V Cabin Quad on Nieuw Amsterdam

[BadgerRedux]

First time cruiser here with a low stakes question.  My husband and I booked our July, 2024 cruise late and so didn't have much choice of cabins; we ended up going with a midship, deck 5 cabin and didn't realize until later that it was one of the quad cabins (V5056-V5062 on the port side, V5053-V5057 starboard).  It'll just be the two of us - is there anything that will be annoying about a cabin which could sleep 4?  I've looked at several photos for these cabins, but never having been on a ship, I feel like I don't know what I'm looking at. Looks like there will be a couch for the 3rd person, but will there also be a bed which folds down for a 4th person?  

 

I'm aware of some of compromises/downsides with a midship deck 5 cabin and have made peace with them:  we'll be looking down at the lifeboats on deck 4, our balcony will be somewhat shallower, elevators might be more crowded.  

[doone]

Welcome.  I have had quad verandah cabins on HAL and there is nothing to be concerned about.  There is a couch that opens into a bed and a bed that comes down out of the ceiling, but since there are only the 2 of you, no worries.

 

I have also been on deck 5 midship, LOVE the location, cabin is great, you'll be just fine........

[VMax1700]

The bed drops from the ceiling and remains flush with the ceiling when not in use.  Here is a picture of the 4th bed on Nieuw Statendam

 

[BadgerRedux]

21 minutes ago, doone said:

Welcome.  I have had quad verandah cabins on HAL and there is nothing to be concerned about.  There is a couch that opens into a bed and a bed that comes down out of the ceiling, but since there are only the 2 of you, no worries.

 

I have also been on deck 5 midship, LOVE the location, cabin is great, you'll be just fine........

Thanks, glad to hear good things about the cabin location! Pro's and con's for every area I'm sure.

[BadgerRedux]

14 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

The bed drops from the ceiling and remains flush with the ceiling when not in use.  Here is a picture of the 4th bed on Nieuw Statendam

 

Thanks for the photo - wow, that really is out of the way; guess that explains why I couldn't seem to spot that 4th bed in photos.

[crystalspin]

39 minutes ago, BadgerRedux said:

Thanks for the photo - wow, that really is out of the way; guess that explains why I couldn't seem to spot that 4th bed in photos.

I see on CruiseDeckPlans that the pullman (ceiling) bed in those cabins (on sister ship Eurodam) drops slightly more than Colin's photo, but still very close to the ceiling. It is positioned over the head(s) of the main bed, which means the cabinet over the sofa is still there! Like this Eurodam triple Verandah except with a 2-3" drop panel over the bed:

https://halfacts.com/signature-class/5063-eurodam/

 

[0106]

You may find this thread interesting.  

 

[BadgerRedux]

4 hours ago, 0106 said:

You may find this thread interesting.  

Thanks, I had no idea this was going on and I'm really unhappy. I booked online and when I picked a cabin (which I later realized was a quad), I don't recall getting a warning that we could be bumped.  I also don't remember being asked whether I was willing to be upgraded (I would've said no).  Because we were booking late, we decided to move forward only if we could find a cabin that fit our requirements based on my research:  mid ship and fairly low deck (husband gets motion sick), and with cabins (rather than public areas) both above and below us; as many others on that thread mentioned, the idea of an "upgrade" is in the eye of the beholder.  HAL's idea of an upgrade might be a cabin where my husband is more likely to get sea sick, or one that we expect would be less quiet.

 

I made the unusual choice of paying extra for the Cancel For Any Reason coverage; if we're bumped from our cabin, pretty sure we'd cancel.  If anyone has any sense of the date by when we can be sure no changes are possible, I'd appreciate hearing it.
 

 

[0106]

6 hours ago, BadgerRedux said:

  If anyone has any sense of the date by when we can be sure no changes are possible, I'd appreciate hearing it.

Many may not see your question. Your reply to my info is somewhat hidden because you posted within the quoted material. You may have more luck posting this question on the News Flash: HAL to favor triples and quads thread.

[BadgerRedux]

2 hours ago, 0106 said:

Many may not see your question. Your reply to my info is somewhat hidden because you posted within the quoted material. You may have more luck posting this question on the News Flash: HAL to favor triples and quads thread.

Thanks, I wondered why it looked funny.  Nothing like posting late at night when you're feeling irritable 🙄

[VMax1700]

10 hours ago, BadgerRedux said:

If anyone has any sense of the date by when we can be sure no changes are possible, I'd appreciate hearing it.

We booked a cabin on Nieuw Statendam specifically for the protecting wall on the verandah.  Never noticed it was a quad until that thread started!  We were only 2 of us and the ship was full, but we still were not moved from our room.  🤞 Hopefully you will have similar luck!

[BadgerRedux]

1 minute ago, VMax1700 said:

We booked a cabin on Nieuw Statendam specifically for the protecting wall on the verandah.  Never noticed it was a quad until that thread started!  We were only 2 of us and the ship was full, but we still were not moved from our room.  🤞 Hopefully you will have similar luck!

I'm glad you didn't get moved; keeping my fingers crossed! I get the feeling my cruise is full too, but sounds like you can't always tell from what you see online.

 

In the other thread, a few people mentioned that 2 people in a "family" cabin were always at risk of being bumped; assuming by family cabin they meant a quad, then I'm surprised I didn't see a warning about this when I booked online.  If there was a message, then I feel silly for missing it.

[VMax1700]

1 minute ago, BadgerRedux said:

I'm glad you didn't get moved; keeping my fingers crossed! I get the feeling my cruise is full too, but sounds like you can't always tell from what you see online.

 

In the other thread, a few people mentioned that 2 people in a "family" cabin were always at risk of being bumped; assuming by family cabin they meant a quad, then I'm surprised I didn't see a warning about this when I booked online.  If there was a message, then I feel silly for missing it.

AFAIK there is no message and it seems it is a recent developement.  I believe that currently they do not offer quads if you are booking for 2 ( I tried mock bookings for 2 and for 2+1 and then for 2+2 and I was offered a slightly different range of cabins for each attempt at booking. 

[BadgerRedux]

1 minute ago, VMax1700 said:

AFAIK there is no message and it seems it is a recent developement.  I believe that currently they do not offer quads if you are booking for 2 ( I tried mock bookings for 2 and for 2+1 and then for 2+2 and I was offered a slightly different range of cabins for each attempt at booking. 

Maybe I misunderstood; a Princess cruise thread was also part of the discussion - possibly they were referring to Princess policies.

 

My being a cruising amateur plus changing policies is a kind of perfect storm for confusion!

[VMax1700]

2 minutes ago, BadgerRedux said:

Maybe I misunderstood; a Princess cruise thread was also part of the discussion - possibly they were referring to Princess policies.

 

My being a cruising amateur plus changing policies is a kind of perfect storm for confusion!

It can become difficult to follow when people post and discuss other cruise lines policies in a discussion concerning one lines policies.  Sometimes the lines of clarity become smudged.

Much like the terminology in this post 🙄🤐

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, BadgerRedux said:

In the other thread, a few people mentioned that 2 people in a "family" cabin were always at risk of being bumped; assuming by family cabin they meant a quad,

There are cabins with "Family" in their name. Usually on lowest deck... quads can be on any deck. I am the person who started the older thread about being bumped. I booked a double on that cruise (the one where I was warned), but I am still booked in a quad from before the policy was invoked!

[BadgerRedux]

5 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

There are cabins with "Family" in their name. Usually on lowest deck... quads can be on any deck. I am the person who started the older thread about being bumped. I booked a double on that cruise (the one where I was warned), but I am still booked in a quad from before the policy was invoked!

Ahh, thanks for explaining - now I see the Family cabins on the Konigsdam, Nieuw Statendam, and Rotterdam.  So singles or couples booking those Family cabins might've always gotten a warning (or might not have seen those cabins when booking online), but the new policy is extending this approach to triples and quads.  It sounds like triples and quads are now being hidden from couples booking online but that definitely wasn't the case when I booked 3.5 weeks ago; I'd like to think that HAL wouldn't bump me as it would seem like retroactively applying the new policy?  But we'll see.

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, BadgerRedux said:

I'd like to think that HAL wouldn't bump me as it would seem like retroactively applying the new policy?  But we'll see.

HAL moved me, and didn't even have the courtesy to let me know! 

I was booked in a quad cabin of my choosing, on a long cruise which is unlikely to have many families. The cabins were going fast after the cruise was announced, and I lost some cabins while I was waiting to reach my TA! 
I booked a cabin that had no cabin on either side, so there is no connecting cabin involved for a large family. The upshot was I was moved to another quad cabin! Just not one I would have chosen for myself; I would only take it as a guarantee! 

The cabin is the same size (extra large inside that will hold a scooter easily), and may be in a decent location after all, but I can't fathom a reason why I was even moved!!! 

[crystalspin]

18 minutes ago, RuthC said:

HAL moved me, and didn't even have the courtesy to let me know! 

Thanks for adding your personal experience to this on-going saga.

 

2 hours ago, BadgerRedux said:

...I'd like to think that HAL wouldn't bump me as it would seem like retroactively applying the new policy?  But we'll see.

Personal Cruise Consultants were informed of the new policy in or around January of this year. If you booked online (as opposed to on the phone or with a PCC), there was no one to warn you. But not retroactive if you booked July 2024 "late".

[BadgerRedux]

15 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

Thanks for adding your personal experience to this on-going saga.

 

Personal Cruise Consultants were informed of the new policy in or around January of this year. If you booked online (as opposed to on the phone or with a PCC), there was no one to warn you. But not retroactive if you booked July 2024 "late".

I guess it's possible HAL rolled out the policy gradually - customers of PCC's/TA's affected first, and online customers affected later (in just the past few weeks)?  But that doesn't sound right as PCC's and TA's have more clout with HAL than  online customers.  Instead, I worry that online newbies like me were just out of the loop - we booked before the system was smart enough to warn us not to, but now we might be subject to the same algorithmic bumping as everyone else.

 

@RuthC,your being bumped from one quad to another doesn't seem related to this recent policy change, since it wouldn't have made space for a larger party?  Maybe it's just one of those  mysterious  "operational" moves where no one knows why.  It would certainly be interesting to know the reason!

Edited June 1 by BadgerRedux

[RuthC]

10 minutes ago, BadgerRedux said:

@RuthC,your being bumped from one quad to another doesn't seem related to this recent policy change, since it wouldn't have made space for a larger party?

Really? The timing is such that it sure seems suspicious to me. Add in that my booking was marked 'do not upgrade' (yes, I know this was no upgrade), HAL should have left my booking alone. 

[BadgerRedux]

23 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Really? The timing is such that it sure seems suspicious to me. Add in that my booking was marked 'do not upgrade' (yes, I know this was no upgrade), HAL should have left my booking alone. 

I hear you about the timing - maybe the policy change includes not just bumping smaller parties for bigger ones, but also bumping people for other (not specified) reasons?    I can imagine your frustration; I hope your new cabin turns out ok.