How suite it is?

[Traveling Bob]

We are thinking of a western Carib cruise next Feb and we want to take a suite. We have been on HAL in an SC delux veranda and loved it. Also sailed on Princess many times but only in a mini suite. Our question is: How do Hal suite services compare to Princess suite services? (I'm also posting this in the Princess board yo see if opinions vary by board) Hard facts would be appreciated, but opinions are also welome!

Of course, I'm posing this question assuming that they are approximately the same price when I book.

[kazu]

I sailed on Princess in a mini suite and for me, it didn't compare to a superior verandah suite on HAL. So, then we did the 'suite' - no comparison IMO.

 

Now if you are talking deluxe verandah on HAL, that is a horse of a different colour:D You've been in SC so you have a good idea.

 

I like the little things that go with that - breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill.

 

Concierge in the Neptune lounge. The great coffee machine there is wonderful in the morning - the munchies all day - the water, juices, whatever

 

And I like the real estate - I like to have space to move.

 

I was shocked at the size of the princess "mini suite" . For me, not really at all what I suspected. Oh well, live and learn.

 

Other things that go with the deluxe verandah suite are all listed - BUT the drycleaning is wonderful on board.

 

One thing for me - the Lido is far less crowded than on a HAL ship - the rooms (deluxe verandah) have much more space and if you like a private spot now and then - you have it.

 

that's it in a nutshell - I'll let the others join in.

[PathfinderEss]

Here you go Traveling Bob........

Deluxe Suites

Use of the exclusive Neptune Lounge and personal concierge service*

Complimentary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning throughout your cruise

Complimentary sparkling wine served in the Neptune Lounge upon embarkation

Complimentary bottled water provided in suite at embarkation

Gorgeous corsages and boutonnieres for the first formal night

Cold hors d’oeuvres served before dinner each evening on request

Binoculars and umbrellas for your use on the cruise

Cocktail party with ship’s officers

Priority boarding for tendered ports of call

Special disembarkation service

Priority dining and seating requests

Exclusive daily breakfast service

High tea service in suite on request

Elegant wooden clothing brush, lint remover and shoehorn for keeping clothing immaculate

Fragrant bath salts and exfoliating loofah mitt for an invigorating shower experience

• 
  

*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, refreshments throughout the day and wi-fi for a small charge. One-Touch 24-hour Concierge Service is available when the Neptune Lounge

is closed.

[cjm66]

Is is 2 x binoculars or 1? Should I pack a spare set to avoid arguments? Can you take the bins and brollies ashore? Or is it better to take my small telescoping brolly ashore? Thanks

[sail7seas]

The umbrella is very large and we are permitted to bring it ashore.

We bring travel umbrellas to use as we think the Suite provided ones too big to comfortably walk the sidewalks without stabbing someone in the eye. :eek:

 

[MR NW GUY]

We have enjoyed the suites (not mini suites, full suites) on both HAL and Princess. I would say they are both very similar. I perfer the floor plan on the Princess Suites over HAL. The Penthouse on Hal is much nicer than the Grand Suite on Princess. The ammenities on HAL include the Neptune club which you don't get on Princess. In the past, you would get unlimited Interent with Princess in a suite, but I understand that may no longer ber a perk. I hope this insight is helpful.

[kazu]

Is is 2 x binoculars or 1? Should I pack a spare set to avoid arguments? Can you take the bins and brollies ashore? Or is it better to take my small telescoping brolly ashore? Thanks

 

It is one set of binoculars - we usually don't argue over them:D but if you both like to look you might want to pack another pair:D

 

We have taken the umbrella ashore once. It is very large (like a golf umbrella) and can easily accomodate two people. We rarely need it - but for our Baltic trip we are thinking of packing a little portable one due to the chance of rain off and on:)

[northernphoenix]

having our first experience with a deluxe suite aboard the Rotterdam Sept of 2011, we have booked another on the Nieu Amsterdam for the Med. We are a party of three, and were very happy with the amenities offered as well,as the amount of space. The closets are ample for three adults (DH actually packs enough for a fourth pax) and having the vanity area curtained off from the main area allows for privacy when required. The umbrella is comparable to a golf size, and we did request a second one at the front desk, since we had packed a travel size. We also carry a small set of binoculars, but found that we used them on the balcony only upon the occasion. You will enjoy this category, and the staff in the Neptune Lounge are very accommodating. we hosted two cocktail hours, as well as a third when cruising the archipelago leaving Stockholm, a memorable,experience,

Marilyn

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[George C]

we have done several mini-suites on Princess last 3 cruises were on HAL one SS other 2 full suites. Only advantage that Princess has is 2 TV's in the room, Most of the Hal benefits were already listed. Much bigger cabin/suite, also 2 sinks in bathroom and seperate shower and tub

[sail7seas]

Crew. Crew, Crew........

We think HAL's crews the best. :)

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have found that the 1 pair of binoculars in the cabin is fine for us -- we share.

We prefer to take our own small portable umbrellas. They are much easier to put in DH's back pack.

[sail7seas]

For Caribbean cruises, the binnoculars supplied in the suite is great and ample for us.

On our recent Alaska cruise, we brought additional binnoculars so we both had a pair to use.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Here you go Traveling Bob........

 

Deluxe Suites

Use of the exclusive Neptune Lounge and personal concierge service*

Complimentary laundry, pressing and dry cleaning throughout your cruise

Complimentary sparkling wine served in the Neptune Lounge upon embarkation

Complimentary bottled water provided in suite at embarkation

Gorgeous corsages and boutonnieres for the first formal night

Cold hors d’oeuvres served before dinner each evening on request

Binoculars and umbrellas for your use on the cruise

Cocktail party with ship’s officers

Priority boarding for tendered ports of call

Special disembarkation service

Priority dining and seating requests

Exclusive daily breakfast service

High tea service in suite on request

Elegant wooden clothing brush, lint remover and shoehorn for keeping clothing immaculate

Fragrant bath salts and exfoliating loofah mitt for an invigorating shower experience

 

 

*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, refreshments throughout the day and wi-fi for a small charge. One-Touch 24-hour Concierge Service is available when the Neptune Lounge

is closed.

 

 

One thing I noticed a couple of weeks ago concerning the changes for PS and Deluxe Verandah Suites -- there is no mention of being able to order afternoon hot appetizers for the cabin.

[igraf]

Or one could stay in a standard verandah and use the savings from a single cruise to purchase top of the line Zeiss or Leica binoculars that one keeps forever...

 

Just my point of view.

 

igraf

 

 

 

For Caribbean cruises, the binnoculars supplied in the suite is great and ample for us.

On our recent Alaska cruise, we brought additional binnoculars so we both had a pair to use.

[sail7seas]

One thing I noticed a couple of weeks ago concerning the changes for PS and Deluxe Verandah Suites -- there is no mention of being able to order afternoon hot appetizers for the cabin.

 

 

I noticed that, too.

 

[sail7seas]

Or one could stay in a standard verandah and use the savings from a single cruise to purchase top of the line Zeiss or Leica binoculars that one keeps forever...

 

Just my point of view.

 

igraf

 

 

Choices..... :)

 

It's wonderful we can all make choices and decide what we like, how we like it and what we wish to do. What makes sense and works great for you is not necessarily what works best for the next person. I probably use binnoculars once a year at most so it wouldn't make sense for me to own a costly set. I fully appreciate others feel differently.

 

The more choices the better IMO

[kazu]

we have done several mini-suites on Princess last 3 cruises were on HAL one SS other 2 full suites. Only advantage that Princess has is 2 TV's in the room, Most of the Hal benefits were already listed. Much bigger cabin/suite, also 2 sinks in bathroom and seperate shower and tub

 

Haven't been on all the ships in the fleet - but i know at least one ship has 2 TV's in the deluxe verandahs - the Prinsendam :D

[Jade13]

The umbrella is very large and we are permitted to bring it ashore.

We bring travel umbrellas to use as we think the Suite provided ones too big to comfortably walk the sidewalks without stabbing someone in the eye. :eek:

 

 

Too funny :D

[jaguarstyper]

Is is 2 x binoculars or 1? Should I pack a spare set to avoid arguments? Can you take the bins and brollies ashore? Or is it better to take my small telescoping brolly ashore? Thanks

Let the other person use the suite binoculars and bring a decent pair for yourself. The ones in the suites are not worth arguing over. The umbrellas are big, and I wouldn't want to carry it around on shore. But, you can bring both on shore with you.

[sail7seas]

Haven't been on all the ships in the fleet - but i know at least one ship has 2 TV's in the deluxe verandahs - the Prinsendam :D

 

 

We've been in "S" and "SA" on fourteen of HAL's fifteen ships and all had one TV so Prinsendam would be the only to have two tv's in an "S" or "SA" cabin. :)

 

[thepoint]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krazy Kruizers

One thing I noticed a couple of weeks ago concerning the changes for PS and Deluxe Verandah Suites -- there is no mention of being able to order afternoon hot appetizers for the cabin.

 

 

We were on the Noordam for 20 days in September. In a delux Veranda Suite -- Yes, you are able to order hot appetizers and can order dinner off the main dining room menu at any time. Some folks thought you had to order dinner in the morning to be able to use the MDR menu. Always order through the concierge, not through the room service telephone line. Folks that ordered via room service telephone had to wait, sometimes for an hour or more. You are paying for concierge service, it pays to use it. They are wonderful. Enjoy.

[sail7seas]

I wonder why they stopped listing hot appetizers as available to suites if they still provide them on request? They've been listed for years.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Krazy Kruizers

One thing I noticed a couple of weeks ago concerning the changes for PS and Deluxe Verandah Suites -- there is no mention of being able to order afternoon hot appetizers for the cabin.

 

 

We were on the Noordam for 20 days in September. In a delux Veranda Suite -- Yes, you are able to order hot appetizers and can order dinner off the main dining room menu at any time. Some folks thought you had to order dinner in the morning to be able to use the MDR menu. Always order through the concierge, not through the room service telephone line. Folks that ordered via room service telephone had to wait, sometimes for an hour or more. You are paying for concierge service, it pays to use it. They are wonderful. Enjoy.

 

I just like to know that I can order hot appetizers when and if I need them. Glad to know that we can still order them.

As for dinner -- we have never ordered dinner for the cabin. We prefer to go out. Plus I would never trust that the order would be correct. Too many times years ago we ordered breakfast for the cabin -- came too late or not at all (even with the concierge calling to see where it was); usually cold and order not correct.

[TheEmerson]

In May on the Oosterdam I ordered cold and hot Hors d'œuvrs for our cabin (SB). It was a matter of asking the Neptune. When I did order dinner for the troll in Glacier Bay, we were called once the delivery was made if everything was correct, then an hour later if we enjoyed the meal and needed anything else. It was nice as I set the table up on the Veranda.

[jaguarstyper]

In May on the Oosterdam I ordered cold and hot Hors d'œuvrs for our cabin (SB). It was a matter of asking the Neptune. When I did order dinner for the troll in Glacier Bay, we were called once the delivery was made if everything was correct, then an hour later if we enjoyed the meal and needed anything else. It was nice as I set the table up on the Veranda.

The troll? LOL :D