Celebrity v HAL

[Addict]

Hi All

 

We have only taken one cruise, Xmas 2006 on Celebrity Constellation. We loved it so much we have booked a transatlantic on Celebrity Millenium in March 2007.

 

Now we are also looking at December 2007 and are considering the Xmas and New Year Caribbean cruise on Noordam.

 

Has anyone cruised this ship who can compare it to the Celebrity ships and offer their views? We quite like the formality and service of Celebrity, not too many children on board (we like kids, we our own and grandchildren, but just don't want to be overwhelmed by them on holiday). Do you think HAL offers the same level of service or better than Celebrity?

 

Thanks for any input.

[dakrewser]

I did a comparison of those two vessels' sister ships - the Infinity and the Oosterdam. See the thread: "Heavyweight Title Fight: HAL vs. X"

[Addict]

Hi, thanks so much for that link. I have just finished reading all 5 pages and it has given me loads of information. Just have to now decide what our priorities are. :D Would love to give HAL a try but will have to see what the quotes are when they come back from the TA.:eek: That will probably be the deciding factor.

[hammybee]

I too sail X and HAL. Unlike Dakrewser, I have only sailed in inside and outside cabins on X and the square footage is less on X for a a comp. cabin grade.

 

I can agree and disagree with Dakrewser's general observations and it all depends upon the sailing. Crews change and the pax dynamics vary from sail to sail making it anyone's guess what will be.

 

I give HAL an enormous plus on the LIDO and I give X a huge plus on their no extra charge and wonderful thermal pool or whatever it is called.

 

I happen to like the look and feel of HAL better than X and have a soft spot for HAL's crew.

 

A holiday sail may or may not have a lot of kids and I don't think either HAL or X are prone to more or less.

 

A sailing with Half-Moon Cay on HAL is an enormous plus. Another blasted day at Campo in Santo Domingo via X is a huge waste of a port day.

 

Bottom line, I would choose intinerary/price and be certain of cabin square footage, apples to apples, and then go for it. I think both are going to deliever a solid cruise value.

[sab490]

Comparing just our X experience on Summit and our only experience on HAL (Noordam). I found the athmosphere on both to be very similar....tastefully elegant. The service and how the crew related to passengers was excellent on both, but on HAL it was amazingly consistant from the Captain down the the guys scrubbing the deck. For comparable cabins I would also give the nod to HAL because of size and layout. And those new beds are wonderful! We thought the Normandy was far superior to the Pinnacle Grille both in service and quality, but Noordam's buffet was better. The food in the main dining room was excellent on both.

 

I would have to say if you loved Millenium, you would probably love Noodam. Our two best cruises were Summit and Noordam.

[NoNoNanette]

I had been looking forward to trying Celebrity, until I learned of their new :confused: WINE-CARRY-ON-POLICY.

 

Only 2 bottles per stateroom? :eek:

 

No thanks.... I like to bring alot of wine on board. And, believe me.....our bar tab is still large. We like to party whilst on vacation....it would be cost prohibitive to sail on Celebrity. :(

[newmexicoNita]

Everyone will give different answers to your questions; here is mine:

 

We have sailed Celebrity twice, once on the connie and once on the Zenith:

 

Sailed HAL twice, but the first time was so long ago it can't be considered:

our last time was the Amsterdam late Nov 2006:

 

HAL; larger, nicer cabins with the best beds at sea.

though activities were lacking, the activities staff was great

the food was outstanding in the main dining rooms and the buffet as

buffets go;

Room steward and buffet crew the best out of 20 plus cruises

The library a work of art.

 

Celebrity: better activities but the staff seemed to care less if people

showed or not.

better casinos

great salad bar on the buffet; rest just average

younger cruisers by several years

better entertainment

service wasn't better, in fact maybe not as good but the crew was

friendlier.

 

All in all I give a slight edge to HAL. We found the cruisers nicer than on Celebrity. If you liked Celebrity and don't care about lots of busy activities you should be very happy with HAL.

 

NMNita

[foundobjex]

We are all different and that is a hard question. Here is what I think. I really think you would be happy with either.

 

To me, the service on HAL tops Celebrity....as another poster stated.....such consistency.

 

The buffet is good on HAL but I do think Celebrity's food is a bit better.

 

The decor on the Noordam was top notch.

 

The cabins so comfortable and those heavenly beds are just that.

 

I plan to cruise on HAL and Celebrity both in the future.

 

Its almost a flip of the coin.

 

Oh yes, another thing ..... in general, I believe there are less children on the HAL ships and a slightly older crowd.

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

We have sailed on X four times. I sailed on HAL for the first time on 12/27 for the New Year's cruise. Let me tell you, it was probably one of the best cruises we have ever taken. We have sailed Princess, NCL and RCCL. We loved the Noordam and HAL so much, that we've already booked the 12/22/07 cruise for Christmas and New Year's. As far as children, we have a 6 year old son, and they will be a lot of families cruising on the HAL & the Celebrity cruises for the Christmas and New Year's cruises. On HAL, however, the aft pool is adults only which includes to hot tubs. If X sailed from NY on the same itinerary, it would really be hard to decide between the two, as we believe the service and food are comparable. The accomodations, however, are a little better and more spacious on the Noordam. The convenience of sailing from NY is great for us. Have fun, no matter what you decide.

[niborHS]

We have cruised X 5 times, but are going on our first HAL next month. I am so happy that all of you seem to feel that HAL is slightly better, especially when you say the beds are so good. We cruised Princess once, last February. We were in a suite, and I think that the beds are different, but the bedding was absolutely fantastic, so good in fact that we ordered new bedding when we got home. My husband seems to think that they had tempurpedic mattresses on X. Is he dreaming? We have one at home. What kind of mattresses do they have on HAL?

[lippylulu]

My husband seems to think that they had tempurpedic mattresses on X. Is he dreaming? We have one at home. What kind of mattresses do they have on HAL?

 

Wow if you find out this is true please let me know because I would love to know if they might also have memory foam pillows by request! I have a disk injury and absolutely require a memory foam pillow like tempurpedic so was planning on schlepping mine along...but if they might have it on the ship...WOW. We will be on the Westerdam!

[newmexicoNita]

Wow if you find out this is true please let me know because I would love to know if they might also have memory foam pillows by request! I have a disk injury and absolutely require a memory foam pillow like tempurpedic so was planning on schlepping mine along...but if they might have it on the ship...WOW. We will be on the Westerdam!

I certainly can't swear to what kind of mattresses either line has, but we have cruised on both the Zenith and Connie before HAL. HAl is heads above Celebrity in the bed comfort catagory. NMNita

[dolls4sell]

HAL has sealy beds. When we were on the 'O" the bed was soooo wonderful we ordered one through HAL. Now instead of counting sheep I now count cruises!!!

As for Hal & X. No cruise is perfect but Hal has the edge. Our room steward on our 2 week cruise on the O was the best, our waiter & wine steward on the Maasdam were just wonderful. They seem to make you feel special. I looked into others for this year but we are taking our 3rd HAL 10 day cruise on the Maasdam in October.

[sab490]

HAL's matresses are pillow top. Very comfortable - better than any hotel we have stayed in and far better than on any ship.

[Islandbuoy]

I would pick based on price and itinerary. Both lines are excellent. (avoid old beds)

[kelmac]

Hi All

 

We have only taken one cruise, Xmas 2006 on Celebrity Constellation. We loved it so much we have booked a transatlantic on Celebrity Millenium in March 2007.

 

Now we are also looking at December 2007 and are considering the Xmas and New Year Caribbean cruise on Noordam.

 

Has anyone cruised this ship who can compare it to the Celebrity ships and offer their views? We quite like the formality and service of Celebrity, not too many children on board (we like kids, we our own and grandchildren, but just don't want to be overwhelmed by them on holiday). Do you think HAL offers the same level of service or better than Celebrity?

 

Thanks for any input.

 

Hi Addict,

 

My wife and I just completed a BtoB last month; we matched the Millennium with the Westerdam, which are sister ships to the Constellation and the Noordam. Here is my head to head look at these two wonderful ships:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=464131

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[caviargal]

The T pools are not free on all X ships, just M class.

 

HAL does a much better job of ship maintenance, their service is really excellent, their beds second to none IME. I prefer X's service in the dining room a bit over HAL. Nightlife was not too perky on either line IME.

 

These days, I would choose HAL over X because of the upkeep of the ships and the comfort of their accomodations. The cost cuts on X can really be felt IMO.

[caviargal]

The T pools are not free on all X ships, just M class.

 

HAL does a much better job of ship maintenance, their service is really excellent, their beds second to none IME. I prefer X's service in the dining room a bit over HAL. Nightlife was not too perky on either line IME.

 

These days, I would choose HAL over X because of the upkeep of the ships and the comfort of their accomodations. The cost cuts on X can really be felt IMO.

[Wineguys]

and if the OP had posted this over at the Celebrity page she would get totally different answers...."sigh".....well, not to worry, we convinced the OP to come join us on the Noordam anyway...turns out she got a ggod "deal" and, bottom line, thats what really matters... ;) . I actually swore I would never "cruise" again after a horrible cruise on the Rotterdam, but then had the time of my life on a X cruise and now have booked several more, including another HAL. They are BOTH premium lines.

 

Differents lines for differents kines!

[sammiedawg]

I dont advocate one particular cruise line, but HAL and other lines do a much better job with ship maintenance and upkeep than Celebrity.

[griswalds]

We have cruised on both HAL and X. We prefer X over HAL especially for the quality of food and the entertainment. We found HAL to be a real sleeper. Some prefer that we don't.

 

The catch with X, is the problem they have with the M class ships and the annual breakdown of those ships. If you happen to be on when the pod goes, chances are you will not be happy. It is a design problem with the pods and not a maintenance problem.

 

Griswalds

[dorisdoris1]

heres my opinion.hal is older,and a bit clicky.less to do,and alot of guests are not really into kids on their cruise.i found the staterooms very,very cosy indeed.the food on hal in the lido was great,but i didnt find the staff in the lido pool to be that great,but i think i am in the minority there.i totally coudnt fault celebrity,at all,in any department,and indeed found their staff fantastic,the best.good luck.

[Sale Away]

I would pick based on price and itinerary. Both lines are excellent. (avoid old beds)

 

We've sailed on both and found it a toss-up. There were things we liked better on one or the other but bottom line is that I can book at suite level on HAL for about what it would cost me for a Concierge Level cabin on X without the added amenities we get on HAL. And we sailed in those cabins prior to the conversion to it becoming Concierge Level. There was no toss up when it came to cabin comfort and size. HAL won out.

[CruiseQueen13]

I've sailed w/ Celebrity 3x and LOVE it. Celebrity is my favorite cruise line thus far. Princess is 2nd. We are sailing on the Noordam 3/31 and looking fwd to it. This will be our first HAL cruise. Can't wait to go to bed!!!!

[O2B@C]

... My husband seems to think that they had tempurpedic mattresses on X. Is he dreaming? We have one at home. What kind of mattresses do they have on HAL?

 

Wow if you find out this is true please let me know because I would love to know if they might also have memory foam pillows by request! I have a disk injury and absolutely require a memory foam pillow like tempurpedic so was planning on schlepping mine along...but if they might have it on the ship...WOW. We will be on the Westerdam!

 

Robinsilver: Based on my experience on Mercury almost two years ago - admittedly both limited and dated - your husband is indeed dreaming! I sleep on a tempurpedic mattress (and pillow) at home, and the beds on Mercury (in a concierge class cabin) were tolerable, but nothing like a tempurpedic! They weren't nearly as comfortable as, say, a Westin Heavenly Bed - which is what I'm hoping the HAL beds are comparable to.

 

lippylulu: I think that in concierge class on X you may be able to get a memory foam pillow - I think that's one of the options listed on the vaunted "pillow menu" - but I'd check that out on the X board. And if you ever hear of a ship that has tempurpedic mattresses, please do let me know - it would considerably increase my DH's willingness to cruise with me, because at the moment he will sleep on nothing else!