Neptune Lounge

[irishteddybear]

Hi we are booked in a SA on the Oosterdam for the March 14th Transatlantic, When we last sailed on HAL on the Volendam back in 2001 there was no Neptune, could some of you kind HAL Suite staying folks please tell me what we can expect, what is included, and what has extra charges.

Thank you

[jhannah]

The Neptune Lounge is a great place to find reading material, snacks and munchies, a large screen TV, comfortable sofas, and a wonderful concierge who will handle any business for you that the front office would ... without your having to go down there and stand in line. There is no charge for services or food. It's included in your cabin rate.

[seaproponent]

The Neptune is a great reason to book in "S" class. All day snacks, reading materials, light breakfast with good coffee, and a top-of-the-line concierge who will probably know your name when you walk in the door for the first time. We much prefer this "on-demand" type service as compared to butlers provided for suite passengers on other lines.

[cp556]

From the HAL website:

A very special amenity exclusively for guests cruising in a Deluxe Verandah Suite or Penthouse Verandah Suite, the industry-leading Neptune Lounge features a private place to relax, socialize with other suite guests and enjoy the personalized service of a concierge. The fleet-wide lounges provide worktables, large screen television, library, sofas and chairs, wi-fi, no-host mini-bar and refreshments throughout the day. One-Touch 24-hour Concierge Service is available when the Neptune Lounge is closed.

~~~~~~~~

 

The Neptune is open from morning till evening, and offers continental breakfast in the morning, small sandwiches and meats/cheeses, etc. at midday, cookies and other delights later on in the day.

 

They have a wonderful coffee/cappuccino/espresso machine, plus juices, tea and ice water.

 

The two concierges in the Neptune will take care of everything the front desk does ... you need never approach the front desk for inquiries, dining reservations, changing cash, making shore excursion reservations, etc. The concierges generally are excellent and willing to please.

 

The Neptune, as stated above, has comfy seating to relax and chat, use your laptop, watch TV, etc. It's where the Suite Parties with the officers are held on many ships.

 

Everything in the Neptune is at no charge ... I'm trying to think of something that would be extra-charge, and besides bar beverages, I can't think of a thing ...

[jerseygirl3]

Don't forget you also can have breakfast every morning in the Pinnacle Grill and there is no charge. I've never had an suite, but my sister did and they enjoyed having breakfast in Pinnacle Grill.

[Wavesprite]

What we liked about the Neptune was the cappucino's, we loved the little glass dome over the treats and snacks and sandwhiches all day, how it would magically raise as we entered the room. Besides a large screen tv, and sitting area, they have a movie library to take back to your room, a book library and board games as well.

 

Oh, did anyone mention that the concierge will do everything for you that anyone else would have to go to the front desk for?

[Spot]

We used the concierge for cashing our travelers checks and booked a shore excursion.

The Neptune Lounge is a better suite amenity than a butler.

[c-cruise]

Best thing about the Neptune is being welcomed by name when you walk through the door. Pretty impressive until you realize that they are reading it off of their computer screen when you swipe your key card to access the lounge, but fun none the less. We also love being able to grab a light breakfast there instead of fighting the crowd in the Lido.

[DesertDogs]

Best thing about the Neptune is being welcomed by name when you walk through the door. Pretty impressive until you realize that they are reading it off of their computer screen when you swipe your key card to access the lounge, but fun none the less. We also love being able to grab a light breakfast there instead of fighting the crowd in the Lido.

 

We never used our key card to access the lounge. :confused: The door is always open whenever the lounge is open. That was on the Zaandam. Are some ships different?

[thecook]

We enjoyed having the Neptune lounge for snacks and afternoon coffee. The Concierge staff was always friendly and helpful. We liked having snacks and drinks close to our room.. the cappuccino was wonderful. I cashed a few checks during the week..and it was nice not to stand in line at the front desk. A note of caution from a personal experience that DH and I had. Should you request a excursion, please be sure to ask that the request be delivered to the front desk ASAP...Dh and I submitted a request to ride the train to Anchorage at the end of our cruise. Our request was not honored..my brother in law's was..he turned his request in at the front desk over 4 hours after we went to the concierge in the Neptune. When we questioned the Neptune personnel, they simpy told us that the front desk did not receive our request in time to put us on the extra train car to Anchorage... it was already full. So we think that our request sat on the desk in the Neptune all afternoon and early evening. I honestly don't think this is the norm....and I'm sure it was an oversight...but better to be safe than sorry

[Krazy Kruizers]

You are right -- back then there wasn't a Neptune Lounge. But now there is a "small" one on the Volendam -- we sailed here 4 times once it was installed on her.

Oosteram -- As well as the Westerdam, Zuideram, Noordam and the Eurodam -- yes you will use your ID card (room card) to access the Neptune Lounge -- these are the only ships where you need to do this.

We love the Netune Lounges on all the ships.

What is strange -- when HAL began their Signature upgrades on the R and S class ships and added the Neptune Lounge -- they had the chance to put in new doors (only 2 on the R and S class ships) which woud have required passengers to use their ID cards to access this area -- BUT -- they didn;t spend a few extra dollars to do thi8s. Instead -- it created a problem for the concierges -- and all too often theyhad problems trying to convince passengers who were in A, AB, etc -- they were not allowed in the Neptune. -- Having the ID card to unlock the door to the Neptune Lounge -- IS A must in my opinion.

[DesertDogs]

KK - Thanks for the clarification. We have only sailed on the R and S Class so I was not aware that the card was required.

 

Does that mean that the lounge is available 24 hours a day or do the cards not work after a certain hour?

 

I would love to be able to get coffee earlier than the time they normally open.

[twinkletoes4445]

 

Does that mean that the lounge is available 24 hours a day or do the cards not work after a certain hour?

 

I would love to be able to get coffee earlier than the time they normally open.

 

The NL has specific hours. Here's the schedule from our 2007 Caribbean cruise.

 

Zuiderdam's NL hours...

 

Port Days-7:00 am - 8:30 pm

Sea Days-7:30 am - 8:30 pm

 

Food Service

Continental breakfast 7:00 am - 11:00 am

Midday snacks 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Afternoon tea 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Cold hors d'oeuvres 5:00 pm - 8:15 pm

[Krazy Kruizers]

The hours that twinkletoes4445 posted are the same for all ships.

[twinkletoes4445]

The hours that twinkletoes4445 posted are the same for all ships.

 

That's good to know. I wondered if they'd be the same for our next cruise. Thanks, KK! :)

[peaches from georgia]

KK - Thanks for the clarification. We have only sailed on the R and S Class so I was not aware that the card was required.

 

Does that mean that the lounge is available 24 hours a day or do the cards not work after a certain hour?

 

I would love to be able to get coffee earlier than the time they normally open.

The Neptune is served by the Pinnacle Grill staff and there is no food or beverage, including coffee, available until it opens up for the day. The Lido has coffee available 24/7.