VA 7145 Rear Facing Verandah on Oosterdam/Zuiderdam/Westerdam - Questions

[bicoastalbabe]

We are booked on the 19 day November 2 Panama Canal cruise and have taken cabin VA 7145, a rear facing balcony cabin, rather than one on the side aft. Is this a good choice?

 

I read a posting from someone who was in the cabin above who reported the balcony being covered with soot all the time and ruining clothes?

 

Also, will the view be better than being on the side on a Canal cruise?

 

I was reading a thread about the relative merits of various balcony and suite cabins and location on these ships but now can't find it. Can someone help me find it again?

 

Thanks. The storehouse of knowledge on these boards is amazing. :)

[innlady1]

We've been in a VA on the stern on the Noordam and although there was a little soot on the verandah in the morning, it didn't ruin anything. It was on the floor, table & chairs. We wiped those down before we used the verandah. I'm assuming it blows down to those verandahs from the smoke stacks but don't know for sure.

[Layla]

We were in an aft balcony, 7149, on the Westerdam. And yes, we had soot, cigarette butts, napkins and lots of other "junk" on our balcony every day. Had to wipe off the chairs, tables and loungers several times a day. Because the balcony was not completely covered, it allowed all of this to blow back in on our balcony.

[Duck Duck Cruise]

We love the aft staterooms. We especially love the corner aft suites when we can afford them.

 

You can see so much more from the aft balconies than from the side balconies (both sides and to the rear) and they are generally larger than the side balconies.

 

We have 7148 booked for our 16 day Panama Canal Transit it September of 2010 on the Zuiderdam. Will check closer to sailing date and see if we can work out another deal to get 7151 (corner aft suite) as we did on our Alaska Cruise in July.

 

You can check out 7151 and the view you will get in 7148 on our Alaska blog. The link is in our signature line below.

 

We had an ID10T in the suite above us that continually flicked his cigarette ashes onto our balcony, but it wasn't as bad as some of the posts we have seen about this happening. We talked to HAL and they asked him to refrain from doing that and he mostly complied, at least while we were on our balcony.

[bicoastalbabe]

We love the aft staterooms. We especially love the corner aft suites when we can afford them.

 

You can see so much more from the aft balconies than from the side balconies (both sides and to the rear) and they are generally larger than the side balconies.

 

We have 7148 booked for our 16 day Panama Canal Transit it September of 2010 on the Zuiderdam. Will check closer to sailing date and see if we can work out another deal to get 7151 (corner aft suite) as we did on our Alaska Cruise in July.

 

You can check out 7151 and the view you will get in 7148 on our Alaska blog. The link is in our signature line below.

 

We had an ID10T in the suite above us that continually flicked his cigarette ashes onto our balcony, but it wasn't as bad as some of the posts we have seen about this happening. We talked to HAL and they asked him to refrain from doing that and he mostly complied, at least while we were on our balcony.

 

 

Thanks. I don't see 1748 on the deck plan (7147 & 1949 is next to 7151). Might they have changed the numbers?

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Thanks. I don't see 1748 on the deck plan (7147 & 1949 is next to 7151). Might they have changed the numbers?

 

OOPS! I meant 7145.

[bicoastalbabe]

Hey! Thanks for sharing your cabin with us. (Could I have the espresso ?)

[Sanlin]

We had 7138 on the Z going through the canal and it was awesome. Ran to the bow to enter the locks, then spent the majority of the time on our balcony watching all the locks open and close. It was especially awesome on the return through the locks - we did not take an excursion. Occasionally something would fall from above but nothing worthwhile getting upset about since the aft balcony view and size more than compensates for a sugar wrapper on the floor first thing in the morning. You will enjoy the view!