State Room

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Jim, that's what I am afraid of. I have a suite on the Zuiderdam, then board the Volendam in my category K inside room.

 

doone, once you have a Suite it is all over from there. We came home from the Ryndam and said change everything to a "S" luckily we had already book a S for our oosterdam cruise in October. We had no problem changing our SS to a S on the Westerdam but I am kicking byself for the Maasdam we are on a waitlist and may not be able to move out of the "B"

 

You will really enjoy that "S" I thought it was worth every penny.

[1cruiselvr]

We love the Suite on the S class ships but find that we can cruise more often, if we book a balcony instead. Happy Sailing!

[heyabbott]

Do you ever get used to such small rooms? The cabins smaller than the SS are smaller than my bathroom. When we decided on the SS we went into our bathroom and said."Could we live in here for a week?".

[1cruiselvr]

SMALL??? You should try a standard inside on an RCI ship. One step and hop after entering the cabin and you were on the bed. Smallest cabin I have ever sailed in - I think it was around 136 sq. ft. HAL cabins are huge in comparison. Happy Sailing!

[dakrewser]

Do you ever get used to such small rooms? The cabins smaller than the SS are smaller than my bathroom. When we decided on the SS we went into our bathroom and said."Could we live in here for a week?".

 

You don't know small until you go on a canal barge - 6' X 8' !

 

 

-dave

[heyabbott]

You don't know small until you go on a canal barge - 6' X 8' !

 

 

-dave

 

We did a Seine River cruise from Normandy to Paris, it was small but still had a queen bed, dresser desk TV and bathroom(shower only). Though in on a river cruise you really are awake in the room only about an hour a day and there are about 40 couples, max on the ship.

[dakrewser]

We did a Seine River cruise from Normandy to Paris, it was small but still had a queen bed, dresser desk TV and bathroom(shower only). Though in on a river cruise you really are awake in the room only about an hour a day and there are about 40 couples, max on the ship.

 

A river barge is HUGE compared to a canal barge with a max of 14-18 passengers. Still, it was great fun - but quite a different experience from a cruise ship! (although the food was better than on NCL!)

[RuthC]

Do you ever get used to such small rooms? The cabins smaller than the SS are smaller than my bathroom. When we decided on the SS we went into our bathroom and said."Could we live in here for a week?".

Then you must have one huge bathroom! Where did you get the idea that HAL cabins are small? :confused: I book the "large" inside, and it's quite comfortable---even when I share with a stranger for a month! :)

Now, the old Rotterdam, now you're talking small. :eek: The steerage insides on those might have been 6' X 8'! Try sharing that for a month. :eek:

[arzz]

Those mini-suites are dangerous for my health -- did our first mini-suite on the Zaandam at Christmas and it has served to only increase my level of cruise ship additiction and has done so in an expensive way -- why it was not too long ago when I was thankful for that bit of sunshine that could come in through the "luxury" of a port hole!!! I now constantly crave the sweet serenity of that verandah and the quiet of the Navigation deck!!

 

I fear that someday I will stumble upon the comforts and pampering of a full suite and then I will certainly be trapped in the vortex of luxury cravings forever (with bankruptcy certain to follow)!!! Oh, for those sweet innocent days when a small inside cabin with a curved wall up in the bow or at the stern just over the deep rumblings of the old steam engines was heaven...ahh simpler times......

[Globaliser]

You don't know small until you go on a canal barge - 6' X 8' !

Even better (or worse?), try a traditional English canal narrowboat, like this one. They're great fun (I'm doing a weekend trip next month), but you do have to know your fellow cruisers well. Or you will get to know them well by the time you get off.

 

Back to the topic - I've always wondered where all the CC members are who sail in the inside cabins so generously provided by the cruise lines. Now I know. Everyone really does sail in suites.

 

Me, I booked and paid for an outside cabin once and vowed never to do it again for myself. It was a waste of money. I don't think I looked out of the window more than once every other day. I was hardly ever in the cabin long enough to do so.

[RevNeal]

My cabin of choice on both S/R and now Vista ships is the J-category inside. On the S/R class vessels those Js are on the Lower Promenade Deck, just a few steps from the ship's biggest Verandah! On the Vista ships the best Js are on Main Deck ... they're so large you can DANCE in them!!!! :)

 

This preference doesn't mean that I won't or haven't booked different categories. Christopher prefers having a Verandah, and this November we're going to be on the Westerdam for a B2B cruise in an SS category cabin! And, I've been in the "mini-suites" on the S/R ships too. I like them. But, if it's just me, I prefer to go J inside and cruise for as cheap as I can manage. With 5 weeks of vacation a year, I can usually manage 2 cruises ... :)

[CrazyforCruisin]

We just got back from the Mexican Riveria Cruise on the Oostedam 2/5-2/12). The S suite was wonderful. On our first cruise to alaska we had a verandah cabin and DH decided to upgrade on this cruise. We spend time in our cabin, breakfast in the morning, cocktails in the afternoon, sitting on the verandah. We are also very tall, 5'10" and 6'4" so we like the room. We also like the perks with the S. The Neptune Lounge, the free laundry, etc. No going back now! Next cruise will be the Canal. Already planning!

[Iggipolka]

We just got back from the Mexican Riveria Cruise on the Oostedam 2/5-2/12).

 

oh! I'd love to hear more details about your cruise. How was it? :>

[Melissa at Mohair Meadows]

Interesting everyone stressing how small their cabins have been. I shared a cabin with 4 other girls on a freighter in Norway. Does that count?

 

We started cruising in an inside cabin on the bottom deck of the Destiny. (Bad plumbing. Thought the toilet would suck us out). We moved up a few decks then finally had our first outside cabins. (2) This cruise we have a CC balcony - can hardly wait. This is a special occasion (30th anniversary) so we probably will go back to outside cabins after this. Unless we get hooked on the balcony. :p

[arzz]

Didn't you see the government warning in the fine print of the brochure on the addictive nature of verandah cabins? -- it specifically states that "Verandah cabins may be harmful to your wallet"!

[CrazyforCruisin]

oh! I'd love to hear more details about your cruise. How was it? :>

 

Hi, I can email you pics etc if you would like. I am trying to put together a review of trip and ship. We had a wonderful time. One of the best trips we have taken and we have traveled quite a bit.

Jodie

[Iggipolka]

I'd love pics! My email is iggipolka@yahoo.com thanks!

[Host Walt]

We did a Seine River cruise from Normandy to Paris, it was small but still had a queen bed, dresser desk TV and bathroom(shower only). Though in on a river cruise you really are awake in the room only about an hour a day and there are about 40 couples, max on the ship.

We did a small barge from Joigny to Paris and a small ship up theNile from Aswan to Luxor.

 

In both cases there was room for only one of us at a time in the room except when in bed. (Changing in the bathroom was physically impossible. We decided that the first one up gets dressed and ready to go, then goes to the passenger lounge while the other gets dressed.)

 

The floor space in the smallest HAL cabin is far, far more than a barge room. I would guess that the total sq. ft. of a HAL cabin is more than double the rooms on the barge and the Nile ship.

 

We spent very little time in our cabin in both cases.

[jturner901]

el cheapo

[BCEagle78]

I didn't see my choices on the list of available ones.

 

We have booked Inside Guarenteed for our cruises...

[richnorto]

As I made comment earlier in this thread, we have always done an outside, but are trying inside in order to accomodate our 3 children and another cabin in our budget -darn these kids and their vacation killing ways! I don't think it will make one iota of difference. I don't think we looked out the window twice in any week! Bring an alarm clock and have a great time!!!:)

[suemag]

Ok so what does all the s class stuff mean? I'm a first timer( very evident:))

 

we have a vb which was a deluxe veranndah is that good? Just picked it out of the available choices that fit our budget.

[Randyk47]

S class and V class refer to the two basic ship design/sizes that constitute most of the Holland America fleet with a couple of ships that don't quite fit into either category. For instance, the Prinsendam that was bought from another line so it doesn't fit into either the S or V classification. The S class are the smaller ships and the Statendam was the first of this design thus the "S" or at least that's the way I've always thought and heard the class got its designation. A couple of years ago HAL started launching bigger ships that they called the Vista class, shortened on most boards to the V class. Some people don't care and like either size ship while others prefer one or the other. My wife and I prefer the smaller S class but we honeymooned on the Ryndam, an S class ship, so that may have a lot of impact on our preference.

 

Might add that our very first cabin was an S category on the Ryndam on a 10 day cruise. (Not counting the 3 day Carnival cruise to see whether we liked cruising or not.....boy did that turn out to be a silly question.) Really spoiled us though we found our SS category on the Oosterdam this past March to be quite comfortable.

[RuthC]

S class and V class refer to the two basic ship design/sizes.... A couple of years ago HAL started launching bigger ships that they called the Vista class, shortened on most boards to the V class.

Actually, Randy, Vista-class is called Vista-class.

V-class refers to the Volendam/Zaandam sisters. They (and the R-class Rotterdam/Amsterdam sisters) have essentailly the same lay-out as the S-class, but are built on a different hull.

So, there is the S-class: Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam, Veendam

R-class: Rotterdam, Amsterdam

V-class: Volendam, Zaandam

Vista-class: Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam (soon. very, very soon)

Prinsendam

[Randyk47]

Thanks.....never seen it laid out that way. Hadn't really cared until the Odam....which was nice but give me the Ryndam any day. :)