Suite buffet/lucheons

[debjo]

[B]For Gizmo...[/B]
[QUOTE]I hope you didn't think that I thought you intentionally opened the box. Sorry if you took it that way.
[/QUOTE]

Have no fear...I never thought that you thought I "opened the box" (if that made some sense)...but, best to keep it locked...you never know what might be lurking in there!

By the way...I keep meaning to mention that I love the quotation you list in your signature...do you know who originally said it?

Debjo (who's soul must be awakened with the 20 members of our four-legged family)

[gizmo]

[quote name='debjo'][B]For Gizmo...[/B]

By the way...I keep meaning to mention that I love the quotation you list in your signature...do you know who originally said it?

Debjo (who's soul must be awakened with the 20 members of our four-legged family)[/quote]

Anatole France. Winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Literature. :)

[debjo]

Thanks [B]Gizmo[/B], now I can add it to my book of favorite quotations!

Debjo

[2bout2c]

[quote name='kryos']From my understanding, the "VIP" Party on the Amsterdam Hawaii/South Pacific cruise this past January had not only all suite passengers invited, but also others with over 100 days on HAL. Our CC group figured this out when some people got invites and others didn't. The group at our dining table also compared notes when only one of us was invited. Turned out that while she was staying in an inside cabin, just like the rest of us were, she had over a hundred days on HAL. She got the invite and the rest of us didn't.

Blue skies ...

--rita[/quote]Maybe they have figured out that those of us not in suites for this cruise, but have been on HAL 100,200,300,400,500 days have spent enough to qualify for a VIP party also.

[iceman93]

[quote name='2bout2c']Maybe they have figured out that those of us not in suites for this cruise, but have been on HAL 100,200,300,400,500 days have spent enough to qualify for a VIP party also.[/quote]

I'm not disagreeing with this statement or sentiment at all (after all, long-term loyalty should definitely be rewarded), but just keep in mind that the price of the PS is roughly 6-8x that of the basic inside cabin. A first-time customer who books a 14-day cruise in the PS has brought as much revenue to HAL as a "standard" cruiser does in 100 days on various trips. And HAL's costs are a lot lower on a per cruise basis with that first-time PS guest than dealing with multiple bookings, printing out multiple cruise documents, etc.

As long as the definition of VIP is broad enough to encompass all those whose business is "very important", then they are smart to keep rewarding them above and beyond what all customers (the merely "important" ones ;) ) get.

[kryos]

[quote name='iceman93']One problem with "perks" is that HAL is stuck forever adding them but can never take anything away. A new perk is immediately seen as an entitlement, and removal of an old perk (no matter how trivial) is seen as a diminshment in service.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but they keep raising the prices on those luxury suites ... so why shouldn't they only add, and not take away, from the perks. I'd be willing to bet ... and, no, I haven't done any cost comparisons, so this is just a gut feeling ... that the cost of the luxury suites has gone up by a much higher percentage than the cost of a standard cabin ... over the past ten years.

Anyone care to comment on this assumption of mine?

Blue skies ...

--rita

[AWED23]

[quote name='kryos']That's exactly how I view it. I don't get offended in the slightest that I don't get those kinds of perks. I'm paying much less for my accommodations, and still going the same place on that boat that those folks in the expensive suites are going. Of course, for the extra money they are paying they are going to get some bennies that I don't. All the power to them. The money they spend keeps the cruise affordable for me, so I am only too happy to see them enjoying the Neptune Lounge and the other perks they are entitled to.

That's not a class system at all. It's simply a matter of getting what you pay for. I didn't pay for those bennies with my inside cabin, so I don't get them. Plain and simple.

Blue skies ...

--rita[/quote]...You are much too reasonable...Thank You....I do enjoy the priority boarding/deboarding and other perks that I pay a good bit for...As to the Suite Buffet, We almost always are on 14-35 day cruises so it is of no concern. Our last 2 were on the Prinsendam and they gave us an outstanding [read best in 26 cruises!] lunch in the Pinacle..5 courses and better than our dinners in the Pinacle...

[cactuslady]

Don't all get too excited about what this or that brochure page or web page says. In my (yes, limited) experience, HAL is mediocre to terrible about advertising what the perks are or even informing guests on board what they are entitled to. Plus, it seems that there is some variability from ship to ship and cruise to cruise. In the past, we have enjoyed several perks that were available, but no one else seemed to know about, such as intimate breakfasts as the only diners in the Pinnacle Grill.

So . . . if you want to get all your perks and maximize your enjoyment, definitely keep your eyes open, read [I]every [/I]piece of paper you get in your cabin, ask (e.g., Do I get to have breakfast in the Pinnacle Grill?), and look in every nook and cranny so you don't miss the binoculars or lap robe you didn't know you were supposed to get.

P.S. -- add Zaandam Hawaii cruise 12/2007 to the list in my signature. We just booked an S suite.

[iceman93]

[quote name='kryos']Yeah, but they keep raising the prices on those luxury suites ... so why shouldn't they only add, and not take away, from the perks. I'd be willing to bet ... and, no, I haven't done any cost comparisons, so this is just a gut feeling ... that the cost of the luxury suites has gone up by a much higher percentage than the cost of a standard cabin ... over the past ten years.

Anyone care to comment on this assumption of mine?[/quote]

I think you're exactly right. But over those ten years they have added a LOT of perks to the suite experience, with very little taken away. Then if you add in the fact that you can get an S-class cabin on HAL for less than equivalent accomodations on similar or even upscale (RSSC, Crystal, etc.) cruise lines, and you can see why the demand still outpaces the supply.

[Krazy Kruizers]

[B]I just wish HAL would be bring back the suite dinners on cruises over 14 days (Yes I remember when we used to have them on 10 day cruises).:( :( [/B]

[B]We were so disappointed not to have a suite dinner on our Hawaiian cruise this past spring - especially since we had so many sea days.[/B]

[Sage]

I think that Captain may play a big role in deciding what to have or not have on the cruise. We were on an 18 day cruise to Hawaii on the Volendam, and we had an Indonesian luncheon, a suite dinner, a Black and White Ball, and the suite buffet. The King's Room was also open to the suite guests for breakfast and lunch.

[hgatsawgrs]

Ok, one more time- they are not perks!(some) the laundry is not free,it is pre-paid- you could stay in a smaller room and pay for laundry and d.c. and still save money.
Getting on the ship first and boats to the dock first is a real perk others cannot pay for .
Another free meal is not what I look forward to- why all the fuss,
HAL getting the most they can from people is what companies do. The good ones do it better than others. That should not be a surprise to people. Also keeping costs down (eliminating extra expenses) is what good companies do best. Hal is getting better at doing both and of course it can cut into loyalty. But the overall cruise passenger base(us older folks) is growing so they do not have to care as much- get used to it. Unfortunately.
More S suite people will drift up to Oceania and Regent and other higher service oriented ships . We have. Only did 2 HAL S suite this year because of itinareries on particular dates. Not a first choice any more.