We Spent 7 Days in a Neptune Suite on Holland America - Was it Worth the $5000 Upgrade?
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2023
- We spent 7 days in a Neptune Suite on Holland America Konningsdam cruise ship. In this review we show you around our Aft Corner Neptune Suite and tell you exactly what perks you get when you book this type of suite.
It cost $5000 to upgrade to this type of suite for our cruise to Alaska - was it worth it?
We completed the Titan Travel Alaskan Deluxe Voyage which included a land tour of Canada from Calgary to Vancouver including the Rocky Mountaineer and a cruise on Holland America Konningsdam cruise ship to Alaska in July 2023.
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About Paul and Carole Love to Travel
We are a married middle aged couple from Gloucester, England who share our tips, advice and experience on how you can choose the right cruise line, cruise ship snd cabin. Cruising is expensive so we use all our experiences to give the best tips and advice so you can make the right choice too!
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Done two Neptune suite cruises on HAL and hate to go any other way now. Love the Neptune lounge and used it every day for early morning coffee and snacks. Concierge was fantastic
Yes totally get that. just wish we had the budget to do it on every cruise!
Sailed on the Koningsdam to Alaska in September. We received an upgrade offer to the Neptune Suite two weeks before we left. My husband and I loved it! So spoiled. The cabin staff was superb, the lounge staff so helpful and the Club Orange restaurant food and staff were excellent. I don't know how we will go back to a regular cabin now. Interesting our bathroom had a separate toilet room, silly difference but was appreciated. 😂
I think that’s one of the biggest problems with having a suit is when you have to go back to a normal cabin, but it was an amazing experience! Like you said the club orange experience was exceptional.
Did you pay extra to upgrade?
I watched your video about the Neptune Suite and your Alaska cruise experience and I thought, we have to do this for our 35th Anniversary. So I booked on the cruise, but it was an older ship in the Holland America Line. and the itinerary was not really what I wanted. After a bit of research, I changed to the Konningsdam because of the improved itinerary and glacier bay. I thought I would watch that video again and to my surprise, we coincidentally booked Neptune 5217! We are really looking forward to our very first cruise in August 2024, though it is over budget. You two were inspiring! Thank you for letting us know exactly what we will be experiencing. Bon Voyage!
You will have the best time. The Neptune suite is amazing as is the Alaska experience.
Love watching you two travel the world while we’re between cruises. We leave next weekend for our Mediterranean cruise followed by a transatlantic back to Miami on Royal, our favorite cruise line. Can’t wait for your next video to come out, probably after we return.
That sounds like a fantastic time you’ve got coming up, glad your enjoying our adventures😊
We splurged on the biggest balcony on Britannia for our Norway in '25! It's above the bridge! Saw it on another cruise vlog (108a superior deluxe balcony) we're usually happy with an inside but again the scenery in Norway is so worth the extra! I'm loving your adventures, thanks for sharing them!
Glad your enjoying our vlogs and like you’ve said splurging on certain itineraries are so worth it.
I Love that you can keep the curtain open because of your huge private balcony!! Fantastic!
We were afraid to close the curtains in case we missed something 🤣
Thank you for the tour folks! We love, love, love Holland America! Had a signature suite for Alaska and thoroughly enjoyed it! Your outside balcony was simply amazing!! Glad you splurged and have enjoyed it! 😊😊😊😊😊
It was so worth the extra money , an all round fabulous experience 😊
I stayed in a Neptune Suite on the Eurodam when I went to eastern Canada and New England. It was lovely. It was a lovely room. And the Neptune Lounge crew and our steward were just lovely.
Agree the service we received was just top notch!
Hello we are going to be on the Eurodam to Eastern Caribbean. We are in an SC room, close to where it the ship juts out. Concerned it will block our balcony view. Which room were you in and was that a problem for you?
We asked the room steward to empty the fridge on the first day. And then we restocked it with the free stuff from the Neptune Lounge. I believe it was the Concierge in the lounge that recommended that, else we would not have known to do it.
Oh that is genius, wish we thought of that! 🙈
@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel I can't claim credit for the idea, but I hope others can use it! It's a bit silly really - my can of Diet Coke cost HAL the same whether it was stocked in my fridge or stocked in the Lounge. Doesn't make sense that it's only "included" if I move it myself. But hey...it worked. :-D
Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful suite with us! I love the views and that balcony is HUGE, wow!
Yes it was all pretty amazing 🤩
Thanks for another brilliant tour and perks review video Paul and Carole - brilliant as ever 🤩
This looks like an amazing suite! We would definitely book it if finances allowed 😀 The perks are pretty good as well - not every line gives much of a benefit to suite guests, which seems odd given the uplift in price tag.
We also love Koningsdam 😍 She is such a great ship, and we definitely want to sail on her again!
Your welcome, thanks for watching! It was fabulous, just wish we could afford it everytime!
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel it is our pleasure as always - your videos are just as brilliant as you are 🤩
Fabulous video packed with great information! We have a Neptune Suite on our upcoming cruise in January. Probably a one and done because of the up charge, so we will take full advantage! Well done!
Thanks! Have a fabulous time in January!
WOW that cabin has an entirely different feel from pretty much any other I've seen and I think it's all in the windows. It gives a vibe of being on a yacht or something. I love the one over the bed. And that sofa..wow. You can see it's older, but dang, that's a great cabin set up. Service and overall just...feeling? of the ship are more important to me than roller coasters and go carts anyway. Right before you said it though, I had the thought "5k and the mini bar isn't included????" My last two Alaskan cruises have been on an aft balcony which was great, but having the corner would be amazing. Biggest complaint on those though was that we had a chance to see the northern lights and our balcony would have literally been the BEST place on the ship to view...but our neighbor insisted on keeping the balcony light turned on. We thought maybe they just didn't know, and asked the steward to turn them off...nope, they just clicked them back on that evening and left them all night. I should have worked up the courage to go knock and ask them to turn it off but it was very late/early and while THEY were rude, I couldn't bring myself to be rude back. I needed to channel my inner Paul! I think with that balcony and room service I'd have been there most of the cruise, but I'll reserve that idea for after I've seen the rest of the vlogs. Love to you both, thanks for the video. Have really enjoyed this series and looking forward to the rest.
Thanks so much! Oh what a selfish neighbour, you should of channelled your inner Paul! We loved this cabin, but it was frustrating about the bar. Thanks so much for watching our videos, really appreciate that!
1:32 Love that shirt!
Thanks so much!
I can totally understand wanting the big balcony when you`re cruising Alaska, I`ve seen a few Alaska cruise vlogs and it would be totally worth it if you could do it! I`d be a bit miffed about paying for alcohol though after forking out that much extra! This looks like a wonderful end to your trip though I`m excited to see the cruise portion. Love from Vancouver Island.❤
The balcony was perfect for Alaska. Yes frustrating about the bar! Thanks Marjie, cruise episodes start next Friday!
Sailing on her in March 2024 for Ca Coast trip. Also doing aft Neptune suit on level 7. Since our first experience in a Neptune suite in 2019, this is the only way we sail with HAL. Just completed a Full Transit Panama Canal from Fl to San Diego for 14 days and having this suite paid off in the amount of luggage we packed. Since laundry and dry cleaning are free, we packed less. Thanks for sharing and safe sailings
That trip sounds amazing, it will be hard for us to go back to a standard balcony after the Neptune especially having to do your own laundry 🤣🤣
Now that’s what you call a balcony! Watching this makes us miss HAL so much! We’re thinking about booking Konningsdam for next year, and watching this is just making us want to book it even more 😅
It was just fabulous! Wish we could afford it every time. HAL are quality, already planning our next cruise with them too!
Our one and only time in a suite was on Discovery Princess. The "shoulder test" in the shower could have been done by 2 people...at the same time. It was HUGE!
That’s good to know, we love a big shower!
I’ll be staying in this same suite next week. Loved the video.
Oh very jealous! Enjoy!
Helllo Paul and Carole the suite was lovely however not having an allowance for drinks in the suite was unfortunate we are Elite with Princess and we will have a complementary bar which we can ask our steward to customize to our taste. Goodnight from Sydney.
Exactly, definitely a perk that should be included! Goodnight 😀
Can see where the money has gone. Looks fabulous and it's true "you get what you pay for". Have added this to my bucket list. Thanks again for the information.
That’s so true, when we have to go back to the normal cabin we will look back and appreciate it even more.
7 more weeks until we sail for 10 days to Mexico on Koningsdam. This video is just making us more excited. It'll be whale calving season in the Sea of Cortez.
We have a neighboring cabin with aft view, but not a suite. However, we did upgrade to Club Orange. Can't wait!
Oh wow we didn’t know you could upgrade to club orange without being in a suit, hope you have a fabulous cruise.
@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel Yes, with limited availability, you can upgrade for $25 per person per day. That also comes with a cabin upgrade, including priority boarding and disembarkation, a fruit basket, free mimosas, and a tote bag. We had a guaranteed balcony cabin, so we upgraded to the aft with the purchase of Club Orange. A great deal if you can catch it in time.
That's an amazing balcony and a very nice stateroom. Hubby and I opted for a midship unobstructed ocean view, as it's our first ocean-going cruise and on board the MS Volendam this summer. We enjoyed a 5 night cruise last summer down the Ottawa River and up the St. Lawrence River (Ottawa to Kingston Ontario Canada) on the Canadian Empress replica riverboat with St. Lawrence Cruise Lines. It was great fun, and we met and made many friends as it only has room for 70 passengers. This summer's adventure, Boston to Montreal, will be quite a different experience for us.
We loved our stay in this suite! Sounds like you have some great cruising adventures already. We are doing Boston to Quebec this autumn so looking forward to that too!
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel I hope you have great weather and lots of colorful foliage. Our sail away day is our 39th anniversary. It will be a very full day.
Thanks hope you do too!
Wow!! Love the balcony area. I can understand the benefit especially in Alaska.
It was fabulous!
Such a huge cabin! Definitely worth the extra if just for the huge balcony so you can take in those views.
Great to hear that the Wi-Fi is good but having to pay for the minibar seems like a bit of a con!
Yes the balcony was incredible! Yes the minibar was frustrating!
Dear Paul and Carole, thank you again for a stellar video. Have you ever sailed on Ambassador cruises? If not, why not? Stay safe and please take care of each other.
Thanks Mike, not done Ambassador yet but it’s on our to do list!
Got a Neptune on 9/1 to Alaska and can’t wait!!
Oh brilliant! We would love to stay in one again one day!
This is awesome. Thank you for sharing. Do you think the areas/spaces felt crowded? Were there lots of lines & people waiting for embarkation/debarkation? Thank you.
Thanks! The entertainment areas could get busy so if there was something we wanted to definitely see we got there early. Embarkation there were queues but moved quickly. Disembarkation great from the ship but a bit chaotic in Vancouver terminal.
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel Appreciate the response.
The panaramic views are amazing
They were superb!
We had the 5th floor portside Neptune suite for the Norwegian fiords on that ship and appreciated the lovely views. Nowadays we travel on smaller, all inclusive ships. The price difference is worth checking IMHO.
Definitely worth checking, we wouldn’t rule anything out!
Is port better than starboard?
Yep - this passes my aft suite test - LOVE that wraparound balcony.
Lol glad you approve! 😍
I love HAL and am now looking into an Alaskan Cruise. Also, excellent taste in novels - I love Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books too ❤
You will love Alaska it’s such a beautiful itinerary, we love Reacher, have you watched the series yet, I think it’s on Amazon , very true to the books
Yes I’ve watched it and love it! Am waiting the nee season to come out! Which Alaska cruise did you do? I think I saw a video saying one route was more scenic than the other?
As I've said before, I can't change my wife's mind. 1st trip was on AidaNova corner suite, and we have had to do 4 more of the newer aida ships since. Luckily, it's not 5k more, plus 3rd and 4th guess at around £250 is a steal. The lounge 100%, priority boarding, breakfast in steak house, coffee, and 1 bottle if Moet in the room are the main perks, but are nothing compared to the room and balcony space. H+A staff and service I would expect it to be on a different level though.
I think that’s the thing that really stood out for us was the level of service which was exceptional. Obviously the massive balcony wasn’t to bad either 😂😂
Looks lovely . Thanks .
Wish we could afford it every time!
Lovely suite and thank god for those tea towels 😜
Tea towels are the key to a happy life 🤣🤣
I love your video…I have a question that I hope isn’t too intrusive…we have just booked our first ever cruise and we chose a Neptune suite and I’m curious how tall is Paul? My husband is 6’3” and struggles with showers on so many vacations and I’m hoping this will be tall enough to be comfortable for him…
Thanks! Paul is around 5ft 10 he didn't have any issues.
Although HAL is far from being our favourite, we got a good fare for a Neptune Suite on the Noordam to Alaska a few years ago. The total fare for two people on this seven-night cruise was about $6000 - and that is Canadian dollars. The fares early in the Alaska season are cheap in all categories. It was a mid-ships suite; those at the stern were sold out long in advance. The staff were excellent, both the suite staff and the lounge. Unlike Cunard's Grills, the same mediocre food in the main dining room was what we got. Breakfast was available in the Pinnacle Grill, which is a nice perk. HAL doesn't serve lunch on port days, so having the Neptune Lounge was an excellent benefit. (We aren't fans of cafeterias at sea.) Unfortunately, the Neptune suites are pricey on many other voyages. I would like to take the Montreal-Boston or v.v. cruise but I am not paying Cunard Grills fares for something that lacks the amenities people expect for those high prices. If you can get a good fare for Alaska I highly recommend the Neptune suites, though.
Oh that’s interesting to know, it doesn’t surprise us that the aft suits were sold out, they are pretty awesome. Not done grills though n Cunard though would like to one day.
Very interesting, thank you
Your very welcome!
Loved your video! We are set to sale on the Koningsdam in the Neptune suite at the end of April. I actually worked as an entertainer/performer for Holland America on the Nordam in 1988 doing the Alaska run so I’m super excited for my husband to experience all that I had the privilege to do when I was young.
We would love to know what information you can share about the restaurants that say it is an up charge like the Pinnacle? We purchased the “have it all” package, and would like to check out these other restaurants however, it seems as though only certain items on their menu are an up charge, not the actual restaurant experience. Can you clarify? Also, with the privileges that come with the Neptune suite, specifically the Club Orange…. did you find yourselves spending more time dining there than other restaurants? Did you feel the food offerings were better there than the other restaurants? Thank you so much for any suggestions!
Thanks! Oh wow that will be interesting for you to be back. We had the cover charge for the restaurant covered in our Have it all, there were a couple of dishes on the menu that weren't included bot the majority were. We loved Club Orange, food and service superb, we ate there every night except when we went to Rudi's and Tamarind.
Oh my gosh ❤this blog series is off with a bang would you go back to Alaska and if so would you stay with HA or try a different cruise line say Cunard for instance
We would definitely go back to Alaska, and would consider other lines, princess do a lot of good Alaska itineraries too!
What side of the ship would be best? We have a starboard Neptune aft suite to Alaska, but I was thinking of changing it to a port side room. It looked like the south bound trip would see more land from the port side.
It really doesn’t matter plus when you visit Glacier bay the ship slowly rotates to give everyone a decent view.
Looks amazing 🇨🇦
It was fabulous!
Bit confused by the criticism of the prices for the drinks. 2.75 for cans of soft drinks is cheaper than hotels or pubs, of course it's expensive compared to your local Tesco but you're on a ship in Alaska, that's great value
We were disappointed that the perks of the suite didn't include the mini bar which on other cruise lines comes complimentary with this standard of suite.
Wow that looked amazing. ❤
It was!
You can do a lot of frolicking with that size bed during a following seas.
I don’t know what you mean 🤣🤣🤣
Tossing and turning in such a large bed when the sea is calm. It basically means good luck on your journey. My Navy slang is starting to come out.
Not keen on the TV behind the sofa, I like to sit on the sofa to watch TV not lie on the bed.
That’s a good point, never thought about it until you said.
I agree. What is with people who lay in bed and watch TV?
We are about to book a corner after Neptune suite on this ship for Alaska. I have never had an aft cabin before. How is the motion and engine noise back there? is beer, wine, and spirits included, in the Neptune lounge or do you have to have the beverage package? If you do have the beverage package, are the drinks in your mini fridge included?
We didn't have any motionor noise, we had really calm seas. In the Neptune Lounge drinks are included but not in the minibar which was frustrating!
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel thank you so much! We are so excited after watching your video! Can’t wait!
@juliasquyres161 We loved our time in the suite hope you do too!
@@PaulandCaroleLovetoTravel thank you!
Hi Guys
We have just booked 5217 and enjoyed your video
How was noise from above and surrounding cabins
As always thanks for your great videos
Graham & Nikki
You are very welcome, we didn’t experience any noise issues 😊😊
Thanks so much 👍🏻
Will you be sharing a vlog of your alaskan cruise please?
Yes the first episode should be out next Friday 😊😊
Thank you.
Awesome views!!! ❤
The best!
Who was reading the Lee Child, I really enjoy his books.
Paul! He doesn't read often but when he does it's always Lee Child! 😍
This cabin looks amazing, what amazing views! And how big is that balcony? 👻
It was! Including the balcony the total size is up to 502 sq. ft. 😍
That is crazy!! I’m afraid we we are inside cabin peasants 😂
It looks fab but very strange that you lie in bed and look at the tv and wall rather than the amazing views through the 3 windows. The design of the room feels a bit ‘clunky’ if you know what I mean! Strange to have a window behind the bed head for example. Look forward to the rest of the vlogs.
Yes totally get what you are saying, hadn't thought of it like that!
Drinks should be free. Do you get to keep the binoculars?
No you don’t
How long is the turn around on laundry?
Very quick less than 24 hours!
Wow, that's great...I paid for laundry on celebrity and it was 72 hours
@stellawiltshire8007 It was crazy quick!
Wow, what a great suite
It was fabulous!
How wide is the bed?
We didn't measure it, definitely King size or even larger!
Free Newcastle brown ale in the room on Regent. Say no more 😊
Lol! 🤣🤣
Great cabin but no free bar? That’s ridiculous. I think I’ll stickto MSC Yacht club for that price to be honest, as good as that is.
That was the only real downside to be honest.
I assume we're talking US $ not Canadian $?
Yes US!
Have you two won the lottery?
Not yet but hopefully soon
I find the perks not worth it compared to other cruise lines such as Royal or Norwegian.
Oh really? What is the difference?
I’ve heard that Norwegian has trouble with serving warm food. I’ve had two friends take cruises and complained about the cold food. That’s a deal breaker for me.