I don't understand HA's suite categories...have questions about inclusions and the suite experience in general.

[Georgia_Peaches]

In doing a general search for any cruise line going to interesting ports in the Caribbean for a milestone anniversary cruise, I came across a HA option on Nieuw Amsterdam.  In reading the categories of suites available, it seems all are Neptune suites with different letters, which I assume indicate location on the ship.  What isn't clear to me is what's included as a part of a suite vs. what's standard in every room.  What are the automatic inclusions for booking a suite, ie. drinks package, wifi, grats? etc.  And how would you rate your suite experience compared to lower categories?  We currently have a 10 night southern Caribbean cruise on hold with Celebrity in a non-suite category because their rates are just more than we want to pay for a cruise to the Caribbean...hence, the shopping around.

 

Thanks in advance.

[FlorenceItaly]

Here is a nice chart:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/onboard-experiences/suites-staterooms

 

HAL is way behind the times as far as suite benefits!  Although the Neptune suite lounge is very nice it does not include complimentary alcohol.  IF you have the drink package you may receive some drinks in the lounge.  IF NOT, you pour yourself a drink, sign a log and they charge your room plus 20% gratuity.  I will say the Neptune Suite room itself is very large.  It also includes laundry and dry cleaning(refer to chart).  HAL's suite amenities is nothing like Celebrity, no comparison and no tangible important considerations.  For myself, unless I can get an incredible deal, a lower category room suits me fine and money saved.  As long as you go in knowing it is nothing like Celebrity you will be okay.  There is a lot to like about HAL.

ETA:  Read the chart very carefully.  Only a few of the ships have a separate dining room which is referred to as Club Orange.  It is an automatic perk for Neptune Suites or you may buy into it at any category stateroom.

Edited March 8 by FlorenceItaly

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 minute ago, FlorenceItaly said:

Here is a nice chart:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/onboard-experiences/suites-staterooms

Extremely helpful and just what I needed.  Very much appreciate this and your insights about the category as well.  Thank you!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just one thing to add to @FlorenceItaly's excellent post is that not all ships have all four levels of suites. For example, the two smallest ships, Zaandam and Volendam, have Vista suites but not Signature suites. Suites increase in size as you move across the chart. 

[REOVA]

7 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Just one thing to add to @FlorenceItaly's excellent post is that not all ships have all four levels of suites. For example, the two smallest ships, Zaandam and Volendam, have Vista suites but not Signature suites. Suites increase in size as you move across the chart. 

Except other than Neptune and Pinnacle Suites, there is no "suite" experience and benefits (lounge, boarding, CO, laundry, etc) included in Vista or Signature "suites". You do get double mariner points.

 

As stated, HAL'S "suite" experience is far below others. You get a small "lounge" area with some food and dedicated pair of guest services concierge to handle things, but it's biggest comparison over other lines are the suites are bigger in general. They may be smaller size on aft but larger balcony and may have small balcony on other deck areas besides "suite" level so if upgrading, watch that. (Location, location, location). 

 

We find MSC has the best value for suite experience and amenities but the cabins (and storage) are smaller than HAL and the ships are much bigger (which provide more entertainment options but also more crowded). We did a Carribean cruise in MSC Yacht Club which was a great experience (MIami port was eh) unless you have to venture to other areas of the ship, where we prefer HAL'S smaller ships, nicer crew (overall) and better food (generally). HAL doesn't have the suite restaurant, pool, lounge size with entertainment and food variety as the "ship within a ship" concept. While it's Neptune value is no longer "suited" for us, we are just as well happy in a Signature, Vista, Veranda (non suite amenities) if sailing with HAL on unique itineraries other than Caribbean. 

[cruisinsusin]

@Georgia_PeachesWe have historically preferentially done Celebrity cruises ( veranda, aqua, some sky suites) but have been looking at other options recently. We did a Nieuw Amsterdam 7 day Caribbean cruise in Jan of this year in a Neptune suite and were pleasantly surprised and very impressed. The lounge was just up the hall and we found the concierge to be very helpful with a few issues. It was not as large as the Michael’s club or retreat but had nice snacks and continental breakfast items. There is an honor bar ( if you have a beverage package, these drinks are subtracted from your daily total). The cabin itself was much larger than any sky suite we have had on Celebrity as was the balcony ( other than maybe a corner sky suite). The laundry and dry cleaning were amazing- items come back on hangars and with thank you notes from the laundry staff and typically in 24- less than 48 hours. 
there is not a separate dining room but the Neptune suites can use the same line as the club orange so we didn’t experience any wait for anytime dining. We were so pleased that we have several other much longer HAL cruises booked.

[cbr663]

It's challenging to understand HAL's suite amenities as HAL isn't very transparent about them.  The link provided is a great source, but it doesn't capture all of the suite amenities.  Luckily during HAL's most recent website update it does provide a more comprehensive listing of the various stateroom amenities.  I've attached a screen shot of such a list for a Neptune Suite for you to compare to the link provided.

 

I wish to point out though that I have discovered a glaring weakness in HAL's service while on board is that many of these amenities must be requested and even then, there isn't any guarantee that you will receive it.  For instance, on our Alaska cruise sailing in a Neptune Suite we had to request the fresh fruit and the reply was they don't do that anymore.  I then replied it is still advertised as a suite amenity so the cabin steward asked what we want and they go it for us once, even though we requested that we have it every day.

 

On another note, for instance, don't expect to find in your cabin any literature or menu with reference to the pre-dinner hors d'oeurves available in the suite or anyone offering this as an option.  You will need to approach the Neptune Lounge Concierge for a list of what is available and you will need to order them 24 hours in advance.   Expect the service to be reactive and not proactive.

 

 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, cbr663 said:

On another note, for instance, don't expect to find in your cabin any literature or menu with reference to the pre-dinner hors d'oeurves available in the suite or anyone offering this as an option.  You will need to approach the Neptune Lounge Concierge for a list of what is available and you will need to order them 24 hours in advance.  

 

I don’t recall ever seeing that in the Neptune Suites.  I’ve always had to ask the concierge for this list.  I never saw it as a big deal and kind of liked it since I found that there could be more options than just what was on the menu if they weren’t to your liking 😊 

 

 

[Kirsten T]

We're Elite Plus on Celebrity, mostly in the standard or Concierge veranda "hump" cabins with the oversized verandas. We did Sky Suites in the early 2000s, but they're out of our price range now. We do book either Signature or occasionally Neptunes on HAL because they've been more reasonable than Celebrity's suite pricing, and we primarily care about the cabin and not so much about the perks.

 

If a HAL Signature Suite is around the same price as a Celebrity "deluxe veranda" (the location we like) then we always go with the Signature Suite. It's WAY nicer in all respects than a standard Celebrity veranda cabin. No, you don't get any higher level of service, but we love the standard service on both HAL and Celebrity, and a Signature is much larger, has an amazing bathroom, large veranda, tons more storage than Celebrity's veranda cabins... there's no comparison.

 

We've also had Neptunes on HAL, and totally loved the extras that come with it. We've always found, with both lines, that "your mileage may vary" depending on the ship and the particular cruise; sometimes things are different now than they were last year or on another ship. The Neptune Concierges have, in our experience, been incredibly caring and helpful in making plans, correcting problems and explaining policies and services, which can vary. (Should they vary from HAL's marketing? Arguably no, but that's what we've seen, on both cruise lines.) Having a suite - of either kind on HAL is what we prefer, but that said, we've had many great cruises in a Celebrity deluxe veranda, too. We go with whichever has the better itinerary and price, because the overall experience will be great either way.

[cbr663]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

I don’t recall ever seeing that in the Neptune Suites.  I’ve always had to ask the concierge for this list.  I never saw it as a big deal and kind of liked it since I found that there could be more options than just what was on the menu if they weren’t to your liking 😊 

 

 

 

To the best of my knowledge it has never been there either and that is the point I am making.  Until the very recent website update HAL didn't list this as a Neptune amenity anywhere on its site.  How would anyone unfamiliar with HAL know about this amenity?  When I provided my review of the cruise there were posters who responded that they had sailed in NS and didn't know that this was available.  For some of us it is an issue when we are paying for amenities that we are not getting and even worse, not even aware that we should be getting.  A glaring weaknesss imo.

[kazu]

28 minutes ago, cbr663 said:

 

To the best of my knowledge it has never been there either and that is the point I am making.  Until the very recent website update HAL didn't list this as a Neptune amenity anywhere on its site.  How would anyone unfamiliar with HAL know about this amenity?  When I provided my review of the cruise there were posters who responded that they had sailed in NS and didn't know that this was available.  For some of us it is an issue when we are paying for amenities that we are not getting and even worse, not even aware that we should be getting.  A glaring weaknesss imo.

 

 

 

Sorry, I think I misunderstood you.  I thought you were referring to the menu of the hors d’oeuvres being available in the cabin.   Regarding listing it as an amenity -  my memory can be short  but the first time we had a Deluxe Verandah (now a Neptune), I knew nothing about it other than it was a bigger cabin.  It was an upsell on our South America cruise (and dirt cheap back then ) on the old Rotterdam.  I only knew we would have more space for DD DH when I accepted.

 

I believe there was a lovely letter in our suite telling us the hours of the Neptune Lounge, the amenities including the hors d'hoeuvres and high tea.  There was no other way I would have known about them nor used them at the time.  

 

I believe that the amenity used to be listed in the old Cruise Atlas (when they were paper not digital) .  I’ve noticed that the good concierges make sure their guests are familiar with their benefits - especially on the smaller ships.  They seem to know who is “new” and who is not.

[sciencewonk]

As mentioned above, the only real suites with additional amenities are the Pinnacle and Neptune suites.  The others "suites" are just larger cabins.  I've never been in a Pinnacle suite but have sailed in aft Neptune suites. 

 

Neptune suite pros include larger room, inclusive laundry, double sinks in the bathroom, access to the Club Orange dining room (on ships that have it) or the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast (on ships that don't have CO dining), the Neptune Lounge (which has the best coffee on the ship), and priority tendering.  The biggest pro, in my opinion, is access to the Neptune Lounge concierge.  They are great!

 

Neptune suite cons include higher price, failure to compare favorably to other lines suites, and the in-room coffee maker (the coffee is undrinkable).  Also, priority embarkation, which is listed as an amenity, has never occurred for me.

 

It ultimately comes down to personal preference.

[oakridger]

9 hours ago, FlorenceItaly said:

and they charge your room plus 20% gratuity

 

@FlorenceItaly Thanks for all the info but just to clarify, the gratuity for drinks, specialty restaurants and spa services is actually 18% on HAL for all room categories.

 

 

~Nancy

[FlorenceItaly]

3 minutes ago, oakridger said:

 

@FlorenceItaly Thanks for all the info but just to clarify, the gratuity for drinks, specialty restaurants and spa services is actually 18% on HAL for all room categories.

 

 

~Nancy

You are right, Nancy.  Thanks so much for the correction.  I don't know what I was thinking, lol.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Can someone please elaborate further on Club Orange?  is this an added perk or an add on pass available on all ships?  Advantages?

[crystalspin]

49 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Can someone please elaborate further on Club Orange?  is this an added perk or an add on pass available on all ships?  Advantages?

Add on.

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/onboard-experiences/dining/club-orange

 

There is a link on that page to download a PDF of full benefits.

[REOVA]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Can someone please elaborate further on Club Orange?  is this an added perk or an add on pass available on all ships?  Advantages?

CO is in effect a way for HAL to charge anyone  that wants "priority" or "better" service for a fee. 4 and 5 star Mariners have priority boarding (where ports follow it) and since CO started, they fall in with that group. There is a special line for CO for the guest services desk and excursion desk so they don't wait in the, sometimes, long lines that other passengers do. In the main dining room (non Pinnacle ships) there is a separate (faster) line for CO and priority locations for the dining room as well as 1 "special"  entree selection that CO can order, although you can sit with non CO passengers, they just wont get the menu with the extra entree. On the 3 Pinnacle ships there is a separate small dining room for CO for breakfast and dinner which is quieter and more focused on service (theoretically) but same food as MDR. If you are in Neptune Suite, HAL feels you are paying enough to have these privileges so they are included. CO also have the option to book the cheapest cabin in a category (like V*) and pick a better cabin in that V* category. (I.e. you can't book a Vista and get a Signature Suite as they are different categories). 

 

If you sail in a Neptune Suite there is no reason to purchase CO. But depending on what other category cabin you want, you may be better off booking the lower price cabin and upgrading with CO for a better cabin. Keep in mind, better cabin is in the eye of HAL not necessarily what you may want. And on Pinnacle ships, having breakfast and dinner in the CO restaurant is preferred than in MDR for some (us) except you don't get to sit with or meet new people there as easily as you can in MDR, if that is a concern. 

 

So the short answer is its an add on pass. 

[crystalspin]

26 minutes ago, REOVA said:

Keep in mind, better cabin is in the eye of HAL not necessarily what you may want.

You get to choose the cabin you want to upgrade to. As I always choose our cabin very specifically, I have never bought Club Orange. I only came to understand the upgrade and benefits too late to apply to our cruises, but my DH would probably like to be waited on in the CO dining room (on Pinnacle Ships), so I am keeping my eyes open for future bookings.

[Hobar]

What is “special disembarkation service” for Neptune and Pinnacle Suite guests?  

[alwaysfrantic]

On the initial page posted it said NS had whirlpool baths.  In the second chart it says some NS.  I think I don’t have a tub at all in my next one on NS.  

[kazu]

21 minutes ago, alwaysfrantic said:

On the initial page posted it said NS had whirlpool baths.  In the second chart it says some NS.  I think I don’t have a tub at all in my next one on NS.  

 

I believe all NS cabins have baths with the exception of accessible or partially accessible cabins. 

 

 

[kazu]

5 hours ago, REOVA said:

CO is in effect a way for HAL to charge anyone  that wants "priority" or "better" service for a fee. 4 and 5 star Mariners have priority boarding (where ports follow it) and since CO started, they fall in with that group. There is a special line for CO for the guest services desk and excursion desk so they don't wait in the, sometimes, long lines that other passengers do. In the main dining room (non Pinnacle ships) there is a separate (faster) line for CO and priority locations for the dining room as well as 1 "special"  entree selection that CO can order, although you can sit with non CO passengers, they just wont get the menu with the extra entree. On the 3 Pinnacle ships there is a separate small dining room for CO for breakfast and dinner which is quieter and more focused on service (theoretically) but same food as MDR. If you are in Neptune Suite, HAL feels you are paying enough to have these privileges so they are included. CO also have the option to book the cheapest cabin in a category (like V*) and pick a better cabin in that V* category. (I.e. you can't book a Vista and get a Signature Suite as they are different categories). 

 

If you sail in a Neptune Suite there is no reason to purchase CO. But depending on what other category cabin you want, you may be better off booking the lower price cabin and upgrading with CO for a better cabin. Keep in mind, better cabin is in the eye of HAL not necessarily what you may want. And on Pinnacle ships, having breakfast and dinner in the CO restaurant is preferred than in MDR for some (us) except you don't get to sit with or meet new people there as easily as you can in MDR, if that is a concern. 

 

So the short answer is its an add on pass. 

 

Just to add to your thorough post that if you book a Neptune Suite, you CANNOT purchase Club Orange to use the upgrade feature since the perk is included with a Neptune Suite.

[alwaysfrantic]

14 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I believe all NS cabins have baths with the exception of accessible or partially accessible cabins. 

 

 

I hope so.  Someone told be the aft wraps on NS do not.  That is what’s up next. 

[kazu]

36 minutes ago, alwaysfrantic said:

I hope so.  Someone told be the aft wraps on NS do not.  That is what’s up next. 

 

I went to check the deck plans as that sounded strange and OMG - all the aft Neptunes are showing shower only on that ship.  WTH!??  I’m afraid it looks like what you were told is correct and I stand corrected.  I’m going to check the other Pinnacle Class ships to see if they are the same.

 

that would be a game changer for me 😔 

[POA1]

6 hours ago, crystalspin said:

You get to choose the cabin you want to upgrade to. As I always choose our cabin very specifically, I have never bought Club Orange. I only came to understand the upgrade and benefits too late to apply to our cruises, but my DH would probably like to be waited on in the CO dining room (on Pinnacle Ships), so I am keeping my eyes open for future bookings.

Don't feel bad. We booked a category A Vista Suite on the Nieuw Statendam in an excellent midship location. When we upgraded to CO, we declined an upgrade to an AS (aft Vista) because we really liked our location.

 

Essentially, we paid the Club Orange fee, did not get an upgrade, and did not get OBC (because we declined an upgrade.) We're four star, so there was no priority boarding benefit to us.

 

In short, I did it exactly wrong.

 

Thank goodness the Club Orange tote bag makes up for all that. 🛍️