

I wish that the government would change the rules so that any cruiseline other than NCL would be able to do an island- only itinerary. My TA just took a group on NCL and advised that we would probably not be happy with the NCL America service.

 

I would agree that the best way to really see Hawaii would be land-based but a cruise is a good way to get a little taste of it. We spent three weeks between Oahu and Maui. I would now like to spend time on the big island and Kaui.

[Superman of Inaction]

DrewB, That made me laugh. :) If all you want are sea days, that would be fine, but I get bored easily, I love the ports and destinations to keep me busy and on the go. And I don't think I would cruise from LA to Hawaii, I'd fly over and just cruise the Island. I would be really upset if the Alaska fiasco had happened on my cruise. I cruise for the destinations, not the ship. My recent cruise to New England/Canada couldn't very well be done by car in 11 days (from NYC to Boston, Portland, Bar Harbor, Saint John, Halifax, Quebec and Saguenay River). We covered a lot of territory you wouldn't be able to get to. But Celebrity did change our itinerary so we had three at sea days Southbound (BORING). Made all of our Port stops on the Northbound leg so we were busy every day. Let me tell you by Wednesday afternoon on the return I was about ready to jump overboard! Just kidding, but I was bored to tears.:eek: Was certainly ready to disembark Thursday morning.

 

Your point is well taken, agabbymama. As caviargal said the pod problems may well be a major reason for the difference in price. As word gets out about posible problems I would think that it would drive the price of the Celebrity cruise down. As DrewB said you might get an extra sea day out of it, but on the other hand what if the pods failed on the way to Hawaii? Then you may be looking at missed ports or no ports at all. To each his own, but given the choice between fourteen straight days at sea and work, I would choose work.

[RoseM]

Igggy......just came back from a HAL cruise....my daughter and I are going on the Summit Mar. 3rd 2007 14 day to Hawaii. We have been on the Mercury to Mexico one time. 8 times with HAL.

 

I have read only good "stuff" about the Summit. I would vote for Celebrity hands down.

 

Just my personal opinion of course...we all look for different things on a cruise. Mine first of all the quality of the food.

[agabbymama]

Superman of Inaction,

I agree, I wouldn't want to spend 14 days at sea either. As a matter of fact, I've been to Hawaii three times on land vacations. Don't think I would even bother with a cruise there. So much time wasted on the ship when the inter-island flights are so reasonable to Island hop. My first trip I went with my husband to Oahu for a week, then returned with a friend to Oahu, Kauai, Maui, Hawaii for 12 days, then took my husband back to Oahu and Kauai for 10 days. We wanted to go to the Big Island, but locals were saying it wasn't a good time, as they had a lot of rain and the roads were all washed out, so we didn't go. Now we want to return and kind of planning a week on Hawaii with a side trip of 2 or 3 days to Molokai. Found a cute little shack for rent rather than a hotel on Molokai, and of course we will have a car. But that will be possibly 2008 as we already have the Alaska Cruise/tour reserved for 8/07, so have to save for that. Kind of funny, I'm not afraid to rent a car and drive all over the Hawaiian Islands, but for Alaska, I talked my husband into the cruise/tour as I didn't want the hassle of researching/planning/doing it on our own. Go figure.:p

[Drew B]

Yes, if there were to be Pod problems, I'd much rather have them on the way BACK from Hawaii than on the way there. I definitely would not be happy with 14 "at sea" days if I had been expecting Hawaii.

 

But on the other subject AGabbyMama brought up, I don't think the issue is the cost of interoffice flights. The cost of accommodations and food are so high in Hawaii that that is what makes the biggest difference. Seriously, you can get a cabin on a ship for 14 days for what it would cost to spend 5 days in resorts on the islands. Therefore, the way I look at it, the island portions are comparable in cost and all the at-sea days are a "free" bonus!

 

And my favorite thing to do on Maui is to just walk into the ocean at any public beach with a mask and snorkel and just spend the whole day there! I've seen better marine life off the beach in Wailea than on an expensive snorkeling trip to Molokini...

[TWELVEOHONE]

We loved the Road to Hana also, and we went the extra mile (don't know the real distance) and went to the Seven Sacred Pools - beautiful and relaxing if you brought your swimsuit. The "black sand" beach is really not sand, but lava rock so water shoes would be great as well.

 

And we did find food along the road to Hana. We stopped at a roadside stand and I got to try grilled breadfruit. At that stand, the lady told us about an off the path place to go to get some great photos (literally over the hills and through the woods).

 

You are correct their are a few road side stands that sell variouse food items such as Breadfruit but in general they are few and far and in particular not a large selection.

 

The road to Hana is about 45 to 50 miles and the Seven Sacred Pools another few miles.

 

BTW did you stop a Moms Fish House? expensive but excellent sea food. All fish were caught that day, menu list what boat and captain caught each.

[Drew B]

I just wanted to add an alternate point of view to the Road to Hana discussion:

 

I did the drive a few years back in a rental convertible, and I was SOOO excited about it, but I ended up hating it! Yes, the scenery is amazing, but you are stuck in the car for hours and hours and hours, often waiting in backed up traffic (as the numerous bridges are one lane only, so opposing traffic has to take turns). The convertible was a TERRIBLE idea, as I ended up with a pounding headache from the sun beating down all day and from sucking in all the exhaust fumes.

 

I'm glad that people enjoy the trip, but if you haven't done it, please be sure that you are the type who will be content cooped up in the car for a long time, driving extremely slowly. If you're claustrophobic, impatient, or easily bored, it may not be the best choice for you.

[Liat]

We have done several longer X cruises and found that the on board "Enrichment" lectures, particularly the ones going to Hawaii, were very good. On our shorter two Caribbean HAL cruises, we thought the sea day extertainment was very limited.

That being said; HAL has publicly pledged to improve their sea day entertainment on longer cruises.

I believe the price differential is directly related to cabin size. The sharp pencil boys divide the amortized construction cost plus cost of operation (plus profit margin) by the number of square foot/ passenger days; and that comes up with the basic price structure. Then after that they add in the extra amenity costs provided to higher end staterooms (with an additional profit factor for those, need I add). That's an oversimplification, of course. There are things like Panama Canal fees (over $200,000 for Infinity when we went through in November 2003) and varying port costs which are computed on the vessel tonnage.

We think both X and HAL run classy operations. We found the food better on Celebrity, but that is a matter of taste. We also felt that the X dining room attendants were less rushed and had easier and better interaction with the passengers. Part of that was due to the fact that not all the Indonesian crew comprising a great deal of HAL's complement, are fluent in English. But they sure do smile a lot! We also like the library and Thalassotherapy pool on the M class Celebrity ships. HAL coud not match either.

We also like smaller ships, but don't think the M ships are all that big. Their 1950 passemgers on a 91,000 ton ship provides a space ratio larger than 46.

You can't beat that short of Crystal; but then. you can't beat Crystal in anything significant.

All this means that the most significant factor, apart form price, may well be the itinerary. It is tough to choose between Maui and Oahu, since they both offer different, but interesting trips. The main things is - don't buy the luau party or take any ship's tours. Get a guide book, AAA maps (remember - this is the USA) or Nellis Maps, and rent a car to see what you want on your own schedule. The islands are beautiful and fascinating, but also small enough to see. O yes; if you are in to snorkeling, arrange for the Molokini Island snorkel on Maui.

[RLM77]

We're a week back from Summit's 10/14 Hawaii cruise and have also taken an 11 day land vacation to Hawaii a few years back. For what they're worth, here are my views:

 

In short, it's apples to oranges -- two completely different vacations. Which you prefer depends on what you're looking for during your time off.

 

If you're looking for time to catch up on your reading, or being pampered and entertained for two weeks straight, or eating well prepared, five-course Continental cuisine at dinner for 14 nights, or only packing/unpacking once per vacation, or seeing the Milky Way and more individual stars than you knew existed from your verandah, or just vacating, then you can't beat a cruise with eight sea days (on a well-run ship, of course). If you want to explore new places, immerse yourself in a different culture, eat the local cuisine, and meet and mingle with the natives then your choice should be a land tour.

 

Let's face it, no cruise, even if there are no sea days, allows you to do anything more than skim the surface of a particular port or island. There's only so much ground you can cover in an 8-12 hour stop. Unless the entire itinerary is highly senic (Alaska or Norway), a cruise should probably not be the first choice for those who want to experience exotic locales in depth and fully interact with foreign cultures.

 

On the other hand, if relaxation is your goal, what better way to relax than to be ensconced on a floating, premium hotel with ready access to fine food, drink, and decent entertainment? A hotel that gives you a chance to at least sample the islands (or Europe, or Mexico, etc.). Also, cruising is a great way for those who are mobility-challenged to see some of the world in comfort and safety.

 

DW says that cruising taught her how to vacation (meaning that it's not necessary to always be on the go).

 

Different strokes for different folks.

 

On another subject, although the pods on M class ships do have documented problems, the chances of a failure on any given cruise are still low. No wants to buy a cruise that ends up having propulsion problems, but IMHO the pod issues, though real, have been blown out of proportion to the reality of the situation. Due to rough weather that slowed us down during the first couple days of our voyage back from Hawaii, Summit ran flat out (23 knots) during the last two-plus days. There were no problems.