Celebrity or HAL??

[Stock Cop]

My two cents...

 

Celebrity ships are classy and beautifully decorated. HAL has some seriously garish decor--it looks like a vegas casino threw up on a cruise ship. And not in a good way! :eek:

 

I think you are thinking of Carnival ships. I do not recall anything garish about HAL's decor at all.

 

Rich :cool: :cool:

[Coastaljen]

I have to smile at these threads. I have cruises on NCL, Holland, and Celebrity coming up. I go for itinerary, cost, and limited dates I can travel. NCL wouldn't be my first choice at all, but I like their itinerary for Hawaii.

 

As long as I am on the water on a ship, I am happy. ;)

 

P.S. Reading about the sushi though is exciting. OOooooh I hope Celebrity has it for my first Celebrity cruise at Christmas. Also, I agree with the prior poster that the Chef Rudi special dinner on Holland was "a bad idea," and they told us to bring our cameras for the big event. ha ha However, I may have been in the minority. Some people were videotaping it. The only thing worse than being there would be sitting and watching it over and over and over.........

Jennifer

[micmacmissy]

Okay....I thought I was done here, but...

 

...as I sat and ate my lunch today I was reading through my Frommer's Guide to Cruises 2007. I happened along page 175...which talks about the interior design of the vista-class HAL ships. It says, and I quote: "Wacky color schemes go the way of blinding oranges, red, and purples..." and then it says, "HAL's first ever designated discos are uninspired at best, and on Zuiderdam, just butt-ugly."

 

That's right, butt-ugly! Right there in print on page 175. Ahhh, I feel so vindicated! :p

[Tatka]

If I have the same choice of price, itinerary and such, I would prefer Celebrity. But other than that I wouldn't avoid HAL, even though we had less than satisfactory experience with Zuiderdam, although I understand, that it shouldn't be used as example.

[caviargal]

 

That's right, butt-ugly! Right there in print on page 175. Ahhh, I feel so vindicated! :p

 

 

What you now can state for certain is that someone else shares your views (which I believe are based on photos, not experience).

 

I found the decor on ZUI over the top at first, but certainly preferred it over the shabby condition of the Mercury just months before (bedding was atrocious, softgoods did not match anything else else in the cabin, carpets stained, public spaces worn).

 

To each his own but give me purple and red over a chipped sink and stained carpets anytime.:cool:

[DeepWaterMariner]

Given several choices with the same itinerary, yes we would be picky about the line we selected but we have been swayed by price in these comparisons...twice I recall choosing Princess over HAL due to price differences that were too significant to ignore. With that said, we have selected NCL (and usually one of their oldest ships) on several occasions because they were doing an itinerary that no one else was offering or not at mainstream cruise prices. I would rate two of those cruises as among our best ever, not because of the ship or cruise line, but because of the itineraries. Had we turned up our noses at the line we would have missed out on a couple of marvelous trips. Of coarse we could have waited a few years until a more acceptable cruise line offered these itineraries but life is too short to wait for the perfect choice.

[micmacmissy]

What you now can state for certain is that someone else shares your views (which I believe are based on photos, not experience).

 

It isn't just someone else who shares my views; it's a book that specifically reviews all aspects of cruises, written by a reputable travel comapny!

 

All other things being equal, my point was that the one thing that stood out for me about HAL was the garish decor, in comparison with Celebrity's, so that was the only issue I was specifically addressing.

 

At any rate, I forgive you, caviargal, for questioning my experience and implying I have made my judgments based on photographs alone. :)

[psychboss]

Have you seen them? Been on a HAL ship?

 

I had one and it was superb! SB corner suites on three HAL Vista ships. And the Neptune Lounge is a true perk.

 

One man's trash is another's treasure.;)

 

I had the pleasure of doing a 2 night cruise (a Travel Agent trip) on the Zuiderdam. It was wonderful. DH and I are going on our first HAL cruise in February based on how much I enjoyed that 2 night cruise. The ship was BEAUTIFUL, wide aisle ways so that people could pass each other without someone having to step aside, the food was wonderful, the service outstanding. And the staterooms were lovely. In fact I have never seen an inside stateroom as large as those on the Zuiderdam. And their beds were the most comfortable I have ever slept on away from home. As stated the Neptune Lounge is a wonderful Perk. AND they did not give us good service just because we were TA's their were paying passengers on the ship and I doubt that most of the crew knew who we were or cared. I am not saying I would stop being a loyal Celebrity fan but I do believe it is a wonderful cruise line with wonderful ships. I also found that on the cruise I was on the great majority of folks followed the guidelines on how to dress. Something some Celebrity passengers seem to have a problem with.

[caviargal]

It isn't just someone else who shares my views; it's a book that specifically reviews all aspects of cruises, written by a reputable travel comapny!

 

All other things being equal, my point was that the one thing that stood out for me about HAL was the garish decor, in comparison with Celebrity's, so that was the only issue I was specifically addressing.

 

At any rate, I forgive you, caviargal, for questioning my experience and implying I have made my judgments based on photographs alone. :)

 

micmissy, I was basing my comments on your reference to photos of the ZUI. You did not say you spoke from experience.

 

It is my experience that individuals are responsible for reviews, not entire companies. :) Same goes for travel books. I take professional reviews with a grain of salt, personally. I have read rave reviews - professional or otherwise - that I totally disagree with. Case in point, this board's "professional" review rates Carnival Glory at 4.5 stars, Century at 3.5.

 

I agree with the comments re Century based on my last cruise but my Glory cruise was at the MOST 2.5 stars. Garish decor, ridiculously crowded and excessively smoky, mediocre service and food, among other complaints.

 

Just because a professional rates it higher, does not mean it really is. Since I have been published twice in travel magazines, does that make my opinion more valuable than anothers? I don't think so, though it is more valuable to me.

 

Having dined at some of the restaurants pointed out in guide books, including Frommers, I have learned to rely on other sources.:p

[psychboss]

I have to smile at these threads. I have cruises on NCL, Holland, and Celebrity coming up. I go for itinerary, cost, and limited dates I can travel. NCL wouldn't be my first choice at all, but I like their itinerary for Hawaii.

 

As long as I am on the water on a ship, I am happy. ;)

 

P.S. Reading about the sushi though is exciting. OOooooh I hope Celebrity has it for my first Celebrity cruise at Christmas. Also, I agree with the prior poster that the Chef Rudi special dinner on Holland was "a bad idea," and they told us to bring our cameras for the big event. ha ha However, I may have been in the minority. Some people were videotaping it. The only thing worse than being there would be sitting and watching it over and over and over.........

Jennifer

 

 

Jennifer -

I am a TA and when it comes to cruising for our "personal pleasure" my DH and I have "our favorites", but we have also found some new cruise lines that we really like since I have been in this business. Because I am "in the business" I need to sail on all of the lines that I possibly can. I have found some that I love and some I can't wait to get off of.

 

BUT I can tell you that for Hawaii - you choose the BEST! NO ONE does Hawaii like NCL. They have the best itinerary! NCL spends TWICE the amount of time in port as any other cruise line - and THAT is what you are in Hawaii for "to SEE Hawaii". I hope you loved your cruise!

[Tatka]

As long as I am on the water on a ship, I am happy. ;)

 

Believe me I thought the same way before our Carnival cruise.... And it had many good points (food, service, cabin), but many times I thought I was in the bad part of the innercity.... with questionable "entertainment", or in the huge mall that just started to sell PS3. I am failry young and openminded, but not that openmided.

[psychboss]

Believe me I thought the same way before our Carnival cruise.... And it had many good points (food, service, cabin), but many times I thought I was in the bad part of the innercity.... with questionable "entertainment", or in the huge mall that just started to sell PS3. I am failry young and openminded, but not that open mided.

 

As I said I am out to sail on every cruise line, so last February DH and I sailed for a week on the Triumph. NOW, I also believe that all of these cruise lines exists because "one person's trash is another person's treasure" and "one person's treasure is another person's trash" ! SO, with that said... I will be perfectly happy in my life if I NEVER sail Carnival again. We had VERY mediocre food, TERRIBLE service, we were actually YELLED at 3 times, and the language problem was so bad with our room steward we had to call the purser's desk if we wanted anything, and they sent an interperter! We had an aft cabin, but there was no seating in it except the bed! No chairs, love seat, sofa, table NOTHING! The ship was lovely, public rooms, lounges and casino were fine - our waiter in the dining room for dinner was excellent - everything else was horrible!

[Jade13]

I just wanted to thank everyone for your great descriptions and suggestions on the two lines. I still haven't made my decision yet but seem to be leaning more towards Celebrity right now.

 

When looking at the deck plans of the HAL ships I really like the layout of the rooms and the shower/tub combo in the rooms but overall I think that celebrity may have more of what I am looking for in terms of ambiance. I also hear they have pretty good sushi. Does anyone know if HAL has sushi?

 

Thanks,

 

Jodie

 

They have Sushi. If I was interested in both lines I would pick based on itinerary.

[Jade13]

Okay....I thought I was done here, but...

 

...as I sat and ate my lunch today I was reading through my Frommer's Guide to Cruises 2007. I happened along page 175...which talks about the interior design of the vista-class HAL ships. It says, and I quote: "Wacky color schemes go the way of blinding oranges, red, and purples..." and then it says, "HAL's first ever designated discos are uninspired at best, and on Zuiderdam, just butt-ugly."

 

That's right, butt-ugly! Right there in print on page 175. Ahhh, I feel so vindicated! :p

 

I just got off of the Westerdam and the ship was lovely. There is also very fine art onboard. There is even an ipod art tour you can download and take whilre onboard. I would have to disagree with this reviewers opinion.

[Jade13]

thanks for your quick replys.

 

I am glad to hear that HAL at least has sushi as an option as grocery store quality will do for a sushi fix:D.

 

Jodie

 

It was available everyday at the Lido Buffet on the Westerdam. Believe me, by dinner you will want to be served in the dining room. There is enough Sushi fora fix. Don't forget to try the famous bread pudding in the Lido. You need to ask for it as it is behind the counter in the dessert area.

[Arubalisa]

[quote name='rain_bowbrite']When looking at the deck plans of the HAL ships I really like the layout of the rooms and the shower/tub combo in the rooms but overall I think that celebrity may have more of what I am looking for in terms of ambiance. I also hear they have pretty good sushi. Does anyone know if HAL has sushi? Thanks, Jodie[/quote][COLOR=navy]We were 2 adults and 1 -10 yo in a 179 sq ft balcony cabin on the Galaxy and found it much roomier than we imagined. HAL was definitely for us an "older" (for reference we are mid-40's) crowd and this was Christmas with huge numbers of kids. Don't remember sushi on HAL, but the sushi on the Galaxy was pretty darn good! Not quite as good as our local sushi restaurant, but 100% better than something you bring home ready-made from the supermarket. FWIW, the food on HAL was good, X better by a hair. Service on X was better than HAL.[/COLOR]