Lanai vs balcony -- 35 days in a Veendam lanai

[IRL_Joanie]

Surely, you know what happens when one assumes?

 

I expect not to be bothered by smoke. Is it reasonable to expect others to conform to MY expectations? No.

 

Ruth nailed it:

 

Does not matter what I say. Does not matter if I agree with you or against you.

 

It comes down to respecting someone elses rights/considerations of them and being thoughtful to others as you want them to be to you.I prefer the latter.

 

I expect those rights and will give others those same considerations.

 

I will not discuss this on this thread again. The OP deserves better than bickering between a few of us.

 

Joanie

[lettienets]

I appreciate Hutch&Pat's review of the lanai. I certainly would not want to deal with people sitting in my reserved chairs, extra noise by the life boats, deck washing water, doors hard to open and close or leaking, shadows of people, deck lighting shining in my room etc Gee, I didn't even think of any of these nuisances.

 

Ruth C, if a guest wants a chair on the sunny side but has two reserved chairs on the other, there will be even less chairs for everybody else unless people take their chairs around (NOT) so therefore they leave 2 empty chairs and then occupy two more = less public chairs available.

[gregdude]

Thanks for your review. It seems that HAL has some issues to resolve with the door in your cabin. It will be interesting to see if I have the same experience in a different cabin on our March cr , and did uise. It seems as though the architect and contractor who planned, and did the work, on the Veendam last March was sub-par all around. The concepts were not bad, but the implementation of those concepts has not gone well.

 

The chair issue seems like an easy one to resolve with a few well placed signs, some large bold statements in the daily planner. As this same concept is eventually going to be employed across the "R" and "S" class fleet we can only hope that people will learn to respect new rules. In the mean time HAL needs to be a better job of educating passengers.

 

Thanks again for your complete review.

[sapper1]

Thank you for your comprehensive assessment of the lanai cabins. We have one booked for our Bermuda cruise in June and I will be interested to see how it all plays out.

Did you think of sending a letter to Seattle with your observations re the chair situation. If the front desk staff were to receive a directive from head office about placing a notice in the daily planner about the reserved chairs, it would most likely be done.----maybe??

I don't care about people blocking my view---if I want to see something I can go out and stand at the rail. It would be pretty presumptious to expect otherwise. However, I don't want to spend my vacation having daily confrontations with other passengers when I want to use my chair.

Did you have any squatters who refused to leave? If so, what did you do----phone the front desk and ask for it to be resolved? I don't think the passenger should be placed in the position of having to fight for what they paid for.

Edited December 15, 2009 by sapper1

[room010]

You could put up a 10ft neon sign saying "Reserved Seats" and someone would make a point of ignoring it :mad: Having to ask people not to sit in "my" chair, even if they are genuinely unaware that it's reserved, would be enough to ruin my trip alone. And then I'd probably feel guilty for being so possessive about "my" chair in the first place! However, my main concern with the whole lanai concept is the fact that my cabin opens directly onto a public deck and the privacy/security issues involved. I enjoy laying on the bed reading or watching TV in the evenings or eating breakfast in bed with a view outside. With people wandering around out there (as they are completely entitled to do) would probably force me to keep the curtains closed. I know they probably can't see in, but I'd still be uncomfortable and I challenge anyone taking a stroll along the deck to say they wouldn't at least be tempted to take a peek inside, especially if the doors are open.

 

If I want to be around other people I can find them in any number of public areas. But my cabin is my sanctuary away from other people and having them walking/sitting right outside the window is a dealbreaker for me.

Edited December 15, 2009 by room010

[ScottishMaid]

 

You can't see in whatsoever in daylight. The reflective glass is better than in the old windows. However once or twice I was the only passenger walking round the totally empty promenade deck and it was a weird feeling that maybe I was being watched by invisible eyes from within the cabins! Alone and yet not alone.

[RuthC]

...I challenge anyone taking a stroll along the deck to say they wouldn't at least be tempted to take a peek inside, especially if the doors are open.

The door should not be open unless someone is passing through it.

 

As I understand it, the door closes automatically. Can anyone who has been in a lanai cabin confirm this?

[CDiamond]

Thank you for your review. We were on the Veendam in Sept 07 AND we were in the same cabin as you #334. Friends were in #332. Later we were sad when we heard of the changes being made to the ship.

And we were curious about these new lanai cabins. Seems that there are many problems, and agree that Holland is not handling this chair problem well at all. Sounds like you went out of your way to be polite to people sitting in your chairs. I think people assume the chairs are available because they always have been. The only advantage to lanai cabins seems to be the direct access to the walking deck. And even this seemed to be a problem with people sitting there.

 

A clear view out of these rooms is not realistic. When we were in this cabin, people stood at the railing blocking the view out our window every day. This is to be expected on a public deck and didn't bother us. Basically, all Holland did was take out the window and put in a door. This should not affect how other passengers continue to use this popular deck.

[wander]

I was also on the same 35 day cruise. I did NOT have a Lanai cabin but did spend time walking the deck and studying the situation.

 

1. I agree, the tags on the chairs were NOT easy to see and could go un-noticed except that I read about it on CC and looked for them.

 

2. On sea days and port days there were still a number of empty "open to all" deck chairs on the walking deck. When walking I never would have been unable to find an empty chair if I were I looking for one.

 

3. I personally would NOT be interested in a Lanai cabin as I would not want to trade the cabin space for direct access to a public deck. But, that is just me. I also would not like to lose the desk drawers we use for all our folded clothes.

 

4. As far as people blocking the view, as someone else noted, it would be no different with a Lanai cabin or just a window in the cabin. Folks walking bye and those admiring the view will interfere with the view, either way.

 

BUT, we did meet one couple with a Lanai cabin and they just LOVED IT! They said they would never cruise in anything else in the future. Each to his/her own I guess.

 

Oh yes, one day walking around the deck the folks in one cabin had propped the door open and those walking in were looking in. The cabin folks were sitting on the bed looking out.

Edited December 15, 2009 by wander

[Mary Ellen]

From the HAL site on Lanai Staterooms there is NO reference to reserved deck chairs:

2 lower beds convertible to 1 queen-size bed, bathtub & shower. Sliding glass doors lead onto the walk-around Lower Promenade Deck.

 

Category CA 197 sq. ft.

 

Refer to Deck Plans for specific information

 

Stateroom amenities include:

 

* Direct access to the Lower Promenade Deck

* Luxurious beds featuring Sealy® Premium Euro-Top mattresses and finely woven cotton linens

* Deluxe waffle weave and terry cloth bathrobes for use during your voyage

* 100% Egyptian cotton towels

* Premium massage showerheads

* 5X magnifying make-up mirrors and salon-quality hair dryers

* Fragrant soaps, lotions, shampoo and other bath amenities from Elemis Aromapure

* Complimentary fresh fruit on request

* Elegant ice bucket and serving tray for in-stateroom beverages

* Flat-panel TV and DVD player

* Ice service, shoeshine service and nightly turndown service

 

The deck plans (referenced in the HAL quote) also say nothing about reserved deck chairs. It is entirely reasonable for ALL passengers to expect to be able to sit in any deck chair on the LP. There certainly isn't anything from HAL telling those booking the Lanai cabins to expect the "right" to reserved chairs - or warning other passengers about that "right".

 

On the Veendam there are about 18 cabins on each side that aren't either lanai or marked as obstructed view. That is the area now allowed for the public to sit and enjoy the view. Estimating 4 deck chairs will fit in the width of each of those cabins, that gives 144 deck chairs (combined on both sides) for 1000+ passengers to use if they want to sit with a view.

 

This is why I would really prefer not to sail on any ship with the lanai cabins. HAL has really messed up with the lanai cabins. The OP has done a wonderful job of expressing his/her experience with the lanai cabin.

[PatsyAnne]

This is why I would really prefer not to sail on any ship with the lanai cabins. HAL has really messed up with the lanai cabins. The OP has done a wonderful job of expressing his/her experience with the lanai cabin.

If the presence or absense of reserved chairs is enough to disturb your peace, then you are right in avoiding these ships.

[Copper10-8]

It would be no biggie at all for HAL (Veendam's Event Manager) to put a blurb into Veendam's daily program to advise her pax that those deck chairs in front of Lanai cabins with name plates are reserved for Lanai cabin occupants. They already do that on a semi-regular basis with show lounge seats, pool deck chairs plus whenever they decide to make the aft pool "adults only"

[Hutch&Pat]

To Address a Few Points that were brought up about my Lanai post

 

Special thanks to Jill and Ruth for clarifying several things especially on 'rights' on the LP deck and the small size of the lanai cabins-- I didn't expect any responses and hadn't even thought to check back on the thread!

 

First -- we never 'suffered' in our Lanai cabin .... we had a wonderful cruise! My big, let me say REALLY BIG COMPLAINT about my cruise had nothing to do with the Lanai cabin, it was that I booked a 35 day HAL cruise and they had no bridge director/instructor despite lots and lots of sea days! I was absolutely shocked and so was every bridge player on the ship. And they are now using the Queens Room -- the regular card room for computers -- this room has windows that glare on the computers, and they've put card players in the Hudson Room with no windows--I missed the whales when they announced it.. Thank goodness we had two wonderful passenger volunteers to organize duplicate and one gave organized lessons in the morning.

 

Second -- I'm shocked that my post has convinced some of you not to sail on any ship that has or obtains Lanai cabins on it as that was not my intention. I AM SAILING ON IT AGAIN IN MARCH! ..... just not in a Lanai cabin. Thanks to many of you who brought up the dynamics of the space issue:

 

Public vs Private space on the LP Deck

--I expected none other change than the right to sit in a chair supposedly reserved for me AND sit in it IN THE PRECISE EXACT PLACE THAT HAL PLACED THE CHAIRS. I wasn't expecting any private area in front of my Lanai sliding door, but the fact is essentially that I need that space to remain unblocked by people and their stuff in order to enter and exit the door.

So, HAL carefully places two chairs between each lanai cabin and none in front of the doors, which essentially only puts two lounge chairs along the space of lanai cabins whereas they can place about 4 along the space of an outside cabin. The problem is simple --HAL has the two Lanai chairs placed very close together with only a few inches between them, so chairs move when people use them. .... very few people want to sit that close together as you cannot place your stuff on the floor next to your chair when they are too close ..... thus, if they aren't moved much, people tend to place their stuff where there's room i.e., in front of the Lanai door.

The area in front of the lanai doors is technically an 'access area' to the door and for the first few days of the cruise as people approach your door and try to get in! Routinely it's really odd to be watching people walk past knowing they can't see you, and some stop and check their hair or clothes in the reflective film which acts as a mirror.

 

Chair Math

Some of you are obviously better than I am on this. I believe that HAL purchased approx 75-80 additional chairs to make up for the reserved ones, so the number seems to remain the same for public chairs. However, many of the public chairs are placed in less desirable areas for viewing and the the number of public chairs in the top middle unblocked areas is definitely lower.

 

Misconceptions

In addition to others that have been clarified, the term 'lanai' to me is a private screened area, and there's no screening but the implication of privacy is still conveyed.

 

Which side of the ship?

Yes Ruth, it was a big decision as to which side of the ship to book the Lanai cabin, and I thought that port side was a no brainer on a San Diego to Rio via the horn cruise, but you made an interesting point about the sunny and dark sides. Also, we didn't have sunsets on our side until almost to Rio. And on certain days, the wind was unbearable on one side. You really don't get to see that much land other than when arriving or leaving I believe because they like to get about 25 miles out in order to open the casino's.

 

Water possibilities -- I never worried about it since they hosed it daily and we never got water inside, but I now think it's a real possibility. No one is going to drown in a lanai cabin, but I do see the possibility of wet carpeting etc if there was really high seas splashing up on the deck. But I'm sure that HAL would be quick to duck tape your door closed for you : ) Have you ever noticed air that shoots out of some electrical outlets during a high wind storm ? A pinhole with air shooting in feels like a lot. Those doors were very heavy and sturdy .....that's why they were so hard to open -- there's good seals around most of the door.

 

Not really Automatically Self-closing Lanai Doors

they can usually be pushed far enough open to remain open depending on ship motion, but I would not trust it not to slam shut with weight and speed to crush a small pet. They have sensors to tell the bridge if they are not closed, but the door police never arrived.

 

So the advice that some of you have posted 'to reserve a lanai if you would enjoy a door directly to the LP deck' is very good, and as is for HAL to do a better job of providing correct up-to-date information to their mostly repeat paying passengers.

 

Hope I answered your remaining questions. And please read the other posts on the subject ...LuLu enjoyed hers and posted. She did get off before the cold weather though.

 

Pat

[gregdude]

Thanks Pat for the update. As usual the crazy people got a hold of your thread and made it their own! You have a very good point about the cold weather. I suspect a Lanai cabin on a warm weather cruise would hold many more benefits than on a cold weather cruise. This is also probably true of a verandah cabin.

 

A final comment, some folks just like to complain when change takes place. Unfortunately for you they were all out gunning and just waiting for a thread like yours.

 

Nice job, see you in March!!

[Hutch&Pat]

They brought up many good points created by the less than up-to-date and correct info provided by HAL which truly has created confusion and misconceptions and public chairs being relocated to less premier locations etc.

 

I had really planned to try to offer some recommendations but:

-- in warm weather, and especially shorter cruises, I think there will be cabin access problems caused by the moving chairs and people and their stuff (HAL really cannot glue them in place -- they need to be folded out of the way for lifeboat drills)

-- in cold like summer Alaska maybe ok but likely more folks enjoying the views ..... it's not severely windy and cold like we had from Santiago to Rio

--ideally, they might actually be best for hot, humid Amazon like cruises where there might not be anyone outside and your lanai door would not be duct-taped shut so you could enjoy the view and pop out and take photos as soon as there's a sighting!

 

I'm sure you'll enjoy your Lanai Cabin!

Pat

[Love Cruises]

Thanks for your very thorough review of the Lanai cabins. From what you posted, it seems that all the cabins that are right below the life boats are Lanai ones. This is always where I would seek out a chair so there would be some shade overhead. Oh well, I guess I will have to see where I can sit in the future.

[RuthC]

Which side of the ship?

Yes Ruth, it was a big decision as to which side of the ship to book the Lanai cabin, and I thought that port side was a no brainer on a San Diego to Rio via the horn cruise, but you made an interesting point about the sunny and dark sides. Also, we didn't have sunsets on our side until almost to Rio. And on certain days, the wind was unbearable on one side. You really don't get to see that much land other than when arriving or leaving I believe because they like to get about 25 miles out in order to open the casino's.

Which serves to illustrate the point that it's not only a matter of others taking your chairs, but also that you don't have the right to sit on the other side of the ship (at least not in the desirable areas) when you want to.

The one with the lanai cabin also loses freedom of choice to switch sides when the spirit moves.

[Hutch&Pat]

Which serves to illustrate the point that it's not only a matter of others taking your chairs, but also that you don't have the right to sit on the other side of the ship (at least not in the desirable areas) when you want to.

The one with the lanai cabin also loses freedom of choice to switch sides when the spirit moves.

 

Must be honest Ruth, at first I missed your point and figured that I must have broken some rules sitting on the other side of the ship sometimes! Do you think this loss of these rights all started when when HAL denied passengers the right to use the empty chairs on people's balconies : )

 

Pat

 

PS With the Lanai cabin, what really bothered me was not being able to count on the space being clear and available for us to enter and exit to the LP deck from our cabin, not that someone was in a chair assigned to us, but that as they moved the chair a little away from the one next to it (they are arranged each night almost touching), and put all their stuff down, it made it difficult for us coming and going out of that door -- which was our whole purpose of renting that cabin! We wanted to be able to walk on the LP deck instead of the inside hallways whenever we could.

[Kidsgoneletscruise]

Thank you for your detailed (and objective) review of the Lanai cabins. We recently have booked a cruise, first cruise on HAL, and seriously considered a Lanai room. But...your review confirmed many of our fears. Although a great idea, in theory, but maybe not the best once available. ;)

[Loreto]

I appreciate your detailed review of the lanai staterooms! When the concept was first introduced, I thought it was a bad idea. We will be avoiding these rooms in the future.

 

Karen

[Y's Owl]

Some of the complaints I have seen about privacy and such seem to be more about the general issue of outside cabins on this deck. The problem with people outside your window looking in has been a problem from Day 1 on every ship that ever had cabins off their Prominade deck. For me, I prefer to step down to the D level cabins rather than pay more for a C level cabin that looks out on the lower prominade deck. My main deck cabin on the Maasdam was bigger, quieter, and more private. If I wanted to go upstairs on the nearby esculator, I was very quickly on the deck most likely standing in the way of someone's view. In rough seas you don't rock and roll as much as you do on decks higher up. And to think people actually pay more to be on that deck just puzzles me...door or no door.

[PatsyAnne]

A lot of the people who are saying the lanai rooms are a bad idea are comparing them with veranda or regular outside rooms. I think it is probably more accurate to compare them with the rooms on that deck that don't have direct access to the teak deck. Because that's what they've done, added outside access and theoretically a place to sit. And even though these are not my first (or second) choice, I would prefer them to a room on that deck without the outside door. For me they have made these rooms a little more interesting, and that's not so stupid.

[Gablin]

I find myself very intrigued with the idea of going out of my cabin directly to the promenade deck, yet, wondering if I booked a lanai cabin would I find the faulty door construction and the problem of other passengers blocking my exit too troubling.

 

I don't sit in the loungers anyway, on the promenade deck, or elsewhere, so, if someone was sitting on one of my chairs, I'd probably ignore them, unless they were blocking my way in or out of my cabin.

 

I will have to continue to read the Veendam reviews to help me decide whether I would like one of these cabins.

 

I am grateful to the OP for the detailed report.

[CherylsCaribbeanTravel]

Thank you to the OP for a thoughtful and objective review of these cabins. I have been very curious. You have answered questions I didn't even know to ask :)

[MISSYLOU]

Does anyone have a photo of these lanai cabins?