Mosaic

Then you DO care....

No, but they should charge for the first.....

So with CO, are Neptune guests on the K'dam or NS'dam NOT getting the breakfast perk in the Pinnacle??? I read that big long thread about it and could not discern the answer.

Thanks......

Do Explorer Suite get any different services other than early boarding???  Seeing how they do not have butlers or a private lounge/concierge they seems lacking. Have never been on Viking.  Any thoughts??? Thanks.

Great thread.  A banquet is the best comparison.  But even a few years ago it was much better.  Better quality and better selection. We used to look forward to going.  It is a nice venue with good people that is now over crowded and hastened.  We avoid it MOST ALL THE TIME NOW.  Recently went on the Prinsendam and went for the gala night.  The gray mystery meat that was filet was this half inch tall, a round patty about the size of McDonalds hamburger.  The hamburger would have been better. Everyone I saw looked the same. I was embarrassed.

I would NEVER go to a restaurant like the MDR on land.  How about you??????

K'dam is a great ship!

Pdam is in dry dock until this Saturday

No jeans, no hats in MDR. Just stay home in your jammies otherwise. 

We were told that we could NOT get the Cyber deal because there were no other rooms available in our category.....

Touch the Hull after boarding....

On 8/24/2018 at 8:22 PM, WDeany said:

STOP! People need to smoke and anything you complain about will not detract from that. Give them their nights in the casino (don't go there those nights if you have a problem since they are probably making more money from the smokers) and give them the FEW areas of the ship they can smoke! They are also paying a premium for the SA balcony cabins for which they cannot use to smoke.! STOP STOP COMPLAINING! These are the rules and if you don't like them, sail another cruise line!

People need to smoke:   NO THEY DONT

So, how far does my head go up and down with large swales? 20 knot winds, 20' seas? Whatever.... Your thoughts?

That is unclear from what I can see or what I have read. Thanks!

Also, any of the SA rooms "better or bigger" than any other???

No Jeans

Coming home from Venice to FLL the weather was bad for 10 days---a lot of sick people, crew and missed ports. There was Vandalism on the ship and some public areas were shut down and some announcement made. We were told to behave. I personally never saw anthing.

No reason to keep on demeaning the product. I only do Neptune and I look for high quality experiences always when I travel. They fit that experience. Could it be better, yes. Are their better options. Well yes, but each experience is it's own. I am NOT a HAL loyalist.

Then let me clarify the situation. This thread is about providing additional luxuries solely for the Neptune Suites, thus further promoting a social caste system aboard the ship.

 

Stateroom prices are largely based on size and location, and that should be enough. For someone to demand that they be showered with additional luxuries without any consideration for others is indeed self-centered.

 

It is interesting that HAL has reduced the number of Signature and Neptune Suites on the Koningsdam as compared to a Vista-class ship, which debunks the notion that the Neptune Suite passengers are subsidizing the other passengers.

 

igraf

I totally disagree with these comments and understanding. HAL ships are a two class ship in many ways. The perks are not self-centered, rather centered to those who pay more. Also, the "debunking of the notion that the Neptune Suite passengers are subsidizing" comment----while it is certainly true that there are less Neptune suites on the K'dam it is because they are going more to a different demographic.

The credit does not apply equally. Depending on room type, cruise length AND if it is being COMBINED with other offers. EG: the credit does not apply if there is a casino promo being used. SO you have to ask and try to see what works.....

It amazes me that some people think that the companies exists to serve them rather than their owners, and that companies should put the worst parts of every offering in big bold print and put the best parts of every offering in the fine print.

I feel differently--- when the company is a service company or provides services.

K'dam can be crowded in the back, has decent protection from the wind.

It sure does and that is all well understood. What was odd was that no-one was told that there was a schedule change. Ya, that makes a big difference. Devil is in the details

Hi, I am the OP. a few clarifications for what it is worth.

Keep in mind I SAID: I do not understand what should have been done by HAL. I just simply do not know. Yet they were still problems.

I am a 4 star Mariner

I did proof read the post

I am a very careful with travel plans, spend hundreds of hours planning.

The 400.00 and 2,000.00 comment was in regards to it was my wife's 60 birthday and we will never be back to that port again. I do think that HAL is responsible for either amount. Period. But they did cause the problem. It was their bad infomation.

The table snafu, ya maybe a bottle of wine. But it was very disheartening when the concierge did not take our safety as a concern. The guy was threatening! And they knew that.

The port change can happen anytime, of course. IT WAS NOT ANNOUNCED! EVER. That is the problem.

I bring all this up now because I am sailing on HAL soon and want to get your feedback. I am not asking for any compensation.

Any thoughts on the disgusting noise and smells on the work on the room next to us for 5 days???

Hi all. My wife and I are confused as to what weshould do or expect with a few issues that we had on a 28 day Koningsdam tripin Europe. Should I expect something orjust simply let go. At this point theproblems are behind us----we are more concerned about future issues. Please keep in mind the following: The overall trip was very good. We were in aSA Neptune Suite. We ask that your simple trust in what we say as TRUE andACCURATE as to the described problems… And Thanks for your responses!!!!

We all have problemsduring vacation, but here it goes:

Problem 1

Schedule changewithout notification: no one was told, no one knew.

We, as well as thedozen people we asked had no idea that the ship was sailing was 5:00 pm insteadof 11:00 pm as published in our itinerary. Our boarding itinerary from HAL received 1 week prior to sailing showedthe 11:00pm departure time. We foundout that it was 5:00 pm when we were leaving the ship---too late to cancel theHotel that we booked. We had booked a 4 star hotel room---not a just day roomto hang out. It was cut way short. We had intended dinner and sunset onMikonos. HAL's concierge also knew nothing of this change and barely handledthis situation. We had significant losttime, money and a unique experience.

Problem 2

Overnight in port:bad information, lost our day.

So, we had had overnight in port and had madeprivate plans for a whole evening, paid in advance: for my wife'sBirthday---for a night out on the town. This was horrible for us. We lost $400due to this. I feel that it was about a $2,000 loss. Of course I understand that HAL is notresponsible for our private losses. HOWEVER, WHEN THEY ARE THE CAUSEOF IT, THEY DO HAVE SOME RESPONSIBILITY. PERIOD. On the other hand, I donot know what that means. It was totally their miss information that caused usto lose out on our experiences. The nextday in port, we spent the whole morning retracing our foot steps to see WHY andWHAT went wrong. It turns out that wecould not get our transportation from the ship because the port has their staff(at noon), turned inward to bring new paxs into the port, rather than getting people off. In other words, none of the port staff wasgeared towards those of us getting off the ship and staying out late at night.The port, taxis, etc, were CLOSED for 3 hours at noon for those of us that weregetting off. Yes, the port had the areafor disembarking closed, roped off, with no personnel to talk with. This wasnot right at the ship, and, took 2 hours to figure out. The excursion people had told us that this wouldnot be a problem. Yes, we could havemade different plans had we not been misinformed ( we could have simply leftoff the ship earlier: but we were going to be in town till midnight.)

This turned out tobe a BIG problem for us, again, but not so much for others. HAL researched this at our insistence, butJUST LET IT DROP WITH NO RESOLUTION. Once again, it was there misinformation that caused us the problem.

Problem 3

Table Conflict.

So this was aCollector voyage made up of back-to-back 2 week each cruises. We had fixed dining and an assigned table forthe 28 Days. On the first day of part 2,we went to our table to meet our new table mates---with big smiles on or facesonly to meet a big sour puss asking what we were doing at his table! There was a mix-up-that HAL admitted to, asit turned out, but he was taking it out on us. He was the worst person I haveever met on a ship and that certainly affected upcoming situations. I recall his wife even softly saying "Ido not know why he is this way!" whilst their daughter sat in utter quiet.He became hostile to us and the crew. As it turned out, HAL permanently movedthem to a different table. Yes, HAL did resolve the situation, but neverapologized. With our insistence, I found out that it was a simple error ontheir part that caused the problem. It would have been no big deal had it notbeen for the very difficult person that we had to deal with. We felt threatened, no joke, told this to theConcierge (they said nothing back to us) and nothing further became of thematter. HAL did handle the matter, butnot in a very gracious manner.

Problem 4

Pinnacle Suite$6,600 upgrade and their deck work.

So our suite wasright next to the Pinnacle suite on the K'dam. As it turned out it wasn’tbooked for the second half of the trip. We were told this by the Neptune staff. Another couple on the ship andmy wife and I decided we would like to move there and that we would each take aweek. HAL said that it would be $6,600for the two weeks. But, as it turnedout, they refused to take the money because they did not want to split it for 2separate couples, each for a week. Well,ok I suppose, but they never did inform the other couple--they just let thosegood people hang. Worse yet - theyworked on the balcony for over 5 days PAINTING with industrial paints andstain. It was noisy and smellythroughout the day. They quit at 5:00pm. We are non-smokers and this, boy does this,harken back to the discussion of smoking on the balcony. But worse than that. For 2 days we had paintchips---hundreds of them-the size of quarters falling onto our balcony. Not only were we a bit upset that they didnot accept their own price for the upgrade, but the work was certainly a kickin the face. They largely disregardedour complaints about the repairs (they did apologize for the paint chips when Ishowed them the disgusting photos. Icould not give photos of the smell or noise as easily). The Concierge said to me, "well they only worked there a few I hours". HAL NEVER took our concerns seriously.

As I ask, yoursincere feedback is much appreciated. Thank you.

The idea most likely comes from the price per square foot comparison. While I haven't taken the time to do the comparison recently, a couple of years ago when comparing the price paid per square foot in different cabin categories, the Neptune Suite was the lowest price paid per square foot. Those sailing in a Neptune Suite, at that time, paid significantly less per square foot than those sailing in an inside, ocean view or balcony cabin.

 

I disagree with your assertion that Suite passengers subsidize the rest.

So, certainly the size of the room is only one factor. I JUST did a comparison on the K'dam on a very similar cruise that I am going on soon. Using the average size of a Vista Suite and the Average size of the Neptune suite the cost IS:

Vista = 8.3/dollars per sq ft. Neptune = 18.0/dollars per sq. ft.

It is and has always been that the Suite guests subsidize the rest. Also keep in ind that HAL is SIGNIFICANTLY reducing the number of Neptune Suites to cater to a different clientel.