Help me select a cabin!

[haras]

Hi,

 

In the process of booking my honeymoon cruise for next year. I've narrowed down the ship and the date. Now I need to figure out how to get the best cabin for my money. I've only cruises HAL once on the Ryndam. We had a regular OV cabin. Although it was nice, this is going to be the longest cruise we've been on. It's November 4th 2007 for 14 days from Australia to New Zealand. Plus, it's our honeymoon. We've only done 7 day cruises to date. I've sailed on NCL in an aft balcony and I really liked that. I see that HAL has aft balconies but do they have the wrap around ones? What catagory is that? Any particular cabin I should keep my eye out for? The catagories I'm considering are:

 

BA- $3500/pp

B - $3739/pp

A - $3849/pp

 

OR if we happen to hit the lottery from now until November, a S for $6199/pp

 

Does the A, B or BA come with any special amenities like priority boarding?

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[hugger]

is that the Verandah mini suites don't come with any of the suite amenities. This would be cat. A,B,BA

I'm sure that some of the other CC's on the board can answer your other questions for you.

CONGRATS on your upcoming wedding

Happy CRUISING

[haras]

is that the Verandah mini suites don't come with any of the suite amenities. This would be cat. A,B,BA

I'm sure that some of the other CC's on the board can answer your other questions for you.

CONGRATS on your upcoming wedding

Happy CRUISING[/quote

 

I'm very excited about going on an extended cruise. We spend a lot of time in the cabin, so I want to get the best room possible for my budget. Since we're still pretty far out from the date, I figured I should start early for the coveted cabins. I don't know how rough the seas are in Australia but we have pretty sturdy sea legs so I'm still leaning towards an aft balcony. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[haras]

Does that mean that only a catagory S has the suite amenities?

[Vic The Parrot]

Does that mean that only a catagory S has the suite amenities?

 

 

 

You are correct, mi lady.

 

(If you want priority boarding, you could try sneaking into that line .... :D )

[Mary Ellen]

I haven't looked to see which ship you'll be on, but the 'aft' cabins I'm familiar with (Amsterdam & Zaandam) are HA cabins. So, unless you you require a HA cabin, the odds of being moved to one are small. The verandah doesn't 'wrap around', but it does extend to the rear as it narrows. There are also public deck areas (that VERY few people use) on the decks you are considering, where you can sit and enjoy the aft view - no matter what cabin you have.

 

If you book a 'guarantee' B or A you may wind up in one - if not needed for a handicaped. Since there are so few HA cabins (only 4 A/B), I wouldn't count on it.

[grannynurse]

haras,

Only the Vista class ships have the aft veranda cabins on the wake. The S and R class ships have so-called aft cabins but they are not advertised as such and are usually classified as "inside". They do have a window but not many people know this. If you mean aft as near the back of the ship and not on the wake, there are many b and BB cabins with verandas. Just know there's more motion back there.

 

I have some pictures of the SC suite aft veranda on the Westerdam (Vista class) on the second page of this board. (Alaska on the Westerdam). This is a true suite with suite amenities. The Vista class ships also have VA, regular veranda cabins on the wake but they are not going where you want to go. I assume, from the itinerary, you chose the Statendam for your honeymoon. The A cabins are more midship, the B and BB are forward and aft. If you're worried about motion, choose a cabin that is more mid ship and on a lower deck.

Hope this helps,

Congratulations on your marriage.

GN

[fann1sh]

Haras, I peeked at HAL itineraries, and see you'll be on board Statendam. I've cruised a number of times on the "S" class ships, and liked the convenience last time of A048 (aft, port, Navigation). Close to both elevators and gangway/stairs without noise from either, same deck as the adult pool, only one deck from the Lido. Disadvantage - constantly walking past the Neptune lounge, and not being able to go in :-( If you want to save a few dollars and be on the verandah deck instead, one nice thing about the BB far forward cabins is smokers on other verandahs shouldn't bother you - you will be upwind.

[bepsf]

Sarah--

 

The A, AA, B and BB staterooms on the S and R-Class ship are all pretty much identical except for location and specifics that are noted on the deckplans.

...and Yes, there are no Suite Perks w/ these categories.

 

If you're happy w/ an aft or forward location and don't mind the possibility for rough seas (which I understand is often the case between Australia and New Zealand), I'd go for the less expensive stateroom.

 

***grabs Vic by the scruff of the neck and pulls him back into the Non-Suite line with the rest of his friends***

;)

[haras]

I know I want an aft balcony. I now know that I want an aft balcony on the wake. is that the proper way to describe it? lol sorry. Also, the ship is the Statendam. Do these cabins (aft balcony with wake) have larger than normal balconies? Do any of them have the wrap around balconies?

 

Sorry if I sound like a dummy. I just want everything to be perfect. It's taken us so long to get to the whole wedding thing that I want the honeymoon to be extra special. :)

 

What are your favorite rooms on the Statendam? I know we can't afford the S class. 6k/pp is way too much. Especially since we're paying for a wedding too!

 

Here's a funny idea....since we bought our house this year already, we don't really need toasters or plates as a wedding gift. Maybe I should register for $$ so I can apply it to my honeymoon cruise!?!?! J/k my mother would kill me! :eek:

 

Thanks for your help!

[haras]

You are correct, mi lady.

 

(If you want priority boarding, you could try sneaking into that line .... :D )

 

I would never dare do that. Even though I secretly want to, I could never bring myself to actually do it. have you ever....???

[fann1sh]

Maybe I'm confused - but I think you're looking for a verandah cabin that looks out the stern, and Statendam doesn't have these. All the aft cabins with balconies are well back from the stern, and are only on verandah and navigation decks. Do you not have the deck plans? If not, you can easily view them many places on line.

[haras]

Maybe I'm confused - but I think you're looking for a verandah cabin that looks out the stern, and Statendam doesn't have these. All the aft cabins with balconies are well back from the stern, and are only on verandah and navigation decks. Do you not have the deck plans? If not, you can easily view them many places on line.

 

Hi Fann1sh,

 

I do have the deck plans. I see on the lower promenade desk there are 4 cabins. Do these have balconies? They are D420, D418, D419, and D421. Are these the Handicapped cabins Mary Ellen was referring to?

 

Officially confused,

[RuthC]

You're talking an S-class ship here; they are not like the Vistas, so don't confuse them.

There are no balconies on Lower Promenade; the balcony cabins are on Veranda and Navigation Decks. None of them have a balcony that overlooks the stern. All balconies are on the sides of the ship.

 

There are cabins on Lower Promenade that have a window that overlooks the stern. They also have easy access to what those of us in the cheap seats call " the biggest veranda on the ship".

[haras]

You're talking an S-class ship here; they are not like the Vistas, so don't confuse them.

There are no balconies on Lower Promenade; the balcony cabins are on Veranda and Navigation Decks. None of them have a balcony that overlooks the stern. All balconies are on the sides of the ship.

 

There are cabins on Lower Promenade that have a window that overlooks the stern. They also have easy access to what those of us in the cheap seats call " the biggest veranda on the ship".

 

I understand now. I thought those were balcony cabins. Just so I'm perfectly clear...are there any cabins on the Statendam which is a balcony that overlooks the stern so that if I lean over, I can see directly into the wake?

 

Now I'm beginning to annoy myself! Thanks for your help.

[grannynurse]

haras,

Hey that's Sarah backwards!

Sarah, I'm sorry i wasn't clearer in my first post. The Statendam is an S class ship. She doesn't have the aft veranda cabins. All the verandas are on the sides of the ship, and on the Navigation and Veranda decks. Only the Vista class ships, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, and Noordam have aft (on the wake) balconies. There is a sticky on the top of this page that explains the classes of HAL ships.

On Statendam the A, AA, B, BB, and BC cabins are considered mini suites BUT DO NOT have the suite amenities, BUT they have verandas, personalized stationary, whirlpool bathtubs, and refrigerators.

Since the Statendam is the only ship that does the itinerary that you chose you are limited in the location of your choice of balcony cabins. We were in an A cabin on the Rotterdam to Europe and back twice and we loved it. It has alot of storage space and nice balcony furniture plus a flat screen TV, DVD with free rentals, and wonderful queen sized beds, plus a nice bathroom.

Again, I hope this reduces your confusion.

GN

[RuthC]

...the balcony cabins are on Veranda and Navigation Decks. None of them have a balcony that overlooks the stern. All balconies are on the sides of the ship.

Just so I'm perfectly clear...are there any cabins on the Statendam which is a balcony that overlooks the stern so that if I lean over, I can see directly into the wake?

I'm sorry. I thought I was clear. The answer to your question is "no".

[Mary Ellen]

The closest you can get to an aft-looking balcony are the HA cabins I mentioned. Even in those the verandah has narrowed to a point and (if I'm remembering correctly) you don't look straight down to the wake due to the curve of the ship. Sorry - we were in Alaska looking 'out' not down.

[Tinknock50]

Well there are 2 cabins that I would get if I were in your shoes.

They are B220 and B205 on Veranda deck. You can see a lot of the wake from there. You can also look across to the other side of the ship if you stand at the end of the balcony. I had one of these cabins and as others have mentioned you can't look down to where the props start making the wake, but you can see across the entire wake.

 

Try this link and notice the line demarking the inside edge of the balcony:

 

Verandah Deck

[PerculaClown]

http://www.islandcruisetravel.com/cabins.htm

[haras]

I'm sorry. I thought I was clear. The answer to your question is "no".

 

You were more than clear. I was just hoping you were wrong. :rolleyes: I had my heart set on one of those balconies. Now I'm back to the drawing board. Thanks so much for your help.

[haras]

haras,

Hey that's Sarah backwards!

Sarah, I'm sorry i wasn't clearer in my first post. The Statendam is an S class ship. She doesn't have the aft veranda cabins. All the verandas are on the sides of the ship, and on the Navigation and Veranda decks. Only the Vista class ships, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, and Noordam have aft (on the wake) balconies. There is a sticky on the top of this page that explains the classes of HAL ships.

On Statendam the A, AA, B, BB, and BC cabins are considered mini suites BUT DO NOT have the suite amenities, BUT they have verandas, personalized stationary, whirlpool bathtubs, and refrigerators.

Since the Statendam is the only ship that does the itinerary that you chose you are limited in the location of your choice of balcony cabins. We were in an A cabin on the Rotterdam to Europe and back twice and we loved it. It has alot of storage space and nice balcony furniture plus a flat screen TV, DVD with free rentals, and wonderful queen sized beds, plus a nice bathroom.

Again, I hope this reduces your confusion.

GN

 

Thanks for your help. I think I have it figured out. It's so hard when you're getting use to another cruiseline's cabin catagories. I think i'm going to go with Tinknock50 and see if the two cabins he mentioned are available.

 

Thanks so much to everyone for their help.

 

You're probably going to see a lot of my posts on the HAL board as the cruise is still 13 months away and I've only begun planning! ;)

[Tinknock50]

Thanks for your help. I think I have it figured out. It's so hard when you're getting use to another cruiseline's cabin catagories. I think i'm going to go with Tinknock50 and see if the two cabins he mentioned are available.

 

Thanks so much to everyone for their help.

 

You're probably going to see a lot of my posts on the HAL board as the cruise is still 13 months away and I've only begun planning! ;)

 

Sarah,

I hope you get one of those cabins. They are one of my all time favorite cabins of my 23 cruises. I would like to book one of them again, but the "S" class ships don't seem to be on an itinerary I like lately. Plus I have been taking my mom on all my cruises and she needs a handicap cabin, which these cabins are not.

[Mary Ellen]

Looking at the Statendam's deck plans, I see that those cabins (BA 220 & 205) aren't HA as they are on the other ships. Go for them and if they are already booked, don't forget that you can still avail yourselves of the public deck area between them that VERY few passengers use (we were never aware of anyone being there). If the cabins are booked, see if you can waitlist for one of them. Good Luck and enjoy your cruise!