Any good suite perks on Princess?

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

Cocktails with the captain?

Surprise gifts left in the stateroom?

Priority boarding?

All/none of the above?

 

I'm just wondering if the extra 1000 bucks will be worth it. Someone mentioned better beds in another thread, is that true? Someone else mentioned better room service choices, would this apply to the mini suites too?

 

Thanks.

[Toto2Kansas]

Suites got sweeter lately on Princess. This is a link to the list on the Princess website of suite perks. http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na687&submit=pk

And another link to a site from a cc member that is very accurate: http://www.cruisingthecaribbeanprincess.com/perksA.html

 

They have some great perks that are available to full suite passengers only (mini suites are not included). The beds however might depend on the ship you decide on. I know on the Dawn Princess in April, our suite had terrible beds but the room steward was ready with two foam mattress pads which made it much better. They are supposed to have upgraded all the mattresses by now, but I think they are a little behind on some ships.

 

As for drinks with the captain because you are booked in a full suite, that is something I would not count on at all.

[PoseidonGodoftheSea]

Great article! Thank you for posting the link. That sure makes booking a suite VERY tempting.

[Toto2Kansas]

I can tell you first hand, the suites on Princess have so many benefits now that minis and other category cabins don't, if you can afford the price, you won't regret it.

[Jesterscourt]

When you say free internet, do you need your own laptop or do you just use the internet cafe as much as you want? Also, what is the Platinum Disembarkation Lounge? What exactly is priority disembarkation? Do you actually get off before the other passengers, and do you get glared at when you do this or do they have a refined procedure for this?

[Fuzzzy]

Cocktails with the captain?

Surprise gifts left in the stateroom?

Priority boarding?

All/none of the above?

Yes, yes, yes and yes.

[Mike2131]

We were fortunate enought to be upgraded to a Penthouse Suite on our most recent cruise and felt very spoiled. As mentioned, the link provided gives a very accurate description of what to expect. We really enjoyed the complimentary unlimited Internet (we used the Cafe, not wireless). The use is charged and then credited. Both the charges and credits will show on your cruise account.

 

If you go for a suite - enjoy!

[mtaylor04]

We booked a suite for our honeymoon cruise in November, can't wait :D

[scamper]

Well, don't flame me (I love Princess, too), but the one thing Princess doesn't have that gives HAL a bit of a nudge is HAL's exclusive suite passenger's only Neptune Lounge. If Princess came up with something like that, I could be persuaded to leave HAL forever :)

[can786]

Scamper -

Just out of curiosity, what do the Neptune lounges on HAL offer? The last time I sailed in a full suite on HAL was 2001 on the Zaandam and they didn't have a Neptune lounge. Also, does HAL offer unlimited free internet for full suite passengers? If not, the internet would be of more value to me personally than a suite passenger lounge. I sailed in a full suite on the Sea Princess last month and thought the perks were quite nice. We enjoyed it so much that we've upgraded the minisuite we had booked for next year to a VS suite on the Grand.

[travlin housewife]

totally agree about the lounge thing-probably the only temptation i see w/hal are some of the suite perks-not a snob but guess that one stay at a ritz carlton spoiled me for life-its nice to feel a little spoiled & special sometimes if u can swing the price ,esp. if you dont really live such a lifestyle at home. higher end like crystal,etc.. look fab but think too sedate for me even if i chose to pay $$$$ would probably prefer a grand suite on good ole princess for the people (just love yall) but looks like newer ships in line have dropped this.:(

[scamper]

Scamper -

Just out of curiosity, what do the Neptune lounges on HAL offer? The last time I sailed in a full suite on HAL was 2001 on the Zaandam and they didn't have a Neptune lounge. Also, does HAL offer unlimited free internet for full suite passengers? If not, the internet would be of more value to me personally than a suite passenger lounge. I sailed in a full suite on the Sea Princess last month and thought the perks were quite nice. We enjoyed it so much that we've upgraded the minisuite we had booked for next year to a VS suite on the Grand.

 

A great concierge who does just about anything you need done; restaurant reservations, shore excursions, arranging cocktail parties, you name it, they can do it. They have all kinds of snacks, hors d'ouerves, cappuccino, espresso, fresh fruit, continental breakfast. Private cocktail parties. I don't remember if they have free internet or not. Sorry. It would surprise me if they didn't, though.

[scamper]

You asked me about suite and Neptune Lounge perks on HAL and I found this. It is pretty comprehensive. I tried to find a direct way of contacting you to ensure you have the info...can786@aol.com isnt your email address, imagine that, so...hope you see it.

 

 

When we were on the Z, these were the NL's hours...

 

Port Days-7:00 am - 8:30 pm

Sea Days-7:30 am - 8:30 pm

 

Food Service

Continental breakfast 7:00 am - 11:00 am

Midday snacks 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Afternoon tea 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Cold hors d'oeuvres 5:00 pm - 8:15 pm

 

 

Here's a list of suite perks that I made a note of before our cruise...

 

1. BATHROBE - one “cotton terry” robe per adult

 

2. PERSONALIZED STATIONERY

 

3. LAUNDRY, PRESSING AND DRY CLEANING - complimentary

 

4. COLD & HOT PRE-DINNER HORS D’OEUVRES - complimentary

 

5. HIGH TEA - available upon request in the suite during the hours of regular tea service (we didn't do this, so I don't know how this works)

 

6. VIDEO LIBRARY - Check out in the NL

 

7. SUITE LUNCH - Ours was the last day at sea in the Crow's Nest

 

8. FRESH FRUIT - we found this in our cabin each day

 

9. FRESH FLOWERS

 

10. SPECIAL DISEMBARKATION – passengers leave ship at their leisure. Our tags were "black" and they were the first called. We didn't get off right away, but mosied off later in the morning.

 

11. DISEMBARKATION LUGGAGE - You have the option of putting your luggage out by 1:00 am (like the rest of the passengers), or suite passengers can put their's out by 6:00 am.

 

12. PRIORITY TENDERING - If you're in a tender port, you just make your way to the tender area (instead of picking up a tender ticket). Your ship card will be a light gold (everyone elses is blue).

 

13. CORSAGES and BOUTONNIERES - for the first formal night

 

14. MENUS - Suite passengers will receive the daily menus which will be left in their cabin. We found some of these on our bed, and others we found in our "mailbix" which is just outside the cabin door.

 

15. BINOCLUARS & UMBRELLA - You'll find these in your cabin

 

16. FREE BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE - We found this in our cabin when we arrived. We took it to the NL and had it sent to our wine steward.

 

17. NEPTUNE LOUNGE - The hours are posted above. We found we used this more than I thought we would. We'd grab a snack here and there.

 

Breakfast....pastires, juices, cereals, Espresso, cappucino & coffee

Lunch...sandwiches, fruit, candies, cookies, & sweets

Late-afternoon...snacks

 

 

18. CONCIERGE SERVICE - We had Carlo & Gerald, and they handled everything we needed...from change, to cashing TC's, setting up cocktail parties in your suite, to ordering shore excursions. They will do it all. No need to ever go to the main desk.

 

19. PINNACLE GRILL- Suite passengers have access to the PG for breakfast (no charge)

 

20. PRIORITY EMBRAKATION - When we arrived at the port, there was a gal that checked our documents and we were sent to the suite check-in area.

 

21. PRIORITY DINING PREFERANCE - We did get the time we asked for, but I am not sure how this works. I think you get priority, but it's not guaranteed. We booked early, so I figured we'd get the time we wanted.

 

22. SUITE WELCOME ABOARD PARTY IN THE NL - We missed this since we arrived a little later than most passengers

 

I know there are more things...but I need to think about it for a bit. We loved every moment of our cruise, and IMO, the suite was worth every penny. In fact, we're spoiled now...so I doubt we'd ever cruise without being in a suite. It was great.

[griswalds]

The best thing is you get 2 tv's and 2 remotes.....heaven.

 

For the DW a tub.

 

Careful to watch the difference between suite and mini-suite. The mini get's much less than the "full" suite as per the earlier postings.

 

 

Griswalds

[can786]

Thanks Scamper. It is an interesting comparison between HAL and Princess regarding suite perks. Like I said, it's been six years since I sailed in a suite on HAL and there was no Neptune lounge. Many of those perks were not available either, though that could be because we had absolutely the worst cabin steward I have had in 13 cruises and he didn't know much. We sailed in a full suite on the Sea Princess this summer and thoroughly enjoyed it as well as the perks. We enjoyed it so much that we have upgraded from a minisuite to a full suite for our cruise next year on the Grand.

[mipps]

thanks scamper for that info

 

:)

[scamper]

You're welcome, folks. Just remember, if you are tempted to try HAL for the suite amenities and/or Neptune Lounge, access is restricted to only those in the top four suite categories; Penthouse and the three Deluxe Verandah suite cats.

[cruiselifers]

We had a suite on Holland and they did not have the Neptune Lounge, but... There was a separate dining room we could eat in if we wanted to so it is sort of the same thing. We also got invited to what I thought was all of the other Suite guests to a Captain's and officers dinner where we treated free of charge to a extraordinary dinner with different wines with each course. There were three other couples at our table and four officers. So I believe they had an officer for each couple. I am not sure if they do this every cruise with suite guests but boy did that make me feel special. It was done on a formal night and we got a special invitation. Something else kind of interesting on Holland, and I am not sure if this is their practice now or just my cruise, but everyone at our table at dinner(fixed seating) was in a suite. Isn't that weird?

[Fuzzzy]

Show what exactly is personalized on the stationary?

[Pam in CA]

Having just returned from a HAL cruise on the Prinsendam a week ago and seeing a lot of past passengers lugging around "door stops" AKA medallions around their necks for being such loyal passengers, all I could think of is: why on earth would you consider a medal the be-all and end-all of passenger loyalty while on Princess, after only 5 cruises, you get free Internet and as an Elite passenger, I get not only the Internet but also dry cleaning, laundry, priority embarkation and tendering, mini-bar set-up, h'ors d'oerves on formal nights, etc.? The comparison is ludicrous. FYI, I had the worst steward I've ever encountered out of all my cruises on my HAL cruise although I know that's possible on any cruise/cruiseline but I was very surprised. What made him the worst? Quite a few things: a dirty towel hung up on the peg near the door when I embarked, a completely mildewed shower, a hair dryer held together with a rubber band and when I asked for a new one, he walked into my cabin at 11:30PM while I was on the john with the bathroom door open to replace it, towels picked up but not replaced, soap not replaced when I ran out, etc. I plan on cruising HAL again (already booked) but I discovered that HAL is really no better than Princess in a lot of ways.

[Toto2Kansas]

Show what exactly is personalized on the stationary?

The personalized stationary has your names and suite number on them. They include envelopes.