too loyal to branch out

[shaver]

i am a loyal hal cruiser and i find myself wondering if i'm missing out by not trying another line. celebrity comes to mind. i would love to know the main differences and similarities. i'm not a real party person but appreciate great food, nice workout area, and a mini-suite type cabin. my last hal cruise 12/7/02 was on the zaandam. great cruise but no caribbean music on board was a real dissappointment. thanks for any advice.

 

[Suite_Gurl]

shaver...great question! While we feel very loyal to HAL, we too are thinking along the same lines. We have really enjoyed HAL in the past, but we are thinking of trying Celebrity having heard many good things about that line. I am looking forward to the comments from any of you who can compare the two!
Thanks

 

[tomc]

Don't see any reason to change after 12 cruises (13th coming up). I am very satisfied with HAL and like the quiet, respectful ambience.

 

[garryg2002]

Hi, shaver:

I'm also a loyal HAL cruise. However, there have been a few times where my travel dates were fixed and I chose the cruise line that met those exact dates. The other lines that come to mind were Celebrity (Century ship) and Royal Caribbean (Majesty of the Seas ship).

Royal Caribbean is much less expensive. The biggest difference is in the food -- the quality is definitely not on the same level as HAL. I wouldn't recommend Royal Caribbean because you'll be thinking how good the food was on HAL the entire trip.

Our cruise on the Celebrity's Century was on a par with HAL. I still think HAL's food was a little bit better though. Celebrity may have better skilled staff, mostly because they are english-speaking. They were helpful at dinner time to recommend what the best tourist sites where and how to take advanatage of the on-board activities. On the down side, their waiters were way too friendly. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy friendly waiters and staff, but I prefer not to have my meal interupted every day when I'm having a conversation with the other folks at the table. I think they take friendliness a little too far.

On the whole, you'll find Celebrity on relatively the same par to HAL as to price, food quality and service. I think (but I don't know for sure), that some of the higher priced cruises are better quality such as Raddison, or for a completely different cruise experience on Seaborne. I haven't tried those later two lines because it hasn't fit my budget as of yet.

Good luck.

garryg

 

[garryg2002]

Hi, shaver:

One more thing! If you go on a different cruise line, including Celebrity, you'll find out why HAL has a no tipping policy. I ended tipping the same when I cruised with Celebrity or HAL, but it is a much more gratifying to tip on HAL when it is not necessarily expected.

garryg

 

[peaches]

I agree about the waiters on Celebrity being over-friendly, at least on the one cruise we took on the Zenith. Our waiter was Indian and very nice, but by the end of the cruise he had become way too intrusive at the table. But I thought the food was much better on Celebrity, though I certainly plan to cruise HAL again. I do disagree with HAL's confusing tipping policy- I think it is a great disservice to their employees at it leads many passengers to think tips are included when they are not.

 

[sage]

I think that I am very pleased with HAL and have been trying to find a cruise a cruise for next year, but I have been getting very attractive offers from SilverSea Cruise Line. Does anyone have any experience with them?

 

[SueClark]

We sail both lines - I have reviews on this board, Cruise Critic (and some others). I think Celebrity is a notch above HAL especially for passengers that book suites. The perks really do not compare. Food is almost equal with Celebrity having the edge (but not enough difference to really write about). The ships on both lines are beautiful and well laid out.

My favorite thing with HAL are their "S" suites - very big and VERY good prices - Celebrity doesn't have a suite category that compares. Either you get a much smaller suite or you go up to a Royal Suite which costs much more.

 

[wendyandbarry]

Hi Sue:
Here are some of the perks on HAL for the Suites (as of 2 months ago) that they list, can you give us a idea of what you get on Celebrity in the suites.

Barry

Group One: Category: PS, S (on all ships which have these categories)
Penthouse Verandah Suites and Deluxe Verandah Suites will receive the following:
1. BATHROBE – one “cotton terry†robe per adult, to be hung in closet. Bathrobe card is placed in breast pocket explaining the robes are for passenger use during the voyage and are available for sale in the shops on board.
2. PERSONALIZED STATIONERY – name as it appears on manifest.
3. LAUNDRY, PRESSING AND DRY CLEANING – complimentary.
4. HIGH TEA – Available upon request in the suite during the hours of regular tea service. Passenger phones room service for request. Silver service is used.
5. COLD PRE-DINNER HORS D’OEUVERS – Complimentary, delivered to suite on request, through Room Service.
6. VIDEO LIBRARY – Selection of videos is made available for passengers’ use during voyage, and checked out from the Front Office.
7. COCKTAIL PARTY WITH THE CAPTAIN – For cruises 10 days and longer, cocktails will be served prior to suite dinner. For all other cruises, suite passengers will be invited to the VIP party.
8. SUITE LUNCH AND DINNER – Both lunch and dinner will be featured for cruises 10 days and longer.
Lunch menu and site location can be determined by the ship.
·On all seven day cruises, suite passengers will be invited for the Suite Lunch.
·For those passengers who cannot attend the suite dinner, a bottle of wine will be provided that evening in the dining room compliments of the Captain and Hotel Manager.
9. A STANDARD WELCOME CARD – personalized to the passenger by name, in envelope and signed by the Hotel Manager is in each suite at embarkation.
10. CONFIRMATION OF SITTING - table size confirmed by Seattle office.
11. FRESH FRUIT – presented on silver plate or basket.
12. * SPECIAL DISEMBARKATION – passengers leave ship at their leisure.
13. * DISEMBARKATION LUGGAGE – Cabin Steward picks up luggage morning of disembarkation (not necessary to place luggage outside the cabin at night).
14. * A SEPARATE LOCATION in the public rooms on the day of disembarkation is set up for Suite passengers to wait for their disembarkation number to be called.
A coffee set up is to be provided.
15. * SPECIAL BLUE “S†TENDER CARD- will be delivered to each suite the night before a port requiring tendering.
16. OVER-SIZED BATH TOWELS, with embroidered blue HAL Logo, two per cabin
17. FEATHER PILLOWS – on request
18. FULL CABIN BREAKFAST is available.
19. MINI BAR including par stock of swizzle sticks, napkins, glasses, etc. (Not Complimentary)
20. PERSONAL CONTACT – A hotel officer will make personal contact with the guest within 24 hours of boarding.
21. DEBRIEFING – Suite guests will be personally contacted prior to the day of disembarkation to debrief the guest and confirm the overall cruise experience as satisfactory and to assure disembarkation procedures are clear.
22. CORSAGES and BOUTONNIERES will be provided for the first formal night of the cruise to be placed in the cabin at noon.
*Items with asterisk do not apply to Europe cruises.

Group Two: Category: SS (PR, OS, ZU), A (NO, PR, SA, MA, RY, VE, RT, VO, ZA, AM), B (SA, MA, RY, VE, RT, VO, ZA, AM)
Superior Verandah Suites, Verandah Suites, Mini-Suites and Deluxe Verandah Outside (Prinsendam only) will receive the following:
1. BATHROBES – two “waffle weave†bathrobes per cabin. To be hung in closet. These robes are for passenger use during the voyage and are available for sale in the shops on board.
2. OVER-SIZED BATH TOWELS, with embroidered blue HAL logo, two per cabin.
3. MINI BAR includes par stock of swizzle sticks, napkins, glasses etc. (Not Complimentary)
4. A STANDARD WELCOME CARD, personalized to the passenger by name, in envelope and signed by the Hotel Manager is in each suite at embarkation.
5. PERSONALIZED STATIONERY – as it appears on manifest.
6. FEATHER PILLOWS – on request.
7. VIDEO LIBRARY – Selection of videos is made available for passengers use during voyage, and checked out from the Front Office.



Post Edited (04-21-03 13:34)

 

[peaches]

There evidently have been a few changes to this list, at least going by our 10 day Rotterdam cruise just several weeks ago.

We did NOT have a suite dinner, but had a suite lunch and 2 cocktail parties- a welcome cocktail party on the first night with the Capt. and Hotel Manager in the Neptune Lounge and a mid-cruise cocktail party in the Explorers Lounge with all the ship's officers. The Suite Lunch was held in the Crow's Nest on the last day of the cruise. I have read elsewhere that other ships no longer have the Suite Dinner either.

The Neptune Lounge was used for waiting for disembarkation on the Rotterdam, though I imagine there is a separate public room used on ships that do not have a Neptune.

We didn't have any kind of 'debriefing' though disembarkation instructions were sent by letter from the concierge so we did not have to go to the lecture given to the rest of the ship.

 

[wendyandbarry]

I am sorry about my long post above, but it was that long.
We have been looking at taking the only no smoking ship for a test ride, not sure what type of cabin, thinking of a Outside down below. If we do go this summer I will let you know what I think of it.

Barry



Post Edited (04-21-03 14:10)

 

[Suite_Gurl]

We have always been loyal to HAL but...we did the eastern carribean in Jan on the Zaandam and found that most of the items listed in Barry's post were afforded to Suite passengers. Invitations were always left on the bed in plenty of time to plan. We did the western route the beginning of April and found that there was quite a difference. We did not receive an invitation to the Suite luncheon...only found out that morning when our waiter mentioned it so I called the front desk to inquire. An "generic" invitation (not addressed to us) was delivered about 30 minutes before the luncheon. We did not receive an invitation to the cocktail party and only found out about it when our tablemates mentioned that it had been that evening. No personalized stationary was in our room. There were other obvious differences from the Jan to the Apr sailing, but the bottom line is that the service was not what is had been a few short months before. In Jan we used the Kings room for breakfast and lunch. In Apr, that had been replaced by the Marco Polo. Since it was only open for Suite passengers you would have expected great service. We found that not to be the case. We waited 25 min. one morning from the time we were seated before our order was even taken. These are a few of the reasons we are looking around at other cruise lines. Just a heads up for those sailing soon, find out when the luncheons and cocktail parties you are interested in attending will be held...so you will know when to expect your invitations.

 

[peaches]

I wonder if getting invitations in a timely manner to suite events is one of the advantageous of having a Neptune Lounge with the concierge service right on your suite deck. On the Rotterdam we got all invitations and notices at least a day ahead of any event and the 2 wonderful girls there were right on top of everything. We gave a cocktail party and also were invited to another party hosted by a suite couple and the concierge girls made up printed invitations for these private parties and distributed them for us. Very personalized service making the cruise very very special. In the case of our cocktail party they even decorated the suite for us, unasked, with balloons and a personal printed sign saying farewell from the staff in the Neptune.

 

[wendyandbarry]

I am so sorry about your non-service, and I hope that you have written to HAL about the problems you had. There is some people in the office of the chairman that would like to hear about this type of problem, and hopefully can fix them for you and for us as future cruisers.

Barry