Cruise Talk: HAL .vs. Celebrity

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»	Cruise Talk » Cruising 1.0 » HAL .vs. Celebrity

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Topic: HAL .vs. Celebrity

dockside
First Class Passenger
Member # 1622

posted 07-23-2001 11:49 AM

My wife and I have sailed three times in the past six years. All the cruises were on Carnival (Imagination, Jubilee & Sensation) The first was a last minute SPECIAL deal, the second was a corporate apology for the first and the third was for our teenage children.
I long for the charm and elegance of our first cruise twenty five years ago on Home Line's Oceanic. Our next trip will be strictly well planned and for us. We are considering either HAL or Celebrity. They appear to be fairly equal. I have heard that Celebrity in order to maximum profits will "Nickels and Dimes your to Death" once on board. On the other hand HAL cruises are greared for senior citizens who so boring the problem is staying awake. Any Cpomments?

Posts: 52 | From: New Jersey, USA | Registered: Oct 2000 | IP: Logged

Malcolm @ cruisepage
Cruise Director
Member # 301

posted 07-23-2001 12:09 PM

I think the most important factor of a great cruise is the great people you meet.
Unfortunately, you can't book that! However it is wise to find a cruise line that attacts your kind of people.

Posts: 19210 | From: Essex (Just Outside London) | Registered: A Long Time Ago! | IP: Logged

Green
First Class Passenger
Member # 171

posted 07-23-2001 12:19 PM

dockside -

Go with HAL - you are not 'nickle and dimed' - Medical services (hopefully not needed) are vastly superior - smiling faces are everywhere - everyone is happy to do their appointed tasks and then some.

It's true that on some itineraries there are many seniors - e.g. Hawaii but they can dance up a storm and really have a ball - ignore the cranky ones!

Long time HAL cruisers.

Happy cruisin'

Posts: 2913 | From: Markham, Ontario, Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

Italian Cruiser
First Class Passenger
Member # 1684

posted 07-23-2001 01:30 PM

Personally I prefer Celebrity Cruises: it offers an excellent cruise product that encounter the tastes of all the categories of passengers.I think that the cuisine and the entrateinment are far better than those offered by HAL (about the second point this company offers infact a more traditional cruise product ).But if you have to choose your next cruise for the itineraries with no doubt HAL offers the best cruises, with more exotic destinations than Celebrity Cruises.

Posts: 887 | From: Orvieto (Italy) | Registered: Nov 2000 | IP: Logged

geno-r
First Class Passenger
Member # 931

posted 07-23-2001 02:13 PM

We too have never cruised on HAL so this topic is at the right time! We too have 3 Carnival cruises under and over our belt LOL. We enjoyed the Tropicale very much, it seemed like a slightly upscale Carnival cruise. So with HAL,we are expecting a slightly upscale agin Carnival cruise, am I wrong? I'm expecting Hal to offer great food, great entertainment and more refined service but with the same empasis on fun(although mabe more low keyed) than Carnival. Is this a fair assesment of HAL???

Posts: 549 | From: Mt. Pocono,Pa. Usa | Registered: Nov 1999 | IP: Logged

sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 07-23-2001 02:16 PM

Go with HAL - sure the majority of passengers are older on long HAL cruises, but this is not true on 7-10 day ones.
After reading a post regarding the horrible medical treatment a passenger received on Celebrity's Glaxy (I believe, I would definitely go with HAL - all doctors are either American or Canadian Board Certified in Emergency services. Doctor on the Celebrity ship was aparently Russian and apparently "blew it".

Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

Willy Paul
First Class Passenger
Member # 473

posted 07-23-2001 02:29 PM

I would go Celebrity but it is a close call. The passenger mix is a little younger on the longer cruises. I did have a health problem on the Century and it was treated quickly, well, and very professional.

I think the food is a litlle better on Celebrity, but only a little. I think the service is better by a small amount on HA.

Entertainment is okay on both but nothing to write home about.

Check the itineraries and choose the one you like the best. I do not think you can go wrong with either. We have been on HA four times and Celebrity six times.

Posts: 151 | From: Auburn, Ma. | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

lambcom
First Class Passenger
Member # 656

posted 07-23-2001 04:00 PM

I've cruised on both, Dockside, most recently on the Century this June for a seven day western Caribbean. All things being equal I'd give the edge to HAL. One thing not mentioned so far on this thread is that the cabins, class for class, are 10-20% larger on HAL. I posted a review in the "reader reviews" section much of which is devoted to comparing the two lines. Check it out!

Posts: 179 | From: Montreal, canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

Dolphins
First Class Passenger
Member # 2043

posted 07-24-2001 06:49 PM

We have sailed on both and much prefer HAL. We appreciate the friendly and personal service of their staff and we thought the much touted superior cuisine of Celebrity was vastly over-rated. Another plus for passengers on HAL is the quality of their musicians. They offer an excellent variety of classical music in the Explorer lounge, ballroom dancing in the Ocean Bar and disco in the Crows Nest. Another plus is that most HAL ships offer a separate movie theatre, no watching films on a cabin TV. Finally, our favorite feature on all the newer HAL ships is their superb teak, all-around lower promenade deck, shaded from the sun and sheltered from the rain. Numerous itineraries keep us going back to HAL.

Posts: 324 | From: Commack, New York | Registered: May 2001 | IP: Logged

David McIntosh
First Class Passenger
Member # 1737

posted 07-24-2001 09:13 PM

Have sailed on Celebrity and was very impressed. Have not sailed on HAL(yet) but everything I've heard is positive. Either one it seems would be a good choice and most assuredly better than Carnival.

Posts: 124 | From: Columbia, SC, USA | Registered: Jan 2001 | IP: Logged

K&K
First Class Passenger
Member # 1040

posted 07-24-2001 11:22 PM

Dockside: I cannot speak about Celebrity, but can tell you that HAL might have an older pax. average but they are the healthiest group. We realized the same type of games poolside as any other cruise we have been on. So do not let that stop you. The hal cruises we have been on had people younger and older along with our age (48) We look foward to going HAL again. I think right now they offer the best overall cruise experience for the dollor. Kevin

Posts: 446 | From: Sandpoint,Idaho,USA | Registered: Jan 2000 | IP: Logged

Ðraikar
First Class Passenger
Member # 1153

posted 07-25-2001 01:57 AM

Im going to put my 2 cents in and say Celebrity, Holland America Line is a grate cruise line but they seem a little more for the older people and classic style cruising and if that is what you want then why not pay a little more and go on Queen Elizabeth 2.. Celebrity has a mix group of passengers and offer just about everything even if they seem to want you to pay extra for certain stuff but its worth it and its not that much more for a small group of 3 or 4.
PULSE Celebrity ships have better deco on there ships not as bland as Holland America but not as "glittery" as Carnival.
If you do go on Celebrity pick one of the Millennium class ships, they are nice and as my first cruise coming up soon the Millennium is the ship I have chosen.
Happy sailing !

Posts: 1710 | From: USA, New York | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

sympatico
First Class Passenger
Member # 797

posted 07-25-2001 05:37 AM

Draiker - what do you call "bland deco" on HAL ships? They have some of the most beautiful artwork and artificats I have ever seen and they have a history behind them.

[ 07-25-2001: Message edited by: sympatico ]

Posts: 3305 | From: Toronto, Ont. Canada | Registered: Jul 99 | IP: Logged

Ðraikar
First Class Passenger
Member # 1153

posted 07-25-2001 11:40 AM

HAL dose have some beautiful artwork and artifacts but besides that I find there ships bland. Kinda like oatmeal without the fruit.

Posts: 1710 | From: USA, New York | Registered: Mar 2000 | IP: Logged

ocngypz
First Class Passenger
Member # 1555

posted 07-27-2001 07:30 PM

I have sailed both lines (23x HAL, 15x Celebrity). Given equal itineraries, I would go with HAL. I am 46 and actually HAL was my first shipboard experience. Admittedly, I don't remember much as I was still crawling!!

Nevertheless, Celebrity does nickel and dime you to death. HAL does not. HAL's standard staterooms are a bit larger, but not by much.
You'll notice the difference in sizes when you compare the Cat A&B minisuites vs. Celebrity's verandah cabins. If you are looking for a suite, HAL's are the best buy at sea. Don't be swayed by Celebrity's so-called "butlers". Pretty useless. The butlers on Princess were much better. Celebrity's suites are waaaaaayy over-priced.

Lastly, if you don't want to cruise with 1800+ people, your only Celebrity choices would be Horizon and Zenith and those two ships do not offer any verandah cabins.

If you are looking for the charm and elegance
of your 25 year old cruise.... of the mainstream lines, HAL will come the closest to a traditional cruise experience aboard a modern ship. I would never use charm and Celebrity in the same sentence.

If price were the sole determining factor, then I would say go with Celebrity. RCCL does a pretty good job of whacking the pricing structure on these ships just to get people to board. Then they go after your wallet.

I am of the opinion that AGE - is a state of mind.

Posts: 343 | From: Newport, RI USA | Registered: Sep 2000 | IP: Logged

JoeO
First Class Passenger
Member # 224

posted 08-08-2001 08:03 PM

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder"!

We've sailed Celebrity 5 times. Obviously we love them. So does our son, daughter-inlaw and grandchild. And we think the food is the best of the 4 cruise lines in this class.

We only sailed HAL once on the Volendam-cruise-from-hell but that was caused by constant toilet problems (for which we got some reparations (with great difficulty)). The worst part of it was getting desk personnel to admit that there indeed WAS a problem.

We're sailing HAL's Zaandam, partially paid for by the aforementioned reparation, giving them one more chance.

-In my opinion Hal's staterooms are larger, but not greatly so.
-Service personnel were marvelous on both cruise lines.
-The food is definitely better on Celebrity.
-Shows are about the same (after 15 cruises they are all repetitious).
-Activities are about the same.
-Both HAL and Celebrity have multiple (and good) dancing venues. Ballroom for us old fogies and disco/MTV style for the 40's crowd.

Lastly, I really don't understand people harping that Celebrity oversells or charges for things other lines may not.
All lines have Tee shirt, etc sales. Almost all charge for sodas, etc. in the dining room or outside. They all charge for the hard stuff. I think this "nickel-diming" complaint is blown way out of proportion and in most cases not unusual for any line to try to squeeze out a couple of extra bucks.

Posts: 93 | From: St Aaugustine, Fl., U.S.A. | Registered: Dec 98 | IP: Logged

Nautical Nigel
First Class Passenger
Member # 2326

posted 08-21-2001 08:45 AM

I can only talk about HAL but as regards ages on my 7 day Alaska cruise there was a very good mix from 2 weeks old upwards.

Posts: 81 | From: London, England | Registered: Aug 2001 | IP: Logged

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