We just had the pleasure of cruising the Southern Caribbean on the Noordam. We were in a suite, SB7145 to be exact. It's located on the aft with a huge balcony. There were over 60 hangers available in the suite, so don't bring any with you!!! And lots and lots of storage space for luggage, etc. Now that I've had the joy of all of the benefits of being in a suite, I don't think I can ever stay in a regular cabin again! From embarkation to disembarkation, we were treated like royalty.

We arrived at the Port around 11:30 and parked in the covered garage. Fortunately we were one of the first to board the ship due to our suite status (there were at least 200 people ahead of us in a room waiting to board!). We had Diwa for our cabin steward. He was the absolute best! Well, the first day the service wasn't the best, but I figured it was because they were meeting a whole new group of people in the cabins that they take care of, so I just gave him a $10.00 tip to start the cruise off right, and we had nothing but the best service after that! He always smiled when he saw us, and called each of us by our first names by the second day! We gave him several more tips during the week on top of our daily cabin gratuity. I felt that he deserved every dime.

The Neptune Lounge was one of the best perks of being in a suite. This is available to anyone staying in a deluxe verandah suite or the penthouse. Other people have commented on the "continental breakfast" that's available, like it's no big deal. This continental breakfast went above and beyond anything I've ever seen. They had smoked salmon, ham and other meats every morning along with all kinds of fresh fruit (melon, strawberries, mango, papaya, kiwi). I guess my favorite thing was to make a delicious latte with their cappuccino/latte maker. While enjoying some of the fresh baked croissants with your latte, you can enjoy sitting on one of the many sofas while watching television or reading the daily newspaper. It is so peaceful and quiet in the lounge. I guess that's why I enjoyed it so much. Breakfast was 7:00am-10:30am; midday snacks were 11:00am-2:30pm; afternoon tea was 3:00-5:00pm; canapés were 5:00pm-8:15pm. Arvee and Celine were our two Neptune Lounge stewards. They were so helpful in many ways. Read more