Tucson Traveler

On 10/23/2022 at 12:26 PM, Iamthesea said:

That's how my husband feels. He is not happy that the Signature Class stateroom offers no perks.  On Celebrity, we received a few perks, like specialty dining, while staying in their Sky Suites.   They are actually smaller than the Signature Suite.

 

Once we did Business Class, he did not want to fly anything else.  Well I have news for him...we don't have that luxury anymore if we want to keep flying.  The BC is too high for multiple trips a year.!

3 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Being a guest in a Pinnacle or Neptune Suite will allow one to have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill.  Maybe, the Club Orange Restaurant, if one exists?  

Yup, Flight Ease used to be considerably cheaper for BC air - our trip to SA/Antarctica is was actually a few dollar more than buying on Google Air - booked Flight Ease for the protection we'd get with our HAL protection plan.

I also think the perk of being able to eat breakfast in the Pinnacle is a treat.  I hate how long it takes to get bfst in the main dining room.  I am just as happy with Lido, but if you want a sit down and have someone wait on you, Pinnacle is hands down better than MDR.

This is nice to hear.  We keep booking Neptune Suites because once you go suite you can't go back!  We love the Neptune Lounge and getting to know our concierges and wait staff.  Having a private lounge is just such a nice perk, it will be really hard to go back to a verandah suite.  That being said, the Neptune suites ARE really expensive, so this added perk of complimentary cocktails is a nice bonus.  I travel with someone who is not a big drinker (I am not either, but enjoy having a cold beer.)  This means that doing the math on the Have It All plan vs. without has another variable.

We're booked on the SA/Antarctica 22-day leaving on 12-19-22 and look forward to enjoying this new perk.

Definitely reserve for Rudi's Sal de Mer - we enjoyed a wonderful meal on the Niew Amsterdam (pop-up in the Pinnacle on that class ship.)  They did a cheese souffle that my mother ordered that was the absolute best thing eaten during the entire 21-day trip.  It was sublime. Almost more like a cheese custard but very light and airy. YUMMMMY.  We are doing SA/Antarctica on the Oosterdam this coming December and have already booked our table - here's hoping they pass recipes around between the ships!

On 10/21/2022 at 11:29 PM, zgscl said:

I absolutely love the Neptune Suites. They are very dangerous though, once you upgrade you will not want to go back. About 10 years ago we did our first cruise in a Neptune, at the time I traveled with my mom & great aunt and we found the balcony cabin was just too cramped for us. We surprised my great aunt with the Neptune - she took one look at the dressing room and said "never again in a cabin." She was right, we have not once gone back. 

 

Beyond the space, upgrading to a Neptune is a very big upgrade in terms of amenities and treatment onboard. You get all the Club Orange perks included (and get to dine in the CO if you are on a Pinnacle class ship or have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill on all other classes - I actually prefer the Pinnacle Breakfast to the CO one). The Neptune concierges are all wonderful. There are many things the front desk or other departments have said no to that the concierge was able to get turned into a yes for us. A few small examples of things they have done above and beyond for us over the years

 

• Back when they had the DVDs still they were required to be turned in 24 hours before final disembarkation for inventory. After being informed of this we asked the concierge and they personally went and got us a DVD so we could watch a movie while we were packing.
• Somehow on every cruise with fixed seating we always end up with a terrible table - either crammed in the former orchestra pit which is half way between decks so you can only see peoples feet while eating, or in a corner where there are no windows and all we can see is a bus station. Even when the Maitre 'd has said there is no room, the concierge has been able to get us either a much better window table, or a fixed reservation in open seating for the duration of the cruise with the same waiters (which is the main reason we like fixed seating). 
• They have handled many billing issues, shore excursion cancellations and rebooks as well as specialty dining reservations. You never need to wait in line at the front desk, you can stop by or call the concierge and they will take care of everything - if it is something another department needs to fix they will take care of making sure it happens so you can just get back to enjoying your vacation. 
• We have rented a wheel chair for my mom or great aunt on several cruises. On two occasions the wheel chair was broken. Unfortunately there is a very dumb policy that HAL is not permitted to switch a broken chair out with one of their stock (from the same 3rd party company, mind you) without the approval from the company. The concierge has taken care of calling the company and harassing them to get the needed approvals and coordinated with housekeeping to have the fixed chair delivered. 
• When luggage direct is not available, the concierge has been able to print boarding passes for us at 24 hours prior to our flight. 
• On one very special occasion they arranged a bridge tour for me with a small group of folks when they learned how interested I was. 

 

Additionally the Neptune suite is larger & we have found that we spend much more time in our cabin & balcony with the extra space (bonus points for an aft wrap balcony). The Neptune Lounge is also a great place to grab a cup of coffee or snack during the day, and the concierge can arrange tea or canapés in your suite as well.  

 

I would absolutely upgrade to a Neptune over a Signature for ~1,300 but I also exclusively book Neptunes on HAL so take that with a grain of salt. 

This poster is absolutely right - once you do a Neptune (or Business Air for that matter) it is very hard to go back.  We love the Neptune Lounge and find it a great place to be out of the cabin, chatting with new friends, but private with food and booze available right there.  The concierge teams are wonderful and having that service is priceless if there are any issues.   The Signature cabins look great, but every time we think about booking one I whine at not having access to the Neptune Lounge.

All in all we are looking forward to our 22-days on the Oosterdam and seeing the Antarctic before it melts.  We'll try any and all music venues with open minds.

Copied over from a board that was talking about this for Zuiderdam... same principle. That board is

@cruisebruce  That is the hope! Just think it is odd that the ship info page had put up Rolling Stone and now it's gone.  Hopefully a web content error. My brother-in-law who is traveling with us for a  change and is a huge music fan.  We adore Lincoln Center and will go to every show - and even repeat.  But having some fun dance music is a must on a long cruise.

We were on the Niew Amsterdam last October (2021) and the ship had BB King's.  It was great the first time we went, bopped around in our seats and sang along to a lot of songs.  Yes, there was a great deal of Motown, but who doesn't love a good Motown song for getting you going.

Here was the problem - the room is not that big and the band had their amps up SO HIGH it was distracting from the music itself.  Loud can be fun until it's painful.  If they had turned the amps down a notch or two, we would have been back a lot more often.  Yes, it got a crowd and it's the ONLY place on the ship that people can dance. 

Hopefully when we're on the Oosterdam in December for the SA/Antarctica 22-day cruise Rolling Stone's Lounge will be running smoothly.  Agree, no Top 40 - just good classic choices that most people know the words to.

PS - Neither venue is showing on the ship information pages for the Oosterdam.  Made me come looking here to see if they're doing away with both.