Neptune Suite & Club Orange Westerdam Questions

[Mermen]

We sailed the Rotterdam last summer in a Neptune and loved the service and Club Orange, with our suite perks. Thanks in advance to the HAL cruisers who may be able to answer a couple of questions regarding our upcoming cruise in 6-weeks:

 

1) Understanding there is not a separate venue for Club Orange 😔, how was the service in the dining room? Are there a good selection for 2-top tables? Is the beverage service fairly efficient or should we grab cocktails / wine on our way in?
 

2) Is there an enhanced in-room dining menu for Neptune guests? 

 

3) Do suite guests pay the up charge for Dive in or other meals delivered to your cabin?

 

4) We have the middle-of-the-road beverage package but would like to upgrade to the premier for the wine selection. Best to do this once onboard? 
 

5) Other advice / tips?

 

😊Thanks very much for your knowledge sharing! 

[Catlover54]

The CO dining room on Rotterdam (for suite guests and CO members) was very nice, quiet and intimate with good service.  There was usually one special on the menu each day and thought not gourtmet, it was pleasant, as were the servers, food came hot and we enjoyed the experience. Unfortunately no lunch and no view to the outside. As suite guests, we always got a two-top (or a table for four with just us two sitting) when we came in at popular times.

Beverage service was appropriate in the venue for wine, but we did not try to bring hard liquor drinks in so don't know if service for them directly would be ok.

 

We had some hamburgers delivered to our suite and did not get charged an upcharge.

It might be best to upgrade your wine package once on board, or just buy wine as you desire it. 

[oakridger]

OP will be on Westerdam.  No Club Orange dining room.

 

2 hours ago, Mermen said:

1) Understanding there is not a separate venue for Club Orange 😔, how was the service in the dining room? Are there a good selection for 2-top tables? Is the beverage service fairly efficient or should we grab cocktails / wine on our way in? I can't answer these.
 

2) Is there an enhanced in-room dining menu for Neptune guests? For Breakfast there are free Mimosas and fresh OJ and a couple other items.

 

 In room menu for the rest of the day is the same as all cabins. Neptune breakfast card from @Crew News:   Breakfast-Room-Service-PS-NS-Orange.pdf (rogerjett-photography.com)  

 

3) Do suite guests pay the up charge for Dive in or other meals delivered to your cabin? Yes

 

4) We have the middle-of-the-road beverage package but would like to upgrade to the premier for the wine selection. Best to do this once onboard? Yes, but think about getting a wine package instead of the upgrade or just paying the difference in drink prices plus 18% gratuity over the $11 limit instead.  Elite Beverage Package doesn't have a huge selection of wine by the glass in my opinion.  If your favorite wine does happen to be on the list then it may be worth the Elite package, but for me, no.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

~Nancy

[Mermen]

Thanks very much! Yes we enjoyed Club Orange on the Rotterdam but see that Westerdam does not have the venue. 
 

Appreciate the advice on the menu and paying the up charge for better wine as we will drink more than cocktails. 

[sciencewonk]

We sailed in a Neptune Suite on Noordam, also a Vista class ship.  Breakfast perk was breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill, which I came to realize was one of the highlights of our cruise.  MDR dining had terrific service.  We ordered wine when we sat down and it usually arrived before they took our orders.  If you have open seat dining, one of the perks is the Club Orange line, which was always much shorter than the general dining line.  We had fixed-time dining, but I assume a shorter line meant faster seating.

 

Neptune Suites can order room service from anything that's on the MDR menu for that day.  I'm not sure, but I think that might be exclusive to CO.  There is still an up charge for room service from the Dive In, although Catlover54 said that they weren't charged, so that may have changed.  There is also a charge for drinks, even if you are on a beverage package.  We would go to the Neptune and pick up our drinks there (covered by the package) and take them back to our room.

 

I can't comment on changing your beverage package except to say that I think I'm an above average wine drinker, but not a wine snob, and I was happy with the regular drink package choices.  I don't know if I would have been even happier with the wines priced above $11.

 

My tip would be to try the Neptune Lounge for lunch, especially if you want to eat light.  The shrimp were really tasty.  You can eat it in the lounge or take it back to your room.  Also, take advantage of the concierge in the lounge.  They were outstanding.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[oakridger]

2 hours ago, sciencewonk said:

Neptune Suites can order room service from anything that's on the MDR menu for that day. 

 

Just to clarify, all grades of cabins can order room service from the MDR during their open hours. They will tell you when the time is to call in your order. (I "think" it's within the first hour of service for that meal) I haven't done it myself.

 

~Nancy

[sciencewonk]

27 minutes ago, oakridger said:

 

Just to clarify, all grades of cabins can order room service from the MDR during their open hours. They will tell you when the time is to call in your order. (I "think" it's within the first hour of service for that meal) I haven't done it myself.

 

~Nancy

Nancy:

Thanks for the clarification.

Dan

[mafig]

Can you order cocktails in the Club Orange dining room on Rotterdam?

[Sea42]

45 minutes ago, mafig said:

Can you order cocktails in the Club Orange dining room on Rotterdam?

Yes

[kazu]

OP - Pinnacle Grill breakfast on the non Club Orange dining room ships is very nice.  I would nearly rate it higher than CO overall ( there had been one unpleasant experience but it is a drop in the bucket).

 

It is very nice and with lovely sea views in most of them (not the R class ships IIRC)

 

What ship are you sailing on? Hope I didn’t miss it in the reading.
 

You won’t be charged for fresh squeezed oj in the Pinnacle nor the specialty coffees (sans alcohol).

 

As to upgrading the beverage package?  Take a hard look on board.  You might just want to pay the difference if it is a drink or two.  those with HIA are now having a harder time upgrading but with just paying the difference, it’s not a biggee to me.  Mind you, I drink white wine and there are no superior offerings that fit the Elite package that I have seen so far.  But, if you want to do it, do NOT have a drink - head to a bar and ask to upgrade.  If you partake, you will have no success.

 

Hope this helps a bit 🤞 

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

19 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

Just to clarify, all grades of cabins can order room service from the MDR during their open hours. They will tell you when the time is to call in your order. (I "think" it's within the first hour of service for that meal) I haven't done it myself.

 

~Nancy

 

The times I've ordered dinner from the MDR menu, the window to order was the first hour (or earlier in the day through the concierge when we were in a Neptune Suite), although you could specify any time within the MDR open hours. 

[Mermen]

On 8/17/2023 at 5:02 PM, kazu said:

OP - Pinnacle Grill breakfast on the non Club Orange dining room ships is very nice.  I would nearly rate it higher than CO overall ( there had been one unpleasant experience but it is a drop in the bucket).

 

It is very nice and with lovely sea views in most of them (not the R class ships IIRC)

 

What ship are you sailing on? Hope I didn’t miss it in the reading.
 

You won’t be charged for fresh squeezed oj in the Pinnacle nor the specialty coffees (sans alcohol).

 

As to upgrading the beverage package?  Take a hard look on board.  You might just want to pay the difference if it is a drink or two.  those with HIA are now having a harder time upgrading but with just paying the difference, it’s not a biggee to me.  Mind you, I drink white wine and there are no superior offerings that fit the Elite package that I have seen so far.  But, if you want to do it, do NOT have a drink - head to a bar and ask to upgrade.  If you partake, you will have no success.

 

Hope this helps a bit 🤞 

 

 

Thank you, will look forward to breakfast in Pinnacle. We did miss the ocean views in Club Orange. Good advice on Elite package wine…I only saw that Chateau St Michelle was offered in some venues on the Elite menu which was the only white I think I would enjoy but happy to pay more depending on the selection. We’ll stick with our basic package. 
 

We are sailing on the MS Westerdam. 

[Catlover54]

Mermen, I am just curious:  did you get your name from the band Mermen (DH and I have all their albums) , or was it otherwise inspired? 🙂

 

[kazu]

7 hours ago, Mermen said:

We are sailing on the MS Westerdam. 

 

Oh good - you will have sea views in the Pinnacle Grill.

[Mermen]

On 8/18/2023 at 11:28 PM, Catlover54 said:

Mermen, I am just curious:  did you get your name from the band Mermen (DH and I have all their albums) , or was it otherwise inspired? 🙂

 

HaHa, nope just a fluke as my husband and I love cruising and the sea.  I used to moderate another cruise board and my screen name was Triton! I’ve never heard of the band Mermen but we started listening and like them. 😊