Balcony or Suite?

[kidlessatsea]

Looking for opinions (yes I know that's a can of worms)

 

Family of 4

Alaska cruise

Nieuw Amsterdam

 

Verandah or Suite?

More specifically, if you had booked a verandah cabin for all 4 of you and you could upgrade to a suite, what would you be willing to pay? What is it worth to you and why?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Value is so subjective, that I wouldn't know what price to tell you. Ask yourself a few questions.

 

How much time do you typically spend in your cabin? Think about how port-intensive the cruise is--will you be ashore a lot of the time? Will you spend time at sea by the pool? You didn't say how old your kids are--will they be in the kids' program or with you? If you're out and about most of the time, the smaller balcony may be enough. And you can spend the extra money on tours, etc.

 

Check out the sleeping arrangements in your two choices. I haven't been in a quad, but I know that they vary in how they're arranged. Some quads have a bunk that drops down over the head of the main bed. Some suite quads (Neptunes) have a sofa bed for two. I'm not sure about other quads. Look at room details on HAL's site. Do you know about the site that has a lot of Facts about HAL? We can't include the exact name or link, but people have posted lots of photos.

 

The suite's room will be larger, obviously, but what about the bathroom? It will probably be larger. Is that of value to you?

 

Sorry to have more questions than answers, but maybe this will help you figure out what's best for you.

[summersigh]

One thing about a regular verandah is that there is not alot of convenient storage with 4 people. Haven't stayed in a suite in a long time so not sure how much more they might have.:)

 

As 3rd gen said above it's subjective in relation to the $$ of the different type of cabins. Are these items enough to have you spend almost twice the price pp ?:confused:

[kidlessatsea]

I guess I was looking for more of a personal answer from you. :-)

 

The quad is an upper/lower.

I have seen the HAL site mentioned but there were no quad verandahs pictured that I could find.

We just got off Oasis of the Seas and had three in our room and there is NO WAY we would have done that with 4, much too small. I know that HAL rooms are a bit larger though.

 

Our kids will be 17 and 7 so it's almost like 3 adults and 1 kid.

 

This cruise is far and away more than I've ever paid for any cruise before so part of me is just thinking, what's another $1700 (price difference between verandah and suite)?

[kazu]

Looking for opinions (yes I know that's a can of worms)

 

Family of 4

Alaska cruise

Nieuw Amsterdam

 

Verandah or Suite?

More specifically, if you had booked a verandah cabin for all 4 of you and you could upgrade to a suite, what would you be willing to pay? What is it worth to you and why?

 

Good points made in the posts above.

 

IF you can get an upsell offer (not full price) the normal rule of thumb is that it is at least 50% of the differential cost at the time between the verandah and NS/SS.

 

If it is 25% - 33% even better ;)

 

There is much more space in these cabins and storage space than a verandah. NS have some nice perks that would apply to everyone in your cabin along with the added space.

[caggfamily]

If you can afford the suite I'd upgrade. We have cruised with my children since they were little, but once they became teens (2 girls), we opted for separate cabins. some people get side by side cabins, while others put the parents in a balcony with the kids across the hall in an inside cabin. All I know is that HAL's cabins are generally bigger than Royal's but they are not large. On a recent cruise, my sister opted to upgrade to a suite for her family of 3. She felt that with her son being 12, there just wasn't enough room in a regular cabin for the 3 of them to be comfortable. The suite gives you 2 sinks which would be very handy imo for a family of 4.

[cbr663]

On the NA, there is the Signature Suite, Neptune Suite and Pinnacle Suite. The Signature Suite is about 50% larger than a regular veranda cabin and the Neptune Suite is about double the size of a regular veranda. The Pinnacle is substantially larger than a veranda.

 

Having sailed in a Neptune Suite, I can assure you that it will provide you with room to easily move around. I couldn't imagine four people in a regular veranda cabin. But, we tend to spend time in our cabin so that makes a difference.

 

The larger balcony of a suite will be wonderful when sailing Alaska. We spent more time on our balcony in Alaska than on any other cruise.

[kidlessatsea]

If you can afford the suite I'd upgrade. We have cruised with my children since they were little, but once they became teens (2 girls), we opted for separate cabins. some people get side by side cabins, while others put the parents in a balcony with the kids across the hall in an inside cabin. All I know is that HAL's cabins are generally bigger than Royal's but they are not large. On a recent cruise, my sister opted to upgrade to a suite for her family of 3. She felt that with her son being 12, there just wasn't enough room in a regular cabin for the 3 of them to be comfortable. The suite gives you 2 sinks which would be very handy imo for a family of 4.

 

Thank you.

The price of the suite is less than 2 balcony cabins together and only $300 more than a balcony with an inside. Although I also would not feel comfortable with my 7 year old sharing an inside cabin with her big brother who could be out at all hours. HAL has a small promotion where the kids are $200 each cheaper than 'normal'

 

Is it worth $1700? I know that only I can answer that and I know there may be price drops over the next 19 months but I really wanted second/third etc opinions. Thanks again!

[kidlessatsea]

On the NA, there is the Signature Suite, Neptune Suite and Pinnacle Suite. The Signature Suite is about 50% larger than a regular veranda cabin and the Neptune Suite is about double the size of a regular veranda. The Pinnacle is substantially larger than a veranda.

 

Having sailed in a Neptune Suite, I can assure you that it will provide you with room to easily move around. I couldn't imagine four people in a regular veranda cabin. But, we tend to spend time in our cabin so that makes a difference.

 

The larger balcony of a suite will be wonderful when sailing Alaska. We spent more time on our balcony in Alaska than on any other cruise.

 

Thank you, I should have clarified.

Neptune Suite.

 

Signature suite does not hold 4 people (it would be a no brainer for me). Usually we travel in 'mini-suites' so this is new to us. The pinnacle suite is out of my comfort zone when also planning at least $2k in shore excursions.

[oceanmom]

My personal opinion, especially with a teen boy and a little girl is to go with the Neptune. Lots of room on the balcony and inside. Only issue would be just the one bathroom instead of two if you went with the two separate rooms. (And it lets you know when teen boy comes "home.")

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thank you, I should have clarified.

Neptune Suite.

 

Signature suite does not hold 4 people (it would be a no brainer for me). Usually we travel in 'mini-suites' so this is new to us. The pinnacle suite is out of my comfort zone when also planning at least $2k in shore excursions.

 

Ahh, a Neptune! Since you were starting from a regular balcony cabin, I think most of us figured the upgrade was one category. But if you're looking at a Neptune suite for that amount, I'd say go for it. You'll get some nice perks, like free laundry, which can cut down on the amount of clothing you need to pack. Turnaround is stated as 2 days, but it's nearly always one day--leave your laundry out when you go to dinner and it should be back by mid-day the next day.

[MaxThrusters]

I choose based on the matrix of benefits vs price. Suites (even Signature or Vista) give double cruise-days for the mariner program. Sometimes suites have offers including perks that might make the higher price more attractive.

 

I've been content in a verandah stateroom, but if a signature suite is offered for only a bit more while including extras like pre-paid gratuities, internet, etc, then I might consider it.

 

Many people say "Oh, i would never pay extra for a room, as I am hardly ever in it". That might be true if in an inside or ocean view, but once you go up a signature suite or higher one actually DOES spend more time in it, well at least I have.

 

Example: my last cruise was in a signature suite. It cost only a few hundred $ more than a verandah, but we got double cruise days for the mariner program and extra obc. So, it was a good deal for us.

 

My advice is to book the lowest level guarantee cabin you would be comfortable in, if it's your first time on HAL. Then, if you like it and find a good deal, upgrade on your second time to compare.

[kazu]

Thank you.

The price of the suite is less than 2 balcony cabins together and only $300 more than a balcony with an inside. Although I also would not feel comfortable with my 7 year old sharing an inside cabin with her big brother who could be out at all hours. HAL has a small promotion where the kids are $200 each cheaper than 'normal'

 

Is it worth $1700? I know that only I can answer that and I know there may be price drops over the next 19 months but I really wanted second/third etc opinions. Thanks again!

 

Bolding is mine. I think you just answered your question with this statement. The Neptune is not only more economical but will give you the bigger verandah, nice perks and plenty of space.

 

The only issue is that the sofa which turns into a bed cannot be separated, so two people will be sleeping there together. The bed can be separated into two twins if you like.

 

As long as sleeping arrangements are not an issue, the Neptune looks to be an ideal solution from a space and $ point of view.

[Tom O.]

When we did this with our daughters we took two balcony rooms that had interconnecting doors. We left the doors open most of the time so it was like a single accomodation. This way everybody gets their own bed, and there was lots of room.

I believe you have to be at least 18 to have a room, so we booked it as if I had one room and my wife had the other and we each were accompanied by one child. But once on the ship the two kids got one room and we got the other, the stewards are familiar with this as this is what many people do. There is no problem.

The only tricky part is finding two interconnecting rooms. Depending on the ship, they are hard to find. At that time we were sailing on NCL. I am not sure how common they are on HAL, as we no longer have this need.

[jtl513]

The only tricky part is finding two interconnecting rooms. Depending on the ship, they are hard to find. At that time we were sailing on NCL. I am not sure how common they are on HAL, as we no longer have this need.

The largest % is 11.2 on the Koningsdam (150 out of 1331) and the lowest is 2.6% (11/419) on the Prinsendam. Maasdam and Veendam have 25/629 and 23/675 (3%), and the others all run around 7% or 8%. See http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/news/FastFacts.pdf Edited February 4, 2017 by jtl513

[jmps]

We have two grown daughters and went thru these choices several times at different ages. We have done all the permutations at some point. Since your two children are so different in ages and one so young I think you only have two choices. Book the Neptune or two interconnecting cabins unless you parents want to split up. In a few years you could do the inside/outside route which works great for older children to lower total cost. So I think Kazu nailed the solution.

 

Four in Neptune is still very comfortable and it has nice benefits. As pointed out the only issue is that the sofa is not split-table so factor that in in who sleeps where. Given the prices quoted I would go with the Neptune for sure. There are often 3rd/4th cruise for free and upsells that could even further lower cost. We did Alaska in our first Neptune and really liked it. We liked breakfast in the Pinnacle and the laundry benefits.

Edited February 4, 2017 by jmps

[alwaysfrantic]

HAL isn't so family friendly as other lines. To put your son and daughter in seperate beds would require you and spouse to sleep on the sofa bed.