HAL vs. Celebrity

[gordons4]

Hello everyone,

 

We have sailed on HAL twice previously--both times to Alaska. We are looking at a Panama Canal cruise, and have it narrowed down to HAL or Celebrity. Each itinerary has pros and cons, so we can't make a decision based on that.

 

We really liked HAL, but don't necessarily want to put ourselves into a box. If you have sailed both HAL and Celebrity, could you please share your pros and cons of each?

 

Thanks so much for your help.

 

Sheri

[CMDE]

We have been on two Celebrity Cruises (one 10 day Caribbean - Century and one 14 day Panama - Mercury) and one HAL cruise (7 day Caribbean - Westerdam). Going through the Panama Canal will be thrilling, no matter what ship you take. We liked both cruise lines, but here are some of the differences I have noticed (this list is very subjective, so take it for what it's worth):

 

- Food in the main dining room was much better on Celebrity, but I am comparing fixed dining on Celebrity with anytime dining on HAL, may make a difference. As much as I like the flexibility of anytime dining, the two cruises we did with Celebrity convinced me that you get better service with fixed seating and you also get a chance to know your table-mates better

- loved the wraparound promenade deck on the Westerdam. On Celebrity, it wasn't wraparound and people placed their deck chairs helter-skelter and blocked the view, sort of annoying

- our room on the Westerdam was much larger and lovely. We have so far always had inside cabins, and the HAL cabin was very large and nice

- loved the iced drinking water in our cabin on Celebrity that was always filled, but the fresh fruit in our HAL cabin was also nice

- service was slightly better on Celebrity

- the library on the Westerdam was great. It was also good on the Century, but really lacking on the Mercury, I was disappointed

- cafes were nice on all the ships we have been on.

- the welcome aboard ship after excursions was very nice on Celebrity, with ice cold clothes and cold drinks when we were waiting to tender

- the cruise on the Westerdam was probably the most relaxing of the 4 cruises we have been on.

 

You can see that for me it's sort of a toss-up between the two lines - can't decide which to do next. We have enjoyed all the cruises we have been on (did one more, Alaska on Princess).

[Sillyjilly]

The food and service between the 2 lines are similar.

 

The biggest difference I noticed was Celebrity had more of a night life. Hal pretty much goes to bed at 9.

 

Depending on which ships you are comparing, there's a good chance the Hal cabin will be larger too.

 

I don't think you can go wrong either way. Is the price similar between the 2 you are looking at?

[aussiedisneyfan]

I think I might prefer HAL over Celebrity but it is a tough one. For me, I found:

 

Celebrity

Greater choice of food, especially the buffets and also preferred the layout of buffets.

More trivia type activities

Better cruiseline shows.

 

HAL

DH loves the dutch association

Rooms bigger

Free cappucinos etc at dinner and fresh oj at breakfast

Library excellent

Atmosphere lovely and dignified

Laundry services offered (and self service on some ships)

 

We did virtually identical itineraries with Celebrity and HAl around New Zealand to Australia. The other bonus with HAL was that they provided free shuttles from the ship to the towns. Celebrity charged $8-10pp each way. Not sure it that is the norm or not.

[jer_l]

We have sailed on four HAL cruises--Oosterdam (Mexico), Veendam (Alaska), Ryndam (Alaska) and Statendam (Alaska)--for a total of 28 days. We have sailed on 6 Celebrity cruises--Mercury (Alaska, PNW and Mexico), Summit (Alaska), Infinity (Alaska) and Constellation (Caribbean)--for a total of 51 days.

 

The two lines are certainly comparable and each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Even within the brands some ships were better than others. Here is MY opinion. (And it just that--an opinion.)

 

Celebrity Strengths

MDR--good on both lines, but I felt food and service was better on X.

Shows--Good on both but X has the edge--especially with production shows. The Celebrity orchestra excels and I think is much better than the HALCats.

Room stewards--overall I think X does better here, but our best room steward was on HAL. Our worst was on a different HAL ship.

Front desk--Good on both lines, but I think X is best.

Embarkation--X serves champagne!

 

HAL Strengths

Buffet--Good on both lines but better on HAL (One exception--X offers sushi each evening and it is real sushi. HAL has "sushi" at lunch, but everything is cooked.)

Cabins--HAL gets the edge here mainly because of the comfortable beds. Some people like the fact that there are tubs--I don't. I do like the X configuration better with the loveseat by the window instead of the beds under the window like HAL.

Art/decor--HAL excels here. I love the ipod art tours and the careful design that sets each ship apart. Some of the "art" on X is odd.

Disembarkation--HAL does it better.

 

Toss-ups

Entertainment (lounges/pools)--both lines are very good overall, but I have heard some bad notes on both lines from groups that should have been left on the dock.

Smoking--It depends if you smoke. X is much more restrictive on places smoking is allowed. If you are allergic to smoke or if you are a smoker you might want to check this out before booking. (You can find many long discussions on these boards.)

 

I'm sure you will have a great cruise whichever line you sail. (We are currently trying to decide on which line to sail next summer for our 35th anniversary. I think we've decided, but I haven't booked it yet.)

[world~citizen]

Six of one, half a dozen of the other...:)

 

Can't lose either way.

 

Smooth sailing...

[goody1]

We have sailed twice with Celebrity (Century) and were on the Eurodam this month. This was our first time with Hal and we have just booked a 2 week cruise in Alaska next July on the Amsterdam.

 

As previous posters have stated, there are pros and cons with each line.

We found the food in the MDR was slightly better on Celebrity, although the speciality restaurants on the Eurodam (especially the Tamarind) were very good. Our cabin with verandah on the Eurodam was the largest we've had in 7 cruises with 6 different cruiselines.

 

We felt the entertainment was better on Celebrity.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[operafan]

We've been on 4 Celebrity cruises and 1 HAL. The two lines are very similar, both turning out a good product. I think service on X (Celebrity) is a little more polished, with ships having a more modern feel and more nightlife. HAL is more traditional with an older clientele. I think food is similar in MDR but I think HAL's buffet wins hands down. HAL wins in the cabin category being both a little larger and for having the tub. There's just more room. For us, the choice would come down to the itinerary and price.

[Jade13]

We've been on 4 Celebrity cruises and 1 HAL. The two lines are very similar, both turning out a good product. I think service on X (Celebrity) is a little more polished, with ships having a more modern feel and more nightlife. HAL is more traditional with an older clientele. I think food is similar in MDR but I think HAL's buffet wins hands down. HAL wins in the cabin category being both a little larger and for having the tub. There's just more room. For us, the choice would come down to the itinerary and price.

 

Our experience was different. The clientele was the same age range and we thought food was better on HAL. The shows were better on HAL but better music throughout the ship on Celebrity. HAL had better beds and a better buffet and a better library. We wrote a review.

 

We are trying Azamara next year. Azamara has better itineraries than HAL if you want exotic locations.

[operafan]

Jade13, Which X ship were you on? We really like the Millennium class both for size and amenities. The aquaspa is wonderful- especially the pool and cafe.

[Ichiban Nekko]

We were on the Mercury through the Panama Canal last year. One thing we really noticed as a plus for Celebrity (no flaming, please!) was the result of their new smoking policy. The casino is smoke-free, as are most areas of the ship. For details, I suggest you look at the Celebrity website.

 

I believe Celebrity is going to start a form of As You Wish Dining, if that is important to you.

 

We had a wonderful cruise, despite the Code Red status.

 

On the other hand, we prefer HAL for the larger cabins, the library, the Culinary Arts Center/Wajang Theater (with popcorn), wraparound decks.

 

No matter what cruise you choose, you are sure to have a wonderful experience.:) Please let us know what you decide.

 

Bon voyage!

[maltese mickey]

Took a Celebrity cruise in February (Carribean) which was VERY nice and a HAL in May which was also great (thought the food in the diningroom better on Eurodam than Constellation). The thalasotherapy pool on Constellation was free but costly on HAL. So I'd say it is a toss up!!

[Warren1]

Hello everyone,

 

We have sailed on HAL twice previously--both times to Alaska. We are looking at a Panama Canal cruise, and have it narrowed down to HAL or Celebrity. Each itinerary has pros and cons, so we can't make a decision based on that.

 

We really liked HAL, but don't necessarily want to put ourselves into a box. If you have sailed both HAL and Celebrity, could you please share your pros and cons of each?

 

Thanks so much for your help.

 

Sheri

 

 

I"m leaving on a Hal ship later in september. this will be our first time. What i can say is that Celbrity treated us royally. it was for a 14 day cruise. Our flight was to have a stop over in dallas that got cancelled. the airline moved us to a flight to LA, then to Miami then onto San Juan. The flights were real close to gether and our luggage didn't make the ship. Didn't arrive for 5 days.

No fault of Celebrity they bent over backwards to help us out. first with his and hers leather bound cases with toillettres. Next morning they gave us 200.00 shipborad credit to buy things. They also gave us formal wear for us both. Then allowed us to call ship to shore, at 14.00 a minute to the airlines (on the phone for over an hour) mostly on hold. and then to home. incase our lugggge showed up before we did. All at no charge.

 

After our luggage did arrive, they gave us an additonal 200.00 shipboard credit for the inconvience.

We made our own airline tickets and had nothing to do with cruiseline.

 

My hat is off to Celebrity for all what they did for us.

They could have said sorry nothing we can do.

[baggal]

What type of cabin did you have? Just wondering if Celebrity treats all their guests (from inside cabin to Penthouse suite) as well as they did you.

 

If they did, its a good reason to try Celebrity.

[DavidJ]

I like both lines, but the edge goes to Holland. Watch out for the cost of wine and alcohol on Celebrity. Holland beats Celebrity hands down there. The specialty restaurants cost much more on Celebrity. The wine steward at the specialty restaurant on Celebrity said the wine per GLASS less than $32 would be "undrinkable" . One would have to wonder if that were the case, why in the world would they serve it. I never felt the pressure for "upsell" with Holland.

[Warren1]

What type of cabin did you have? Just wondering if Celebrity treats all their guests (from inside cabin to Penthouse suite) as well as they did you.

 

If they did, its a good reason to try Celebrity.

 

On that cruise we had an outside room. I do believe they would have helped anyone on board in the same situation

I do know they had two large cabinets full of the leather pouches. If non of the shops were open and you needed a razor, they would give you one of those pouches.

[oceanbill457]

As a former HAL employee at the San Diego airport, my only advice is don't pay for a transfer if you book with HAL. Yo can catch a cab for about $10 and avoid waiting for a bus. The Cruise Terminal is less than 10 minutes away. I am booked on a Celebrity Cruise from San Diego in Nov and was upgraded to Concierge Class at a reduced price. Good luck.

[oceanbill457]

As a former HAL employee at the San Diego airport, my only advice is don't pay for a transfer if you book with HAL. You can catch a cab for about $10 and avoid waiting for a bus. The Cruise Terminal is less than 10 minutes away. I am booked on a Celebrity Cruise from San Diego in Nov and was upgraded to Concierge Class at a reduced price. Good luck.

[gordons4]

Thanks for all the replies, and if anyone else wants to chime in, feel free. :)

 

You have all given us a lot to think about. We really do like the larger cabins and balconies on HAL, and love the beds, which is very important. But it sounds like Celebrity has a lot to offer, too--and they may be a little bit cheaper. (But with this once-in-a-lifetime cruise, we are not going to go cheaper just to go cheaper.)

 

I think you have all convinced me that no matter which of the two lines we choose, we're going to have a great time. I'll let you know what we decide, and meanwhile, anymore input would be great.

 

Sheri