Perks for booking suite?

[RTLS]

We are new to HAL but considering it because we like the Alaska cruise/Land offers that they have.

 

Looking at the various types of cabins available and wondering whether there are any extra perks for booking one of their suites. Specialty restaurants at no cost or ?? Just comparing with Celebrity and Oceania  who do give extra perks .We've travelled with both of those lines though not in a suite!

[sofietucker]

You have access to the relaxing Neptune Lounge, open pretty much 24-7, with all kinds of luscious snacks, continental breakfast, capuccino, honor bar, etc. And a concierge who can manage everythng so you never have to stand in line at guest services. Reserve restaurants for you when they are "full," etc.  Expanded room service menu, free mimosas for breakfast... Oh! And Club Orange, with its own restaurant with an expanded menu. And priority everything: boarding, tendering, disembarkation... They reserve a certain number of seats in the showroom for suite guests. Free unlimited laundry. Fancy bath amenities. Free minibar?  I'm sure I'm forgetting things. (We usually get a couple of complimentary restaurants, but they are from our TA, not HAL.)

Edited November 18, 2019 by sofietucker

[GrammieK]

I don’t think the above post is totally accurate....

Neptune lounge is not open 24/7

no reserved show seats for Neptune lounge

not all ships have a dedicated club orange restaurant

and NO free minibar!

[Vineyard View]

So to clarify - you do not have to be booked in a Neptune cabin,  just any suite, to have access to the Neptune Lounge, amenities, etc? 

[RuthC]

21 minutes ago, GrammieK said:

I don’t think the above post is totally accurate....

Neptune lounge is not open 24/7

no reserved show seats for Neptune lounge

not all ships have a dedicated club orange restaurant

and NO free minibar!

GrammieK is correct. No doubt about it. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

22 minutes ago, GrammieK said:

I don’t think the above post is totally accurate....

Neptune lounge is not open 24/7

no reserved show seats for Neptune lounge

not all ships have a dedicated club orange restaurant

and NO free minibar!

 

You're right, Neptune lounge is more like 8 AM to 8 PM. And to clarify, the only ships with the dedicated CO restaurant are Kdam and NS.

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just now, Vineyard View said:

So to clarify - you do not have to be booked in a Neptune cabin,  just any suite, to have access to the Neptune Lounge, amenities, etc? 

 

Neptune Suite or Pinnacle suite only

[RuthC]

Just now, Vineyard View said:

So to clarify - you do not have to be booked in a Neptune cabin,  just any suite, to have access to the Neptune Lounge, amenities, etc? 

You have to be in either a Neptune Suite or a Pinnacle Suite to use the Neptune Lounge. 

[Vineyard View]

That is what I thought. We were in a Neptune Suite before and at that time it was the case. The response confused me, as there are obviously suites below the Neptune level so I wanted to be sure it was still the case. Thank you

[DeeniEncinitas]

8 minutes ago, RuthC said:

GrammieK is correct. No doubt about it. 

I third that👍 Ruth I never have had a free mini bar in my Neptune suite.

Denise😊

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 minutes ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

I third that👍 Ruth I never have had a free mini bar in my Neptune suite.

Denise😊

 

Me either, but if you're 4* it's half price! 

[DeeniEncinitas]

Just now, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Me either, but if you're 4* it's half price! 

Absolutely!!! 4*!here

Denise😊

[RuthC]

Just now, 3rdGenCunarder said:

but if you're 4* it's half price! 

If you're 4* the cabin drinks are 1/2 price in all cabins, though. Not just suites. Even the lowly insides are 1/2 price for the upper star levels. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just now, RuthC said:

If you're 4* the cabin drinks are 1/2 price in all cabins, though. Not just suites. Even the lowly insides are 1/2 price for the upper star levels. 

 

It's a star perk I always forget about it. Hotel minibars are so overpriced that I have trained myself to pretend they don't exist. 

 

[SempreMare]

@sofietucker,  if you want to have an admin correct the errors in your reply, you can email

help@cruisecritic with the changes. 

 

It would be a shame for someone to read just your first reply and make a booking decision based on that.

[RTLS]

WOW!

I can't believe so many jumped in.

 

Much appreciate the effort from everyone to make sure I have the correct info.

 

Many thanks

 

[sevenseasnomad]

Suites also have extra square footage in cabin, balcony, and bathroom spaces, but I suppose that goes without saying.  Our balcony came with a decent sized dining table and four chairs plus two lounge chairs.  Very nice.  You'll also get a coffee maker with specialty coffee selections in your cabin.  On some ships, suites have extra dressing room with vanity and additional closet space.  DH and I loved it because he used the closets in the walkway while I took over the closets in the dressing area.

[kazu]

Neptune Suites also have complimentary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning.

[Sonora5]

Good discussion. I have to admit, it can be confusing re whether you are getting the perk because you are in a suite or because you have some number of stars or days or whatever.

 

We love the suite life. The Neptune Lounge is very worth it on its own. Having the free laundry and dry cleaning makes packing so much easier. More room in the suitcase to add purchases! We just returned from a river cruise with before and after week long stays in Paris and Barcelona, and five days later I have just now put the last load of laundry in. When we return from a HAL cruise in a suite, our clothes are already clean!

[sail7seas]

15 hours ago, DeeniEncinitas said:

I third that👍 Ruth I never have had a free mini bar in my Neptune suite.

Denise😊

 

 

For  our  Dozens  and dozens of stays in Neptune Suites and never a   free mini bar.,

 

Always the complimentary bottle of Welcome Aboard bubbly from Captain and HD

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2019 by sail7seas

[DaveOKC]

10 minutes ago, sail7seas said:

 

 

For  our  Dozens  and dozens of stays in Neptune Suites and never a   free mini bar.,

 

Always the complimentary bottle of Welcome Aboard bubbly from Captain and HD

 

Which I immediately trade for a bottle of house white wine (or something else) in the Neptune Lounge.

[CruiserBruce]

16 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

You're right, Neptune lounge is more like 8 AM to 8 PM. And to clarify, the only ships with the dedicated CO restaurant are Kdam and NS.

 

Standard hours for the Neptune are 7am to 8pm. Sometimes they close at 7:30.

[kstrittm]

Also:

- breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill (except on the 2 ships with dedicated Club Orange restaurants)

- mimosas with breakfast

- an extra entree on the dinner menu each night

- if you choose not to use the concierge in the Neptune Lounge, there is a dedicated line down at the pursers desk

- Corsage (sp?) for first formal night for ladies

- Canapes - don't recall, but I think daily; I also recall chocolate truffles but don't know if only suites got those

- Somebody may have mentioned the free bottle of champagne upon boarding

[old mike]

You get automatic Orange Club "membership with a Neptune Suite and as said by others there is no Orange Club dining room except on the new ships. However, what was new to us on the Zaandam, and I would assume other ships,  was an Orange Club priority desk for the Dining Room, and it actually worked, we never had to wait even if there were queues at the other desks. Much better than the previously promised but never met priority reservation at peak times in the dining room for open seating. Just the embarrassment of walking past those waiting in line. Being a Brit I was raised with the view that  jumping a queue should be considered to be just shy of a hanging offence.

[sofietucker]

I assumed the suites asked about were Neptune. So that being said, the OP needs to go the HAL'S website and review what perks are listed for each suite category. Lol! I can hardly imagine anyone would book a stateroom based on a single post, without verifying with the cruise line--particularly since there were so many following corrections.

 

Again, my remarks pertain ONLY to the Neptune Suite perks.

(I suppose the reserved seats must be for suites on Celebrity, as well as couple of other perks I was mistaken on... )

 

Lounge hours: On the Westerdam, I definitely stopped in to the Lounge around 10 pm and as early as 6:30 am. And I recall other ships as well; maybe it varies by ship, as do many other on-board schedules. 

 

The Club Orange restaurant access is limited to Neptune Suite and Club Orange members (on some ships, "restaurant" may be a roped off section of the MDR , at this point).

 

The minibar discount depends upon star status, 50%, not free..

Hope this helps!

Oh, I forgot corsages! We also get chocolate-covered strawberries upon boarding...YMMV.  Fruit basket, fresh flowers. Binoculars, umbrellas...

We always had canapes in the Lounge, but the only time in our stateroom is on Celebrity, around 4pm, via butler (a whole diff. suite experience).

Edited November 18, 2019 by sofietucker