More for less?

[jaguarstyper]

In another thread, I posted: With HAL, I always feel like I pay less and get more. Every time we decide to book a cruise, I spend hours comparing different itineraries from all the major cruise lines. We like the Neptune suites on HAL, especially the aft corner ones. I find it difficult to find comparable accommodations on any other cruiseline. Their suites are either smaller, for the same or more money, or much more elaborate for much more money. For the two of us, the Neptune suites are perfect. I would honestly like to try other cruiselines, but HAL keeps bringing me back by allowing me to pay less and get more. Weird, huh?

 

That said, we are not very price sensitive, but it does factor in to our cruise plans. I think with a Neptune suite on HAL, there is a lot of bang for your buck. Search as hard as I might, I have never been able to come up with any other really comparable suites on other cruise lines. When I booked our upcoming cruise, I was bound and determined to book on Celebrity. We narrowed it down to Celebrity Reflection and HAL Westerdam or Eurodam. On the Reflection, the closest think to a Neptune suite, pricewise was the Sky Suite. Its much smaller, the veranda is much, much smaller and it would have been $200 pp more money. Moving up to a Celebrity Suite would have given us comparable size, but at a price of about $800 pp more. We almost pulled the trigger on Celebrity and the Sky suite. But knowing what we would get on the Westerdam in an aft corner suite, we just couldn't do it.

 

We also looked at Carnival, Norwegian and Princess. Norwegian and Princess also offered less for more. Carnival's Grand Suite on the Liberty was price and size comparable, but no Half Moon Cay, which we like a lot and we're not really a big fan of the Carnival product.

 

So, what other comparable cruiselines offer suites similar to the Neptune Suites and are price competitive with HAL? As hard as I try, I just cant seem to come up with anything better. We are absolutely going to be booking on the Celebrity Reflection in a Signature suite for a "special occasion" Mediterranean cruise in April, 2016, regardless of the cost.

[Willem Ruys]

So close to the NIEUW AMSTERDAM and EURODAM are Cunard Line's twins QUEEN ELIZABETH and QUEEN VICTORIA that they share cabin numbers on every deck until midships where the Cunard twins differ because they have Princess and a couple of Queens Grill suites there; their suites correspond very much in size but not layout nor price; Cunard generally charging much more for a LOT less including food so bad after a 4 day planned stay ashore before starting a 14 day cruise from Los Angeles to Hawaii and back we refused to go back...and spent 18 days instead of 4 in Seattle during February 2011. We were in Queens Grill (the restaurant is located up top where the 2 HAL sisters have the Tamarind Restaurant); found the atmosphere very stuffy, the food awful (many days I subsisted on a breakfast order of a bagel, smoked salmon, etc) because the food was so bad; a very dressy ship; and a very cool, indifferent "correct" service crew. But the suites are about the same in size as HAL's newest ships. If you take one of these Cunarders don't say you weren't warned.

[sail7seas]

My friends always sail in Neptune Suites on HAL but went with family for a Med cruise on NCL. They were in the big, big suites with the private pool area, whatever they are called, and said it was in a whole different league from anything they have experienced on HAL. She said they would not have been happy were they in a 'usual' cabin but with the stunner they occupied, all were over the top pleased.

 

[tangerinebunny]

This December we're paying less for a corner Sky Suite on the Silhouette than an SA on the Eurodam. Am I a better shopper? No, Celebrity has sales and we hit it lucky.

 

If price truly isn't an issue, then take the cabin and route that you prefer.

Edited June 27, 2014 by tangerinebunny

[jaguarstyper]

My friends always sail in Neptune Suites on HAL but went with family for a Med cruise on NCL. They were in the big, big suites with the private pool area, whatever they are called, and said it was in a whole different league from anything they have experienced on HAL. She said they would not have been happy were they in a 'usual' cabin but with the stunner they occupied, all were over the top pleased.

 

I assume you're referring to the Haven suites and wow they do look nice. If I were ever to cruise with a family group, that would be the first place I'd look. But, more often than not, its just the two of us and that would be some serious overkill for two of us. You never know, though. Someday, I may just say cost be damned. YOLO!

[sail7seas]

Yes, that's it. Haven Suites.

 

I couldn't remember the name.

 

They had two or three different suites and they said the service and everything available to them was outstanding. We have sailed HAL Neptunes a number of times with them so I take their comparison seriously. :)

 

[Susie51]

Grand Suites on RCI Voyager class seem comparable to me, but the ships are much noisier.

[cbr663]

The challenge, as you noted, is that it is very difficult to compare one suite against another. Different sizes and different amenities make for an entirely different product and pricing structure.

 

I feel that with Celebrity, the Celebrity Suite is more akin to HAL's Neptune Suite. Both are approximately the same size, but Celebrity offers substantially more amenities with butler service, in-suite coffee service, complimentary speciality dining, and reserved dinner theatre, just to name a few. I would expect to pay more for a Celebrity Suite than a Neptune Suite.

 

On Princess, the Suite with Balcony appears comparable to a Neptune and the amenities offered are nearly identical.

 

Oceania really doesn't offer a stateroom class comparable to the Neptune. It's Penthouse Suite is smaller than a Neptune and it's Oceania Suite is substantially larger and more comparable to HAL's Pinnacle Suite.

 

It is my understanding that Norwegian's Haven's suites are in a class of their own offering products and services that HAL just does not offer. With non-haven suites it is more the Penthouse that is most comparable to a Neptune, but HAL doesn't offer the butler service.

 

Where we feel that HAL is weakest with regard to suites is the lack of amenities as compared to other lines.

[jaguarstyper]

It is my understanding that Norwegian's Haven's suites are in a class of their own offering products and services that HAL just does not offer. With non-haven suites it is more the Penthouse that is most comparable to a Neptune, but HAL doesn't offer the butler service.

The Haven suites look amazing. The Reflection suites on Celebrity also look to be very, very cool.

 

By they way, Norwegian doesn't offer butler service in their Penthouse suites either. They say they do, but both times we were in PH suites on Norwegian, the butlers were virtually non-existent. On one cruise, we met him on embarkation day and never saw or heard from him again the entire cruise, even when we had a need. We called him, left messages for him, and never heard a peep from him again. The front desk accommodated our insignificant need. We joked that maybe he fell overboard. The front desk apologized saying he was very busy. :rolleyes: The other cruise, she was completely unseen. She was at least responsive when called, but she seemed like she was annoyed by our requests.

 

We're not very needy cruisers, so we just shrugged it off.

Edited June 27, 2014 by jaguarstyper