Our First Neptune Suite (Part I)

[sail7seas]

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.

 

I agree it is better when they have the Suite Party in Crows Nest or Pinnacle Bar. Neptune Lounge can be crowded and hot if most of the Suite guests come.

 

[kazu]

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.

 

I've had the same - on the second night. It's not always on the first night.

 

Ours was in the Captain's day room on the Prinsendam. the ideal spot :D

 

While I do prefer the second night (not so rushy somehow), any night is fine by me. It's always enjoyable.

[SilvertoGold]

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

 

 

Ditto.

 

But lately, no hosted tables at all seems to be a common occurrence.

[hcij2015]

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

 

 

I wonder if the Senior Officer enjoys it, though.

Perhaps a duty rather than a choice.

[cruz chic]

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

 

 

Yes, I have too, but I'm speaking of recent experience. The nicest experience I had was on the NA in November. I was plucked from the cocktail party and escorted to my table in the MDR. We all had place cards at the table and there was an officer. Nothing special about the brunch on the Veendam. There was a period of several years where I didn't go. I'm still wishy washy on it.

[cruz chic]

I wonder if the Senior Officer enjoys it, though.

Perhaps a duty rather than a choice.

 

Without a doubt. I'm sure they would rather do other things.

[cruisin'girl]

Business entertaining like any company does to keep the customers happy.

[sail7seas]

I wonder if the Senior Officer enjoys it, though.

Perhaps a duty rather than a choice.

 

 

:cool: Well, bless your heart..... :)

 

When a young man/woman decides to go for a career at sea and they choose a cruise ship life, they elect all that involves. It is business entertaining in most cases but not all. ;) If it is such drudgery why do that continue to invite us again?

 

 

Yes, I have too, but I'm speaking of recent experience. The nicest experience I had was on the NA in November. I was plucked from the cocktail party and escorted to my table in the MDR. We all had place cards at the table and there was an officer. Nothing special about the brunch on the Veendam. There was a period of several years where I didn't go. I'm still wishy washy on it.

 

 

 

THat is nice. The choice is yours if you don't wish to participate but how nice to have the choice. :)

 

Edited May 28, 2015 by sail7seas

[hcij2015]

:cool: Well, bless your heart..... :)

 

When a young man/woman decides to go for a career at sea and they choose a cruise ship life, they elect all that involves. It is business entertaining in most cases but not all. ;) If it is such drudgery why do that continue to invite us again?

 

 

Wow. I have read enough on this website to

know that your "bless your heart" is your way of

trying to insult me. I am surprised at you.

 

You validated my point about officers hosting a table - it is work, not pleasure.

[sail7seas]

This is such a nice thread, I'd like to return to enjoying OP's review. He put a lot of work into sharing with us.

Edited May 28, 2015 by sail7seas

[SilvertoGold]

Without a doubt. I'm sure they would rather do other things.

 

Some, yes; others sort of. A personality thing, but a job is a job.

 

Considering how inconsistently there are hosted tables I suspect there is a reason.

[SilvertoGold]

Yes, I have too, but I'm speaking of recent experience. The nicest experience I had was on the NA in November. I was plucked from the cocktail party and escorted to my table in the MDR. We all had place cards at the table and there was an officer. Nothing special about the brunch on the Veendam. There was a period of several years where I didn't go. I'm still wishy washy on it.

 

I'm glad for you and your experience on the NA!

 

This is what we have experienced a lot on longer cruises. Very well organized and they sent our dinner waiter to get us and escort us to the DR. Very gracious!

[SilvertoGold]

Considering the "job is a job" idea for Officers to host tables, etc, I am reading a Crystal blog and keep wondering how it works on that line.

 

A couple has the Captain, HM, CD, Food and Bev Manager to dinner together. Or just the Captain, HM and CD in different combinations.

When they don't have the higher officers they have an assortment of Shorex Managers, Shops managers, Photo Manager, Past Guest Hostess, etc.

 

I cannot even imagine this on HAL. I guess that is what you pay for on Crystal.

[erewhon]

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

 

Not always, on our last two Volendam cruises the Suite reception was held the morning after embarkation, we had to leave the meet and greet in the Crows Nest to attend the 11.30am reception in the Neptune Lounge.

[erewhon]

Thanks for replying to my questions.

Disappointing no teapots in the Neptune Lounge.

[Crew News]

I attended the first Suite Party in the Neptune Lounge on 5/5. All of the ship's officers were in attendance, to include the Captain. That is where I met Santosh, Culinary Operations Manager, who offered to provide the chocolate purses. Only 12 passengers attended the Party.

Before proceeding, several facts need to be stated. The Captain had his family that include two who rode in a double stroller, aboard the ship. This was also the first visit to Alaska by the ship. The cruise beginning on 5/16 was scheduled for health inspections during the week and that kept everyone on their toes to prepare.

I attended the Suite Party on 5/9 and 5/16 and don't remember seeing the Captain. Most of his staff were present and I took both opportunities to chat with the CD and the Marketing Officer. My impression from the staff was that the Captain wanted to be on the Bridge when the ship navigated unfamiliar waters.

The Mariner's Brunch and new medallion presentation was disappointing as most of those gathered paid little attention.

[Caribbean Chris]

Thank you for this review. It confirmed my recent decisions to not book our Holland America sailings for Neptune level (though we now choose only suites on Celebrity for their amenities like a separate suite dining room and butler service.)

Initially I found it hard to "shift gears" from our "usual" (HAL) where I had developed a comfort level over time, and that may be true for others. Do you plan to return to Cunard Line in the future?

(Your review made me smile because it reminded me of a cruise we took on Noordam five years ago with old friends, Princess regulars who found little to like about the ship or HAL. The woman was vocal with comparisons every night at dinner to the point of being tiresome, and I'm sure you would not inflict a stream of negative comments on your traveling companions!)

I'm glad you enjoyed the lovely teak promenades and the excellent service of HAL's gracious crew members. Those two elements and the Explorations Cafe continue to draw me often to HAL.

[DaveOKC]

[quote name='Caribbean Chris']Thank you for this review. It confirmed my recent decisions to not book our Holland America sailings for Neptune level (though we now choose only suites on Celebrity for their amenities like a separate suite dining room and butler service.).................
[/QUOTE]

Sorry to hear your decision on this, but I can understand. The majority of sailings the cost of the Neptunes is considerably more than the next lowest category and it is tough to justify it.

On a Vista and Signature class HAL ship, we book a Signature suite instead and then hope for and upsell offer. In my experience, the upsell offers are about 1/3rd the price difference we would have paid if we had booked the Neptune in the first place. This works well for us as we are 4 Stars and get the free laundry, VIP boarding, tendering and disembarkation, and invites to the Captain's reception anyway (so the Neptune perks are not as big a deal for us). Plus, the Signature suites are almost the same size as the Neptunes (and certainly large enough for the two of us).

On these larger HAL ships, upsells from Signature to Neptune are quite common since there are alot more Neptunes than on the smaller ships. Plus we tend to book cruises that are in the slower seasons, so even greater an upsell chance.

Doing this we give up the ability to select our exact cabin, but so far we have had enough choices from the upsell list that we have been very satisfied. If we are on a cruise where we want a specific cabin (such as an aft-wrap for the Panama Canal) we would just go ahead and book the Neptune in the first place. Edited May 28, 2015 by DaveOKC

[sapper1]

We took an upsell from an SS once just to see what all the fuss was about.
We found the Neptune Lounge to be highly overrated, the suite reception in the lounge was cramped and we only had breakfast in the Pinnacle once and then returned to the Lido.
We have ample real estate in the SS suites and because we are four star Mariners we get the free laundry and priority embarkation and tendering anyway. I doubt very much if we would upgrade again as there is no extra benefit to us.

[JimAOk1945]

[COLOR="Black"]We will be on our first ever HAL cruise next year and in a Neptune Suite, so I found this thread very interesting and informative.

We enjoy cruising in a full suite on RCI and it sounds like the amenities are very similar, so we will feel right at home.

Thanks for a well balanced review of your cruise. It gives my a better overall idea of the "suite" life on HAL.[/COLOR] Edited May 28, 2015 by JimAOk1945

[cruz chic]

[quote name='sapper1']We took an upsell from an SS once just to see what all the fuss was about.
We found the Neptune Lounge to be highly overrated, the suite reception in the lounge was cramped and we only had breakfast in the Pinnacle once and then returned to the Lido.
We have ample real estate in the SS suites and because we are four star Mariners we get the free laundry and priority embarkation and tendering anyway. I doubt very much if we would upgrade again as there is no extra benefit to us.[/QUOTE]

The biggest perk for me is breakfast in the pinnacle. If you are not doing that then I can see how this provides little benefit. Eating breakfast in the MDR can be trying. Some days it's like pulling teeth to get a second cup of coffee. I do not like the lido. Another perk for me is eating alone. I find it very draining to eat with people at every meal. Some folks are more draining than others:D. I know that I can get my own table in the MDR but it's more difficult so I just don't bother.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[IRL_Joanie]

[quote name='3rdGenCunarder'][FONT=Verdana][U][SIZE=4][B]Sounds like you had an un-social captain[/B][/SIZE][/U].[/FONT] 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)[/quote]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=Blue][B]VERY Unsocial:( He was more in to his wife and kids on our last 2 weeks aboard the ship, which I can understand, However, he also has obligations of a minimum to pay attention to his passengers, if only for the "Look" of being around. The only time I saw him was the week before this one being talked of by the OP, when dobiemom was the only Medallion being presented. He even bestowed a hug on her, a HUG mind you, but no hand shaking. As mentioned by the OP, Officers, other than the COM and the other Dining Venue Officers, were very hard to spot anywhere on the ship.

Sad.......

Joanie[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] Edited May 28, 2015 by IRL_Joanie

[sapper1]

[quote name='IRL_Joanie'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][COLOR=Blue][B]VERY Unsocial:( He was more in to his wife and kids on our last 2 weeks aboard the ship, which I can understand, However, he also has obligations of a minimum to pay attention to his passengers, if only for the "Look" of being around. The only time I saw him was the week before this one being talked of by the OP, when dobiemom was the only Medallion being presented. He even bestowed a hug on her, a HUG mind you, but no hand shaking. As mentioned by the OP, Officers, other than the COM and the other Dining Venue Officers, were very hard to spot anywhere on the ship.

Sad.......

Joanie[/B][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

The last thing on my list when I board a ship is to receive attention from the captain any more than I think I should receive attention from the pilot of the airplane that takes me to the port. As long as the ship is safely looked after then I'm happy.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

[quote name='sapper1']The last thing on my list when I board a ship is to receive attention from the captain any more than I think I should receive attention from the pilot of the airplane that takes me to the port. As long as the ship is safely looked after then I'm happy.[/QUOTE]

I agree 110%. Although for some having the Captain around is nice; I personally do not think the Captain has any obligation to pay attention to passengers - I think that is the Hotel Director's' job.