What cabins to avoid on HAL for noise, smell, etc.

What cabins on any HAL ship, would you pass on because of any reasons that you deem less than desirable.

Could be noise, smells, location, whatever.

Thanks.

I would never (again) take a cabin below a galley. The one time we had one there was what sounded like a heavy cart with bad wheels rumbling over us all night every night.

What about the cabins directly adjacent to the glass elevators. Anyone on the balcony felt they were fleetingly gawked at by folks riding the elevators.

Avoid cabins directly under the pool decks - people and crew drag the chairs around, and it can be quite noisy.

Lower decks, aft-mid ship, near where the engines are ( assume where the blank spaces on deck plans are located?) - electrical smell and industrial hum.

What about the cabins directly adjacent to the glass elevators. Anyone on the balcony felt they were fleetingly gawked at by folks riding the elevators.

On the Nieuw Amsterdam, I was next to an elevator on deck 5. Between the lifeboats and the elevator housing my view was very limited, but I was able to position my furniture on the balcony so as to have privacy. I don't know how this would work with a couple. As I paid extra for a signature suite, I will never book this room again nor any room right above any lifeboat and/or next to the glass elevators .

Lower decks all the way forward, VERY loud when thrusters are in use (like a 5:00 am).

I would never (again) take a cabin below a galley. The one time we had one there was what sounded like a heavy cart with bad wheels rumbling over us all night every night.

Agreed! Our first HAL cruise on the Ryndam we were encouraged by our TA to "take the guarantee," we got an OV "C" on the lower prom UNDER the galley, next to the outside door and elevators. :eek: Not good! Also AC went out in Mexico. Lesson learned. HAL did generously compensate us with future credit and we have been with them ever since.:)

Karen

Amsterdam cabin 3310. (partially obstructed) should be mostly obstructed. To see anything but a wall you had to stand on the left side of the bed or kneel on the left side of the bed and angle your head next to the window. (it was easier going outside on the promenade deck to see anything)

I would only get this cabin again if it was another last minute thing. (that's why we got this cabin to begin with.)

We had cabin 5100 on the Noordam which is right at the outside elevator and we enjoyed it very much. We never noticed or paid attention to when the elevator went by or had stopped. We did not feel spied on or did we spy on them. We also treated it like our private elevator. Whenever we needed it, it was there quick.

never had a bad one on HAL

What about the cabins directly adjacent to the glass elevators. Anyone on the balcony felt they were fleetingly gawked at by folks riding the elevators.

The cabin next to an outside elevator is always our first choice. You only have someone on one side and if you're sitting back on your balcony I don't believe anyone can really see you. I would try for a cabin on one of the higher decks to avoid the lifeboat situation. The other upside for us is those are midship cabins and that's our favorite location.

Helen

The cabins to the rear of the front office on the Main deck on the Noordam are under a galley area and can be noisy during the night. The opposite side of the ship does not seem to have this problem though some are above a galley and if the cooks get singing or playing music it can be a problem. These galleys are in business all night doing prep for the next day. I have personally experienced these annoyances. Sorry I cannot remember the exact cabin numbers.

Leslie

Lower decks all the way forward, VERY loud when thrusters are in use (like a 5:00 am).

These are my favorite cabins, and while you can hear the thrusters, I have never found the noise to be VERY loud.

Anchor chains can give a good rumble when coming to a halt at sea early - those would be the forward cabins too. Blessed are the non-tender ports.

Higher up cabins when it is necessary to use the fog horns, or going through the small fishing boat waters off Vietnam. One night it must have been every two minutes and I am sure the tension on the bridge was pretty high that night too threading their way through those waters.

We watched all sorts of crazy activity off the starboard side of the Rotterdam way early in the wee small hours in Port Said, Egypt. Hoisting boats on board the deck apparently laden with souvenirs for the crew to purchase, and/or for the Suez pilot when he exited the ship - no one was talking much about this. But we did feel sorry for those cabins along the side where all this banging and ropes activity was taking place. At about 3am in the morning.

Yes, chair scraping on the Lido deck sometimes happens very late at night, besides the more typical late afternoon deck clean-up time. Never bothering to check the late night Lido deck noise, but my mind decided it was the crew having a raucous party after the guests had gone to bed, or the wind knocking something around that did not get battened down.

One thing we never heard was daytime noise from the pool area when just one floor below out on the balcony.

We at first worried about being close to the elevators too, but found the design of the cabin really puts a buffer on any noises coming in from the hallways. You have the bulk of closets and the bathroom to protect you.

Lowest passenger deck, way aft --thrusters or something. Also have heard from a friend to avoid any cabins on the R and S ships on the Lower Prom that are beneath "white space" on the deck plan. She did 10 days in one of those, and hardly slept due to the noise that started early in the morning and went on until late at night.

Nordam veranda 10010. Air con not adequate. Had to keep veranda drapes closed to reduce temperature to a bearable level. Noise from the deck chairs being moved on the deck above.

NA 6173 adjoining room, could hear everything being said next door.

Nordam veranda 10010. Air con not adequate. Had to keep veranda drapes closed to reduce temperature to a bearable level. Noise from the deck chairs being moved on the deck above.

 

NA 6173 adjoining room, could hear everything being said next door.

Yes those 10 level cabins added as an afterthought to increase revenues look fishy to me.

I would not want to cruise from up there. With the sun beating down on those, and the AC just tapping off the existing system, its seems weak all around.

I also do not care for high cabins as they have to much motion on rough seas.

I would never (again) take a cabin below a galley. The one time we had one there was what sounded like a heavy cart with bad wheels rumbling over us all night every night.

I agree. It was our first HAL sailing and it was horrible. We're very careful to note where the galley is now.

These are my favorite cabins, and while you can hear the thrusters, I have never found the noise to be VERY loud.

They were on the Maasdam. It was so bad they relocated us to another cabin. It was louder than a lawnmower in your room.

They were on the Maasdam. It was so bad they relocated us to another cabin. It was louder than a lawnmower in your room.

Interesting. I've had these cabins on all the S, R, Vista, and Signature Classes. I have never noticed the thrusters or anchor being that LOUD. And I'm not a heavy sleeper. In fact, my family tells me I have super-hearing because I often hear things no-one else can (real noises, not imagined ones) and am all the time turning the tv volume down because it is too loud for me.

I'm not saying the noise didn't bother you, just commenting that what bothers one person doesn't necessarily bother another.

It might not be necessary for everyone to deliberately avoid these cabins -- everyone has a different perspective.

But then again, if everyone else avoids them, it will be much easier for me to book my preferred cabins. In which case, just ignore my opinion -- they're terrible, horrible cabins, no-one should book them, ever! :D:o:D

We just pick cabins that have cabins both above and below and we are fine. We like as low and as mid-ships as possible to which type of cabin we have for that particular voyage.

Last Fall on the Ryndam we had cabin 370, upper promenade which was a GREAT location

EXCEPT

I THINK WE WERE UNDER THE DISHWASHER.

The Ryndam has now gone south to Australia, but the other STATENDAM class ships are out there with the same deck plan.

Avoid cabin 370. I am not picky but this was a terribly noisy cabin during the evening and night.

Susan

I heard of cabins that were right off some kitchen exhausts where you get to smell cooking all day.

Just wondering if that happens.

Did a Google search and found this older thread. 

On the Nieuw Amsterdam, I'm wondering if noise from the screening room be heard in cabins above (specifically 4061)?