Neptune suite and adult kids in another room

[Ellen495]

Hi we're excited for our first cruise. We're going to Alaska on Nieuw Amsterdam. I have  a couple of questions. 

1. I hear there's a nexpresso machine in the room. Is there liquid creamer of sorts?  We could also, I hear, get things from the Neptune lounge.

2. Can one request wine vs. Champagne in the room (I hear that's complimentary day one - but we hate champagne). NOT a huge deal!

3. Our adult daughter and fiance are joining us. We got them a regular room. I know they're allowed to come hang out on our deck - but if we order room service - can we get things for them as well? I suppose we can just act like gluttons or is it allowed? Further, can we bring them into the Neptune lounge? (NOT a big deal if no). 

4. Do we get a complimentary dinner anywhere? They had us pay for Pinnacle and Tamarin (well - one was complimentary as part of the package no matter what room you got). I just want to check on this.

 

Thank you so much.

Ellen

[fsdj1097]

28 minutes ago, Ellen495 said:

Hi we're excited for our first cruise. We're going to Alaska on Nieuw Amsterdam. I have  a couple of questions. 

1. I hear there's a nexpresso machine in the room. Is there liquid creamer of sorts?  We could also, I hear, get things from the Neptune lounge.

2. Can one request wine vs. Champagne in the room (I hear that's complimentary day one - but we hate champagne). NOT a huge deal!

3. Our adult daughter and fiance are joining us. We got them a regular room. I know they're allowed to come hang out on our deck - but if we order room service - can we get things for them as well? I suppose we can just act like gluttons or is it allowed? Further, can we bring them into the Neptune lounge? (NOT a big deal if no). 

4. Do we get a complimentary dinner anywhere? They had us pay for Pinnacle and Tamarin (well - one was complimentary as part of the package no matter what room you got). I just want to check on this.

 

Thank you so much.

Ellen

Hello Ellen!

 

Yes there was both milk and half & half liquid creamer in the Neptune Lounge on our recent Alaska cruise aboard Koningsdam.

 

We were able to exchange our complimentary champagne for another wine, and we were able to order a bottle of wine delivered to our Neptune Suite for a sail away toast.

 

Unfortunately, the Neptune Lounge is for Suite passengers only....however, we ordered appetizers from the concierges, and they were happy to oblige.

 

We had the 'Have it All' package, which included two specialty restaurant dinners....the Tamarind and Canaletto.

[DaveOKC]

#2 - I always exchange my comp champagne for wine - I take it to the Neptune Lounge to do this.

 

#3 - Remember that you can even order dinner from the main dining room menu from room service, even for all 4 of you!  Have the Neptune staff make the arrangements, but give them some advance notice.  You can order yourself, but you need to do it within a certain time period (like first hour MDR is open).   Can make for a nice evening, especially if sailing in a scenic area.

Edited June 27, 2022 by DaveOKC

[willoL]

1 hour ago, Ellen495 said:

...1. I hear there's a nexpresso machine in the room. Is there liquid creamer of sorts?  We could also, I hear, get things from the Neptune lounge...

@Ellen495 You could always take a little milk, cream, non-dairy beverage or whatever *you* like best from the buffet in a glass and just stash it in your minibar fridge. I often do this. My husband likes a slice of cheddar cheese with his breakfast foods, for example, yet servers can find the request odd; he brings cheese in his pocket to diners! 😂 (In a baggie!)

 

Heck, I travel with my chargers or toiletries packed inside some of our usual family Tupperware for school lunches, then I use that to stash snacks (fruit, sandwiches) in the mini fridge any time I'm on vacation.

 

If I strongly preferred a certain creamer, I'd do the same with a sippy cup, small Nalgene bottle, or whatnot from my same kitchen stash. (But I have a family with food sensitivities, so I've had to pack related gear or special dietary items forever.)

 

No ultra-light packing when I had a lactose intolerant or celiac loved one along for the ride! 😆

[Ellen495]

I've traveled with non dairy creamer that I love to the islands. I assume they'll have vanilla creamer or the sort on the ship.

 

Super glad we can trade the wine. We are planning on bringing 4 bottles (one each -  I know there's a 20 dollar charge - but I'm so picky about wine). Is there any way to find out what type of wine they have on the boat?

 

Oh - when we arrive the first day, is there any way the staff can take our wine and chill it for us so it's ready for dinner time? We board at 3:40, but plan on dropping our bags around 11:30 when our train arrives from Anchorage. We'll spend a few hours in Whittier - thinking there may be some good hikes around there.... Might make that a separate post on the Alaska forum.

[fsdj1097]

Please tell Cathy, in the Neptune Lounge that Sam & Cindy Jordan say 'hello'....she is definitely a gem!

 

[Ellen495]

Just now, fsdj1097 said:

Please tell Cathy, in the Neptune Lounge that Sam & Cindy Jordan say 'hello'....she is definitely a gem!

 

Will do!

[FlyingCruiser2]

FYI - the machines in the room are not Nespresso, they are a brand called MoCoffee.  We thought they were Nespresso and that we were so clever bringing pods with us of flavors we prefer, but they didn’t fit.

[Cruise Suzy]

37 minutes ago, Ellen495 said:

Oh - when we arrive the first day, is there any way the staff can take our wine and chill it for us so it's ready for dinner time? We board at 3:40, but plan on dropping our bags around 11:30 when our train arrives from Anchorage. We'll spend a few hours in Whittier - thinking there may be some good hikes around there.... Might make that a separate post on the Alaska forum.

 

Wine must be in carry-on bags. If you can board before hiking, you could put it in your room's ice bucket and then debark for hiking. If you can't board before hiking, you will have to take it with you.

[Ellen495]

20 minutes ago, FlyingCruiser2 said:

FYI - the machines in the room are not Nespresso, they are a brand called MoCoffee.  We thought they were Nespresso and that we were so clever bringing pods with us of flavors we prefer, but they didn’t fit.

Thanks! I'll see if I can buy French Vanilla MoCoffee on Amazon (usually can get anything there)!

[DaveOKC]

1 hour ago, Ellen495 said:

I've traveled with non dairy creamer that I love to the islands. I assume they'll have vanilla creamer or the sort on the ship.

 

Super glad we can trade the wine. We are planning on bringing 4 bottles (one each -  I know there's a 20 dollar charge - but I'm so picky about wine). Is there any way to find out what type of wine they have on the boat?

 

Oh - when we arrive the first day, is there any way the staff can take our wine and chill it for us so it's ready for dinner time? We board at 3:40, but plan on dropping our bags around 11:30 when our train arrives from Anchorage. We'll spend a few hours in Whittier - thinking there may be some good hikes around there.... Might make that a separate post on the Alaska forum.

The wine they give you is the house brand - I think it is Santa Clara??  I always get the white as the red is tough for me to drink.  You MIGHT be able to exchange for credit for a better wine - this depends on the ship.  Also, one time (out of 20) they would not let me exchange the champagne - gave me credit for sodas instead.

 

As to chilling it, the champagne is already in a ice bucket and is chilled (most times).  Usually you have to wait a bit for the Neptune staff to make the exchange for you (they put the new bottle in your cabin when they have time), so asking them to chill it might not work (but of course you can ask). 

[Ellen495]

3 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

The wine they give you is the house brand - I think it is Santa Clara??  I always get the white as the red is tough for me to drink.  You MIGHT be able to exchange for credit for a better wine - this depends on the ship.  Also, one time (out of 20) they would not let me exchange the champagne - gave me credit for sodas instead.

 

As to chilling it, the champagne is already in a ice bucket and is chilled (most times).  Usually you have to wait a bit for the Neptune staff to make the exchange for you (they put the new bottle in your cabin when they have time), so asking them to chill it might not work (but of course you can ask). 

I thought getting them to chill the wine I'm bringing on board would be great. Credit for soda? That wouldn't be so great - I only drink water, coffee and wine. 🙂 THANKS for the info.

[DaveOKC]

One time I hosted a large party in my Neptune suite.  I asked the Neptune staff to make arrangements and in the end my room steward brought me 8 wine buckets filled with ice to chill the wine and for drinks!  And we were in an aft-wrap, far from the Neptune Lounge.

[Ellen495]

5 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

One time I hosted a large party in my Neptune suite.  I asked the Neptune staff to make arrangements and in the end my room steward brought me 8 wine buckets filled with ice to chill the wine and for drinks!  And we were in an aft-wrap, far from the Neptune Lounge.

We're in an aft wrap around too!

[DaveOKC]

4 minutes ago, Ellen495 said:

We're in an aft wrap around too!

We were on the Zuiderdam in one of the famous deck 5 aft-wraps.  Had 40 people in there (mostly on the HUGE verandah) and it was not crowded!  

[Ellen495]

30 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

We were on the Zuiderdam in one of the famous deck 5 aft-wraps.  Had 40 people in there (mostly on the HUGE verandah) and it was not crowded!  

WOW! We only have 4 people, but maybe we'll meet more!

[FlaMariner]

7 hours ago, Ellen495 said:

I know they're allowed to come hang out on our deck - but if we order room service - can we get things for them as well? I suppose we can just act like gluttons or is it allowed? Further, can we bring them into the Neptune lounge? (NOT a big deal if no). 

 

Last December on the Nieuw Amsterdam, Mother and daughter were in a Neptune Suite and the rest of us  (family) were in steerage.  (Daughter managed a free upgrade as she is a blogger with lots of followers)

 

Without us asking, the Neptune concierge told Mother and daughter that the rest of us (steerage trash, LOL) could come in with them but please be discrete and not flash our steerage cards.  We did it once and tried to behave and not point and feel envious about how the other half lives. LOL. Not much to it, so said the son. 

 

We also dropped some laundry off in their FREE Neptune bag.  The room stewards were fine with it.  I'm also sure they could have loaded up on whatever free food they serve but we did not experience that.  There was enough FREE food elsewhere for us steerage folk. 

 

This cruise (December) was not full so that may have impacted the concierge's friendly gesture to allow us commoners into the inner sanctum of the Neptune lounge.  

 

Enjoy the Nieuw Amsterdam (and the Neptune Suite!)....she's a beauty and we've sailed on her a few times and always a good time!

 

 

 

[Ellen495]

10 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Last December on the Nieuw Amsterdam, Mother and daughter were in a Neptune Suite and the rest of us  (family) were in steerage.  (Daughter managed a free upgrade as she is a blogger with lots of followers)

 

Without us asking, the Neptune concierge told Mother and daughter that the rest of us (steerage trash, LOL) could come in with them but please be discrete and not flash our steerage cards.  We did it once and tried to behave and not point and feel envious about how the other half lives. LOL. Not much to it, so said the son. 

 

We also dropped some laundry off in their FREE Neptune bag.  The room stewards were fine with it.  I'm also sure they could have loaded up on whatever free food they serve but we did not experience that.  There was enough FREE food elsewhere for us steerage folk. 

 

This cruise (December) was not full so that may have impacted the concierge's friendly gesture to allow us commoners into the inner sanctum of the Neptune lounge.  

 

Enjoy the Nieuw Amsterdam (and the Neptune Suite!)....she's a beauty and we've sailed on her a few times and always a good time!

 

 

 

Daughter should have put Mom and Dad in the Neptune after all you've done for her! Yes we intend to use the free laundry (they won't know the difference) and they already changed the "kids'" embarkment time to join with us. The only thing I really care about as to the food is morning coffee easily accessible. We're excited about the suite - and Alaska. We're bring our Comfy's (Do you know what they are?) to use to sit  on the aft balcony to watch the glaciers!

[57redbird]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

We were on the Zuiderdam in one of the famous deck 5 aft-wraps.  Had 40 people in there (mostly on the HUGE verandah) and it was not crowded!  

No, it wasn't & thanks for hosting us!

[DaveOKC]

15 hours ago, Ellen495 said:

Daughter should have put Mom and Dad in the Neptune after all you've done for her! Yes we intend to use the free laundry (they won't know the difference) and they already changed the "kids'" embarkment time to join with us. The only thing I really care about as to the food is morning coffee easily accessible. We're excited about the suite - and Alaska. We're bring our Comfy's (Do you know what they are?) to use to sit  on the aft balcony to watch the glaciers!

Long way to walk for the Neptune coffee!  There is a pod type coffee maker in your cabin though and we use it alot when in an aft-wrap.

 

[david,Mississauga]

As someone who doesn't care for coffee I have to ask: is  there now a kettle in the Neptune suites? A few years ago we splurged on a Neptune suite for an Alaska cruise and left the coffee maker untouched. We found it almost impossible to get a good cup of tea anywhere on the ship.

 

No offence to those who like weak tea, we even brought our own strong (Tetley) tea bags, but getting very hot - even if not boiling - water wasn't easy. The spigot in the Neptune Lounge was the only place where the water was good enough for a decent "cuppa."  Fortunately our stateroom was just a few steps from the lounge which made it convenient for me  to bring "She who must be obeyed" her morning cup of tea.

 

There was a British woman at our table who pleaded for a tea-pot and eventually one was found for her. The steward kindly tagged it for her so no-one else would take the tea-pot at dinner. Perhaps it was the only tea-pot on the ship.

[Ellen495]

47 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Long way to walk for the Neptune coffee!  There is a pod type coffee maker in your cabin though and we use it alot when in an aft-wrap.

 

How far is it? I've never been on a ship - just seen it from Caribbean ports.

[fsdj1097]

49 minutes ago, Ellen495 said:

How far is it? I've never been on a ship - just seen it from Caribbean ports.

The Pinnacle Class ships are approximately 900 feet long.  The Neptune Lounge is located almost directly in the middle of the ship.  From an Aft Wrap, it would be approximately 450 feet to the Neptune lounge....more or less.  So, about the length of 1 1/2 football fields.

[Ellen495]

1 minute ago, fsdj1097 said:

The Pinnacle Class ships are approximately 900 feet long.  The Neptune Lounge is located almost directly in the middle of the ship.  From an Aft Wrap, it would be approximately 450 feet to the Neptune lounge....more or less.  So, about the length of 1 1/2 football fields.

We can handle that! It will help close the Apple activity ring. 🙂 THANKS

How about the Pinnacle breakfast area? (Our "kids," won't get up early for breakfast, so we'll take advantage of that without them and without guilt). 

[DaveOKC]

35 minutes ago, Ellen495 said:

We can handle that! It will help close the Apple activity ring. 🙂 THANKS

How about the Pinnacle breakfast area? (Our "kids," won't get up early for breakfast, so we'll take advantage of that without them and without guilt). 

Pinnacle dining area is near the midship elevators on most ships (except for the R and S class (small) ones.