Upgrade to SA questions

[SuePer]

We were offered an upgrade to SA category and it looked good so we took it. A couple of things in the brochure were not clear to me so maybe someone could help me out. We are on the Oosterdam to Alaska next Saturday. Here are my questions.

What do they mean by exclusive daily breakfast service?
For the complimentary laundry, do they actually do laundry for us?
Are the hors d'oeuvres before dinner on request delivered to the cabin?
Anything interesting about the Neptune Lounge that we should know about?

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Sue

[Krazy Kruizers]

For all PS, SA, SB and SC suites:

You can have continental breakfast in the Neptune Lounge - cold cereal, rools, muffins, meats, cheeses, fruits, juices, coffee machine to make lattes, etc.

Or you can go to the Pinnacle for breakast - same menu and times as the dining room.

Yes - there should be a laundry bag in the closet -- all alundry and dry cleaning and pressing is free. Keep in mind that everything is washed in hot water and dried on hot heat. No special requests - so if you have anything that could be ruined -- don't send it out. Laudry comes back anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.

If you wish to have appetizers in your cabin before dinner, tell one of the concierges before noon and they will make the arrangments -- also tell them the time you want them.

The Neptune Lounge -- the concierges here can make shore exursions for you, appointments at the spa, reservations at the Pinnacle for dinner, make change for you, if you are assigned AYWD they can reserve a table and time for you each evening. Continental breakfast from 7 or 7:30 AM until 11. From 11 - 5 various snack sandwiches, cookies, candies are out and at 5 cold appetizers are available until the lounge closes -- usually around 8 or 8:30. This varies by ship.

[Moriah]

Would it be too nosy to ask what category you had booked, and how much the upsell offer was for?

I'll be on the Westerdam in July to Alaska - Glacier Bay rather than Hubbard, but still wonderful! We booked SB to save several hundred dollars off the price of the SA and we're located near the midship stairs so it's a hop and skip to the Neptune. I can't wait!

Moriah

[GmaPajama]

Everything KK said, but I'll add that there is no extra charge for the Pinnacle Grill Breakfast. Food is the same as in the dining room, but the ambience and service are superior. Enjoy!

[Mary Ellen]

Keep in mind that everything is washed in hot water and dried on hot heat. No special requests - so if you have anything that could be ruined -- don't send it out.And some here just can't understand why I'm not thrilled about being forced to have the ship do our laundry on the Vistas or the new E'dam. :rolleyes: The only things I wash in hot water at home are the whites. My idea of a vacation does NOT involve doing hand laundry. I don't do hand laundry at home. Our next cruise is 23 days on a ship without self laundry. We could have a number of items ruined by the laundry or things could get pretty ripe. :eek:

[sail7seas]

I hand wash all my 'dainties' and send out only things like DH's t-shirts, shorts, underwear, shirts (which they do a wonderful job on), dockers.

I send out some dry cleaning articles of mine but almost no washable things.
I save chiffons and costly knits for my dry cleaner at home.

Common sense rules, once again.

If you have a very delicate item or something you know will run or shrink if sent out for commercial laundering, don't send it.

[annie2]

[QUOTE=SuePer;15029080]We were offered an upgrade to SA category and it looked good so we took it. A couple of things in the brochure were not clear to me so maybe someone could help me out. We are on the Oosterdam to Alaska next Saturday. Here are my questions.

What do they mean by exclusive daily breakfast service?
For the complimentary laundry, do they actually do laundry for us?
Are the hors d'oeuvres before dinner on request delivered to the cabin?
Anything interesting about the Neptune Lounge that we should know about?

Thanks for any advice you can give me.

Sue[/QUOTe
Back a week ago from the Oosterdam in a SA suite. There was complimentary champagne and special bottle of water waiting for us. You can also have afternoon tea in your room. We always got our dry cleaning back the same day and we didn't expect that. First night there was a party in the Neptune Lounge with the captain, hotel manager, etc. On Friday there was a special lunch at the Crows nest with drinks. Also, if you wish, you can leave your luggage out the night before arriving home by 6 am, not 1 am. Enjoy!!

[Harry1954]

Adding to all that was indicated above, the deluxe suite is spacious and the verandah is such that instead of breakfasting in Pinnacle, you have the ability to eat out there .. which is what my dear wife and I always have done ...
Further, the two who operate the concierge desk in Neptune really are able to handle just about anything you need .. they are a tremendous commodity for diminished stress ...
harry

[oregon50]

Is bottled water available for taking from Neptune Lounge? Soda?

[codyody]

There is usually juice and always (in my limited experience) coffee.

[DesertDogs]

Is bottled water available for taking from Neptune Lounge? Soda?

I did not see any bottled water - Coffee and Juice in the AM. Did not go much in the PM so not sure.

[SuePer]

This info is great. Just what I wanted to know and stuff I need to know but didn't know to ask.

Thanks all.

Moriah, we booked an SY category and were offered the SA for $250 each. So $500 total for the upgrade from SY to SA.

Sue

[Moriah]

No bottled water or soda in the Neptune, sorry. There are pitchers of ice water though, and various juices. And any kind of coffee your heart desires, as well as tea and hot chocolate.

Thanks for that info Sue - I would have taken that deal as well - it will be well worth it. Don't forget you can pack light and use the laundry/dry cleaning - when we were in the SS suite I bought the unlimited laundry for I believe 70 dollars if I remember correctly, and it did not include dry cleaning..

I agree with Harry1954 - the great thing about the Neptune concierges is that you NEVER have to go to the front desk for anything. Service sitting down with a smile and a cup of coffee - no lines, no stress. aaaahhhhh

[SuePer]

Yes, it was the laundry that sold this deal, well, maybe the Neptune too. We're planning on extending our vacation to drive around the Olympic Peninsula for five days so the laundry feature will really help with our packing. We are staying in two of the Olympic Park Lodges, so we will be going from luxury to rustic. I'm getting really psyched about it.
Sue

[oregon50]

Thanks for the replies. No Bottled water + limited laundry = deal breaker.

[margretha]

Everything everyone else said plus expedited boarding and
disembarkation and things just generally smoothed in your
passings. Reservations, changes, issues, anything and those
wonderful concierges will fix for you. We love getting on the
ship early and getting to sit around in the Neptune Lounge,
reading in the big leather chairs and sofas, eating the offerings
instead of being shoved around on the Lido Deck and the cookies.
I think DH likes HAL just for the Neptune Lounge cookies. And
expresso. And when your suite is ready you just zip right in.
I am always amazed how within the day the concierges know your
name and some little things about you. You are really lucky!! A great
price for a wonderful upgrade! margretha:)

[Moriah]

Hi Oregon50... not sure what you meant by your last post, can you clarify? In the suites that have Neptune access there is no bottled water included, HOWEVER, laundry service (and dry cleaning and pressing) is UN-limited...

[sail7seas]

Yes, there is a bottle of complimentary water in the deluxe veranda suites when you board.

[Moriah]

Yes, there is a bottle of complimentary water in the deluxe veranda suites when you board.



Yes, and a bottle of champagne as well. That bottle of water has always been sparkling carbonated water in our suites, although I'm sure they would happily exchange it for still if you requested it. There is no bottled water available in the Neptune as the previous poster asked, however, and the one complimentary bottle is not replaced during the cruise.

[sail7seas]

Champagne is a Bon Voyage gift from Hotel Manager and Captain. A very nice touch IMO

[Pokeynose]

:( I had no idea you could not get bottled water on a cruise. We leave next sat. on Ms Westerdam, we have an SB deluxe suite. I do not drink pop or tea. I exclusively drink bottled water, sometimes 3-5 bottles a day. Now I'm thinking of trying to take a case on board with me if we can handle it. Just cannot understand it and am disappointed.:(

As far as the laundry thing, no way will I send it out to be ruined. I'm bringing enough to last us the 7 days.

[Moriah]

:( I had no idea you could not get bottled water on a cruise. We leave next sat. on Ms Westerdam, we have an SB deluxe suite. I:(

As far as the laundry thing, no way will I send it out to be ruined. I'm bringing enough to last us the 7 days.

Of course you can get bottled water! The discussion above was about "perks" and things that are included for suite passengers, and bottled water, except the one complimentary bottle, are not included. But you can certainly purchase bottled water! There will be a couple of bottles in your minibar, and you can always get them from room service.

And pretty much everything I own has been laundered at least once on HAL Vista ships and not a single thing has ever been ruined. In fact, I'd say they do a much better and more conscientious job of laundry than I do at home! (that's definitely true about the pressing!!) I can't understand why you would think the Westerdam laundry would "ruin" your clothes. I've sent everything from delicates to formal gowns and nothing has ever come back less than like new. And contrary to other reports, they don't wash in hot water if you request on the form that they don't.

Moriah

[gizmo]

So, everyone is getting the bottled/sparkling water. :mad: Seems like this can vary from ship to ship. We did not have this on our last cruise on the Zaandam. We did have the champagne.

[Pokeynose]

Sorry I misunderstood Moriah about the water. But as for the laundry I still won't let them touch it. I'm talking about jeans, tees, etc. that I only wash in cold water and hang to dry. Been doing that for 50yrs, you can't change an old lady.;)

[SuePer]

Thanks again for all the info. I missed the Champagne info when I first read some of these replies. Nice touch.

I think I'll try the laundry service but will be careful. As Sail7seas said, common sense should rule.

Can't wait to see the room and verandah and enjoy the Neptune Lounge.

Sue

[Moriah]

Sue, a couple of points about the laundry. When we've been in the SA and SB suites we've never hesitated to use it and have never been sorry. That said, notice that there is a comment box at the bottom of the laundry order sheet. Every time we sent laundry, I wrote in that box:
"Please wash in COLD water only, press jeans flat, return t-shirts folded".

I did this because from my first experience way back on the Oosterdam, our jeans were returned pressed with front creases like dress pants, and our t-shirts were returned hanging on wire hangers, and by the time I got around to taking them down, they'd grown little "bumps" in the shoulders...
But the point is, after that, I simply noted my requests on the forms and I've never been disappointed. Underwear comes back folded and wrapped in tissue paper like a gift, and everything else is just as beautifully returned. I think the laundry and dry cleaning service is one of the best perks for suite passengers. I purchased unlimited laundry on the Noordam as well when we were not in the suite - service was every bit as good, except that the turnaround times were a bit slower. Fair enough. In the suites we've received everything back same day or next day. When my SO's suit was not ready for formal night (a 3rd one sneaked up on us - it was our first 10 day cruise and we hadn't thought about a 3rd formal night!) we were able to get it dry cleaned and back in time for dinner in less than 24 hours. But this thread is about the suites, so back to that.
Have fun! Clean clothes are important but it's the fun that we go on the cruise for!!
Moriah

[LVSue]

I'm with Moriah. Everything I take goes through the laundry system; I basically pack for 3 days, no matter how long the cruise! My only problem was they starched (like crazy) my crinkle cotton blouse--trying to get those durned wrinkles out, I guess.