Why pay more for a va cabin? Advantages?

[Gater Girl]

Does a VA verandah..have a bigger balcony? I know they are nice..but so is a VF or VH..if you don't get the plexiglass shied. And even then..they are pretty darn nice. I know VH cabins are higher up..but if you get by an elevator...that is not a problem ...getting to the pool, the Lido deck and such. A bigger balcony would be a big reason for getting the VA I would think. Thank you for the information.

[GmaPajama]

I believe, with 2 exceptions on Vista Class ships, all V Category verandahs are the same size. The price difference is the same as on land. Location, location, location.

[jmps]

I think you need to choose carefully. What a cruise line would say is a better location and what you think is a better location can differ. The general principle of being higher up means higher price from ocean liner days is an example. If you are prone to motion sickness then a lower deck is more valuable to you.

Unless I could get an aft VA with a larger balcony I don't think they are worth extra money. We are in a VD on the Westerdam for next cruise. I would not be happy if we got an "upgrade" to a VA toward the front of the ship since it would have more movement and a smaller verandah. Now an upgrade/upsell to a SY or above would be fantastic. It would mean a larger cabin and a mid-ship location.

[Typhoon1]

The major difference in V cabins are just the location.

If location is important to you, then you may want to be selective which V cabin you choose,

[m steve]

to get the aft cabin w/ larger balcony and the view.

[fann1sh]

M Steve is right - the stern VA balconies are bigger, and I'm one of the fans of stern cabins. Love looking out at the wake.

I've never booked the VA's aft of midship, Navigation deck. I've heard too many complaints about noise from above when the crew are cleaning/moving chairs in the early morning.

The standard V balcony is 6 feet deep by 9 feet wide. VA stern balconies are deeper (how much depends on which deck, and Vista versus Signature class). VD are 7.5 feet deep. VF and VE on Vista class Verandah deck are only 4.5 feet deep.

However, I have heard vague rumours the Upgrade Fairy is more likely to smile on passengers who paid more for a VA when deciding who to bump up to a SZ - SS. Like all Upgrade Fairy tales, this is hard to substantiate, and there are lots of exceptions. :)

[Tamaracboy]

Also a fan of the VA stern cabins. Sailed in them twice.
The balcony depth is determined by which deck you are on.
The Stern cabins on deck 8 are just under the Lido pool deck. Sometimes you can hear deck chairs being dragged across the deck. The Deck 8 ones also have a totally covered deck. Lower you do get a (very) few feet of uncovered deck.
The advantage to deck 8 is for quick runs to the Lido for anything.
There is a reason that all stern V's are VA's. Many people enjoy the view over the wake.
Also for scenic trips like Alaska, the sterns do offer the BEST view.

[Jade13]

Does a VA verandah..have a bigger balcony? I know they are nice..but so is a VF or VH..if you don't get the plexiglass shied. And even then..they are pretty darn nice. I know VH cabins are higher up..but if you get by an elevator...that is not a problem ...getting to the pool, the Lido deck and such. A bigger balcony would be a big reason for getting the VA I would think. Thank you for the information.

We pay extra for the VA's on Westerdam and Noordam as we like the locations of the forward staterooms on deck 7. It is just a few flights walk to the gym plus we figure we get the best stewards taking care of the Suites and PH's.

We go for location.

[Steph27]

Does anyone know if there is a difference between an aft VA on deck 4 or 5 on the Eurodam? I just booked a Canada / New England cruise for October and they only had 3 Aft VA cabins left. I chose the one on deck 4 just because I liked the number better. On most ships I am usually higher up. I tried to do a search for aft Eurodam but I could not find any explanation of the staterooms on different decks. I imagine you may feel more vibration on a lower deck.

[fann1sh]

Does anyone know if there is a difference between an aft VA on deck 4 or 5 on the Eurodam? I just booked a Canada / New England cruise for October and they only had 3 Aft VA cabins left. I chose the one on deck 4 just because I liked the number better. On most ships I am usually higher up. I tried to do a search for aft Eurodam but I could not find any explanation of the staterooms on different decks. I imagine you may feel more vibration on a lower deck.


Deck 4 VA's should have a bit deeper balcony than deck 5. I haven't sailed on Eurodam in a stern cabin, and am going by deck plans, but have found them reliable.

One definite advantage of a deck 4 cabin is you're in the first tier of stern cabins and look directly down at the wake. Eurodam's stern isn't raked as steeply as the Vista ships (below is a pix link on Webshots from CC'er Boytije to illustrate)

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2454852600102790654KGUMDW

So, it's not really possible to stand on the stern of Lido deck and overlook your balcony, unlike the Vista ships.

[m steve]

between 2 cabin decks so less noise.

[RVRCLC]

between 2 cabin decks so less noise.

Yes, ALWAYS between two cabin decks.

[jtl513]

Yes, ALWAYS between two cabin decks.There are other quiet locations that are not between cabin decks. Last week we were above the upper dining room, and it was fine. Very convenient to the dining room too.