Konningsdam Neptune Suite Guarantee ... Bad Idea?

[FlorenceItaly]

2 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

I like this chart but wanted to correct that in the Retreat lounge ALL beverages are complimentary including all alcoholic beverages, the Neptune lounge does not offer that. With the new "all inclusive" bookings on Celebrity your tips & internet are also included.  OBC amount depends on what level suite you have.  Also on the S class of Celebrity the Sky Suites are a bit bigger, especially the S1's.  I don't think Specialty dining is included on Celebrity unless you are in a Royal Suite or higher.  Hope that helps.

Yes, this is a big fail with HAL.  I remember making my own drink in the Neptune Lounge and logging it in the book so they may charge me.  I think at very least they could offer a 2 hour window in the lounge and offer beer and wine.

[DenGNNJ]

36 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

 

I like this chart but wanted to correct that in the Retreat lounge ALL beverages are complimentary including all alcoholic beverages, the Neptune lounge does not offer that. With the new "all inclusive" bookings on Celebrity your tips & internet are also included.  OBC amount depends on what level suite you have.  Also on the S class of Celebrity the Sky Suites are a bit bigger, especially the S1's.  I don't think Specialty dining is included on Celebrity unless you are in a Royal Suite or higher.  Hope that helps.

Hi… good catch on HALs Neptune Lounge drinks.  I’ll have to recheck whether Sky Suites get free specialty dining.  We’re booked in a Royal Suite for next year’s Alaska cruise so I might be a little confused.

Edited August 12, 2021 by DenGNNJ

[Gracie115]

14 minutes ago, DenGNNJ said:

Hi… good catch on HALs Neptune Lounge drinks.  I’ll have to recheck whether Sky Suites get free specialty dining.  We’re booked in a Royal Suite for next year’s Alaska cruise so I might be a little confused.

You will LOVE the Royal Suite, and yes you will get all the Spec Dining free, but we've found Luminae to be better than most or even all and on our last couple of Celebrity cruises ate all but one dinner in Luminae.  

[DenGNNJ]

1 minute ago, Gracie115 said:

You will LOVE the Royal Suite, and yes you will get all the Spec Dining free, but we've found Luminae to be better than most or even all and on our last couple of Celebrity cruises ate all but one dinner in Luminae.  

We’re Celebrity regulars and LOVE Luminae!  

We’re excited about the Royal Suite… it’ll be our first time in one (we like Sky Suites).  We had a 2021 cruise cancelled on us after full payment, and used the 125% toward getting a RS upgrade for this new cruise.  It was a little more out of our pockets, but we’re getting that back in additional OBC and other perks we’d spend money on anyway.  It was a no-brainer.

[Caribbean Chris]

2 hours ago, DenGNNJ said:

Hi… good catch on HALs Neptune Lounge drinks.  I’ll have to recheck whether Sky Suites get free specialty dining.  We’re booked in a Royal Suite for next year’s Alaska cruise so I might be a little confused.

We’ve sailed in Sky Suites a lot - in roughly 2015, the first year when X added Michael’s Club for Sky Suites, they did give Sky Suites two comped speciality dinners. 
 

After that, Luminae was built fleetwide and there were no more specialty dinners for Sky Suites, unless it was a particular package deal.

 

Your chart is great. But one note - I’ve found the inclusive features do fluctuate. We often convince friends to book a Sky suite and join us. Their price sometimes has a standard beverage package, for example, when we received premium by booking early. Or vice versa when they paid a much higher rate later than we had.

 

Same applies to excursions and onboard credits. Varies by package deal.

 

You may want to add the coffee maker in HAL Neptunes. A welcome feature for us because we wake up early.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2021 by Caribbean Chris

[Gracie115]

2 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

 You may want to add the coffee maker in HAL Neptunes. A welcome feature for us because we wake up early.

 

 

 

 

Yes, aside from the truly WONDERFUL mattress in the Neptune, the Keurig type coffeemaker was a great added bonus for me, as I am a very early riser!!!

[Lady President]

We booked a Neptune Suite guarantee on Koningsdam for 10/17 earlier this week.  We've frequently booked guarantees and have only been disappointed once.  (Our balcony was right next to the glass elevator and every time it stopped people would look over at us.  The cabin was fine, but you wouldn't want to have coffee on the balcony in your pajamas. 🙂 )  Frankly, we've had a bunch of cruises cancelled.  This felt like one that might sail, so we figured we would give it a try.  One of the reasons we pick HAL is the excursions are a bit more unique than some other lines.  On the flip side, the suite lounge on HAL is mid-ship, rather than having a sea view, but that's really us being fussy.

 

The big question....  what did you decide to do???  

 

 

[DenGNNJ]

1 hour ago, Lady President said:

We booked a Neptune Suite guarantee on Koningsdam for 10/17 earlier this week.  We've frequently booked guarantees and have only been disappointed once.  (Our balcony was right next to the glass elevator and every time it stopped people would look over at us.  The cabin was fine, but you wouldn't want to have coffee on the balcony in your pajamas. 🙂 )  Frankly, we've had a bunch of cruises cancelled.  This felt like one that might sail, so we figured we would give it a try.  One of the reasons we pick HAL is the excursions are a bit more unique than some other lines.  On the flip side, the suite lounge on HAL is mid-ship, rather than having a sea view, but that's really us being fussy.

 

The big question....  what did you decide to do???  

 

 

After all that we decided NOT to cruise in 2021.  We’re going to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Palm Springs, and then drive to San Diego to visit relatives.

 

 It was a good exercise though… we still want to try HAL, Princess, Oceania, Viking, and we’re doing Azamara in 2023.  Celebrity Sky Suites are getting expensive ($500 per night roughly), and we need to expand our options.

[DenGNNJ]

4 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

We’ve sailed in Sky Suites a lot - in roughly 2015, the first year when X added Michael’s Club for Sky Suites, they did give Sky Suites two comped speciality dinners. 
 

After that, Luminae was built fleetwide and there were no more specialty dinners for Sky Suites, unless it was a particular package deal.

 

Your chart is great. But one note - I’ve found the inclusive features do fluctuate. We often convince friends to book a Sky suite and join us. Their price sometimes has a standard beverage package, for example, when we received premium by booking early. Or vice versa when they paid a much higher rate later than we had.

 

Same applies to excursions and onboard credits. Varies by package deal.

 

You may want to add the coffee maker in HAL Neptunes. A welcome feature for us because we wake up early.

 

 

We started regularly sailing with Celebrity in 2013 so what you said about their deals and packages changing all the time is so true.  We LOVE their Always Included, Retreat concept but they’re getting pricey.  That’s why we started looking to other lines for comparable offerings.

[Evilmuffin]

I’ve only been in a Neptune suite or Pinnacle Suite with HAL.   I will have to check out Celebrity.   

[Gracie115]

1 hour ago, Evilmuffin said:

I’ve only been in a Neptune suite or Pinnacle Suite with HAL.   I will have to check out Celebrity.   

 

I just looked at a video of a Pinnacle Suite on the Koningsdam....quite lovely.  It is sort of a cross between a Royal Suite and a Penthouse suite on Celebrity.  Am sure you would like what you find on Celebrity.  

[zgscl]

17 hours ago, DenGNNJ said:

We’re Celebrity regulars and LOVE Luminae!  

We’re excited about the Royal Suite… it’ll be our first time in one (we like Sky Suites).  We had a 2021 cruise cancelled on us after full payment, and used the 125% toward getting a RS upgrade for this new cruise.  It was a little more out of our pockets, but we’re getting that back in additional OBC and other perks we’d spend money on anyway.  It was a no-brainer.

Big mistake. We got a great deal on a Neptune about 6 cruises ago. We have never been able to go back down to s balcony cabin. It’s a one way street. 
I’m sure you will have a fantastic time. Haven’t been able to try X yet but hope to after the pandemic settles down.

[DenGNNJ]

5 hours ago, zgscl said:

Big mistake. We got a great deal on a Neptune about 6 cruises ago. We have never been able to go back down to s balcony cabin. It’s a one way street. 
I’m sure you will have a fantastic time. Haven’t been able to try X yet but hope to after the pandemic settles down.

HA!  We're afraid of that happening to us too!!  LOL!!!  We did a step down once on Celebrity (Sky Suite to Aqua Class) ... we were like MEH!!!, and we certainly missed what we weren't getting.

[Tampa Girl]

On 8/3/2021 at 4:42 PM, DenGNNJ said:

So I'm having a slow week working from home (plenty of time on my hands) and I have to talk to my husband about this cruise.  Knowing he'll ask me all sorts of questions, I made a chart for him to follow of the differences between a Celebrity Sky Suite & A HAL Neptune Suite on the Konningsdam...

 

FEATURE	HOLLAND AMERICA	CELEBRITY
Butler	NO	YES
Dedicated Suite Lounge & Suite Concierge	YES – THE NEPTUNE LOUNGE	YES – THE RETREAT LOUNGE
Dedicated Suite Only Area On the Deck	NO	YES
Included Specialty Dining	ONE NIGHT	ALL NIGHTS
Suite Only Restaurant	YES – CLUB ORANGE	YES - LUMINAE
Premium Room Service Menu	YES	YES
Premium Toiletries	YES	YES
Bed Size	KING	QUEEN
Complimentary Laundry Service	YES – Full Service	YES – One bag per stateroom
Priority Services	YES – Check-In & Disembarkation, Tenders, Dining & Seating	YES – Check-In & Disembarkation, Tenders, Dining & Seating
Beverage Package	STANDARD (upgrade to premium is +$5 pp per day)	PREMIUM
On Board Credit	NO	YES - $200 per person for booking a suite
Cabin Size	460 square ft., including balcony	308 square ft., including balcony
Wifi Included	YES	YES
Excursions Included	YES - $100 maximum per PERSON	YES - $100 maximum per CABIN
Gratuities Included	NO	YES

 

Bear in mind, a Sky Suite on Celebrity is about $120 more per person per night for a similar cruise on one of their Millennium class ships ($840 pp for 7 days).  Now I can't use that money to make a suite-only deck area or a butler magically appear on the Konningsdam, but $840 per person will certainly pay for gratuities, the upgrade to the premium beverage package, and leave a lot of $$$ left over for specialty dining and the OBC missing from HAL's offering.

 

Whaddaya think?  That chart doesn't include everything but did I miss something important??

 

When did the Neptune Suites start giving free wi-fi?  I have never experienced that.  Also, when was the beverage package initiated?  

On 8/3/2021 at 4:42 PM, DenGNNJ said:

So I'm having a slow week working from home (plenty of time on my hands) and I have to talk to my husband about this cruise.  Knowing he'll ask me all sorts of questions, I made a chart for him to follow of the differences between a Celebrity Sky Suite & A HAL Neptune Suite on the Konningsdam...

 

FEATURE	HOLLAND AMERICA	CELEBRITY
Butler	NO	YES
Dedicated Suite Lounge & Suite Concierge	YES – THE NEPTUNE LOUNGE	YES – THE RETREAT LOUNGE
Dedicated Suite Only Area On the Deck	NO	YES
Included Specialty Dining	ONE NIGHT	ALL NIGHTS
Suite Only Restaurant	YES – CLUB ORANGE	YES - LUMINAE
Premium Room Service Menu	YES	YES
Premium Toiletries	YES	YES
Bed Size	KING	QUEEN
Complimentary Laundry Service	YES – Full Service	YES – One bag per stateroom
Priority Services	YES – Check-In & Disembarkation, Tenders, Dining & Seating	YES – Check-In & Disembarkation, Tenders, Dining & Seating
Beverage Package	STANDARD (upgrade to premium is +$5 pp per day)	PREMIUM
On Board Credit	NO	YES - $200 per person for booking a suite
Cabin Size	460 square ft., including balcony	308 square ft., including balcony
Wifi Included	YES	YES
Excursions Included	YES - $100 maximum per PERSON	YES - $100 maximum per CABIN
Gratuities Included	NO	YES

 

Bear in mind, a Sky Suite on Celebrity is about $120 more per person per night for a similar cruise on one of their Millennium class ships ($840 pp for 7 days).  Now I can't use that money to make a suite-only deck area or a butler magically appear on the Konningsdam, but $840 per person will certainly pay for gratuities, the upgrade to the premium beverage package, and leave a lot of $$$ left over for specialty dining and the OBC missing from HAL's offering.

 

Whaddaya think?  That chart doesn't include everything but did I miss something important??

 

Is free wi-fi and free excursions and a free standard beverage package usually included on the Koningsdam?  They have not been on the R and Vista class ships  unless they are a new inclusion.  Also, any good TA will throw in some OBC's, and gratuities are frequently offered by HAL.  It looks like the list may be comprised of some specials, but I don't think that some of these items are standard offerings.

[DenGNNJ]

5 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

When did the Neptune Suites start giving free wi-fi?  I have never experienced that.  Also, when was the beverage package initiated?  

 

Is free wi-fi and free excursions and a free standard beverage package usually included on the Koningsdam?  They have not been on the R and Vista class ships  unless they are a new inclusion.  Also, any good TA will throw in some OBC's, and gratuities are frequently offered by HAL.  It looks like the list may be comprised of some specials, but I don't think that some of these items are standard offerings.

It's part of a package HAL is currently offering called HAVE IT ALL.  The package was mentioned in my OP and throughout the thread.

[zgscl]

3 hours ago, DenGNNJ said:

HA!  We're afraid of that happening to us too!!  LOL!!!  We did a step down once on Celebrity (Sky Suite to Aqua Class) ... we were like MEH!!!, and we certainly missed what we weren't getting.

It is so hard to go back. I booked a balcony for  my Alaska cruise going this Saturday. After a few weeks I bit the bullet and had my TA change back to a Neptune. It was bothering me 😂. Looking forward to being spoiled. 

[OVgirl]

1 hour ago, DenGNNJ said:

It's part of a package HAL is currently offering called HAVE IT ALL.  The package was mentioned in my OP and throughout the thread.

This package is available to all state room categories, not just Neptune.

[canadianbear]

47 minutes ago, OVgirl said:

This package is available to all state room categories, not just Neptune.

Depends on promo.  Awhile ago wifi was offered to only suite guests.  

[DaveOKC]

Back to topic - has anyone had the deck 11 Neptunes on the Koningsdam?  They are 11005 and 11006 and are the ones I am concerned about with a Neptune guarantee.

 

[Cruise Suzy]

Have you seen this? Tour of 11005 at the beginning

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqp20TFSIbw&t=4s

 

[DaveOKC]

44 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

Have you seen this? Tour of 11005 at the beginning

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqp20TFSIbw&t=4s

 

Yes, very interesting but I was hoping to hear pro and con comments from someone who has sailed in them.

 

[Tampa Girl]

6 hours ago, DenGNNJ said:

It's part of a package HAL is currently offering called HAVE IT ALL.  The package was mentioned in my OP and throughout the thread.

Sorry, I missed that.  I thought that you were doing an apples to apples comparison.  Was the Celebrity perks also a package or are they standard?  

[sail7seas]

On 8/1/2021 at 1:06 PM, DenGNNJ said:

We kind of felt that way too, the first time we had a butler, but we quickly realized that he/she is the first person to call for pretty much everything.  We had one that called the excursion desk for us, and made an appointment for us with the excursion manager so we wouldn’t have to go ourselves and see if she was there.  We’ve invited people to our cabin for champagne and snacks and the butler took care of it all.  And we never thought about afternoon tea service or evening canapés until we had it for the first time.  Think of the butler more like an on-call personal assistant, and less like what Hobson was to Arthur (or Alfred to Batman)…LOL!!

 

 

 

The  butler 'business annoys me and on day  1 or2  we   tip them generoushy to  please sTay away unless we call  to  ask  for something

[Gracie115]

6 hours ago, sail7seas said:

 

 

 

The  butler 'business annoys me and on day  1 or2  we   tip them generoushy to  please sTay away unless we call  to  ask  for something

 

We've found the butler to be as present or not as we choose on all of our Celebrity cruises.  We do like to have breakfast in the suite and the butler does a wonderful job of setting it up.  Before Luminae he would assist in getting us reservations at Blu and also helped with a few other things.  We've never found a butler to be pushy. Sorry your experience was different.

[Mosaic]

19 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Yes, very interesting but I was hoping to hear pro and con comments from someone who has sailed in them.

 

We have and have another booked.  They are bigger than an SA, bounce around a lot and have a VERY small balcony.  2 Chairs and hard to get in and out with the door opening, lol.  The shape of the room is odd and that makes it better than the square SA.  One window out the front. No separate powder room.