Neptune Lounge?

[chrismch]

I see that the suites give you access to the Neptune Lounge. What does this offer? And how much value would you give it as a suite perk?

[Mr. Nick]

I see that the suites give you access to the Neptune Lounge. What does this offer? And how much value would you give it as a suite perk?


As Dave said in another post.....
Same as on any other HAL ship:

(from the web site)

2 lower beds convertible to 1 king-size bed, a large sitting area, dressing room, private verandah, 1 sofa bed for 2 persons, floor-to-ceiling windows, no-host mini-bar*, walk-in closet*.
488-700 sq. ft. with verandah*.
See deck plans for specific information.
Include all the Verandah Suite amenities, plus:

Complimentary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning throughout your cruise
Premium duvet, oversize bath towels and soft, cotton bathrobes and slippers
Gorgeous corsages and boutonnieres for the first formal night
Hors d'oeuvres served before dinner each evening on request
Binoculars and umbrellas for your use on the cruise
Cocktail party with ship officers
Priority boarding for tender ports of call
Special disembarkation service
Priority dining and seating requests
Exclusive daily breakfast service for suite guests only
High tea service in suite on request
A special Suite guest lunch event on cruises over 7 days in length
A very special amenity exclusively for guests cruising in a Deluxe Verandah Suite or Penthouse Verandah Suite, the industry-leading Neptune Lounge features a private place to relax, socialize with other suite guests and enjoy the personalized service of a concierge. The fleet-wide lounges provide worktables, large screen television, library, sofas and chairs, wi-fi , no-host mini-bar and refreshments throughout the day. One-Touch 24-hour Concierge Service is available when the Neptune Lounge is closed.
Hope this helps
Mr.Nick

[chrismch]

Thanks for your response, Mr Nick. I knew from my brochure already what all the perks were. I was wondering, from personal experience, what people thought of this lounge. I've stayed in hotels that have a concierge class lounge that offers continental breakfast and others that treat you like celebrities with upscale appetizers and drinks. How does this lounge option stack up?

[LolaWiz]

The Neptune is a great asset and value (to myself and husband anyway)
It is just that.. a room with two amazing people serving as concierge, a very nice coffee maker including espresso, capp. latte, light breakfast with fruits, pastries, snacks throughout the day, petite finger foods, juice, tea, water.

The best part is the concierge. When we arrive on board, we head straight to the Neptune. We book any dinners that we want during the cruise at the Pinnicle Grill, shore excurions, cooking classes, arrange for appitizers and the like for our sailaway party, arrange appitizers for dinner a few nights.

It may not seem like a lot, but they are wonderful to have. You dont have to trapse all the way to the front desk or shore excurions desk.

Plus, anything else we need... they take care.

I don't know the value to someone else, but for us, it is worth the price difference between SS cabins and the SC, SB, SC cabins.

[cp556]

I guess the thing we liked the most about having the Neptune Lounge is that we NEVER had to go near the ship's main front desk. The NL did it all from cashing travelers checks, to arranging shore excursions, to straightening out onboard account issues ... and they did it all with a smile.

It's a nice relaxing little lounge to grab an espresso or cappuccino, as well as a continental breakfast.

And with the suites, the "special breakfast service" means breakfast is available in the Pinnacle Grill for suite guests only. A really nice way to start the day....

Carol in SC

[hammybee]

Not all suites come with lounge privileges. Only passengers sailing in Deluxe Suites and the PH may avail themselves of this perk.

[cccole]

We were in a SA suite on the Zuiderdam in February. We have cruised on several lines, always in a suite, and have been in suites in hotels. I think that the bottom line is will you use the Neptune Lounge.

I think that robes, duvets, bath towels, and 24 hour room service comes with all cabin categories. We did not have slippers.

The carnation corsage delivered for the first two passengers in the cabin is nice but we put them in a glass of water.

We never made it to the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast and hear that it has the same menu as the dining room.

We never were able to attend any of the four functions with the captain. They were planned at times when we had other plans. That was not a problem.

I did enjoy the concierges in the Neptune Lounge and ask them to do two things for us but really did not spend a lot of time there. When you have a beautiful room with a veranda, why would you want to sit in an interior lounge watching TV? It seemed that there were always the same faces sitting on the couches and enjoying the lounge.

All cabins have 24 hour room service and you can have appetizers delivered to your cabin while getting ready for dinner.

I was traveling with 3 teens and booked this cabin because of the space. Except for the laundry and dry cleaning I don't know that we used the "suite perks" for much else. When we were leaving I looked at the suite and thought whether my husband and I would want to spend the extra on an SA if we were traveling by ourselves. I don't think so.....because we just wouldn't use the Neptune Lounge that much.

The suites are really nice and if you don't mind the extra expense, and will be able to enjoy them I think they are great. It really varies from person to person.

This is just my personal opinion.

Cherie

[Route6A]

All of the extras mentioned are wonderful, but I think I value most the opportunity to meet interesting people in the Neptune Lounge. It really is a quiet oasis, where you can slip in and enjoy some tea or coffee and chat with fellow passengers who have fascinating stories to tell.

I also enjoy dropping by for a lovely mid-morning breakfast of fresh fruit, cheese and rolls. I have sailed on a number of lovely all-suite ships, but none of them have anything like the Neptune. It's delightful in every way, including the charming, gracious staff you will find there. Just love it!

[wingit]

We enjoyed the Neptune Lounge. It was nice to be able to just go down the hall in the morning and get a nice cup of coffee and a pastry. The concierge was a nice perk; though one that we didn't have a whole lot of need for. As far as being a "lounge", it seemed as though the chairs and couches were specifically designed to discourage lounging. The seating was not comfortable. So, for us, it was a just nice; not something to rave about.

[Harry1954]

wouldn't do it any other way ... from the espresso coffee in the morning, to the snacks all day, the room is a very nice place. the personnel staffing it take care of all one's needs ... we have never been to the front desk downstairs - and waiting in lines is something they hep us to avoid.

it is truly a perk if you have a deluxe suite - not to mention the fact that the room is large and the verandah is wonderful place to have breakfast daily.

harry

[Halfmoonfan]

I think the NL is nice, but if it was not there I am not sure it would be missed. What no on has said here yet is that it is in a small room between the two hallways of the ship. So the view is of the hallway and cabin doors. Now with view of the water or the port from just about anywhere on the ship, how much time would one want to spend there? Our suite last month was right down the hall from the NL so we would drop in one or two times a day. If my suite was at the other end of the ship, or on another deck I do not think I would have any reason to make the trip to go to it. The food was ok, but nothing great. The staff was very nice, but that is true of all the staff on the ship.

I loved my SA but would not let the NL be the one factor that moved me one way or the other on what kind of cabin to book.

[Prada Cowboy]

I do not get the hype of the NL myself. There is nothing special in there...! I can order a coffe to my room and have a view. If they would have evening cocktails with a harpist and nice canape's that would be something special, but otherwise it is just a "Front Desk" for Suite Guests with a Coffee Machine and some nibbles.
Would I go into the NL to make reserves...YES!
Would I spend time in there and sit down...never!

The Suites are wonderful and we would not travel different.

[dakrewser]

The Neptune Lounge is not a place to spend any large amount of time. It is a place to get lovely coffee, a snack and personal service without standing in line - and usually within a few steps of your cabin. For us, it's one of the two things (the other being unlimited laundry & pressing) that makes it worthwhile to choose an S rather than an SS cabin.

In fact, we've never booked an SS. If the S isn't available, then a VA is just fine...

[sail7seas]

We love the Neptune Lounges and were thrilled when they added them to all the HAL ships. We loved Rotterdam, Amsterdam's etc and missed when we sailed on ships that did not have them.

Once again, a matter of personal taste.

We think the Neptune to be one of the Suites best perks.

[Spender Nui]

I do not get the hype of the NL myself. There is nothing special in there...! I can order a coffe to my room and have a view. If they would have evening cocktails with a harpist and nice canape's that would be something special, but otherwise it is just a "Front Desk" for Suite Guests with a Coffee Machine and some nibbles.
Would I go into the NL to make reserves...YES!
Would I spend time in there and sit down...never!

The Suites are wonderful and we would not travel different.

I agree with a lot of what you say ... but not completely.

In the past 4 months we've done 2 HAL cruises and selected the cabin directly across from the NL on both. In the AM if we don't go to the Pinnicle Grill we grab fruit and a danish from NL and enjoy it on our balcony. Same for lunch except we substitute the finger sandwiches for the danish.

We do use NL instead of the front office.

Totally agree with you wondering why some sit and read or watch TV (same as cabin) ... but they do.

[middle-aged mom]

......

Totally agree with you wondering why some sit and read or watch TV (same as cabin) ... but they do.

The NL is where we send dad when mom and the girls are getting ready for dinner:D

[dakrewser]

Totally agree with you wondering why some sit and read or watch TV (same as cabin) ... but they do.

Sometimes it's best to give your spouse the "run of the cabin" while they dress... ;)

[CruisinTexans]

The main perk of the Neptune for me is the wifi. You don't have to truck your laptop clear down to the Explorations Cafe to get online. The latte is great too.

[Spender Nui]

The main perk of the Neptune for me is the wifi. You don't have to truck your laptop clear down to the Explorations Cafe to get online. The latte is great too.

Ours worked in the cabin and on the balcony.

[gebo]

Is there a charge to access the net with your laptop in the NL? I have to admit that the snob in me likes to have a place to go where everyone's not allowed (shame on me!).

[twinkletoes4445]

Is there a charge to access the net with your laptop in the NL? I have to admit that the snob in me likes to have a place to go where everyone's not allowed (shame on me!).

When we were on the Zuiderdam we weren't able to use our laptop in the NL. You'll have to buy a package to have access...whether on your laptop, or on the computers on the ship. We also couldn't get it to work in our cabin, but someone suggested propping open the door and using your laptop close to the door. We're going to try that next time and see if it works.

[kryos]

Is there a charge to access the net with your laptop in the NL? I have to admit that the snob in me likes to have a place to go where everyone's not allowed (shame on me!).Yes, you pay the same connect fee that you would pay if you were accessing WiFi in the Explorations Cafe, or even using the computer terminals there instead of your laptop. The convenience of having WiFi access in the Neptune Lounge is exactly what you say ... the advantage of being away from the crowds and having a more quiet place to work.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[twinkletoes4445]

Hmmm....I wonder why we weren't able to get service in the NL on the Zuiderdam? I'm hoping the WiFi works for us on the Noordam.

[susiefay]

We just returned from the Noordam and loved the Neptune Lounge. Several times we did sit for a little while, not for the TV, (can someone please tell me why CNN is always on?? last thing I want to hear on vacation:rolleyes: ) just while we had a snack,to be out of the cabin. We also met other passengers and chatted for a bit. I am still going through withdrawal from all the espressos consumed:D