Amsterdam HH - how obstructed?

[JenSDCA]

Hi all. My folks are soon to sail on the Amsterdam. They booked through an agency, and were assigned to HH - haven't been given a cabin # yet. Will they be able to see any ocean at all? Will they have any chance of an upgrade? According to HAL's website there is still availability in all classes, so I'm secretly holding out hope that they'll receive a surprise when they check in. Even if not, they'll be on a cruise, which is more than I will be able to say...
Thanks for any info!
~Jen

[RuthC]

I'm not sure what you mean when you say your parents were "assigned" an HH. People get to pick the cabin, or cabin category, they want. In the second case (picking a category, which is booking a guarantee) there is a better chance of an upgrade than when a specific cabin is picked.

In any case, though, to answer the rest of your question---
Yes, they should be able to see some sea from an obstructed cabin on the Amsterdam. They will be on Lower Promenade, with the "largest deck on the ship" outside their window. Across the deck will be the ship's superstructure, which is the obstruction. But if they look to the side, they should see sea and sky. And they will get daylight!

[JenSDCA]

Thank you, Ruth. I guess I used the wrong terminology. Their paperwork shows "HH", but they have not been assigned a cabin # yet. I assume that is a guarantee.
Nether they nor I have yet to sail HAL (they're doing Sydney-SD on Amsterdam and another in the Carribean in Feb), so we weren't sure. I'm hoping that they have a great time, since I steered them toward the deal they got on this first one. I'll just relax and know that they will!:)

[croozer]

Hi JenSDCA:

I, too, am doing Sydney-SD; I, too, am in Category HH; and I, too, haven't been assigned a specific cabin yet...this has happened before on a "Guarantee" and I get my cabin assignment at check-in. I've had this category before on Holland America and yes, it is lower promenade and, yes, it is obstructed, but all I really care about is some light coming in so I know if it's 7 a.m. or 7 p.m. The most distracting this about this deck is the promenade outside--I have to be careful about keeping my curtains closed when I'm in various states of undress. On the other hand, it's just a couple of steps to the doorway that leads outside for a lovely view and a breath of fresh air.

And now it's less than a week away. Hope I run into your folks!

Cruisingly yours,
Sally

[JenSDCA]

Thanks for your reply Sally.
I think Mom & Dad share youur view - as long as there is daylight coming in, any view of the sea is gravy. Did you book through CruCon? You'll probably be sharing a flight! I'm hoping they'll make some acquaintances on this voyage - we've made some lifelong friends on prior travels!
I wish you a wonderful voyage!
~Jen

[croozer]

Jen:

Yes, I did book through Crucon. Wish I didn't have that three hour layover at 5:45 a.m. in New Zealand, but at least it'll be more like 11 a.m. (the previous day) for me. Or I could be totally wrong about the time...it's very confusing. And I think we might lose and hour here or there on the ship, until we cross the International Date Line, then we gain a day. Are your parents flying to LA first to catch their flight, or are they going out of San Diego? Are they on Air New Zealand?

Counting down the days,
Sally

[JenSDCA]

Jen:

Yes, I did book through Crucon. Wish I didn't have that three hour layover at 5:45 a.m. in New Zealand, but at least it'll be more like 11 a.m. (the previous day) for me. Or I could be totally wrong about the time...it's very confusing. And I think we might lose and hour here or there on the ship, until we cross the International Date Line, then we gain a day. Are your parents flying to LA first to catch their flight, or are they going out of San Diego? Are they on Air New Zealand?

Counting down the days,
Sally


Hi Sally,
Yes, I believe they are flying to SD to LA first. Dad says they are on United, but I know they code-share so it may well be the same. Whenever we book Lufthansa to Europe, it's always code-shared with United.
Is there any kind of meet-and-greet scheduled for this leg of the trip? I looked on the roll call board, but there are sooooo many postings (my kids don't let me fiddle around on the computer too long, or they get into mischief!)
~Jen

[croozer]

You may be right about the code share...I was trying to figure out how to get miles credited to me and Air New Zealand is part of the Star Alliance, so I get miles on United. My flight leaves LAX at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Does that sound familiar?

As for a meet and greet, I can't find anything specific. I know they had a big one when they left Seattle, and I think they welcomed more people after Singapore, but don't know if there's anything after Sydney. It'd have to be organized by the people already on the ship and would be really nice to do that first day at sea. Since we don't have cabin assignment yet, it would have to be posted on the roll call board before we leave or the cruise line itself would have drop us a note in our cabin once we're settled in.

It's a long shot, I'm guessing.

[croozer]

Jen
Here's the latest:

1) I got my cabin assignment, and it's not obstructed.


2) I think there's going to be some sort of get-together for newcomers after Sydney. I forwarded this thread's link to Foxpaw, and I'm posting the Roll Call link here for you to look at, if you want to follow through and get your parents involved.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=16818495#post16818495

Best,
Sally

[JenSDCA]

HI Sally!
Thanks for posting that you'd gotten your assignment. I showed Dad how to check, and they've been assigned a DD, partial sea view, which they are happy with (considering the bargain they got). They also fly out Sunday night, didn't know about a layover just that it was a 14&1/2 hour flight. So it may or may not be the same flight. They are getting very excited! I don't know if they'll make their way into any gatherings or not, but I do know they'll be at Mass on Sundays. They haven't booked any excursions yet, but have some they want.

I guess this will end our correspondence for now. I wish you and all the others onboard a safe and wonderful voyage! I look forward to hearing your feedback when you return.

Regards,
Jen