WE just got back from a 12-night cruise to Alaska aboard
Celebrity's Infinity. It was our first cruise on X, and I wanted to share the
comparisons we made with HAL. Our most recent HAL cruise was on the Oosterdam (Mexican Riviera) last January, so this will be
strictly an O'dam vs. Infinity comparison. It should,
though, be applicable to other Vista/Millenium class
ships.
Let me start by saying that we did have a good cruise on Infinity, and we would
book on Celebrity again if the itinerary was desirable and the price was right.
But if everything was equal, we'd choose HAL without a second thought.
I'll attempt to do separate posts for each area of comparison, and I might even
stick to that resolution!
The Cabin
We were in a sky suite on Infinity, an S suite on Oosterdam. The Sky Suite is more comparible
to a HAL SS in size and amenities, though. The S is much bigger with a bigger
verandah and a very comfortable sofa. The sky suite does have two very
comfortable high backed arm chairs (lacking on HAL) along with a table which
can just about handle breakfast for two but a just adequate love seat (still,
more comfortable than the love seat in HAL's verandah or outside cabins). Hal's
cabin chairs are less comfortable, and the coffee table won't do for dining. (but, no coffee table on X)
There were two major drawbacks to the Sky Suite, though. First,
the bed. While not uncomfortable, the Infinity's bed was about the
quality of a better Motel 6. HAL's bed is, of course, probably the best in the
cruise industry right now.
The second drawback was the dressing area, or lack thereof. HAL cabins have a
curtain that can be drawn to separate the sleeping area from the
closet/bathroom area creating a dressing space. Nothing at all similar on X.
Try to turn on a light to get some clothes and your room-mate gets a very
unceremonious awakening.
The verandah on Infinity had two comfortable chairs and a tiny side table (the
lower priced concierge class cabins had large - even if plastic - tables which
you could dine on). HAL's verandah had two very comfortable chairs, two
ottomans and a large table with chairs which four could eat at comfortably.
Except for the two highbacked chairs and table in the
cabin, HAL is the big winner in this category.
Bathrooms
The Sky Suite bathroom is much smaller than an S suite's. The tub/shower is both deeper and narrower (and no jacuzzi).
The Infinity's hair dryer is wall mounted, unlike HAL's which takes up drawer space. Neither of us use the hair dryer extensively, so can't compare the power of the blower or the heat of the dryer. Both worked sufficiently for us.
The Sky Suite has a shampoo dispenser in the shower, and a lotion dispenser next to the sink. Small hotel-sized bottles of both are also provided along with the typical amenities.
A + for X for the wall-mounted dryer, a + for HAL for the larger tub. So the bathroom battle (pun intended) is a wash...
Cabin Service
Service by the cabin attendents was
excellent on both lines. One quibble we have is about laundry bags. Why, when
the steward/butler takes away a bag of laundry don't they leave a new bag? On
both HAL & X we had to chase down attendants to replace laundry bags!
HAL's offer of unlimited laundry in suites beats Celebrity's offer of no-charge
priority service (you pay regular price but get it back faster). X also offers
no laundry packages such as HAL's unlimited or "by the bag" pricing. Also, X returns items either on a hanger or in a bag. HAL's
tissue wrapped delivery in a basket wins them points.
A plus for HAL on laundry. A draw on
cabin service.
Dining room part I - the food
It's a general consensus that the dining room on Celebrity
produces "better" food than HAL. And I'll agree with that.
Over the 12 nights of our cruise we tried fish, beef, chicken, pork, shrimp,
duck, veal, lamb and lobster. All were very good, a step above the same things
on HAL. Sauces were better, seasonings were better, the taste was better.
X also impressed with the imaginative appetizers it offered which were also
uniformly well done.
Less successful were salads (although the dressings were great) which were
uniformly bland and similar night to night (we tried to guess each night what
word would be used for the chopped and tossed greens - "micture", "melange",
and even "panache" showed up on the menu).
While we weren't disappointed with the soups, they seemed to have the same
"similar with different names" problem as the salads. HAL's soups
were better.
Desserts are done uniformly well on both lines.
To sum up, Infinity had better prepared food on balance with good imagination
and preparation but HAL has a wider range of offerings in almost all
categories. The one Infinity dinner my DW found poorly done was the only time
they attempted a non-continental offering, Pad Thai. HAL, of course, excels in
Asian and fusion cuisine.
For a 7 day cruise, X wins hands down. Even a 10-day.
At 12-days, a certain jaded sameness factor settles in for 2 weeks or longer, I
think I'd rather have HAL's less than stellar but more variable cuisine.
Still, for this cruise, we'll give the champion's belt to X for the food in the
dining room.
Dining room part II - the service
We'd requested a table for 2 on Infinity, which we always do
on HAL. And HAL always comes through. So we were a bit taken aback to be led to
a table for 8 on our first night on X.
The next night, we stopped by the Maitre d's stand and requested a switch. He
consulted his charts and said that while there were a couple of 2-tops, they
were in less desirable locations. Would we mind a table for 6 that was set for
2? We said no, we wouldn't mind and were seated at a lovely table by the window
near the front of the Trellis restaurant on the starboard side. Our steward,
Francisco, actually only had three tables (10 passengers) to serve as three of
his tables remained empty all cruise (the three away from the windows).
Francisco appeared to be new to being a steward (or "waiter" as X
calls them) but was certainly competent. He occasionally seemed preoccupied, probably with trying to remember all that he'd
been taught.
The asst. waiter, Jose Chavez, seemed an old hand and quietly and effortlessly
took up the slack for Francisco. Our asst. maitre d', Marco, had also recently
been promoted (he'd been a waiter in the specialty restaurant, the S.S. United
States) and was very aware of "his" customer's needs.
Our last cruise on the Oosterdam we'd been seated in
a similar position but our steward, Henry, was an old hand and a pleasure.
Our wine steward, Mario (from Romania) was a decided improvement on the HAL
versions. Mario knew his wines and was able to make intelligent recommendations
based on our previous orders. He was also tireless in his duties as he
frequently had to chase around the ship to find bottles of the less requested
wines for his demanding clientele. But he did seem to enjoy his job and was
always quick to see us when we sat down - but also always gave us time to first
look at the menu. HAL's wine stewards can be efficient if rarely knowledgeable.
So what's the score? For steward/waiter - our HAL experience was slightly
better, but only marginally. Asst. was much better with X as was maitre d' and
sommelier was far better with X.
Infinity/ Celebrity wins DR service hands down.
Dining - the specialty restaurants
While the Pinnacle Grill on the Oosterdam
and the S.S. United States on the Infinity represent vastly different styles of
restaurants, both succeed admirably at reaching their target.
The Pinnacle Grill is an old fashioned Chop House/Steak House while the S.S.
Untied States is an Americanized version of a French Michelin-starred village
restaurant.
The food in both is excellent. The service in both is top notch.
We ordered the chef's tasting menu with matching wines on Infinity. It was, by
far, the best all-around meal I've ever had on a ship. The Montrachet goat
cheese soufflé is - as many will tell you - to die for. Our menu that evening
was:
Quote:
|
Lobster Veloute (a creamy, rich
lobster broth) Murrietta Well's Semillion 2000 |
Interestingly, though, when I suggested we return to the
S.S. United States another night, DW sat down with the menu and said that we'd
already had the best it afforded, why ruin the memory? Yet on the Oosterdam we went to the Pinnacle Grill 2 nights out of 7
and thoroughly enjoyed both.
As in the dining room, I think HAL has the broader selection, but X has the
better preparation and presentation for what it does offer.
There was more interaction with the staff at the S.S. United States - the asst.
Maitre d', the waiter and the sommelier all took time to discuss the menu, the
dishes, the wines and listen to our thoughts and suggestions. The Pinnacle
staff were very good, very professional and very "chop house" which I
don't mean as a negative.
I'll give the edge to X, but only a slight edge based on the superb meal we
enjoyed.
Dining - the wine list
A glance at the wines we had with our meal in the S.S.
United States should tell you that it has a very interesting wine list.
Infinity's main dining room also has a very extensive listing which is,
surprisingly, very heavy on California wines. The table of 6 Italians who sat
next to us in the DR were vociferous in their complaint that there was little
in the way of Italian wine - I counted 5 different offerings only one of which
(a Gavi di Gavi) struck me
as interesting (and it was very good). The specialty restaurant's on the Millie
class ships all have "special" wine lists with unique offerings.
Among other things, the S.S. United States offered a 1943 Vieux Chateau Certan from Bordeaux. They only had one bottle which the
sommelier agreed was probably well over the hill - but he was quite willing to
pop the cork if I wanted to spring for the $900 (I think) that it was going
for!
Oosterdam's and the Pinnacle's lists were smaller in
number of selections but broader in types of wines and places of origin.
A slight plus to Infinity for having a few very good French wines (the Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and Chablis 1ere cru we had
were all outstanding).
As I mentioned previously, the sommeliers on X seemed more knowledgeable, also.
Entertainment - the show lounge
Infinity's resident singers and dancers are a larger group
than the Oosterdam's - 5 singers, 12 dancers. They
did (I believe) 3 and 1/2 shows over the 12 nights. "Let's Rock"
(typical pop/rock review) was good. Their Broadway tribute was OK, if rather
odd in parts (South Pacific and West Side Story seemed to be new concepts to
the director). The lead male singer also thought he could interpret the lyrics
and music better than the composer. He couldn't.
There was a third show called "Classique: the
creation" which (hopefully) wasn't created by Cirque de Soleil but
incorporated all the worst parts of a Cirque production: odd dancing segments,
strange use of songs with tableau and stranger segues (from the Garden of Eden
to the French Revolution, for example). It wasn't bad (for the price), just
confusing.
Featured talent - pianist Elliot Finkle, a
Ventriloquist with "Trindad's #1 comediaenne, Mathilde", Teri
somebody-or-other, a broadway
singer and Tien Pho Vietnamese juggling comedian were all quite good. The only
sour note was a "pop" violinist who needed either more lessons or a
better instrument.
The two ship's orchestras were similarly good. The cast in Infinity had more
good singers/dancers but the Oosterdam's had a higher
average quality. The specialty acts were better on Infinity.
A slight edge to the X for show lounge entertainment.
Entertainment - bars & lounges
Both the Oosterdam and the
Infinity had multiple musical experiences throughout the ship.
Both had people playing piano and singing, the O'dam
had a bad singer in the Piano Bar, the Infinity had a bad singer in Michael's
Club.
Both had string ensembles, the O'dam's played mostly
in the Explorer's Lounge, the Infinity's in the Cova Cafe. Both played in the
DR on formal nights. Both were quite enjoyable.
Each ship also has an ensemble which plays pop/standards for dancing - the Oosterdam's in the Ocean Bar, the Infinity's in the
Rendezvous lounge. Both are innocuous. The better entertainment is afforded by
the passengers showing off their recent dance lessons. Celebrity's duo had a
singer and a one-man band (dual synthesizers) that was a tad irritating and
simply refused to take requests.
Both ships also had disco bands and DJs. We didn't partake of either.
In addition, the Infinity had a guitar player (folk/pop) who played in the Cova
Cafe on formal nights and may have been in other venues other nights. He was
quite pleasant to listen to.
The Infinity also boasted a harpist who entertained in the Atrium during
embarkation and was featured in the S.S. United States every evening. While not
symphony quality (and sticking to light classics and pop tunes) she did add a
nice touch.
+1 for HAL in the Ocean Bar, +1 for X with the harpist.
Ambience
I'm calling this "shipboard ambience" and it's an
area HAL wins hands down.
Artistically arranged plastic floral pieces are no substitute for fresh
flowers. HAL provided fresh flowers everywhere. Infinity had, at best, one
stalk of flowers in a bud vase on our DR table about half the time.
The art work displayed on Infinity is laughable, especially compared to the
fascinating and fantastic paintings, scuptures,
woodwork, and metalwork found on the Oosterdam.
Infinity was decorated either by someone with no budget, no taste - or both!
Passageways, companionways and aisles seemed narrower on Infinity. Although I
did like (contrarily) having to walk thru either the Martini bar/Champagne bar
or the Rendezvous Lounge to get to the Trellis dining room.
We never went to the Observation bar (the Constellation on Infinity, the Crow's
Nest on HAL) on X because there was only one set of elevators that went to deck
11! The aft and mid-ship elevators would go to 10, then
you walk an outside deck to the forward area and up an outside set of stairs to
the lounge. And it was rather chilly at night!
Big plus for Oosterdam. We
also like the way the major lounges (Ocean Bar, Piano Bar) are broken into separate
areas for a more intimate arrangement.
There's either more smokers travelling on X, more smoking areas, or poorer
ventilation. At any rate, it was unpleasant far too often.
Misc. comparisons
Chairs. I mentioned that the cabin chairs on Infinity were superior to those on
Oosterdam, but I'll add that throughout the ship the
chairs seemed more comfortable - especially in the bars and lounges. Oosterdam had lots of annoying seats whose tops hit the
small of your back (if your 6 feet or taller), there were none that short on
Infinity.
Hand sanitizers. Non-existant on
Infinity, a serious drawback in my opinion.
Show lounge sight lines - one of the biggest disappointments on Oosterdam - there are seats in the lounge where you can
only see a small portion of the stage! There are no "obstructed view"
seats on Infinity.
Announcements. No "bingo" announcements on X
(a plus) but also no way to hear announcements in your cabin (a minus). HAL
should ditch the "bingo blasts" but should keep the ability to turn
on or off announcements in the cabin. (There was a switch next to our bed on Infinity
which looked like an off/on volume control but apparently wasn't hooked up to
anything!)
Cappucino.
HAL's - in the Neptune Lounge, the Windstar Cafe and in the Dining Room - wins
hands down. The regular coffee in the Trellis DR on Infininty
was better than the capuchino - and they charge for capuchino in the DR!
embarkation/debarkation
There were problems claiming luggage at pier 35, and an
absolute madhouse on the Embarcadero in front of Pier 35 but these weren't
problems of Celebrity's making - blame the port of San Francisco. Imagine the
FLL airport, but only 1/10th the space. San Francisco could learn a lot from
San Diego. They are planning a new cruise ship dock but it's still a few years
away.
EMBARKATION - Neither on the Oosterdam or the Infinity
were we initially steered to the suite check-in line. On HAL, in fact, I had to
argue with some flunky who claimed our cabin wasn't a suite! With X, as soon as
I pointed out our cabin number, a "senior flunky" personally escorted
us to the suite check-in desk. We had our express pass, our passports and the
credit card I'd registered (electronically) out for presentation as the
"what to do" document had told us. The express pass was taken,
scanned and (after some delay) our keys were given to us. Neither passport nor
credit card was checked. This became a problem when, a couple of nights later,
I went to the cashier's cage in the casino to get some cash and was told I
couldn't get any as I was listed as I did not have a credit card listed! I went
to the Guest Services desk and fumed but was told that "there were still a
few problems" with electronic registration. I then registered the credit
card. The next night, the casino still wouldn't give me any money, so back to
GR. Seems they actually have to call the casino to tell them I've registered!
(Don't they use the same computer system?). The next day, I got a nasty note in
my cabin telling me I'd better register a credit card or place some funds on
deposit!
None of this would have happened had X simply followed their own procedures at checkin.
Infinity didn't give me a glass of "champagne" on boarding (although
I could have claimed one from the steward if I tripped him) but did escort me
to my cabin. HAL Didn't give me champagne, either, and
didn't escort me. But I knew the way 
.
X suite perks supposedly include priority delivery of luggage. While we boarded
at 12:30, luggage didn't arrive until after we sailed, showing up around 5:45.
On Oosterdam, we boarded around noon, went to the
Lido for lunch, and found our luggage waiting (in our suite, not in the
hallway) when we retuned. Everything was unpacked and put away before lifeboat
drill. Big plus for HAL.
Still, I've left the worst for last: disembarkation.
When you arrive in any US port you need to go through immigration. We've done
this on three different cruise lines. But the line to see Immigration on the
Infinity was longer than those on HAL & NCL put together! The agents were
at the port side doors of the theater with a line that went across the back of
the theater, out through the photo gallery, through the casino, doubled back
through the casino, through the photo gallery, around the other side and back
through the gallery and the casino again! Now, the casino was difficult to move
trough at the best of times - very tight walk spaces. But in addition to these
lines, there were also people trying to get to the Casino, to the Theater and
to Michael's Club (on the port aside between the casino and photo) which were
their designated "debarkation lounges". That's right, X requires you
to vacate your cabin early in the AM and perch on a bar stool until they deign
to call you to leave. It was a miserable, tiring, warm & nasty experience.
Contrast this with the Oosterdam, where we could stay
in our suite until our group was called to leave the ship.
Up until that last morning, the comparison was pretty even: some things were
much better on Infinity (Food, Wine, etc.) some were much better on Oosterdam (Art, flowers). Some were marginally better on
one or the other. But that last morning tipped the balance to HAL.
We'll sail on Celebrity again, if the itinerary and the price are right. But of
the five cruise lines we've sailed, they rank no better than #3:
1) Renaissance
2) HAL
3) Celebrity
4) Norwegian
5) Carnival
If I've overlooked something you're interested in comparing, please ask and
I'll try to answer.