Hal,
From your March 1st and 8th postings (and in particular your March 15th comments on the HAL message board) it appears that your primary question is if the average age of the passengers on Celebrity cruises is similar to those on Holland America. This is understandable because the age of a ship’s passengers obviously plays a large part in any cruise’s atmosphere and the level and type of onboard activities. My answer would be that Celebrity passengers are somewhat younger than those on HAL but overall the two cruise lines attract the same age and type of customer and offer comparable cruise experiences. If I were asked to rank the six mass market cruise lines by the average age of their passengers, from oldest to youngest, I would clearly put Holland America first, followed by Celebrity and Princess and further down Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and Carnival. Of course, it would be incorrect and unfair to over generalize and say Holland America has mainly elderly passengers or that Carnival is reserved for younger people who like to party. Each cruise line attracts a diverse group of passengers and even the same cruise week to week can be different. Other variables, such as the time of year, the length and itinerary of the cruise and if any large groups have been booked, will change the make-up of the passengers and the cruise itself.
Still, just looking at each cruise lines’ TV ads is instructive. Carnival always highlights their “fun†environment. Recently, Royal Caribbean ads emphasize their active-oriented cruises. Both always show families, younger passengers and children. But in HAL’s or Celebrity’s TV commercials there are never any children and seldom people under forty.
Equally important as who your fellow passengers will be, is the ships themselves and the level of service provided. Here too I would consider both Holland America and Celebrity similar and again at the top of any list. In fact Celebrity ships, particularly their Millennium class are always rated highest. HAL ships, also highly regarded, are generally smaller but with somewhat roomier cabins. Both put an emphasis on the decor and art in their public areas--HAL traditional and Celebrity modern. Still many people, like the larger, newer and flashier mega ships, like RCCL’s Radiance class. The Century, the ship you are considering is showing a little wear now approaching its tenth birthday. (Still it is a beautiful, well maintained ship and newer than the Monarch and the Norwegian Sea you have previously sailed on.) When it comes to service and food, I again would rank Celebrity and HAL the best overall with perhaps a slight edge to Celebrity. (Again, I am limiting my comparison to the top six cruise lines. And of course, opinions differ widely on all of these points.)
The reason HAL and Celebrity are very comparable is that they are each others chief competitors and both are after the same marketâ€â€passengers that are looking for a reasonable priced, more sophisticated, adult-oriented, up scale cruise with an emphasis on service. In fact, your description of Holland America in your March 15th posting could as easily be describing a Celebrity cruise (albeit with a slightly younger average age of passenger).
Still each cruise line is different. And it is not just the ships, the make-up of the passengers and level of service that vary. There are also less obvious, smaller differences. For example, Norwegian and Princess have much more relaxed smoking policies than other lines. That fact alone can determine a person’s choice in cruise lines. Believe it or not I have a friend that travels exclusively on HAL because of the free popcorn they have for passengers attending the movies in their theatres.
If you like cruising it is probably best to try them all and find the one or ones you prefer.
J.
