VH solid metal railings are they that...

[HALNEWBY]

Bad...Warming up to the idea that I might get stuck with my vh guaranteed. any uplifting stories?

[JPSnipper]

No, they are not that bad at all. I would take one again if my options were limited. I was in VF4036 on the Oosterdam and really didn't mind it. In my opinion, if you can save a few bucks by going with the VH guarantee, go for it. When ever I wanted a better view, I would just stand up, walk out to the railing, and enjoy the same view from any other veranda.

[LEtue]

Can you provide more details? I booked a VH guarantee on my upcoming cruise and haven't got a cabin assignment yet.....

[jtl513]

Bad...Warming up to the idea that I might get stuck with my vh guaranteed. any uplifting stories?Since there's only four VH on the ship, and many people book a VH GTY, you've got a pretty good shot at an upgrade IMO. I've heard of people that got upgraded to VDs, and one to a VB,

Can you provide more details? I booked a VH guarantee on my upcoming cruise and haven't got a cabin assignment yet.....Basically, with the steel-wall railings, you can't see anything but sky when sitting down. :(

[sail7seas]

The steel bottoms come about waist height to the rail and truthfully, they don't bother us. We are always in an "S" on whatever ship and have sailed the "S" class ships many, many times. The verandas on Maasdam are steel and we don't care. Very often, we are standing at the rail anyway. If we are in a lounge, we are probably reading so who cares if there is a steel plate. If we are sharing a soft drink and chatting or certainly if having our breakfast, we are at the comfortable table and have a perfect view.

It's a personal thing I guess. I do not find the lounge chairs on the verandas to be all that comfortable to lie for hours and watch the view go by. I'm more comfortable sitting in a chair on the veranda with our binoculars on the table in easy reach and our camera nearby.

I don't think a steel veranda will seriously impact your enjoyment.

JMHO.......

[Bellalu]

If I am not mistaken, there are steel railings on the VF catagory as well...at least on the Oosterdam. We booked a VH guarantee in March on the Oosterdam and were upgraded to a VB. We loved our room, but had already decided we'd be happy with any balcony...with a guarantee I think you just have to have that attitude and then be pleasantly surprised if you get an upgrade.

[JPSnipper]

Here is what the steel rail looked like from VF4036 on the Oosterdam
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[noblepa]

If I am not mistaken, there are steel railings on the VF catagory as well...at least on the Oosterdam. We booked a VH guarantee in March on the Oosterdam and were upgraded to a VB. We loved our room, but had already decided we'd be happy with any balcony...with a guarantee I think you just have to have that attitude and then be pleasantly surprised if you get an upgrade.

Some of the VF cabins on the Vista class ships have steel railings. Specifically, on deck 4, forward. There are also VF cabins on deck 5, which have the more common plexiglas wall below the railing. We had 5065 on the Oosterdam last April and it had a plexi wall.

I don't recall the exact cabin numbers, but I believe that the VF cabins on deck 4, from about 5 cabins forward of the bend, have the steel wall.

[JPSnipper]

Only the forward veranda's on deck 4 have the steel railing. One other thing I noticed is that these veranda's are slightly wider that veranda's with the plexi glass. when I walked to the edge of my balcony and looked up, I could clearly see that ours was about 2-3 ft wider. I don't know if this makes a difference.

[jtl513]

The steel bottoms come about waist height to the rail You must be very tall! :D I estimate they're about 4 ft high!
Only the forward veranda's on deck 4 have the steel railing. One other thing I noticed is that these veranda's are slightly wider that veranda's with the plexi glass. when I walked to the edge of my balcony and looked up, I could clearly see that ours was about 2-3 ft wider. I don't know if this makes a difference.Cabins 4001 to 4042 have the steel railings. Four of those are VH and the rest are VF. All the verandahs on deck 4 are about 1.5 ft deeper than the VA/VB/VC cabins above them, so if you're in any of the VD's you have both the plexiglas and the deeper verandah.

[HALNEWBY]

Here is what the steel rail looked like from VF4036 on the Oosterdam
41927

Great picture...I don't think that the steel balcony will make any difference in my enjoyment!!

Thank You

[sail7seas]

It has never been a 'downer' for us. We're so happy to have the lovely veranda to enjoy that the steel bottom isn't a problem.

[pog27]

I booked a VH guarantee on the Westerdam back in november and was upgraded to a VA cabin. I was then able to switch my cabin to an aft VA that opened up just before sailing at no charge just by calling HAL. Worked out great. Sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised with a guarantee booking.

[LEtue]

Thanks for all the responses everyone! Going by the picture the railing isn't an issue for me! I didn't want to miss this opportunity on a great deal for a VH guarantee and I even switched from RCI to take advantage :D

I can't wait for my first HAL cruise!!!