Which Cruise Line Has Maintained Standards In Faltering Economy: HAL or Celebrity?

[Chelly]

During the faltering economy, I am wondering which cruise line has better maintained its standards? HAL or Celebrity?

This questioned is prompted by my following HAL's forums almost daily for well over a year (even tho I've only been a CC member since last Aug.)

Over a year ago, it seemed most of the postings here were about the refinement and high quality of HAL cruises. Recently, I'm reading many more complaints about overall quality. Admittedly, I have not followed Celebrity as closely as HAL, so am wondering if members who are both HAL and Celebrity fans can offer input. Thanks!

C.

[EatonDoolittle]

As you probably know from following the boards, you are not going to get any sort of acurate answer.

 

Each line has it's rabid cheerleaders who cannot even dream of cruising on another line.

 

I perfer to experience more out of life, and as such spread my cruise dollars around. I am in the second or third level (platinum, elite, whatever, who cares...) on RCL, Princess, HAL and Celebrity, and read the boards of whatever lines I have reserved.

 

IMO, each line has plusses and minuses. Although, I will say, Royal Caribbean has always been the Wal-Mart / Motel 6 of cruise lines (cheap, someting for everybody, zero ameneties), and I took a last minute, too cheap to stay home reposition from Panama to Ft. Lauderdale this spring.

 

When I came back I called my travel agent and said "great time, great itinerary, but Never Again on that line". Too many negatives to go into.

 

If you are a "gotta have" or "we always get" kind of person, you are set up for disappointment, and I think that is what you are seeing in the posts.

 

If you think, like I do, that some trips are just more perfect than others, the small stuff won't matter.

[woody73]

 

During the faltering economy, I am wondering which cruise line has better maintained its standards? HAL or Celebrity?

You might try posting the same question on the Celebrity boards.

 

Woody

[Chelly]

You might try posting the same question on the Celebrity boards.

 

Woody

 

 

Will do.

[bepsf]

Well, certain Celebrity ships had rather pathetic "standards" before the economy crashed....

:cool:

[DFD1]

I'll give you my opinion, based on my experiences and lots of reading, I believe HAL is doing a reasonably good job of keeping up appearances. Better than X it seems to me.

[kelmac]

During the faltering economy, I am wondering which cruise line has better maintained its standards? HAL or Celebrity?

 

This questioned is prompted by my following HAL's forums almost daily for well over a year (even tho I've only been a CC member since last Aug.)

 

Over a year ago, it seemed most of the postings here were about the refinement and high quality of HAL cruises. Recently, I'm reading many more complaints about overall quality. Admittedly, I have not followed Celebrity as closely as HAL, so am wondering if members who are both HAL and Celebrity fans can offer input. Thanks!

C.

 

Chelly,

 

You might want to check if the people responding are cruising both lines and have done so in the past 12 months. Brian spent two days on one Celebrity ship four years ago, so his frame of reference is limited.

In the last twelve months Lauren and I have cruised Celebirty three times and HAL twice. Poeple over on the Celebrity boards know that I've been one of the biggest fans of alternating between these two great cruise lines.

IMO -- HAL is in a slow tail spin and we will not be booking a cruise with them anytime soon. Celebrity has new life with the new Solstice class ships leading the way. Our Solstice cruise in March was the best we have experienced in 32 cruises. We just got off the Maasdam (use to be our favorite HAL ship) and signs of cuts are everywhere. The open seating program in the dining room is not going well. They even shut down the air conditioning system on Disembarkation/Embarkation day. No trays in the Lido, and the food line is smaller and is being run by just a few servers. We didn't see our cabin steward until day five. Our last two HAL cruises have been kind of a let down and that's sad as we have grown to love Holland America.

I'm sure they will turn things around as the economy rebounds, but for now, we will take a sabbatical from HAL.

No such thing as a bad cruise!

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Cruise Junky]

Pretty sure Celebrity is still serving "Real" food in the MDR, can't say the same for HAL on the Crab.

[operafan]

Well, certain Celebrity ships had rather pathetic "standards" before the economy crashed....

:cool:

 

Hmmmm.... X had high standards on every cruise we've taken with them......... Has something changed?

[Cruisinetta]

I take at least one Celebrity cruise a year and have not noticed any changes. One difference in Hal and Celebrity is that Celebrity has maintained a full events staff, while HAL's staff has been cut drastically. I am a cheerleader for both lines, so my opinion is not swayed either way.

[helenp2]

There is a reason HAL is known as "The Spotless Fleet" and I can tell you X just does not maintain their ships (especially cabins) anywhere near as well as HAL. My idea of a relaxing cruise is not to have hundreds of kids running up and down hallways and monopolizing the pools all day with no parental supervision. Baseball caps on backwards and wife beater Tee shirts were seen in X's main dining room on more than one occasion. We will not sail with X again after our last experience which was horrible.

[pspercy]

Kel, isn't there a huge difference between HAL and C. Solstice etc, I've always thought the megaships would be just too huge but maybe the atmosphere is good on them ?

Certainly, I don't find their lines attractive, look like travelling apt. blocks !!

[usha]

:)kelmac, thanks! I really value your opinion, as we seem to have very similar prefereces & share a love for both lines. Now I'm looking forward to our X cruise next winter even more!:D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Chelly,

 

You might want to check if the people responding are cruising both lines and have done so in the past 12 months. Brian spent two days on one Celebrity ship four years ago, so his frame of reference is limited.

In the last twelve months Lauren and I have cruised Celebirty three times and HAL twice. Poeple over on the Celebrity boards know that I've been one of the biggest fans of alternating between these two great cruise lines.

IMO -- HAL is in a slow tail spin and we will not be booking a cruise with them anytime soon. Celebrity has new life with the new Solstice class ships leading the way. Our Solstice cruise in March was the best we have experienced in 32 cruises. We just got off the Maasdam (use to be our favorite HAL ship) and signs of cuts are everywhere. The open seating program in the dining room is not going well. They even shut down the air conditioning system on Disembarkation/Embarkation day. No trays in the Lido, and the food line is smaller and is being run by just a few servers. We didn't see our cabin steward until day five. Our last two HAL cruises have been kind of a let down and that's sad as we have grown to love Holland America.

I'm sure they will turn things around as the economy rebounds, but for now, we will take a sabbatical from HAL.

No such thing as a bad cruise!

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Kel, while I have never done a Celebrity Cruise and hope to someday. I do not think it is really fair to judge HAL against the Solstice and your last cruise with HAL was on the Maasdam one of the older ships in HAL's Fleet. In recent years you have only done the Westerdam and Maasdam. To me that is not a lot of variety to be comparing HAL. (kind of like you comment to Brian) I really am not picking on you but sadly the Mercury is still getting lots of bad reviews even after her refurbish. Now if you were to have been on the Eurodam then I think you could do a more fair comparison. From what I have read and talked to with people that cruise both lines is that Celebrity has in fact placed the best of the best on the Solstice and have kept her in tip top shape. While I have heard that the other Celebrity Ships have not had such tender loving care as HAL's older ships. I was recently in my TA's office and a gentleman who cruises Celebrity about 6 times a year was booking yet another cruise with my TA except this time he refused to be on Celebrity's older ships. He was actually looking at the Eurodam and or Cunard.

Of course you are always going to have people that think that their favorite line is perfect but from what I have heard and read if you read between the lines Celebrity yes is putting all their eggs into the Solstice and hoping that will keep them afloat..... where HAL is spreading their eggs around and trying not to let any of their ships to falter.

When it comes down to it all the cruise lines are feeling the crunch. Only time will tell if they can all stay afloat.

[traveler111]

It's been a while since I took a Celebrity cruise but even at that time I did not understand the enthusiasm it engendered. While on the Ryndam this past March I did not see much of my cabin steward but that was all right. He did an excellent job; I do not expect to be fawned over. :)

[shandryl]

As you probably know from following the boards, you are not going to get any sort of acurate answer.

 

Each line has it's rabid cheerleaders who cannot even dream of cruising on another line.

 

I perfer to experience more out of life, and as such spread my cruise dollars around. I am in the second or third level (platinum, elite, whatever, who cares...) on RCL, Princess, HAL and Celebrity, and read the boards of whatever lines I have reserved.

 

IMO, each line has plusses and minuses. Although, I will say, Royal Caribbean has always been the Wal-Mart / Motel 6 of cruise lines (cheap, someting for everybody, zero ameneties), and I took a last minute, too cheap to stay home reposition from Panama to Ft. Lauderdale this spring.

 

When I came back I called my travel agent and said "great time, great itinerary, but Never Again on that line". Too many negatives to go into.

 

If you are a "gotta have" or "we always get" kind of person, you are set up for disappointment, and I think that is what you are seeing in the posts.

 

If you think, like I do, that some trips are just more perfect than others, the small stuff won't matter.

 

 

I too like to spread my cruise dollars around This way I really can compare and make choices that work for me. ;)

[kelmac]

Kel, while I have never done a Celebrity Cruise and hope to someday. I do not think it is really fair to judge HAL against the Solstice and your last cruise with HAL was on the Maasdam one of the older ships in HAL's Fleet. In recent years you have only done the Westerdam and Maasdam. To me that is not a lot of variety to be comparing HAL. (kind of like you comment to Brian) I really am not picking on you but sadly the Mercury is still getting lots of bad reviews even after her refurbish. Now if you were to have been on the Eurodam then I think you could do a more fair comparison. From what I have read and talked to with people that cruise both lines is that Celebrity has in fact placed the best of the best on the Solstice and have kept her in tip top shape. While I have heard that the other Celebrity Ships have not had such tender loving care as HAL's older ships. I was recently in my TA's office and a gentleman who cruises Celebrity about 6 times a year was booking yet another cruise with my TA except this time he refused to be on Celebrity's older ships. He was actually looking at the Eurodam and or Cunard.

 

Of course you are always going to have people that think that their favorite line is perfect but from what I have heard and read if you read between the lines Celebrity yes is putting all their eggs into the Solstice and hoping that will keep them afloat..... where HAL is spreading their eggs around and trying not to let any of their ships to falter.

 

When it comes down to it all the cruise lines are feeling the crunch. Only time will tell if they can all stay afloat.

 

LAFFNVEGAS,

 

Lauren and I have cruised the Veendam, Volendam, Zuiderdam, Westerdam (twice), and the Maasdam (three times), so eight HAL cruises total. We've cruised Celebrity 13 times, so I think we have a pretty good pulse when it comes to comparing Holland America to Celebrity.

 

IMO -- The last year HAL seems to be responding to the economy by making cuts. I've noticed no cuts by Celebrity. The Millennium class ships of Celebrity have always been a step above the Vista class ships. The new Solstice class ships could be the best "bang for the buck" at sea. We have not cruised the Eurodam, so I can't make an informed opinion concerning this ship. We've always felt that Holland America has the edge in the midsize ship area, with the Maasdam being our favorite. The Mercury needs some work as it has never had a major refit like the Century. Of couse, Celebrity owns Azamara which has two wonderful smaller ships, but in that price range they compete with Oceania and the longer range ships of HAL.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[Route6A]

I have not sailed on HAL since last fall and am scheduled to take another cruise, 26 days duration, on the Noordam this October. Last year was terrific, but the cruise took place just as the bank crisis was starting. Interesting mood on the ship, that's for sure. So, I am not up-to-date on cutbacks on HAL.

 

In the case of Celebrity, I took a TA on the Constellation, our favorite Celebrity ship, in April of this year, the same trip I took on Constellation in 2006. Much evidence of changes. Our stateroom, a royal suite, was the very same one we had in 2006, now showing wear. The sofa bed was broken and had to be repaired. It was left made up broken one evening. The legs at the head of the bed had given way. How anyone could sleep with that situation is beyond me. The lighting in the suite had been changed, so that it was so low we could not see to read. The bathroom lighting had also been changed, so that it was very dim. When we boarded, the shower light was not working. Adding light to it made little difference. As we departed the suite one evening, a huge panel to the left of the outside entry gave way and slammed against the opposing wall. No injury to us, fortunately. The mattress was dreadful, even with added padding. The heat in our suite did not work, so that as we advanced across the Atlantic, it became extremely cold in our suite. Efforts were made to get the heat working, but did not succeed. Finally, the air flow was turned off to stop the cold air. I love cool rooms, but this was frigid. The following cruise was to northern Europe. Imagine the comfort level for that trip. The lighting was so dim throughout the ship, that passengers hovered around the windows to read in the lounges during the day. On a crossing, reading is a pretty popular activity. The forward observation lounge, which was converted to a venue for Circ du Soleil some years ago, is now a hodge podge of design from that era with some added club chairs. It could be a wonderful space as it was originally, but nothing has been done to update it. Some staff told us they think that Celebrity is going to sell Constellation. That may explain the reluctance to refurbish this space, which badly needs attention.

 

Food was generally acceptable, but cutbacks are evident. No more lobster, except in a casserole with other fish on one formal night. Lots of braised meat, which I like fortunately. The cuisine is generally designed to save money. Not much butter or cream is used in desserts anymore.

 

Service remains outstanding, and the crew were extremely helpful throughout our cruise. Both our stateroom staff and dining room staff were excellent. I think they are working under duress with the cutbacks and passengers who are either reducing the auto tips or taking them off completely. We do not intend to sail with Celebrity on their older ships again, but may book one of the new, larger ships, which I understand are providing more value and are, of course, in better condition. I should add that this cruise was the only one we have taken on Celebrity that we would consider sub par. Economic conditions no doubt dictated the changes we experienced.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

LAFFNVEGAS,

 

Lauren and I have cruised the Veendam, Volendam, Zuiderdam, Westerdam (twice), and the Maasdam (three times), so eight HAL cruises total. We've cruised Celebrity 13 times, so I think we have a pretty good pulse when it comes to comparing Holland America to Celebrity.

 

IMO -- The last year HAL seems to be responding to the economy by making cuts. I've noticed no cuts by Celebrity. The Millennium class ships of Celebrity have always been a step above the Vista class ships. The new Solstice class ships could be the best "bang for the buck" at sea. We have not cruised the Eurodam, so I can't make an informed opinion concerning this ship. We've always felt that Holland America has the edge in the midsize ship area, with the Maasdam being our favorite. The Mercury needs some work as it has never had a major refit like the Century. Of couse, Celebrity owns Azamara which has two wonderful smaller ships, but in that price range they compete with Oceania and the longer range ships of HAL.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Kel it is obvious you love Celebrity and feel they can do no wrong. I just want to point out that your cruises on the Veendam, Volendam and even the Zuiderdam have been several years ago. That would be like me comparing my sailings on the Monarch of the Seas, my Maasdam, Veendam, Zuiderdam and even Ryndam cruises. I do not do that nor do I make comments on the board because it has been too many years to make a valid comment or comparison. I just state the fact that I have been on them nothing more. Your only real recent HAL cruise was the Maasdam and you are trying to compare her to the Solstice and Millie. To me there is no comparison. Yes, I do love HAL but I am also willing to point out things that need improvement. From what I have read from many Celebrity ships with of course the big exception of the Solstice is that X Ships are faltering far more in this economy than the over all HAL Fleet.

Go to any port where there is a Celebrity ship (Not Solstice) and you will see a ships that looks pretty banged up with lots of rust marks. Take a look at any HAL ship. In many cases you will see HAL Crew out there painting and maintaining the ship.

[CowPrincess]

Food was generally acceptable, but cutbacks are evident. No more lobster, except in a casserole with other fish on one formal night. Lots of braised meat, which I like fortunately. The cuisine is generally designed to save money. Not much butter or cream is used in desserts anymore.

 

Your description of food on Celebrity is fairly consistent with HAL, as well. We did see lobster tails, but HAL too has cut down on the quality of the food. The preperation of said food is good, but the ingredients are lower-quality than they once were.

 

It is to be expected -- corners have to be cut where they can be.

 

Go to any port where there is a Celebrity ship (Not Solstice) and you will see a ships that looks pretty banged up with lots of rust marks. Take a look at any HAL ship. In many cases you will see HAL Crew out there painting and maintaining the ship.

 

Personally I don't see where that affects my onboard experience. If the interior is unclean, unmaintained, then YES that affects me as a passenger. If the ship's hull needs to be repainted, it has no direct bearing on my enjoyment. Perhaps HAL should evaluate all the resources used for exterior maintenance, and see if some could be redeployed to areas that directly affect passenger experience.

[usha]

If the ship's hull needs to be repainted, it has no direct bearing on my enjoyment. Perhaps HAL should evaluate all the resources used for exterior maintenance, and see if some could be redeployed to areas that directly affect passenger experience.

Exactly. A couple of years ago we saw Regent Seven Seas Navigator up close, and were aghast at the hull's appearance. It was obvious that it had been chipped and repainted repeatedly without much sandblasting to smooth out the surface. Frankly, it looked terrible. Did that make me think I would never want to go on a Regent Seven Seas cruise? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, NO.:cool:

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Exactly. A couple of years ago we saw Regent Seven Seas Navigator up close, and were aghast at the hull's appearance. It was obvious that it had been chipped and repainted repeatedly without much sandblasting to smooth out the surface. Frankly, it looked terrible. Did that make me think I would never want to go on a Regent Seven Seas cruise? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh, NO.:cool:

Yeah but how they maintain the outside of the ship gives me a good idea of how they are maintaining the inside and behind the scenes of the inside of the ship. Frankly if a ship looks to be all rusted out and not well taken care of on the outside NO I would not want to cruise on that ship. Good chance maintence is lacking in many parts of the ship :eek:

[JerseyJaguar]

I saw a difference in stateroom cleaning between last year and this year on HAL. I don't know if it's because they've given the stewards more rooms, or the two people thing isn't jelling well, but there was definitely a difference for my room. Not so much that I was disgusted, but I was disappointed. And didn't tip over and above this time.

[CowPrincess]

Yeah but how they maintain the outside of the ship gives me a good idea of how they are maintaining the inside and behind the scenes of the inside of the ship. Frankly if a ship looks to be all rusted out and not well taken care of on the outside NO I would not want to cruise on that ship. Good chance maintence is lacking in many parts of the ship :eek:

 

IMHO that's a big leap to be making. My house exterior needed to be painted for two years (long story about unreliable painting contractors). Did that mean the interior of my house was shabby? No, not at all -- and to simply presume that a maintained exterior necessarily equates to a maintained interior and maintainaed mechanical infrastructure is faulty logic. Given some of the reports on this board recently, it sounds as though a maintained exterior is absolutely NOT indicative of the condition of other areas that require maintenance.

[cruisinjudy]

I think the food just depends on the ship at the time. Our last Celebrity cruise was on Millennium in September and the food was a disappointment. Not up to previous Celebrity standards. I do not know if this was just a fluke for that period of time but others on Millennium in the fall also had many complaints. Maybe it was just that ship. We do have Equinox booked for November and word is things are better on the new ships. We shall see. On HAL I am not seeing some of the previous items. I really can't judge our May cruise on HAL as I was sick with some severe cough and loss of appetite. The February cruise I had no complaints.