Big orange lifeboats - how much do the affect the view?

[Tobysmum]

Firstly thanks for advice given previously regarding cabin selection for next year's 'Magic of Mediterranean' on Nieuw Amsterdam.

We realise that any verandah cabins positioned midships will inevitably be looking down on the lifeboats (and that the higher up the ship you go the lesser the impact).

We're thinking of a midship cabin on Deck 5 (5061, 5057, 5083 all available), and I'm concerned that we will be quite 'up close and personal' with the top of the lifeboat below! As the cruise is port intensive, and full of beautiful views, will this be a problem?

An alternative would be to take an aft cabin, higher up so we might feel more ship movement, but not be directly over the lifeboats.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

Thank you

[rafinmd]

I can't answer your question directly, but I doubt there would be much of an obstruction. Nieuw Amsterdam is essentially a twin of Cunard's Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.

 

Cunard has pages on their FAQ dealing with this issue:

 

https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/fleet/qv_obs

 

The cabins you are looking at are not listed on this page (they show port cabins, yours would correspond to 5060, 5064, and 5088, none of which are shown as obstructed. It looks like the primary obstructions would be deck 4.

 

I can't guarantee this but it sure looks promising to me.

 

Roy

[Typhoon1]

If view is a major concern of yours, pick something other than an obstructed view.

[PathfinderEss]

I agree that you should not be adversly effected by the lifeboats unless you get a cabin with an obstucted view.

Having them below you deck is not a problem, as most the time your looking out at the view, not down.

[brookeinmn]

Have you seen this thread? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1895592 There are tons of pics and comparisons of balcony cabins. Look at post #113.

Edited June 18, 2014 by brookeinmn

[Tobysmum]

If view is a major concern of yours, pick something other than an obstructed view.

Thanks - I take your point. My concern however, is that never having travelled with HAL before (and being very new to cruising) I'm not sure what cabins do give an 'obstructed view'.

[Tobysmum]

Have you seen this thread? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1895592 There are tons of pics and comparisons of balcony cabins. Look at post #113.

 

Oh my goodness! Thank you so very much for giving me this link - it is exactly what I've been looking for. I have tried to find answers through previous posts, but this is pure gold!!:D

[Tobysmum]

I can't answer your question directly, but I doubt there would be much of an obstruction. Nieuw Amsterdam is essentially a twin of Cunard's Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.

 

Cunard has pages on their FAQ dealing with this issue:

 

https://ask.cunard.com/help/cunard/fleet/qv_obs

 

Roy

 

Thanks Roy, I hadn't realised that NA is virtually a twin of QE and QV. Interestingly we were looking at QV but she didn't cover all the ports we wanted to see.

[Irish Eyes Are Sailing]

We had a balcony cabin right above the lifeboats last November on the Eurodam. The boats didn't interfere with our view at all, IMO. Looking straight down from the balcony you will see them, but not looking straight out at the ocean. No problem for us.

[navybankerteacher]

The lifeboats immediately below your balcony will have no negative impact. While at sea they might impair your view of the water immediately next to the hull - but do you care? In virtually any port in the world the view of the pier, or port facility, immediately next to the hull is not what you sail for.

[rkacruiser]

I have cabins on Deck 5 mid-ships and did not mind having the lifeboats on the deck below. I would suggest, however, that if your cabin is located above a tender, and not just a lifeboat, there might be a very minor obstruction due to the top of the tender being slightly above the floor level of your veranda.

[scm1848]

Good point about the tender. If the lifeboat is also a tender, you will have quite a bit of noise when the crew prepares the tender for launching, and also later in the day, when it is returned to its position. We found the noise pretty irritating, though necessary, even from the 6th, 7th and 8th decks.

[Montanagirlalways]

This website is fantastic!!!!! I have been assigned cabin 4053 on the WEsterdam and really am concerned. This has a picture of that balconey-can't believe it. Still don't care for it but not sure if it might be better then having the partitions on each side. I truly was hoping for a more panoramic view as I have had on other ships while sitting in the comfort of a chair instead of standing at the rail

[navybankerteacher]

This website is fantastic!!!!! I have been assigned cabin 4053 on the WEsterdam and really am concerned. This has a picture of that balconey-can't believe it. Still don't care for it but not sure if it might be better then having the partitions on each side. I truly was hoping for a more panoramic view as I have had on other ships while sitting in the comfort of a chair instead of standing at the rail

 

I have sailed in 4054 on Oosterdam - essentially the same cabin, but on port side. While you have not the "panorama" you refer to because you are in the "waist" area, the difference is so minor.- you miss perhaps 15 degrees of "panorama" -say a 165 vs. 180 degree- but not at all significant impairment. You surely can sit and see it all - and the cabin as I recall is priced a good deal less than those just a few feet forward - you are not going to spend all your time in the cabin anyway. It is always possible (unless you book the top of the line owners suits) to sweat over maybe wanting a "better" cabin - enjoy your cruise.

[Montanagirlalways]

I have sailed in 4054 on Oosterdam - essentially the same cabin, but on port side. While you have not the "panorama" you refer to because you are in the "waist" area, the difference is so minor.- you miss perhaps 15 degrees of "panorama" -say a 165 vs. 180 degree- but not at all significant impairment. You surely can sit and see it all - and the cabin as I recall is priced a good deal less than those just a few feet forward - you are not going to spend all your time in the cabin anyway. It is always possible (unless you book the top of the line owners suits) to sweat over maybe wanting a "better" cabin - enjoy your cruise.

thanks, appreciate your feedback. As for the price, well that is a different discussion. I paid for a guarantee way back when the prices were higher. Now prices have fallen to almost half of what we paid. So I guess I was expecting a better view. Lessons learned.