Neptune Lounge Question

[Snow Road Cruisers]

Good day!  Almost fifty cruises but the first on HOA,  We have a suite so the Neptune Lounge is noted as an included extra, with drinks on an honor system, so an item on the internet states.  As we have an Elite Drink card will the card cover the honor drinks?

 

Thank you, 

JR

[TwinMommyByGrace]

17 minutes ago, Snow Road Cruisers said:

Good day!  Almost fifty cruises but the first on HOA,  We have a suite so the Neptune Lounge is noted as an included extra, with drinks on an honor system, so an item on the internet states.  As we have an Elite Drink card will the card cover the honor drinks?

 

Thank you, 

JR

Unfortunately it does not. 

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, Snow Road Cruisers said:

Good day!  Almost fifty cruises but the first on HOA,  We have a suite so the Neptune Lounge is noted as an included extra, with drinks on an honor system, so an item on the internet states.  As we have an Elite Drink card will the card cover the honor drinks?

 

Thank you, 

JR

All drinks in the Neptune Lounge are non alcoholic. No need to have a drinks card there.

 

[kazu]

4 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

All drinks in the Neptune Lounge are non alcoholic. No need to have a drinks card there.

 

 

Sorry but not correct.  There are alcoholic drinks on a cart that is brought out late afternoon for suite guests to use.  

 

No charge for the non alcoholic drinks  (coffee, tea, water, oj, cranberry juice, etc) but there is for the pop/soda and the alcoholic drinks on the cart.

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Sorry but not correct.  There are alcoholic drinks on a cart that is brought out late afternoon for suite guests to use.  

 

No charge for the non alcoholic drinks  (coffee, tea, water, oj, cranberry juice, etc) but there is for the pop/soda and the alcoholic drinks on the cart.

We had a Neptune Suite on the Noordam in 2019 and never saw any acholic drinks at anytime we were in there. For what we paid if there had been any they should have been complimentary. This is one of several reasons why we will no longer sail on HAL after our cruise on the Oosterdam next year. Did a Celebrity Sky Suite two months ago on the Equinox and the Retreat Lounge had a free fully stocked bar with a great bar tender and premium brands of spirits. The lounge was open all day with full service drinks. Our cruise line of choice will now be Celebrity and Oceania.

Edited October 19, 2021 by terrydtx

[kazu]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

We had a Neptune Suite on the Noordam in 2019 and never saw any acholic drinks at anytime we were in there. 

 

Very strange.  I sailed in 2019 as well as years immediately before that and the Neptune Suite always had the cart.  It arrives around 3 - 5 pm and stays there until it closes.  I can’t remember when they started it and my memory can be short with covid fatigue (I don’t have covid, I’m tired of it 😉) but IIRC it seems it was around 6-8 years ago.

 

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Very strange.  I sailed in 2019 as well as years immediately before that and the Neptune Suite always had the cart.  It arrives around 3 - 5 pm and stays there until it closes.  I can’t remember when they started it and my memory can be short with covid fatigue (I don’t have covid, I’m tired of it 😉) but IIRC it seems it was around 6-8 years ago.

 

We may not have been in there late in the afternoon during those hours, but HAL still needs to offer more than juice, coffee and tea during the rest of the day to make the lounge valuable as a suite perk.

Edited October 19, 2021 by terrydtx

[StLouisCruisers]

10 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

 my memory can be short with covid fatigue (I don’t have covid, I’m tired of it 😉) 
 

 

Now that's a good one!🤣

[twodjs]

HAL has always offered fewer perks for suite guests as well as 4 and 5 star Mariners. You have to be 4 star just to get one free bag of laundry. How about free internet? Not even to 5 star Mariners. So sad. Some HAL loyalists have never cruised other lines so they have no idea everyone else offers so much more. Free perks are NOT reasons to cruise HAL. 

[OlsSalt]

Late afternoon honor bar was always there in the Neptune when we sailed too.   Never saw anyone use it. Not much different than having a drink in your room - not much of a social setting for drinks.  

[OlsSalt]

2 minutes ago, twodjs said:

HAL has always offered fewer perks for suite guests as well as 4 and 5 star Mariners. You have to be 4 star just to get one free bag of laundry. How about free internet? Not even to 5 star Mariners. So sad. Some HAL loyalists have never cruised other lines so they have no idea everyone else offers so much more. Free perks are NOT reasons to cruise HAL. 

 

HAL is/was doing something right, even without competitive perks since it has such a high repeat passenger vote of confidence. Value, itineraries, along with excellent staff choices and training kept us coming back for over 600 days. Miss it.

 

Last few years had a lot of missteps that I hope will be remedied now that HAL is getting back to the more traditional and experienced management. HAL does not have to be gimmicky or trendy. There is a place still for traditional, solid travel value.  I don't have inside knowledge into the accounting side of HAL management decision making, so one does have to roll with whatever internal decisions must be made. 

[TheEmerson]

Here is the Honor Bar on the Noordam in 2016.

[oaktreerb]

How do you pay if you use the honor bar?

[kazu]

3 minutes ago, oaktreerb said:

How do you pay if you use the honor bar?

 

There is a sheet you sign.  Usually the concierge is there and will offer to pour & make sure you signed / complete it.   They charge to your room (on board account)
 

[atexsix]

Are they watching to make sure the shot glass is exactly 1.5 oz? 🤣🤣

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We may not have been in there late in the afternoon during those hours, but HAL still needs to offer more than juice, coffee and tea during the rest of the day to make the lounge valuable as a suite perk.

Although the honor bar is more of a convenience than a perq, I think they are missing an opportunity here. If they offered a social hour each evening, with an included beverage, it would go a long way to promoting camaraderie and conversation. I know the connections I made just by dining in Club Orange put a smile on my face when passing familiar faces around the ship. A nod of recognition and a friendly hello changes the atmosphere entirely. 

[VMax1700]

3 hours ago, twodjs said:

You have to be 4 star just to get one free bag of laundry

Not sure what you are saying here, but 4 star gets unlimited laundry, not just one bag.  Perhaps you were commenting on the fact that you need to be 4 star before you can get free laundry?

[twodjs]

18 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Not sure what you are saying here, but 4 star gets unlimited laundry, not just one bag.  Perhaps you were commenting on the fact that you need to be 4 star before you can get free laundry?

Correct. My point is other cruiselines offer far more at far lower levels than HAL. And to not even offer free wi-fi for 5 stars is crazy! Think of how much money HAL has received from you by the time you reach 5 stars. Again, my point. 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, twodjs said:

Correct. My point is other cruiselines offer far more at far lower levels than HAL. And to not even offer free wi-fi for 5 stars is crazy! Think of how much money HAL has received from you by the time you reach 5 stars. Again, my point. 

 

Not quibbling - I don’t sail HAL for perks - I sail for itinerary.  No other line has a comparable itinerary for Norway we are doing - I’ve looked.

 

there are some things to be said about itinerary and that is where HAL has surpassed the others - so perhaps that is the trade off?

Not sure if that can continue with so many of the smaller ships gone but there are still a few and some of their itineraries are very, very nice.

[atexsix]

26 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Not quibbling - I don’t sail HAL for perks - I sail for itinerary.  No other line has a comparable itinerary for Norway we are doing - I’ve looked.

 

there are some things to be said about itinerary and that is where HAL has surpassed the others - so perhaps that is the trade off?

Not sure if that can continue with so many of the smaller ships gone but there are still a few and some of their itineraries are very, very nice.

Completely agree.  On many lines even 14 day itineraries are rare unless it's a repo or a luxury line, which mean big bucks.

[erewhon]

8 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Late afternoon honor bar was always there in the Neptune when we sailed too.   Never saw anyone use it. Not much different than having a drink in your room - not much of a social setting for drinks.  

 

During our last couple of cruises noticed a few entries on the honour list, concierge not always in the Neptune lounge, so hoped that people were honest.

[DaveOKC]

My last couple of cruises on HAL (pre-Covid) I have noticed that the snacks in the Neptune Lounge have declined in number and quality.  Still nice to have though, especially if your cabin is nearby.

 

To me the best part of the Lounge is having access to the Concierge, for quick answers and assistance.