New to HAL. Concerning staterooms: Have I chosen...poorly? (Also, we're very happy to try something new!)

[Don Kehote]

Hi, we're trying something new this year, we've cancelled our CCL cruise in December, and we're going to give it a go on HAL.

 

We're going to be on the Nieuw Amsterdam for our first HAL sailing.  We chose a large interior, specifically J1068 per details. (Our last cruise, in February, we came to the realization that as nice as it is, we just don't use the balcony enough to justify the cost). However, I'm starting to second-guess myself, as I know it's under B.B. King's, toward the back.  Do any of you have information about this (these) cabins?  I honestly can't even really tell if you can see the television from the bed!

 

Of course, we're terribly excited to try a new cruise experience.  I've had 6 CCL cruises, my wife has had 5 of them with me, and 1 Disney (back before we were a thing). This last cruise kind of cemented it for us that we're no longer "Stay up drinking all night" people, and instead have come to prefer good food and great relaxation.  High hopes, high hopes!

 

Thanks all!

 

 

[cruzin4us]

I love Nieuw Amsterdam!   The thing with HAL is it tends to get really quiet on board after 11:00 p.m.   (sometimes earlier).    I've also outgrown the "stay up drinking all night".

I can't remember exactly what time the BB Kings show ends, but I don't remember it going really late......anyone else know?

I like the food on HAL too.....especially the Specialty Dining venues.   

 

 

 

[AFNavigator]

Is a shower-only OK for you or would you like a tub/shower combo.  The inside you have just has a shower. 

When do you go to bed?  We were on the Eurodam in December and I recall BB Kings sometimes going until 11:30 or so.  Most nights maybe more like 10 PM finish.  I loved going to BB Kings but have to imagine it almost had to be pretty noisy directly below--they can be very loud.

 

Since you don't believe the cost of a balcony is warranted, have you considered an ocean view cabin?  The obstructed and partially obstructed ones are midship Deck 4 adjacent to the lifeboats.  They are the size of standard balcony cabins just without the balcony and might be a nice price compromise between the inside and balcony categories.

 

Regarding whether you can see the TV from the bed in J1068, it looks like the answer would be yes.  The pic below is from J1064, the cabin next to the one you selected.  It looks like the TV has been relocated above the corner couch.  The TV is probably around 37"-42" in size.  They have a lot of interactive content on the TV too.  Very few TV channels but a lot of free on-demand movies plus live bow and stern cameras.

[oakridger]

Some evenings After the last BB King set around 11pm there is a DJ playing music for dancing, so there is more music until midnight or later.

[Btimmer]

We virtually always travel in inside cabins for the very reason you cited.  In Aft inside cabins, we spent 3 weeks on the NA in October, 2021,  10 days on the Rotterdam in December, and 4 weeks on the Zuiderdam in January, 2022.  We're totally comfortable with them.

[SargassoPirate]

We learned the hard way during our early days of cruising, and nowadays only book cabins with passengers above, below, and across the passageway.    Much better than under a pool deck, above a nightclub, or across from the room stewards closet and mop sink.

 

Once we find the perfect cabin, we have our reservation marked "no upgrades" since the cruise line's idea of an upgrade may place us in one of the places we like to avoid.

[boulders]

I was in a J cabin on Nieuw Amsterdam for 24 nights with my 3 kids when they were all under 18. It was fine. I think we were in 1054. It was plenty quiet, except for the room next door sometimes. I don't recall any noise from above. 

 

There is a website called halfacts.com which has lots of room reviews. 

[NCTribeFan]

I absolutely LOVE the J cabins on those ships.  But I always opt for one starboard although I'm often in the BB Kings lounge until they finish for the night.

 

I've been in 1049 on Zuiderdam and in it on Eurodam this past November.  I was then in 1069 on Nieuw Amsterdam a couple of weeks later.  I loved the layout of 1049 on Eurodam.  That cabin had the tv in the angle between the closets and the desk.  The bed is back in the alcove with the feet toward the closets.  The TV pulls out and swivels, so you can watch from the bed or the sofa.  1069 on NA is a connecting cabin, so the bed is rotated with the foot facing the wall of the bathroom and the TV is over the end of the sofa.  Made it next to impossible to watch while in bed and to watch while on the sofa, you have to sit as though it's a chaise and there's no back support.  Good thing I don't cruise to watch TV!

 

I'm booked for a B2B Alaska on Zuiderdam in June on a guaranteed casino fare.  I paid to upgrade to Club Orange specifically so I could pick my cabin.  1049 wasn't available, so I'm in 1043.  It's under the walkway and about halfway between the entrance to the club and piano bar so, hopefully, fairly quiet.

 

I'm at my office computer.  If I remember, I'll post pics of the differences in the two cabins from my laptop.

 

IMHO they're the best interior cabins out there.  I haven't sailed every cruiseline, but I've sailed >40 times, almost exclusively in interiors, and I love them.

[vicd1969]

Unless one of you is a very light sleeper, you'll be fine. Friends have been in J 1068 on sister ship Eurodam with the same layout, and they had no significant issues with the BB King noise. I concur that the J cabins are the best interior cabins in the HAL fleet.

 

Are you going on a Caribbean or Alaska sailing? May want to splurge for a balcony or ocean view cabin if doing Alaska, unless you want to get your steps count up going to the upper decks for the views. Interiors are good value for Caribbean sailings where the scenery don't matter as much.

Edited March 24, 2022 by vicd1969

[CruiseMGM]

35 minutes ago, vicd1969 said:

<snip> May want to splurge for a balcony or ocean view cabin if doing Alaska

<snip>

 

THIS!! Yes, absolutely this!💖 Alaska with a balcony is a must, in my mind. Ocean view would likely be my 2nd choice.

 

Have a great time on your cruise!

[RuthC]

After looking at the deck plans, I believe cabin 1068 is far enough aft from the BB King lounge that noise from there is not a concern. The cabin should be under the inside passageway that leads out of the lounge on port side. 
The 3-5 cabins directly under BB King can be too noisy (unless you plan to be at the lounge until closing anyway). Starboard side is fine as it is only under the entrance to the lounge, and away from the bandstand by a good distance.
Port side forward of that lounge is also all right. 

I have been in most of the starboard inside cabins along that passageway on all the Vista and Signature Class ships, and never had a problem with noise. I have also stayed in a port inside cabin, although further forward; it was also quiet. 
Friends were on port side under the lounge and heard every beat until it closed down. Then the sounds seemed to reverberate in their heads. It was not fun for them. 

These cabins are large and spacious. Plenty of room to walk around; I even store my mobility scooter in there easily! 

Contrary to popular wisdom about needing a balcony in Alaska, you really don't. It's nice, sure, but not necessary. With an inside cabin you will want to get outside, where the view is better. You will see a larger panorama, and be able to move to whichever side of the ship has the best views at the moment. It's no fun to be on your balcony, on the other side of the ship, when a pod of whales is performing on the other side. 

[1teach53]

Hi Don,

Go IU , Big Red! Both of us are from Ind. Haven’t lived there since college. 
We have an inside cabin on NA for an upcoming cruise. You will be fine.! We have been in HAL inside cabins & slept like babies!  (5 star on HAL) Balconies in Alaska are always wonderful but if $$ is an issue this is a good choice! We sailed ONCE  on CCL, once says it all!! 😉 

I think you will find HAL quite an upgrade. BB King is fabulous, go! 
We are counting the days till our next cruise in an inside cabin!🥰

Karen 

 

[Don Kehote]

So I'd like to thank everyone for all the information - I'm a little more at ease now.

 

One of the reasons we picked this cabin (aside from availability, which was very slim) was that when I examined the deck maps, it showed as being underneath "Queen's Lounge/Culinary Arts Center".  I totally didn't put it together until later that this is also BB King's.  Ever the fool me, I guess.  Either way, we tend to fall asleep with the TV on (which is why I was concerned about that - I hope it swings out for viewing), so I don't really think noise will be an issue. We sleep like the dead on cruises!

 

I was originally a little disappointed that the restroom is shower only, but then I realized that I only ever take showers anyway.  I'm a large guy, so bathtubs don't typically make for a pleasant experience.  

 

As for itinerary - this is Caribbean, going to HMC, Aruba, and Curacao (all three bucket-list locations for us).  Used to be that we liked sitting around, watching the water go by on sea days out in the smoking area.  Now...it seems that we've both just sort of quit smoking (which is great), so I"m looking into maybe renting a cabana by the pool with the savings. 

 

I was kind of excited about Club Orange, but I don't think that it's going to be a huge benefit on NA, so we're going to take a pass on it this time. For the specialty experience, we're vacillating between Pinnacle and Tamarind. I just can't decide.  I lived in Italy for a couple of years, learned how to cook there, so I doubt that Canaletto's a real option.

 

We're looking at HMC for the big swimming/sunburn day.  Curacao is where we want to walk around and see the town. In Aruba, we've got the Atlantis submarine excursion booked (yay, promotional pricing), and will spend the evening just wandering and enjoying the weather. Maybe a sunset cruise?

 

This should be a great trip.  $ is definitely a concern now - I came back from our last cruise, walked in the door to work, and was immediately told I wasn't needed anymore.  Sad Face.  But, prospects are out there.  Starting over at 50 was not in my plans! 

 

 

[Andi Land]

12 minutes ago, Don Kehote said:

So I'd like to thank everyone for all the information - I'm a little more at ease now.

 

One of the reasons we picked this cabin (aside from availability, which was very slim) was that when I examined the deck maps, it showed as being underneath "Queen's Lounge/Culinary Arts Center".  I totally didn't put it together until later that this is also BB King's.  Ever the fool me, I guess.  Either way, we tend to fall asleep with the TV on (which is why I was concerned about that - I hope it swings out for viewing), so I don't really think noise will be an issue. We sleep like the dead on cruises!

 

I was originally a little disappointed that the restroom is shower only, but then I realized that I only ever take showers anyway.  I'm a large guy, so bathtubs don't typically make for a pleasant experience.  

 

As for itinerary - this is Caribbean, going to HMC, Aruba, and Curacao (all three bucket-list locations for us).  Used to be that we liked sitting around, watching the water go by on sea days out in the smoking area.  Now...it seems that we've both just sort of quit smoking (which is great), so I"m looking into maybe renting a cabana by the pool with the savings. 

 

I was kind of excited about Club Orange, but I don't think that it's going to be a huge benefit on NA, so we're going to take a pass on it this time. For the specialty experience, we're vacillating between Pinnacle and Tamarind. I just can't decide.  I lived in Italy for a couple of years, learned how to cook there, so I doubt that Canaletto's a real option.

 

We're looking at HMC for the big swimming/sunburn day.  Curacao is where we want to walk around and see the town. In Aruba, we've got the Atlantis submarine excursion booked (yay, promotional pricing), and will spend the evening just wandering and enjoying the weather. Maybe a sunset cruise?

 

This should be a great trip.  $ is definitely a concern now - I came back from our last cruise, walked in the door to work, and was immediately told I wasn't needed anymore.  Sad Face.  But, prospects are out there.  Starting over at 50 was not in my plans! 

 

 

All of the specialty restaurants are good but Tamarind is our favorite!

[westcoastsue]

Don I can relate! I came back from. Mediterranean cruise & was let go the day I returned to work. I was 58 so really thought I was going to have a hard time but found another job within 3 months and worked there for 13 years until I retired.enjoy the cruise and good luck with the job search.

[OlsSalt]

We used to do guaranty rooms all the time in our early cruising days - some good, occasionally some very nice upgrades,  some not so good,  but we never had a bad cruise overall,  

 

Then once we were put in a cabin right over the Ocean Bar which thumped out really loud noise well beyond our bedtime. Luckily we were able to move from that cabin, and we have never done a guaranty room again. We also now know the lay of the ship.

 

The extra costs involved choosing one's cabin location upfront, we found ultimately were worth it just to avoid getting one of the known klinker cabins. Which may in fact work for others - who like to keep the same midnight hours. 

 

With that said, outside noise from entertainment venues or food prep areas or even the anchor chain areas are the most intrusive, so beyond trying to avoid being close to those areas, most cabins on HAL ships are pretty darn good. On the smaller, older HAL ships virtually all cabins are conveniently located to almost everything.

[NCTribeFan]

This is 1049 on Eurodam.  The cabin that was not a connecting cabin.

 

This is right where you come in the cabin.  The bathroom door is directly on the left.  I joked that there was enough space between the foot of the bed and the closets that I could've had a dance party in there. 😄

 

[NCTribeFan]

And this is 1069 on NA, the connecting cabin.  Sorry about the rotated picture.  Notice the location of the TV.  It's right across from the bathroom door.  This cabin did have a chair at the table.  I sat there a few times and watched news while having breakfast.

But with the bed rotated 90 degrees, there isn't nearly as much floor space.  No dance party here.

No noise from the connecting door.  Actually, I don't think anyone was in that cabin.  More pax than on Eurodam but still was well below capacity.

[NCTribeFan]

My thoughts about having an interior cabin on my Alaska sailing is that there's plenty of "free" deck space on any cruise ship.  Yes, a balcony would be nice but the whole point in my finally seeing Alaska was that I had the "free" casino offers.  With booking a B2B, upgrading to Club Orange just so I could pick my J cabin, plus the flights from the east coast and pre-cruise hotel, it's already at my typical budget limit.

 

I have 10 cruises within the 12-month period starting with that Eurodam sailing last November.  At my age (approaching 70), I'm not willing to put off any travel so I've applied many FCCs (HAL, X, MSC, Carnival).  Still, since I'm only working part-time, it's stretching my budget to the limit.

 

I'll happily spend my time out of Deck 3.  It's my favorite place on the ship.  I've been known to spend just about all day out there with a book, occasionally making the trek inside and up the stairs to get food and beverages. 😁

 

I've sailed Carnival >30 times.  Doing a B2B2B (Med/Med/TA) in October (after cancellations the past two years).  Yes, I prefer HAL now, but I've never had a bad cruise on Carnival.  I think HAL's a step up but it isn't a night and day difference for me.  Carnival's food and service are good.  Most entertainment is good.  Bigger casinos, which I like.  Different demographic than HAL for sure.  I also enjoy MSC, which is different yet again.  First X cruise coming up in 2-1/2 weeks.

 

And, I took my DD on a college graduation cruise.  I had paid off MY student loans the month before.  We got back and I lost my job (early 2009).  Was unemployed for 8 months.  Very stressful for someone who was a single mother that went to college in her late 30s and had very little in savings.  So, yes, I'm on a budget.  Trying to retire but with such a late start on funding retirement accounts, I have to keep working, at least part time.

 

Anyway, OP, enjoy NA!

[jkrislc]

We were "balcony" people when our son needing to nap midday as it would give us a space to enjoy the passing scenery while he slept. Now that he's a teen, we opt for inside or ocean view cabins in order to save money so that we can cruise more. If the inside cabin doesn't have a couch, we'll opt for an ocean view. If a balcony is only a $100 or more per person, then we'll splurge on a balcony.

 

We've had great experiences with a balcony, but now that our son is older we find ourselves out and about much more. In addition, when we've sailed scenic itineraries like Norway, there's nothing better than being up on deck and having the freedom to move around to take in the changing scenery. Plus, you might miss something on the other side of the ship if you're on your balcony.

 

I will admit, however, there is a nice convenience to a balcony and we definitely use it when we have one.

[OVgirl]

Great cabin. Also check out the "special" K cabins on main deck aft. No noise from the dining room. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by OVgirl

[crystalspin]

On 3/24/2022 at 11:06 AM, Don Kehote said:

For the specialty experience, we're vacillating between Pinnacle and Tamarind. I just can't decide.  I lived in Italy for a couple of years, learned how to cook there, so I doubt that Canaletto's a real option.

See the specialty menus linked to this page:

https://rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/hal-regular-and-specialty-restaurants/hal-specialty-restaurant-menus/

 

I have always wanted to stay in a SuperK/SuperJ inside! One that wasn't connecting specifically. We did receive a 10XX oceanview as a guarantee, and it was apparently right under the BBKing stage, maybe 1040 or 1050? Everything said above was true; it was pounding bass, but it did quit well before midnight. My husband can sleep through anything, and I would just read on my Kindle until they quit. Like someone above, that was the last guarantee we ever booked, though!