Our First Neptune Suite (Part I)

Alaska was the destination of our first cruise in 1972, on a small Canadian Pacific Railway ship of 6,000 GRT carrying only 300 passengers. Our previous cruise on Holland America was in 1974 on the much-loved S.S. Rotterdam. Our last eight ocean voyages have been on Cunard (hereinafter referred to as “our usual”) so it was time for a change this year. We wanted to stay closer to home, so a cruise including a Canadian port seemed attractive.

Amongst our friends are three couples who cruise mainly or only on HAL (one couple has 600+ days). Their advice and the advice of countless members of Cruise Critic was invaluable and much appreciated. My negative criticisms are not meant to annoy the “HAL cheerleaders” but to give my opinions to first-timers or those who, like us, have not been on HAL for a long time. I have followed the postings of Crew News about this cruise and I do not intend to duplicate his detailed accounts. For the sake of neatness I will split this into segments.

We first considered a Boston – Montreal or Quebec cruise on HAL. Because we were not going overseas for the first time in about 20 voyages – mainly Atlantic crossings but a few cruises - we decided to splurge on a Neptune Suite. The similar or equivalent accommodation on our usual includes a one-sitting restaurant for all meals, one or two lounges, some exclusive deck space and depending on whether Princess Grill or Queen’s Grill, a butler and complimentary in-suite bar. I knew that HAL does not provide such extensive amenities so I expected the fare to be a lot less. That wasn’t the case for our first choice. Some of those one-week cruises cost the same as our usual and in some cases higher – as high as Can.$5300. The Alaska cruises offered far more reasonable fares and, as we had lots of Aeroplan points we were able to fly free in the comfortable section on Air Canada from Toronto to Vancouver and return, we needed no further enticement.

We certainly do not always travel in lavish accommodations, but the reasonable fare for a Neptune suite on this early season cruise aboard the Noordam was irresistible. There was an added inducement of the Explore 4 package and some extra benefits for booking the Neptune. Few people like to be thought of as a first-timer, so we asked HAL to give us Mariner status based on that cruise of 41 years ago and they kindly did so. I am aware that our many voyages on our usual and on P&O would also give us membership in the club.

Although thousands of passengers for the three ships embarking at Vancouver had horrendous delays, our check-in was fairly painless. The day before, when there was only one ship at the pier, we went down to the embarkation area and chatted with a member of the staff. She advised us that it would be very busy on our day with close to 8,000 passengers and that the security and US immigration areas open at 10:00 a.m. We were glad we went down at that early time because those who arrived even an hour later told us they waited in queues and sitting areas for four hours or more. For some people there was a lot queuing and standing around. They stood in long lines at security, then at US passport control, then at the check-in area, then for lunch in the lido, then standing around on deck for lifeboat drill. HAL is not responsible for the mess at embarkation, but many people will vent their anger at them so it is to be hoped that the situation will improve. There are several days this season when three ships will be at the pier, as there were last year. One summer when I was in Vancouver there were four ships at the pier, although two of them were fairly small. There is an undated aerial photo on Bing Maps showing three ships at the pier: Noordam, Zuiderdam and one of those Princess ships that resembles a shopping trolley.

We were surprised that neither the captain nor any officers appeared at the “suite reception.” We did, however, get to meet the cruise director, the person in charge of shore excursions and the person in charge of the shops. It’s not quite what we are used to, though. The drinks were very generous. As always, we enjoyed meeting fellow members of Cruise Critic at the reception on the first morning. Thanks are due to those who organised it.

The Neptune stateroom was in good condition except for the bed-chesterfield on which both ends of the vinyl were badly worn. The bathroom had a separate, if small, shower stall in addition to the Jacuzzi. Unlike some Mariners, we were on board in time for the embarkation lunch. We appreciated this because we do not attend lido buffets for a variety of reasons. The food was acceptable, no better, and the service, while friendly, wasn’t as efficient as we expected. We tried one other lunch in the restaurant (and later the Mariners brunch) and we noticed that food ordered may or may not arrive and after-lunch coffee or tea may or may not be offered before the table was cleared. For lunch we normally enjoyed the ample offerings in the Neptune Lounge. We realise we could order room service, but we do like ships’ dining rooms. Several times on my walks I cut through the lido and it appeared to be, as the British say, a “bun fight” – no, that is not meant literally.

Speaking of tea, it was very difficult getting a decent “cuppa” even though we brought our own Tetley tea. Tea usually consisted of vaguely hot water being poured into a cup – sometimes even before a tea-bag was offered. Occasionally we forgot to bring our tea-bags so over the week we tried various tea-bags. Referring to them as weak would be too kind. Two or three tea-bags improved the colour but not the flavour. With so many passengers from The Commonwealth on this cruise the horrid tea was a frequent subject of conversation. Some passengers discovered PG Tips in the cafeteria so I did not have to share my dwindling supply of Tetley. Tea-pots were in short supply, but I was pleased to see that the Pinnacle Grill had as many as needed. The only suitably hot water we discovered was from the beverage machine in the Neptune Lounge.

We had breakfast every day in the Pinnacle Grill. The first day was not a good experience as we waited patiently for a half hour for our meal. When we finally brought this to the attention of the staff there were many apologies and the galley prepared our “full English” in about four minutes. There was no repeat of this for the rest of the cruise and the Pinnacle was a much appreciated perk of Neptune suites.

The service at dinner in the main dining room was excellent. The food was generally very good and I have always found that lovely china and silver add to the enjoyment of a meal. On the first night I ordered rack of lamb and received two scrawny lamb chops closer to well done than the requested medium rare. As I was in no danger of starvation I did not send the plate back but hoped the quality of food would improve later – and it did.

We had a complimentary dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. I can’t imagine why the designer of an upscale extra-charge restaurant would have one side open to the atrium. Maybe some people don’t mind others watching them eat, but this doesn’t seem very upscale to me. Also, there was noise (music to some – more about that later) from a nearby lounge. I was hoping we would not be seated in that outer area on our night and were pleased we were given a table in a quiet area in the back part. The food and service could not be faulted. It was indeed everything we had been led to believe.

Another perk was a dinner at Canaletto. Our booking was for the first formal night. I cancelled it as I had no intention of spending one of the two formal nights eating in a corner of the cafeteria. I realise we could have requested a different night, but we enjoyed the company of our table-mates in the MDR so we said “no thanks” to this.

Regarding standards of dress, we had been cautioned not to expect “formal” to be formal as on our usual. At one point I thought of bringing a mere suit instead of a dinner jacket (tuxedo) but when one member of the forum said he or she was not going to dress up to please the traditionalists I decided I was not going to dress down to please the trendy lot. I was pleased that there were several other men in formal wear at the second sitting and I saw two in military mess dress. I was not going to be shocked by some men who did not honour the dress code, but I was a little surprised to see some men with neither jacket nor tie and even more surprised to see two men wearing T-shirts and baseball caps.

Entertainment is, of course, subjective. Our usual provides a full range of entertainment from the typical loud noise to classical concerts and even a Shakespearean play. All tastes are catered for. We are not – and never have been – fans of over-amplified pop-type music on ships or anywhere. I usually look into one of the big shows just to remind myself why I don’t attend the big shows. The racket was overwhelming on the one night we did so and we left in one minute. On another night we were strolling in the direction of the theatre. About 20 metres away the noise was deafening and we saw one couple coming out with their hands over their ears. Thank goodness for the piano and violin duo. We were thankful we had booked the second sitting as there was nothing of interest at night. But then, I wouldn’t take an Alaska or Norway cruise for the entertainment.

HAL didn’t lose any money on us with the free drinks package. There was some difficulty getting a drink in some areas and at times I had to go up to the bar after waiting patiently for 15 minutes. One exception was the lounge in which Adagio played. The steward who served this area was excellent and remembered we like a Tanqueray G&T - or maybe two.

I will not comment on the ports other than to say Skagway was once again our favourite. Being fond of train travel we enjoyed our second trip on the White Pass & Yukon.

From the photos I had seen, I expected the overall décor of the Noordam to be a bit too modern for my taste. But the flower arrangements, the art-work and antiques made it more soothing. Without doubt, the ship grew on me. Despite the few lapses in service we enjoyed our cruise. Our main stateroom steward and the concierges Glenn and Corina in the Neptune Lounge were second to none. Our waiter at dinner in the MDR also provided excellent service. There are some things that the Noordam could teach our usual. The two smaller “Queens” do not have real teak decks. The fake stuff (and there is some of that on the Noordam) looks good and is serviceable, but fake is noticeably fake. It is like a restaurant using stainless steel cutlery instead of real silver. Although the Neptune suites do not offer as many amenities as the Grills suites, there are some perks of the Neptune that are not offered on our usual. The complimentary laundry and the corsages and boutonnières are a good benefit.

Disembarkation was very good. It helped that the Noordam was the only ship arriving in the early morning. No-one asked to see our passports and the Canada Customs chap just glanced at our declaration form and we were on our way.

Thank you for posting the review. Your comments on tea made me smile. I rarely order tea in US restaurants because I cannot bear the tepid water with tea bag on the side! Your "usual" is our "usual," and I know I can get a decent cuppa there.

I found the tea in Neptune Lounge (Harney's?) to be good, but it would have been nice to be able to make a pot. HAL used to have a lovely Darjeeling as their "house" tea (With HAL logo on the tag), but that seems to be gone nowadays. On Maasdam a few years ago, our waiter quickly learned that I wanted that tea, with the bag in the pot right away. IIRC, most of the Lido tea is a brand that's mainly dust, not tea leaves.

My next HAL cruise sails from Boston. I shall have to shop for some "Boston Harbour" tea to take with me. (No, I'm not kidding. It's hard to find but sooo good!)

Thank you for your interesting review.

Were teapots available in the Neptune Lounge?

It is so disappointing to see baseball caps worn indoors, especially in the main dining room.

Did you hear why the Captain and officers did not attend the Suite reception?

Who was the Captain?

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Very good.

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.

Very interesting.

Glad you had a good cruise.

Did you hear why the Captain and officers did not attend the Suite reception?

Who was the Captain?

The captain was Jeroen Van Donselaar. I realise that captains have more important duties than to attend a reception, but no reason was given for his absence despite the fact that his name was on the written invitation. One staff said: “The captain and officers can’t make it.” We never saw the captain until the Mariners brunch when he stood with a couple of other officers at the entrance. He did not address the assembled passengers. (I heard later he did so at a pre-brunch presentation for higher ranking Mariners.) Upon leaving the dining room, passengers on one side were given their tile. Those on our side of the exit were not. My wife went back and got them. I’m glad she did as they are a lovely souvenir.

I don’t want to belabour the subject of tea, but in answer to a question: there were no tea-pots in the Neptune Lounge. The water was boiling hot, coming out of the machine sputtering and hissing. With the added touch of warmed cups and saucers, we were able to make a decent cup of tea – with our own tea-bags, of course.

Our friends had told us not to miss the Royal Dutch High Tea. After queuing for 10 minutes we picked up a plate and were given a scone the size of a Canadian two dollar coin. No whipped cream and jam was apparent on our side of the entrance area. I did see some cream on the other side. Small sandwiches were being handed out on the other side. It seems we always choose the wrong side:). There were some bite-sized cakes and tiny sausage rolls and one other hot item. Once the queues subsided we could have gone back for more, but we didn’t really need the extra calories. The daily programme told us that this tea service was inspired by what Queen Wilhelmina experienced when living in England. Somehow I doubt that. One day we attended a regular afternoon tea in the restaurant. The treats offered to us at table were more generous. All the passengers at this large table were Canadian, British or Australian and the conversation about tea was quite interesting.

As an aside, the King and Queen of the Netherlands are visiting Canada starting today and will be welcomed in Ottawa by the Governor General (the representative of our Queen.)

Recently HAL has changed their brand of tea and IMO it is really bad - weak - no taste and even with two or three bags in a cup-terrible.

Sounds like you had an un-social captain. Usually when the Master can't attend some function, another officer is sent to represent him/her. Another bridge officer should have been there. I remember one cruise (not HAL) where there were a lot of schedule snafus, and we never saw the captain. But he wasn't the social type, even on a good voyage. Fortunately, Staff Captain was very good at the social stuff and stepped in as needed.

And no speech at the brunch? I don't remember who was captain on Westerdam this winter, but he gave a nice talk at the brunch. Not too much of a commercial, just pleasant. I did have to laugh when he bragged about how old HAL is. I think it's 145 years. I nudged DH and whispered "I know one that's older" because I couldn't resist being a brat. (Our "usual" is 175)

On the Eurodam in April I experienced HAL's new brand of tea for the first time. Not tea at all, merely tinted water. When I expressed my disappointment to the Hotel Manager it was clear to me that they are aware of the problem and not happy about it. They are doing what they can to convince those who make the decisions higher up in the hierarchy to make a change. Hopefully they will eventually succeed. Even the white plastic tea boxes are second class compared to the old wooden boxes.

Until then I will travel with tea from home. A shame to pay for a cruise and have to bring a penny ante item like tea from home!

The captain was Jeroen Van Donselaar. I realise that captains have more important duties than to attend a reception, but no reason was given for his absence despite the fact that his name was on the written invitation. One staff said: “The captain and officers can’t make it.” We never saw the captain until the Mariners brunch when he stood with a couple of other officers at the entrance. He did not address the assembled passengers. (I heard later he did so at a pre-brunch presentation for higher ranking Mariners.) Upon leaving the dining room, passengers on one side were given their tile. Those on our side of the exit were not. My wife went back and got them. I’m glad she did as they are a lovely souvenir.

 

I don’t want to belabour the subject of tea, but in answer to a question: there were no tea-pots in the Neptune Lounge. The water was boiling hot, coming out of the machine sputtering and hissing. With the added touch of warmed cups and saucers, we were able to make a decent cup of tea – with our own tea-bags, of course.

 

Our friends had told us not to miss the Royal Dutch High Tea. After queuing for 10 minutes we picked up a plate and were given a scone the size of a Canadian two dollar coin. No whipped cream and jam was apparent on our side of the entrance area. I did see some cream on the other side. Small sandwiches were being handed out on the other side. It seems we always choose the wrong side:). There were some bite-sized cakes and tiny sausage rolls and one other hot item. Once the queues subsided we could have gone back for more, but we didn’t really need the extra calories. The daily programme told us that this tea service was inspired by what Queen Wilhelmina experienced when living in England. Somehow I doubt that. One day we attended a regular afternoon tea in the restaurant. The treats offered to us at table were more generous. All the passengers at this large table were Canadian, British or Australian and the conversation about tea was quite interesting.

 

As an aside, the King and Queen of the Netherlands are visiting Canada starting today and will be welcomed in Ottawa by the Governor General (the representative of our Queen.)

I hear you about the teas. I really enjoy the Indonesian tea but we got very little offered to our table compared to others. It's not a complaint, just an observation. Before we could get anything else the steward insisted on taking our plates away even though I said I didn't want him to. Really strange.

On the Eurodam in April I experienced HAL's new brand of tea for the first time. Not tea at all, merely tinted water. When I expressed my disappointment to the Hotel Manager it was clear to me that they are aware of the problem and not happy about it. They are doing what they can to convince those who make the decisions higher up in the hierarchy to make a change. Hopefully they will eventually succeed. Even the white plastic tea boxes are second class compared to the old wooden boxes.

 

Until then I will travel with tea from home. A shame to pay for a cruise and have to bring a penny ante item like tea from home!

What brand of tea are they using now? In January on Westerdam, Neptune still had the silk sachets (Harney's?) and I think Lido had Bigelow. I don't drink fruity/herbal teas, so I don't know what they're like, but I've always thought Biegelow's black teas were at the lower end of the quality spectrum.

Excellent review. As a regular Neptune guest, I found it really interesting reading. Seems there are more and more changes. All of our Suite Welcome Aboard Cocktail parties have been attended by Captain and Hotel Director. I seem to remember one rare exception when the Captain was needed on the bridge. Seems that has changed. :(

My DH always enjoyed the Pinnacle Breakfast as one of his favorite Suite amenities. A civilized way to start the day. :)

Thanks so much for taking the time to share with us.

Welcome Back.

David, I have some questions about the Princess Grill suites aboard the QM2. Since it is off topic, I wonder if you would be so kind as to e-mail me at the address below. We have booked the QM2 for the Southampton - NYC crossing next May. This will be our first Cunard crossing. We took the Noordam in a Neptune suite a couple of years ago, and she is one of my favorite HAL ships.

Thanks for any info you can give me.

Virginia

Quite unusual for the Captain or at least several of the senior officers not to be at the Neptune suite reception. I wonder if there was some pressing issue going on?

As to the Captain not speaking at the Mariner reception, this is also not the norm. On our cruise two weeks ago we spoke at BOTH the high ranking Mariner's pre-reception and the normal reception that followed.

Quite unusual for the Captain or at least several of the senior officers not to be at the Neptune suite reception. I wonder if there was some pressing issue going on?

 

As to the Captain not speaking at the Mariner reception, this is also not the norm. On our cruise two weeks ago we spoke at BOTH the high ranking Mariner's pre-reception and the normal reception that followed.

The captain was at the high ranking Mariners reception but gave away medals only. The cd spoke at the brunch for about 1 minute. I wonder if lack of senior officers is going to be the norm now.

I think it had a great deal to do with timing. The Suite reception was held on the first while we were still in Howe Sound, and traffic is an issue, particularly when crossing the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay line.

There was a second reception on Wednesday (after Glacier Bay) which we missed. I'm not sure if the Captain and Hotel Director were in attendance.

I think it had a great deal to do with timing. The Suite reception was held on the first while we were still in Howe Sound, and traffic is an issue, particularly when crossing the Horseshoe Bay-Departure Bay line.

 

There was a second reception on Wednesday (after Glacier Bay) which we missed. I'm not sure if the Captain and Hotel Director were in attendance.

I believe the suite reception is always on the first night.

OP: excellent and very readable review. Thanks for taking the time to give such a detailed and interesting review.

Unfortunate that your Suite Reception was not attended by the higher officers.

Some Captains and Hotel Directors do this regularly, some do not. Seems to be a personal thing, especially on short cruises where there is so much to pack into such a short time.

I believe the suite reception is always on the first night.

On our cruise May 1-16, 2015, the suite reception was in the evening of our second day, between the two fixed dining times. Held in the Crows Nest on the Maasdam.

On our cruise May 1-16, 2015, the suite reception was in the evening of our second day, between the two fixed dining times. Held in the Crows Nest on the Maasdam.

That's a better time in my mind.

That's a better time in my mind.

It was a very nice event and well attended. I enjoyed it alot more than the ones they hold in the Neptune Lounge - too crowded and drink service hindered by the distance to a bar.

The captain was at the high ranking Mariners reception but gave away medals only. The cd spoke at the brunch for about 1 minute. I wonder if lack of senior officers is going to be the norm now.

We often have been seated at a table hosted by a Senior Officer for Mariners Brunch. I always enjoy and appreciate that. :)