TeamBozo

It might be fun to speculate about who spends more... solos or couples. I doubt any of you have any empirical basis for claiming one way or the other. But I can't believe anybody could seriously assert that solos spend more than twice as much per capita than passengers traveling as couples. That's what it would take for singles to be as profitable as couples. Do you really think that solos drink twice as much, gamble twice as much, take twice as many excursions??? That's ridiculous. When a solo goes on an excursion, he pays one price. A couple buys 2 tickets. That's simple math.

No wonder Holland prefers couples and prices their cabins accordingly. I sense a defensiveness and persecution complex in the comments by solos. Holland's pricing is no reflection on your worth as a human being. I'm sure you would like to get a better deal, but that's not being realistic. You simply aren't as attractive as customers and they would rather have 2 people in your cabin, even if you pay double. I know you don't want to hear this, but it's a straightforward business decision.

We are looking at booking category A, B or BB on the Amsterdam. They are described as Vista Suites and Veranda Suites in the booking engine. There seems to be some confusion about whether or not they qualify for double days.

Is a veranda suite considered a "suite" and given double days for the purpose of calculating Mariner days and star levels? Thank you.

I totally agree with the observation that only you can decide if a Neptune Suite is worth the money.

 

However, my experience has been that the suites on Holland America are one of the worst values in cruising. I've spent quite a bit of time on HAL (a few days short of 5 stars at this point) and I've stayed in every kind of room but a penthouse. The suites are nice and give you lots of space, but you are still on HAL and are paying a very high price for a mass market experience.

 

The cost cutting and quality cutbacks on HAL are well documented on this site. The problem with a suite is that as soon as you step outside your cabin, you are basically just like everybody else. Yes, there are some perks, but realistically they are fairly minimal and you are paying a huge premium to get them. If you are lucky enough to snag a cheap upsell, then the value proposition is better, but you can never count on that.

 

Over the last 3 years, we have been moving away from HAL and towards the luxury lines, particularly Silversea and Crystal. If you shop around a bit, you can sail with them for roughly the price of a Neptune Suite and the quality is much, much higher. The little perks of HAL's suites are dwarfed by the consistently superior service, food and atmosphere on the ship. You will have a smaller cabin, but even an entry level cabin on Silversea (which they call a "suite") is about 50% bigger than HAL's basic cabin and is quite comfortable. I suppose that if you spend most of your time in your cabin on HAL, the bigger cabin is nice, but I can't see giving up all the advantages of the luxury lines to get that.

 

I recommend that you try a luxury line if you want to splurge. I'll warn you, it's hard to go back to HAL. When you add up all the things that are included (such as tips and drinks), it might even be cheaper than a Neptune Suite.

 

Only you can decide if a Neptune Suite is worth it. All cruise prices are set by supply and demand, so there are obviously people who are willing to pay the Neptune Suite price. I wonder how many of them have tried something else. It has been hard for us to give up our advanced status in HAL's loyalty program to start over in other cruise lines, but overall, I'd say it has been well worth it. You might be amazed at how much nicer the experience of a luxury line can be.

I have to totally agree

HAL has gone downhill rapidly in the last 5 years. It's hardly recognizable anymore. Selling off the small ships and replacing them with big ones will only make it worse. My advice to the OP is to not get your hopes up too much.

That's not true.

Silversea places its sanitizer stations off to the sides, either on a wall or on a pedestal.

Sure, if you want to seek them out, you can avail yourself of them. Some do, but most don't. But I agree with the OP that diners should be practically forced to clean their hands before entering a buffet (or other dining room). It doesn't have to be heavy handed. I'm sure most people would be more than happy to comply. And if they don't, OK. But I don't see why the rest of us have to suffer because many passengers are too ignorant, lazy, or rude to take simple precautions. It's a cop out for Silversea to blame the passengers when they need to take much more responsibility for making this happen.

I'm so glad somebody has finally brought this up. I have been very troubled by this same problem and I also hope all Silversea passengers will encourage the line to take this issue head on.

I get the feeling that Silversea wants to promote a fantasy about how we are all upscale and well educated passengers who don't need to be bothered with things like staying healthy. I've had more than one cruise ruined from getting sick. It drives me nuts when I'm on a tour and half the bus is coughing and sneezing.