Is aft better than fore?

I have read several posts on this forum that seem to indicate that people would rather be in the stern sections. Why is that better, if it is? We are assigned to the very rear of the ship on the A deck. How will that be? We are first-timers so ANYTHING will be fun, just curious.

I have read several posts on this forum that seem to indicate that people would rather be in the stern sections. Why is that better, if it is? We are assigned to the very rear of the ship on the A deck. How will that be? We are first-timers so ANYTHING will be fun, just curious.

Another reason many posters like the stern is that some of the HAL ships have wonderful balcony cabins at the back. The views from those cabins are great. There's something about looking back at the ship's wake that "speaks" to a lot of people.

Cruising is a wonderful way to travel. It's addictive. It seems to me that very few people cruise twice. They either try it once and don't like it, or they get hooked and cruise many times. I hope you enjoy it!

barney0209,

May you thoroughly enjoy your first cruise.

On which ship will you sail?

The aft facing cabins will have sheltered verandas since they should always be out of the wind while you are underway.

I think it is very enjoyable to watch the ship wake while cruising.

The verandas can be quite a bit larger than their port or starboard equivalents.

You have a wider view from an aft facing cabin since you will be able to see the horizon on either side of the ship.

I think a forward facing cabin would be nice to have if you were transiting the Panama Canal, but aside from that my choice is an aft facing cabin.

Enjoy your cruise!

This is our first HAL cruise and it sounds like it is going to be wonderful! We have been on 2 Celebrity cruises - one to Alaska, which we loved and one to the Western Carribean which we did NOT love. This cruise will be on the Maasdam and from what everyone is saying it is a wonderful ship.

This cruise will be on the Maasdam and from what everyone is saying it is a wonderful ship.

My DH and I do not do well with the motion at the front of the ship. We do much better mid to rear.

In Feb. we were on the Westy on Deck 8 all the way up front and did not feel the rocking that much. Personally I like a little movement, it rocks me to sleep.

In Feb. we were on the Westy on Deck 8 all the way up front and did not feel the rocking that much. Personally I like a little movement, it rocks me to sleep.

Aft cabins, especially on lower decks, may have noticeable engine vibration. I enjoy the motion in the forward cabins but have trouble falling asleep when I feel the engine vibration. So I usually prefer a forward cabin, unless I can book a higher-deck aft-facing veranda.

We like aft cabins because of their access to the Lido, the dining rooms, and the Lido aft deck, as well as the open aft decks (on most levels) on ships such as the Amsterdam. They work well for how we "use" the ship.

On the Eurodam a couple weeks ago, we had (for the first time) a center high deck Verandah stateroom. It was a fantastic location for what I was looking for with this cruise (Lido cabana, lots of reading), but I didn't get to know the ship's public rooms at all since I didn't ever seem to walk across decks 3 and 4.

If you are at the front of the ship, you will feel the up-and-down motion of the ship (if there is any) more than in the middle or the rear of the ship. While you may feel it at the stern, it won't be as much. Have a great first cruise. You may get hooked.:)

However some folks like me like the up-and-down motion. I don't have any motion at home.

I agree, I'll take side to side rocking or the up and down motion anytime rather than being at home motion-free! ;)

We once took a guarantee, which we will never do again. Got a stateroom all the way in the front and in each port, when the anchor dropped in the morning (usually VERY early), it woke us up.

We are contrarians and actually love cabins in the forward quarter of most ships. You might ask why, or you might not care,,,but we will tell you anyway :) Most cruise ships have a similar design. The heavy engines and motors are generally housed near the center of the ship (center of gravity) on the lowest deck. The mechanical stuff can sometimes make noise and also cause vibrations. Then we have the props (and Azipods) which are located near the stern. On many ships they can cause vibration and on the ships with Azipods they can also be noisy. And of course we have the ships exhaust systems which generally are between amidships and the stern...and on some ships can cause some fumes in a few cabins (a problem on the Prinsendam). Now about our bow area. There is very little machinery up towards the bow other then the thrusters and anchor windless. These are only used going in and out of ports which is a time when we are normally awake. Otherwise, the bow area is used primarily for storage (in the lower decks). Keep in mind that the Captain and all the senior officers live up near the bow. And lastly, there is very little foot traffic (or related noise) up towards the bow. So, in the end we love those cabins because they are usually pretty quiet and vibration free. As to motion, sure, if you have lots of swells the bow does move....but we happen to love that motion. It rocks us to sleep like a baby.

Hank

The up-down-pitching-SLAMMING motion in the front of the ship is more extreme than in the stern. Also, when the ship slams down it also shimmies back and forth, causing additional directions of motion than just the up-down elevator ride. On the whole, it can be quite disconcerting ... even if one likes heavy seas. The stern of the ship, by comparison, FEELS more stable even though it can also experience significant motion ... the up-down feel isn't as extreme and it won't SLAM the way the front of the ship can in heavy seas.

I'll never forget, during our January 2008 transit to Antarctica aboard the Rotterdam, trying to climb the forward stairs while the ship was going through 45 foot seas with massive swells during our transit to Antarctica in January 2008. I found that it was easiest to wait while the front of the ship was on the up-thrust, then proceed up the stairs while the ship rushed DOWNWARD, stopping and holding on during the SLAM and the shimmy. Then, waiting where I was while the ship pulled UP, out of the water, then I began going up stairs again while the ship executed another downward surge into the ocean, followed by yet another SLAM and shimmy. It was fun, but annoying. It was also weird to reaize that each time I made up-ward progression I was MUCH lighter than when the ship was

Romance, nothing like the moon, stars and the wake of the ship. If that combination does not get you in the mood.................

... and in each port, when the anchor dropped in the morning (usually VERY early), it woke us up.

Had to smile at Revneal's story about 45 foot seas. We have spent about 2 years on cruise ships (all over the world) and have only run into seas of that height on one ocassion (we cruised through Hurricane Bob). The seas were so rough it really did not matter where we went on the ship (most folks stayed in bed) but Revneal is right, we would not have wanted to be near the bow in those seas. On that particular cruise the roulette wheel was tossed off its spindle and crashed through the casino glass doors, we watched a lady fall out of her chair (and she was amidships) and we thought the experience was so much fun (I guess that is why we love to cruise). So, we will now take a pledge to avoid forward cabins on cruises where we expect 45 foot+ seas :)

Hank

We have booked verandahs for our last five cruises and have a slight preference for forward cabins. First, we don't mind some engine vibration in the stern, as long as the cabin is high enough above the engines themselves. The vibration adds to the more pleasant senses of motion on a ship.

We enjoy hearing the seas rushing by the bow of the ship. One doesn't hear this sound farther aft.

Also, in the bow there is a somewhat reduced statistical chance of a smoker's cigarette smoke blowing downwind on to your verandah.

Only on an Alaska cruise did we experience rough enough seas to wish we were farther aft.

Every cabin, however, beats sitting at home.

In the 1970's I sailed on a merchant ferry from North Sydney, Nova Scotia, to St. Pierre and Miquelon off Newfoundland. My bunk was situated laterally (side to side, not fore to aft) on a high forward deck. As we crossed the rough seas off Nova Scotia, I spent the whole night doing situps as the ship rolled from side to side.