What is a suite these days?

[sofietucker]

Ok, did a fairly comprehensive search on this board, got nothing, and HAL itself is useless on this topic. So what is now considered a suite, for purposes of doubling Mariner points and for Club Orange free inclusion? Are current suite bennies for Signature going to be taken away?

 

We've cruised HAL for many years, often but not always in Neptune suites, Signatures, and Vistas (just off the P-dam's final voyage Monday in a Sig). But looking at the current range of "suites" listed by HAL--including Vista, simply a slightly larger verandah--and HAL's language on their website, it appears that from now on, the word means nothing unless preceded by "Pinnacle" or "Neptune." 

 

While they haven't hit yet, we expect this most recent cruise's points to be doubled for the Signature suite, as has been done in the past... But any word on whether that will be honored in the future? The description of Mariner point accrual on HAL's website sounds like no.

 

And  re: Club Orange, which seems like a dreadful deal:

In a Sig suite, we already get the expanded breakfast menu (plus free mimosas) via room service, fancy bathrobes, priority embark/disembarkation, and don't care about the concierge or priority tendering (we don't use those much in Neptunes either). Plus for various reasons, we have plenty of free Pinnacle and dine-around meals, So no reason at all to go CO, right? But will those current "suite" perks (minus arranging our own dinners) no longer apply to Signature? And then we would have to BUY them back? (And not that we would, but what comprises the "very small number" of non-suite pax allowed to buy a CO pass anyway?)

 

Very confusing. Thanks for any insights.

[kazu]

6 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

Ok, did a fairly comprehensive search on this board, got nothing, and HAL itself is useless on this topic. So what is now considered a suite, for purposes of doubling Mariner points and for Club Orange free inclusion? Are current suite bennies for Signature going to be taken away?

 

We've cruised HAL for many years, often but not always in Neptune suites, Signatures, and Vistas (just off the P-dam's final voyage Monday in a Sig). But looking at the current range of "suites" listed by HAL--including Vista, simply a slightly larger verandah--and HAL's language on their website, it appears that from now on, the word means nothing unless preceded by "Pinnacle" or "Neptune." 

 

Double Mariner points are currently for ANY cabin category that has the name SUITE in it.  Vista Suite, Signature Suite, Neptune Suite & Pinnacle Suite.

 

Only the Neptune & Pinnacle have free Club Orange inclusion.

 

Signature Suites have no benefits other than bigger room, telephone concierge, pillow choice, etc.

 

6 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

 

While they haven't hit yet, we expect this most recent cruise's points to be doubled for the Signature suite, as has been done in the past... But any word on whether that will be honored in the future? The description of Mariner point accrual on HAL's website sounds like no.

 

And  re: Club Orange, which seems like a dreadful deal:

In a Sig suite, we already get the expanded breakfast menu (plus free mimosas) via room service, fancy bathrobes, priority embark/disembarkation, and don't care about the concierge or priority tendering (we don't use those much in Neptunes either). Plus for various reasons, we have plenty of free Pinnacle and dine-around meals, So no reason at all to go CO, right? But will those current "suite" perks (minus arranging our own dinners) no longer apply to Signature? And then we would have to BUY them back? (And not that we would, but what comprises the "very small number" of non-suite pax allowed to buy a CO pass anyway?)

 

Very confusing. Thanks for any insights.

 

Signature Suites don’t get priority embark/disembark.  Since you mention free PG’s, I suspect you are 5* and even at 4* you get priority embark/disembark.  It’s the Mariner status that qualifies you for that, not the Signature Suite.

[sofietucker]

Thanks, Kaz!

[terrydtx]

I don't believe that SS get the expanded room service breakfast with free mimosas either. We will be in a SS on the Noordam this month and a SS is no more than a mini suite on any other cruise line.

[sofietucker]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

I don't believe that SS get the expanded room service breakfast with free mimosas either. We will be in a SS on the Noordam this month and a SS is no more than a mini suite on any other cruise line.

We do get the expanded menu in the Sig, including these past two weeks again on the Prinsendam (June 17-July1). The breakfast room service menus in our stateroom everyday offered steak and eggs, eggs with salmon (though I always just write  in Eggs Benedict), bloody marys (also at no charge, btw), and mimosas. We also had the Bose stereo system, a pillow menu, the nice robes & slippers, binoculars. I'd say it's a fluke but it's been consistent on our cruises.  We stay in Sky Suites on Celebrity and it's fairly comparable, in our experience (except no Luminae--and CO won't come close to tht, lol). 

[TAD2005]

You are right.  On the R and S class ships, the Vista Suites, which passes for a plain vanilla balcony cabin on the larger ships,  are considered suites, along with the doubling of the price.   Any cabin that requires me to turn sideways to pass between the foot of the bed and the cabin wall to get to the sofa and desk is not a suite IMHO.

[Tampa Girl]

On 7/4/2019 at 6:36 PM, TAD2005 said:

You are right.  On the R and S class ships, the Vista Suites, which passes for a plain vanilla balcony cabin on the larger ships,  are considered suites, along with the doubling of the price.   Any cabin that requires me to turn sideways to pass between the foot of the bed and the cabin wall to get to the sofa and desk is not a suite IMHO.

 

But why complain - you get double the points.  Although I do agree that they are not much of a suite.  They are somewhat larger on the S and R ships.

[TAD2005]

5 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

But why complain - you get double the points.  Although I do agree that they are not much of a suite.  They are somewhat larger on the S and R ships.

Double points... Big deal.  I'm already 4 star, and the bennies of achieving 5 Star are not worth the huge cost of a balcony cabin that they call a suite.   I happily take Lanai cabins on ships like the Rotterdam, save a bunch of money and enjoy the wide promenade deck right outside my cabin.  

[Tampa Girl]

21 hours ago, TAD2005 said:

Double points... Big deal.  I'm already 4 star, and the bennies of achieving 5 Star are not worth the huge cost of a balcony cabin that they call a suite.   I happily take Lanai cabins on ships like the Rotterdam, save a bunch of money and enjoy the wide promenade deck right outside my cabin.  

I was not aware that lanai cabins were that much cheaper than Vista Suites, but I know that they are very popular.  Glad that you enjoy them.

[TAD2005]

2 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

I was not aware that lanai cabins were that much cheaper than Vista Suites, but I know that they are very popular.  Glad that you enjoy them.

We have booked the Rotterdam, Oct 3, 2020 from Rotterdam to Ft. Lauderdale.   The Vista suite price is $6699 P/P while the Lanai cabin is $4499.   Not double in this case, but the $2200 difference is not worth the double Mariner points, IMHO.   We looked at a 28 day south Pacific cruise a couple of years ago.  It was on the Maasdam.  A Vista Suite was $9949 P/P.   The Lanai cabin was $4899.   We chose to wait until 2019 to do this cruise on the Eurodam, and we paid $5049 for a aft balcony (VB grade) including pre-paid gratuities values at $812 for 2 people.   

Another issue is on the Rotterdam, they consider a Lanai cabin as an Ocean View as far as OBC goes.  When booking onboard with the FCC, Ocean View cabins get $200 P/P OBC while Veranda cabins get $300 P/P OBC.  They have no allowances for Lanai cabins.  They lump Lanai cabins into Ocean View when it comes to OBC.  But Lanai cabins are $700 more expensive than Ocean Views.