Suite Question

[NYGirl1002]

I am extremely new to cruising and even though I'm approaching 60 we are going on our first cruise September 13th to Alaska on the Oosterdam.

 

I have been trying to research all things cruises and I'm so happy to find your website and message boards.

 

I am however a little bit confused as to the suites on HAL. I've read that Deluxe Verandah passengers get some special treatment. I believe we have a verandah and we are in an SS room. Does anyone know if there are any special considerations for SS such as our own line to check in or use of the Neptune Lounge?

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[garydm]

Nope on both counts. As I recall you do get some personalized (computer generated) stationary.

 

Gary

[cp556]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Neptune Lounge, free laundry, special check-in line, etc. perks are for passengers in PS, SA, SB and SC suites.

 

Go to www.hollandamerica.com, Click on ONBOARD OUR SHIPS, Click on STATEROOMS, and there will be tabs showing the various types of staterooms and their amenities. Click on SUPERIOR SUITE to see SS, SY and SZ amenities.

 

You'll have a wonderful cruise. Bon Voyage.

[PathfinderEss]

Sorry NYGirl, no perk for that cabin, but you do have a very nice cabin with a nice balcony. My first "real" cruise was on an Alaska cruise and in a Suite, my DH has been paying for that ever since. Once you do a Deluxe Suite, its really hard to go down to a lesser cabin and no Neptune. You have certainly pick a great cruise for your first one and on a wonderful ship, too. Welcome to cruising and to the boards. Please come back and let us know about your cruise and what you thinking about cruising in general.

[Spot]

With this being your first ever cruise, you are not going to even notice the difference between a SS and an SA. Your SS is going to give you and outstanding experience for your first cruise - see if you like it, try to sneak a peek into an SA, SB, or SC and see if that's the category you want to book for your NEXT cruise.

Just go and enjoy the whole cruise experience and the gorgeous Alaskan scenery.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[NYGirl1002]

Thank you all for your replies. I am so looking forward to this cruise and reading all of your reviews and advice has gotten me really excited.

 

We have a mentally challenged daughter which is why I got a suite but I can't see us staying in a smaller room even without her. She is looking forward to the trip probably even more than we are as she is an animal lover and can't wait to go on the excursion to see the whales and other wildlife.

 

I will definitely post when I get back but rest assured I will be reading this forum on a daily basis to soak up everything I need to know.

[Bill S]

Also, in an SS cabin, you can check-out DVDs from Explorations Cafe at no charge. They are nice cabins, and IMO, a very good value for the for size. I wish you a wonderful cruise on the Oosterdam! :)

[cp556]

NYGirl ... be sure to bring a pair of binoculars with a neckstrap. If your daughter's an animal lover, she'll be able to be on the verandah and spot all sorts of critters using the binoculars.

 

Enjoy!

[NYGirl1002]

My very considerate daughter in law looked up "what you need on an Alaskan cruise" and got my husband a great pair of binoculars for Father's Day, so we are pretty well prepared on that end.

 

To tell you the truth the SS suite does look pretty good and my daughter will love watching DVDs. I've booked excursions in each port already. I didn't want to be shut down at the window so to speak. I am even watching Samantha Brown on cruises on the travel channel.

[san diego sue]

We have been on the Oosterdam and her sister ship the Zuiderdam. both wonderful ships. We cruise frequently. The SS category is the best value without having to pay the full suite price. Balcony is 98 sq. ft which is twice as large as a regular balcony stateroom. We entertained in our SS cabin with six friends. Had plenty of room to seat everyone for before dinner drinks and sailaways on the balcony.The bathroom is wonderful with double sinks, bathtub with shower, and separate stall shower. Since you have never sailed, you can't imagine what a usual bathroom on most ships look like. So small and you get attacked by the shower curtain. On one cruise line, my husband had to have his foot in the shower in order to use the toilet.

Enjoy your cruise especially Alaska. You will be hooked on cruising.

Regards,

San Diego Sue:D

[PathfinderEss]

 

We have a mentally challenged daughter which is why I got a suite but I can't see us staying in a smaller room even without her. She is looking forward to the trip probably even more than we are as she is an animal lover and can't wait to go on the excursion to see the whales and other wildlife.

.

Wow, your daughter is going to absolutely love Alaska. I don't know if your going up to Sitka, but if you are, go to the Eagle sanctuary. It is wonderful and I know she will enjoy it. You can either walk to it or take a ship tour. If you walk to it, you can go through this really lovely old grove park area. Its probably about a mile walk. I think Sitka is also where there's a Puffins breeding island. The tour they do for it is great.

[COLLEYBERRY]

Our first cruise( just last year) was also an Alaskan cruise. A wonderful way to begin. We stayed in a SY ( same size as SS)on the Zuiderdam and were delighted with the space and the balcony.

We saw lots of wildlife seals,humpback whales( excursion). eagles.and we even spotted an orca one evening from our balcony. There was a Mamma Bear and two little cubs that put on quite a show for all of us as well.

Tell your daughter to watch for the sea birds clustering on the waters' surface, a sure sign of something interesting below.:)

What a wonderful family cruise you will have !!

You will find this forum is a terrific resource with lots of helpful people. They can sure add to the fun.

Happy Sailing !:)

[hulamoon]

I learned something, I didn't know an SS could get free DVD's. In our SS room they posted prices.

 

If the amenities are important to you, you may print a copy to take, I know it sounds crazy, but I wasted a bit of time trying to figure out what the amenities were when we boarded, and know one could tell me. I missed the DVD one !:p We booked late and looked at so many options by the time we boarded I did not know what we had.

 

Can someone explain the phone concierge? We tried it a couple of times and they kept directing us to go to the front desk, phone PG ourselves or go to the activites. Are they supposed to do more?

[SakeDad]

I know this may be late but in Sitka if you can go on the whale watching/puffin trip with Capt Davey on the Esther G II you will have an amazing adventure and your daughter will be amazed! You can see pics of my excursion with him in my Alaska gallery below. So far everyone I have recommended him to has had fantastic excursions! Hopefully it's not to late for you to book him (or maybe you already have!;))

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!!

 

First cruise -- Alaska -- GREAT!!

 

You are going to have a really great time.

 

Do come back and tell us all about it.

[NYGirl1002]

I have already booked my excursions but I believe I can change them. I have been a little iffy on the sea life discovery by semi-sub that I booked for her and I.

 

I Juneau I booked the Best of Juneau with the whale watching, the Mendenhall Glacier and the Salmon Bake which several people told me not to miss.

 

In Sitka I booked my husband to go salmon fishing because he loves to fish and I booked the semi-sub thing for my daughter and I. To tell you the truth if someone can tell me of something else she'd enjoy more I'd definitely cancel the sub and book that.

 

In Ketchikan I booked the excursion my husband is most excited about -- Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour. He loves Deadliest Catch and keeps telling people he's going on one of those boats. He also loves Ax Men so I wanted to book the logging show but of course they are at the same time so he's out on that.

 

In Victoria I had originally booked the castle tour but then I cancelled it as it's our last night of the cruise and I think I'd rather explore on our own. After reading a couple of reviews and posts here I think I made the right move. Since it's at night I'd hate the miss the last dinner on our ship too.

 

I'd be interesting in hearing your thoughts about these excursions. Of course my main concern is my daughter. Which excursion should I exchange for that semi-sub thing?

[ellbelle]

You might want to consider the Sitka whale watching SakeDad recommended. Even though you are whale watching in Juneau, you would have a different experience. We did the Best of Juneau in June, the boats used for whale watching are very large, and there are 50+ people on board. I remember the captain stating that they have to keep 100 yards away from the whales. When a whale was spotted, folks would go to that side of the boat, which made it difficult for everyone to see. Due to the weather, we stayed inside, however the experience may be different up top. I guess my point is that in a smaller boat, viewing may be better. Maybe someone can answer if the smaller boats are able to get closer. When we went whale watching in Monterey,(CA) the whales were within 25 ft of the boat.

 

Enjoy your cruise. We enjoyed Alaska so much in June, we booked our next cruise while on board.

 

Cheryl

[grannynurse]

There probably won't be many people at dinner the night you are in Victoria. Hal changes the dinner schedule to accomodate pax who will be on shore. With that in mind the night before, which is the last formal night will be the biggie and the farewell dinner. We actually ate in the Lido that night in Victoria. That's the one thing I didn't like about the itinerary from Seattle as it upsets my normal HAL pattern. Don't miss Victoria to try to fit dinner in the dining room as you might be disappointed in the long run. Just an FYI.

I know you'll love Oosterdam and your lovely cabin, and BTW, Welcome to the HAL board.

PS, we loved that shorex in Juneau, we even saw a bear crossing walking from the retaurant at the salmon bake back to the bus; a mom and her cub held up traffic. I hope your daughter will get to see something similar.

GN

[NYGirl1002]

I am on the HAL excursion website now and I don't know what the name of the whale tour that SakeDad mentioned is. I will cancel the sub tour and definitely do the whales as I think she would like that much more.

 

SakeDad I am loving looking at your pictures of Alaska. You're a wonderful photographer.

 

I understand what you all are saying about going on a suite the first time on a cruise. I've heard many stories about the size of the rooms. I booked my cruise on priceline as in my research I found they were the cheapest. I would definitely never book a room without a balcony. When I called them they suggested the SS since we were three people.

 

Since this is our first cruise I went with HAL because it was higher end; I went with the suite because it would be more comfortable; I am trying to get the best excursions at each port. I don't know if we will ever be back and I want to be sure it's the best experience for us.

 

Thanks for the tip grannynurse. I was planning on going into Victoria on our own. I will probably book some kind of tour there now too.

[Crusing Bob]

New York Girl-you are going to love your Superior Suite and it is quite large and very comfortable. We have been booking SY's two years in a row and since I pick the location at mid-ships, I ask not to be upgraded since you still don't know what cabin you might get and location and could even be a handicap room which should be reserved for those that need one. Have a great cruise. Bob

[NYGirl1002]

Since I booked on priceline I got my cabin number already and we're on the navigation deck. My daughter is not physically handicapped so I never mentioned that to HAL. I would not need a handicapped room.

 

I am just now reading about upgrades and I have no idea how to get one or what it would do.

 

I looked up Captain Davey and the Esther G and emailed him to see if I can get on his excursion when we are in Sitka. Of course my luck is that he's on vacation until the 21st so I won't cancel my tour until I know if I can get on his tour.

[gilew]

error

[gilew]

typo error

[gilew]

 

Can someone explain the phone concierge? We tried it a couple of times and they kept directing us to go to the front desk, phone PG ourselves or go to the activites. Are they supposed to do more?

********************************************************

Hi Sharie:

 

The only thing I know about the telephone concierge, is that the service is available via a special dedicated "at your service" telephone line. Is that as clear as mud??

 

Sorry about my error messages above, I kept trying to enter the amenities offered in category SS/SY/SZ for one of the other posters..and things were not coming out as planned..one of those days, I guess.

 

Barb

[NYGirl1002]

Does this mean we can't have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill too? I think what bothers me the most is we can't use the Neptune Lounge :(