Is it worth the money - SS vs. A cabin category

[tonygreggaz]

Hi everyone... We are getting ready to book a Feb 2005 cruise on the Oosterdam and are trying to figure if it is worth spending the extra money on an SS category cabin (Superior Veranda Suite) vs. VA category (Deluxe Veranda Stateroom). The cost difference is about $350/pp, which we will gladly spend if the little extra bit of room or featuers makes it worth it. Any other input on the ship, or HAL, would be appreciated. We have been on Celebrity and RCCL and are very much looking forward to the HAL experience.

 

Thanks in advance for the input.

 

Tony / Gregg

[Sandiz]

My sister and I cruise only on HAL and only in a S suite now. One time and you will forever be so spoiled you would not dream of a lesser stateroom. I'm not wealthy but I would rather cruise less and cruise better. You will be first on and first off, less check-in lines. Everyday they bring you chocolates or champagne or fancy pastries,etc. They do your laundry, pressing, or dry cleaning at no charge. You get conciegre sevice that takes care of doing your credit card for you, scheduling onshore activities, Pinnicle dining resvervations, etc. The Neptune room has coffee( all kinds), pastries, little sandwiches and different juices. Before dinner you get hors d'oeuvers served in your suite----ours were egg rolls, chicken tenders, fried shrimp and they also brought a tray of finger sandwiches. Only in the Penthouse suite and the S suite can you ask and get full breakfast, lunch and 5 course dinners in your suite. The room itself is just wonderfully large with a whirlpool in the tub, bar in the living room, DVD and they will go get the movies that you want. The patio is larger and comes with table and chairs and chaises. The S suite is a little more than twice the size of the larger stateroom. You get to pick the actual table and size table that you want-----Better than being placed with people you don't know and don't like too much. You are much more pampered and acknowledge and you even get corsages and boutineer on the first formal evening. Yes it is worth it extra money.

 

Good cruising to you. Sandiz

[Candy]

I believe the comparison request was to Cat SS, which does not include any of the perks you listed.

 

My sister and I cruise only on HAL and only in a S suite now. One time and you will forever be so spoiled you would not dream of a lesser stateroom. I'm not wealthy but I would rather cruise less and cruise better. You will be first on and first off, less check-in lines. Everyday they bring you chocolates or champagne or fancy pastries,etc. They do your laundry, pressing, or dry cleaning at no charge. You get conciegre sevice that takes care of doing your credit card for you, scheduling onshore activities, Pinnicle dining resvervations, etc. The Neptune room has coffee( all kinds), pastries, little sandwiches and different juices. Before dinner you get hors d'oeuvers served in your suite----ours were egg rolls, chicken tenders, fried shrimp and they also brought a tray of finger sandwiches. Only in the Penthouse suite and the S suite can you ask and get full breakfast, lunch and 5 course dinners in your suite. The room itself is just wonderfully large with a whirlpool in the tub, bar in the living room, DVD and they will go get the movies that you want. The patio is larger and comes with table and chairs and chaises. The S suite is a little more than twice the size of the larger stateroom. You get to pick the actual table and size table that you want-----Better than being placed with people you don't know and don't like too much. You are much more pampered and acknowledge and you even get corsages and boutineer on the first formal evening. Yes it is worth it extra money.

 

Good cruising to you. Sandiz

[ilovhywd]

I have been in the verandah cabin on the Zuiderdam, and most recently, on the SS cabin on the Westerdam. Both are sister ships to the Oosterdam, and would be the same size and configuration.

 

The verandah cabin is adequate, but the SS is wonderful. We had a lot of stuff - camera equipment, clothing, books, hairdryers and hair irons, so we appreciated the extra space. One of us used the dressing table with the mirror for stuff, and the other one used the desk by the window. The desk by the window has 2 large drawers that I used for underwear, socks, T-shirts, and other small items. The end table by the sofa had a large cabinet in it, as well.

 

The bathroom was larger than usual for a ship - 2 sinks, a lot of counter space, a full shelf underneath the sinks, 2 medicine cabinets, a nice size bathtub, and a stall shower.

 

The verandah is also very wide and is a good place to relax if you don't want to sit at the pool where all the children are vocalizing their enthusiasm. (Maybe you'll be cruising when they are in school!)

 

We were fortunate to book the SS when there was a special promotion: Pay for an AA and get a free upgrade to the SS. After we booked, the fares for AA dropped drastically, but we chose to pay the full AA price in order to keep the free upgrade! Ask your travel agent if any such promotion is in effect for your cruise. If not, I think I would spring for the SS. (One does get spoiled!)

[GracieAtTara]

Go for the SS! We were on the Zuiderdam last Fall and loved the room (8097). It was our first cruise and we were definitely surprised by the size of the room and were spoiled. Veranda was very nice and we spent a lot of time out there. Enjoy your cruise!

[jhannah]

We enjoyed an SS on the Zuiderdam thanks to an upgrade. It was wonderful to have the extra space. And, as mentioned, the bathroom was wonderful! That would be worth the price of admission, IMO.

[cactuslady]

I think you'll enjoy the SS, and the price difference in your case is small enough that you'll kick yourself if you don't.

 

If the price of upgrading to an S is reasonable, it's also well worth it. On some cruises it's only a little bit more, on others it's several thousand $$$ more. Plus, the amenities seem to vary from ship to ship. Some, like us on the Statendam in December, had the suite dinner, suite luncheon and suite cocktail party, and had breakfast and lunch in the Pinnacle. Others have reported that they got only one or none of those treats.

[sheldrvrT6A]

All

I will do a little variation on the A question. We just returned from the O in an A room. Our charge for the upgrade would have been 350 dollars each as stated above. Our room was good with enough room for both of us. We had room service each day for some meals and found those also good especially breakfast. At our Vista table we had two couple that had ss rooms and I guess it is in what you want. We received free snacks and O dourves in all the bars prior to dinner so receiving them in the room was not a big deal. I am sure the Neptune was nice but again all in what you want for $700.00 extra. I see some folks on the thread got a free upgrade and of course that makes it defineitly worth it. Having a balcony of any sort for Alaska is the main thing. Have fun. Really, how much time do you spend in your room is the question?

Jerry