mrspeck

I had booked a 7 day Caribbean cruise on Nieuw Amsterdam in a Signature Suite last November for an early March sailing. I called in early January and was able to upgrade to a Neptune for very little. As soon as I had this finalized I got an email upgrade offer for a pinnacle suite for $1195pp, I jumped on it right away…was shocked to receive an email offer that far out from sailing. Cheapest stay in a pinnacle I’ve ever had. We then added a third passenger and had a great time.

This is fairly lengthy review I did on a short RCL cruise taken in 2022 from the eye’s of this primarily HAL cruiser…it may be of interest:

I found it interesting that they kept HALs naming structure for staterooms, ie: Pinnacle Suite, Neptune Suites, etc.

We have done three HAL cruises and our first ever RCI cruise within the last 12 months. While change happens everywhere, I don’t think using RCI as your guide will do. We too were extremely disappointed with RCI’s food, but have been very happy (still) with HAL’s. The only exception was the captain’s table dinner on RCI…it was outstanding!

We have cruised with parents/in-laws that were in wheel chairs or scooters. The pinnacles provided the required space. You will not be disappointed in that realm.

When we started sailing (for our honeymoon) in 2009 our first cruise experience was in the Pinnacle suite aboard the Eurodam. Bad idea! It was an amazing experience and made traveling in lesser cabins less special. We are now 4* with HAL and have enjoyed the Pinnacle suite on three more journeys to Alaska (all on Vista class ships). The first and main plus is the real estate that you get. The space is a huge luxury. We thoroughly enjoy spending time in our cabin and on our balcony, so it isn’t just a place to lay our head at night…especially when in Alaska where you want to be watching from outside or out a window a good portion of time. Glacier Bay days in a Pinnacle suite are great!…and the high quality binoculars on a tripod are a great addition. I’ve also spent many cool/cold nights warming up in the jacuzzi tub on the balcony. (It is not a a hot tub…it is jetted but only heated by the water placed in it.) There aren’t a lot of extra perks above those that one receives in a Neptune suite outside of free non alcoholic beverages from the fridge in the butlers pantry, and a personal escort from the terminal to your suite. (Most times anyway…oftentimes the first persons allowed to board.). A fun perk is having the space to host coarse by coarse service in your own private dining room. (You need to plan that with your concierge a day or two prior). It also just seems that everyone gives you just a bit more care and attention. As I understand it, a good portion of the staff knows the names and faces of the pinnacle guests before they board. I believe that to be true because it is not uncommon to be welcomed by name when running across staff for the first time, not just when using your card where they can see your name. If looking at a vista class sailing, the Zuiderdam Pinnacle suite is the only one that I know of that has been remodeled to more current looks and finishes (except the powder room which kept the gold sink and such). We were in it in September in Alaska and really liked the more modern decor. One negative from prior voyages, is that the exterior speakers have been removed from the balcony so you can not play the naturalists and park ranger’s talks on your balcony like you could in the past. If spending the extra isn’t an issue, you won’t regret giving it a try!!!