any discounts when staying in a Neptune suite ?

Moriah,

When you mention that the Neptune Lounge now provides alcoholic drinks, are you saying they are complementary?

Moriah,

When you mention that the Neptune Lounge now provides alcoholic drinks, are you saying they are complementary?

There are drinks available in the Neptune Lounge now - a self service bar is set up. But when we were on, you signed for your drinks (charged to your room).

To the best of my knowledge, they have not become complimentary. They certainly weren't in April/May 2016.

Do you think somebody in Seattle sits behind a desk and has to come up with a list of things to "give away" that nobody really wants?;)

Yup!! :D

I agree that it would be great if Neptune and Pinnacle suite guests would get free internet but I think you will find that just having the Neptune Lounge gives HAL's suites a HUGE advantage over the competition. You just don't appreciate until you experience how great it is NEVER to have to go to the front desk! To have two lovely concierge crew members who are willing to do just about anything for you and with a smile! The lounge now does offer alcoholic drinks, BTW. Also, Neptune suite guests get free laundry, pressing, and dry cleaning throughout the cruise - a perk I think is worth it's weight in gold! (and if you have a lot of laundry.. that's a lot LOL) I think you are going to LOVE the Neptune suite and all it does provide for you, although, again, I agree about internet.

The alcoholic drinks were not free on our cruise last spring.

The prices for the alcoholic drinks are the same as you pay at any other bar/lounge or restaurant on the ship.

There are drinks available in the Neptune Lounge now - a self service bar is set up. But when we were on, you signed for your drinks (charged to your room).

 

To the best of my knowledge, they have not become complimentary. They certainly weren't in April/May 2016.

Not free in September, either. We didn't use it. I believe other posters have said beverage cards aren't honored for purchases like this because the NL doesn't have the swiper to read the cards.

Interesting, that was not our experience last June, hopefully the concierge staff in December will quickly change our opinion :)

 

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Sorry to hear that. Were you on the Maasdam last June?

In my previous post,I was comparing my experience on the Maasdam (first HAL cruise) in the Neptune Lounge with concierges I've encountered on our Royal Caribbean cruises.

Lol, it's not just the free drinks, believe me.

 

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The free internet for the entire cruise & private specialty restaurant for ALL meals.

A lot of other misc. stuff,

It is not just 'a few' free drinks...we went up to the lounge & naked for a few beers & glass of wine to take back to our cabin once....no problem !

Naked!!?? I hope you meant asked..lol

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If you'd come naked I bet they gave you whatever your wanted to get you out of there.

I like the Neptune Lounge. I like that there are snacks all day in there you can take back to your room. We are not particularly social so we do spend time on our balcony enjoying the snacks and reading and having quiet time. I like that we get on the ship first and off as well. I like that I can pack a little lighter because I know I can send my laundry out Weds morning and have it back no later than Thurs morning.

I really like breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill. Maybe someday we will try another cruise line but for now, for us, we love the level of service we receive

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Just off a Grand Suite on Royal Caribbean....that is the lowest category of their suites.

You get FREE internet for the entire cruise

Also a suite lounge access with free wine & beer from 11am until 11pm

and a specialty restaurant for all meals. Hard drinks free in the evening.

Price cheaper than Holland regular prices.

Have not done Holland for many years but remember it as very nice.

This cruise convenient for us because we live on the west coast & got an unbelievable deal. Just sorry to see that you do not seem to get much for having a suite.

With all respect, you cannot expect to get an 'unbelievable' deal and t o e then think they will hand out all sort of freebies. this is a for profit business.

Only passengers sailing in Neptune and Pinnacle suites have access to the Neptune Lounge and personalized concierge service. Passengers in Signature Suites and Vista Suites do not have access to the lounge but can avail of telephone concierge service.

I will try to tiptoe and be respectful...but we cannot even imagine any use for a Concierge when we are on HAL. The service is generally outstanding with out a Concierge, we never take HAL excursions, and handle port issues on our own (been doing it for over forty years). So what can a Concierge do for me? And considering the premium cost of a Neptune Suite...where is the value other then the physical cabin (which is very nice). As to the lounge, when we stroll by and see the plates of fresh sliced fruit (no longer easy to get in the NEW lido scheme) we are a little jealous. But with the exception of the fruit there is no way we would ever spend our onboard time in an inside lounge (with no view) when we could be sitting in the Crows Nest or somewhere else where we can watch the sea.

So pray tell....what would "personalized concierge service" mean for us?

Hank

fvA soft sideed varment bag of ours arrived in our ca b in with huge tear. I didn't much acare about he b ag exc edpt I neeeded it to get our cltghes home. Sure we could spend time a shorfe buying a new one but what a lousy way to spend a shore day. :DOur sgteward mewntioned to the conc ierge and she had him deliver itt to her in Neptune Loungew. She sent itt to the upholstterer who did such a gerrrweeaTR JOB ERWPAiring it, I not only used itg to g

Ent us home bu for several cruises thereafter until I bought a replacement.

AToward th end of saomer c ruise, DH wanted some $5, $10, $20 for tips but only had large denomination currency. the line at office were long, Concierge, cashed tghe large bills for him and no need go stand in line at the office.

I will try to tiptoe and be respectful...but we cannot even imagine any use for a Concierge when we are on HAL. The service is generally outstanding with out a Concierge, we never take HAL excursions, and handle port issues on our own (been doing it for over forty years). So what can a Concierge do for me? And considering the premium cost of a Neptune Suite...where is the value other then the physical cabin (which is very nice). As to the lounge, when we stroll by and see the plates of fresh sliced fruit (no longer easy to get in the NEW lido scheme) we are a little jealous. But with the exception of the fruit there is no way we would ever spend our onboard time in an inside lounge (with no view) when we could be sitting in the Crows Nest or somewhere else where we can watch the sea.

 

So pray tell....what would "personalized concierge service" mean for us?

 

Hank

We found the lounge to be quite useful. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but it was convenient to pick up a plate of snacks or their coffee and take it back to our room.

We won't be visiting the MDR on our next seven day cruise. We've reserved some specialty restaurants and will be having room service most nights on our balcony. (Have you seen an aft wrap on a Vista Class? It's like having your own private version of the Crows Nest.) We had a copy of the MDR menus in our room. I would write down our selections and give them to the concierge who handled it from there. Much better than the dine line. The concierges saved us several trips to the service desk.

No, they didn't do anything we couldn't have done ourselves but they did make the cruise more enjoyable. It's like any luxury item, not at all necessary but makes life more enjoyable.

We will use the concierge service for the first time on our next cruise. We have a bunch of OBC and are booking a couple of shore excursions in the Neptune Lounge as soon as we board while sipping terrible champagne...:). We also have an aft wrap and are really looking forward to having a nice dinner out there. Romantic...:)

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I will try to tiptoe and be respectful...but we cannot even imagine any use for a Concierge when we are on HAL. The service is generally outstanding with out a Concierge, we never take HAL excursions, and handle port issues on our own (been doing it for over forty years). So what can a Concierge do for me? And considering the premium cost of a Neptune Suite...where is the value other then the physical cabin (which is very nice). As to the lounge, when we stroll by and see the plates of fresh sliced fruit (no longer easy to get in the NEW lido scheme) we are a little jealous. But with the exception of the fruit there is no way we would ever spend our onboard time in an inside lounge (with no view) when we could be sitting in the Crows Nest or somewhere else where we can watch the sea.

 

So pray tell....what would "personalized concierge service" mean for us?

 

Hank

On our Volendam Asia cruise last February, we accepted an upsell to a Neptune which was a great deal. We loved it!! Mainly due to all the help the Concierge service did for us. Because of all the ports we were visiting and all the visas that we needed to get (either on the ship or before) it was a real mess. It should have been taken care of at check in, but it wasn't. We didn't have to stand for a long time in the line at the front office. The concierge took our passports, dealt with all the visas and we didn't have to do anything. The time that saved us, gave us time to do what we liked to do...walk the deck, enjoy the programs in the show lounge, eat, shop! (that be me) Also, we met several people that had to go to the main desk several times to sort out visas.

The concierges were so helpful in a lot of other ways. We usually do private tours. When I had connecting with people on our tour, they helped. When we wanted to reserve a large table in the main dining room to celebrate with newly made friends it was done. They also helped us get a good time for the Pinnacle grill. Those little extras were really special for us.

We did enjoy having our happy hour in the Neptune with another couple. The honor bar worked great.

Since this was a very port intensive cruise, our room was a very quiet oasis.

We would never pay full price for a Neptune. We book HAL cruises for basically the itinerary and time of year. We usually book a guarantee. If the upgrade fairy favors us with a Neptune again that we feel is a great deal, we would snag it in a minute. We continually check our cruise prices and if it looks like a Neptune becomes in our price range, we let our TA know.

But just put me on a ship with at least an ocean view and I will be sooooo happy.

We will use the concierge service for the first time on our next cruise. We have a bunch of OBC and are booking a couple of shore excursions in the Neptune Lounge as soon as we board while sipping terrible champagne...:). We also have an aft wrap and are really looking forward to having a nice dinner out there. Romantic...:)

 

 

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Dining on the balcony is very romantic. Our wonderful room steward who helped the dinners special. He made sure we had copies of the menus. He would meet the room service attendant so we could wait on the balcony. Sometimes I would get us a couple of drinks. And we always had a bottle of wine. We're going to do at least three dinners there on Oosterdam.

I will try to tiptoe and be respectful...but we cannot even imagine any use for a Concierge when we are on HAL. The service is generally outstanding with out a Concierge, we never take HAL excursions, and handle port issues on our own (been doing it for over forty years). So what can a Concierge do for me? And considering the premium cost of a Neptune Suite...where is the value other then the physical cabin (which is very nice). As to the lounge, when we stroll by and see the plates of fresh sliced fruit (no longer easy to get in the NEW lido scheme) we are a little jealous. But with the exception of the fruit there is no way we would ever spend our onboard time in an inside lounge (with no view) when we could be sitting in the Crows Nest or somewhere else where we can watch the sea.

 

So pray tell....what would "personalized concierge service" mean for us?

 

Hank

Hank, with all due respect and I do Have a LOT of respect for you for all of the help on the port boards.

Having sailed one of the "supposed" premium lines, I can tell you that the concierges on HAl can knock the socks of those on Oceania.

What do they do? They have helped me with meet and greets, find cabin numbers so I can deliver invites. they simply take care of nearly "everything".

Missing laundry? Appetizers for a great together? Shore booking/change? Specialty dining or change? they do it all. It's a combination of front desk, shore excursions, PG/Tamarind/Canaletto/any specialty dining, etc.

Most of the concierges are superb. They do rotate from the front desk but most seem to to know their job.

Concierge on one of our Maasdam cruises sent out my Dh'S TASSEL LOAFER TO HAVthe tassel replaced onthe shoe from which it Edll off.. i would not before that i incident h AVE known where to send it while aboard t get iitf repaired. We had it back in a few hours.

I will try to tiptoe and be respectful...but we cannot even imagine any use for a Concierge when we are on HAL.

I agree. Yes, Neptune Suite passengers don't have to go to the Front Desk. They have to go to the Neptune Lounge, where, if they're lucky, there won't be a line and they have to make the same requests that they'd have to make at the Front Desk. Not sure why that's such a boon.

The last experience we had with the concierges was disappointing to say the least. I would rather have just gone to the dreaded Front Desk.

I agree. Yes, Neptune Suite passengers don't have to go to the Front Desk. They have to go to the Neptune Lounge, where, if they're lucky, there won't be a line and they have to make the same requests that they'd have to make at the Front Desk. Not sure why that's such a boon.

 

The last experience we had with the concierges was disappointing to say the least. I would rather have just gone to the dreaded Front Desk.

Just because you have a concierge doesn't mean you can't use the front desk. They will take care of you.

They will, of course, say you have a concierge. Just reply back pleasantly that you prefer to deal there to try to get some help.

I will try to tiptoe and be respectful...but we cannot even imagine any use for a Concierge when we are on HAL. The service is generally outstanding with out a Concierge, we never take HAL excursions, and handle port issues on our own (been doing it for over forty years). So what can a Concierge do for me? And considering the premium cost of a Neptune Suite...where is the value other then the physical cabin (which is very nice). As to the lounge, when we stroll by and see the plates of fresh sliced fruit (no longer easy to get in the NEW lido scheme) we are a little jealous. But with the exception of the fruit there is no way we would ever spend our onboard time in an inside lounge (with no view) when we could be sitting in the Crows Nest or somewhere else where we can watch the sea.

 

So pray tell....what would "personalized concierge service" mean for us?

 

Hank

Hank, trust me, no need to tip toe with me when it comes to the Neptune Lounge. Our worst HAL experience has been in Neptune Suites and we have no use whatsoever for the Neptune Lounge. We have always found it to be the least hospital venue on a HAL ship.

Like you, we also see little need for the concierge service. It is far easier for me to call and book our speciality dining reservations directly, for instance, than it is to call the concierge, have them make it, and then have them call back to confirm. Waste of time, if you ask me.

It would take much more than the Neptune Lounge to get us back to booking Neptune Suites.

I agree. Yes, Neptune Suite passengers don't have to go to the Front Desk. They have to go to the Neptune Lounge, where, if they're lucky, there won't be a line and they have to make the same requests that they'd have to make at the Front Desk. Not sure why that's such a boon.

 

The last experience we had with the concierges was disappointing to say the least. I would rather have just gone to the dreaded Front Desk.

A couple of questions about the front desk.

- Do they have comfortable chairs for waiting?

- Do they have one of those coffee makers for espresso and cappuccino?

- Do they have small plates with delicious snacks and sliced fruit?

- Do they have a place to make a cocktail?

Sure, sometimes we had to wait to see the concierge, but it was an enjoyable wait.

Any discrepencies with the bill are easily sorted out by the concierge.

Also "preffered seating at specialty dining venues" are i think some of the unannouced perks that they can do. We seem to always get roomy windowtables at pinnacle grill and tamarind.

On previous charters

- concierge had first dibbs for restaurant reservations

- a port got cancelled and new excursions were bookable with the concierge

- next cruisesales were all done at the neptune lounge for suiteguests, bypassing the queue.