Noordam Questions???

[kelelmel]

Just booked the 10nt. Carib. out of NYC and I am soo excited, but I have some questions. We will be traveling with my in-laws and we booked cabins 5180 & 5181, at the front of the ship. Are these bad cabin choices? The only available choices were at the bow or very far back toward the aft. I heard so many negative things about aft cabins and vibrations, I opted for the forward. Was that a bad choice? What, if any, are the drawbacks to being at the bow of the ship?

 

These are Deluxe Verandah Staterooms (Cat VA) does anyone know the approximate cabin size and balcony size?

 

She will be still be very new when we cruise (April 06), did we give her enough time to break in?

 

I've ordered my HAL brochure and I am waiting patiently. Does anyone have any information or know of any links with some information on the Noordam? Or shall I just assume she will be the same as the other Vista ships?

 

Thanks Kelly

[grannynurse]

The brochure lists the category VA as 249 sq ft with veranda.

It is approx 40 sq ft smaller than an A on the non-vista class ships.

Cat. SS are 349 sq ft with veranda.

 

The pictures look great but I bet they are of the Westerdam as it's too early to have interior pix of the Noordam. She should be identical in design to the Westerdam except for color scheme and atrium. The website cruisejunkie.com has a link to 360 degree virtual tours of cruise ships, and I did see vista class ships listed with their specs.

 

I didn't see or hear any problems with the Westerdam when she was brand new. I know alot of people steer clear of the maiden voyage season and the "ironing-out problems" honeymoon period, but many jump at the chance for the inaugural season goodies. It's really very exciting. We were in Rotterdam when the Oosterdam was christened...it was quite a show.

I'm sure you will love her.

GN

[peaches from georgia]

We will be traveling with my in-laws and we booked cabins 5180 & 5181, at the front of the ship. Are these bad cabin choices? The only available choices were at the bow or very far back toward the aft. I heard so many negative things about aft cabins and vibrations, I opted for the forward. Was that a bad choice? What, if any, are the drawbacks to being at the bow of the ship? [/i

 

VA 5180 and 5181 are aft cabins across the stern of the Noordam, NOT in the front.

 

Either you listed the wrong cabin #s here or are holding the deck plan upside down. :D In rough weather it is much rockier in the bow, so if these are your cabin #s I would keep them.

[jhannah]

Many people really swear by those cabins at the back, and really love them. You can sit and watch the wake of the ship as it slides through the ocean. Peaches is correct, IMO, that you should not change cabins if these are truly the ones you have. There would definitely be more ocean motion felt in the far forward cabins.

[kelelmel]

Well I guess it's obvious that I am flying blind here, where is my nor'DAM' brochure? :p Apparently booking at midnight after a bit too much Sangria is not recommended. Oh well, I guess it was fate.

 

I hear a lot of negative things about vibration and engine noise in the aft cabins. Can anyone confirm or dispute this? Should I anticipate a lot more movement in these cabins as opposed to mid-ship cabins? It appears that the balcony's are larger across the stern. Is this correct or merely an illusion?

 

Thanks for correcting me and for the info.!

 

~Kelly

[peaches from georgia]

Movement-wise, the bow is definetely the worst. Our first cruise was a bow cabin (didn't know any better) and we said we would never cruise again. Luckily we did, but moved out of that area. Think of the ship like a pendulum- the middle moves the least; the ends of the ship the most. However, the bow is going directly into the waves and can get much more movement in rough seas than the stern.

 

Yes, the balconies are larger along the stern, but you lose some privacy with the wedding cake tiered design of the Vista ships. You can look up all the deck plans on the HAL website- the Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, and the Westerdam are the same as the coming Noordam. We much prefer midship, but you will get an arguement for the aft cabins also. However, I have never heard a soul say they just had to have a cabin in the bow! :eek:

[bepsf]

The Vista Class are incredibly quiet at the stern vibration-wise - you should have no problems on Noordam...

[kelelmel]

Woo Hoo, larger balcony!! I might like the stern better than mid-ship, depending on the privacy issue, or lack thereof.

Thanks Brian and Peaches, I appreciate the reassurance. Now I hope the in-laws are ok with the cabin choice.

~Kelly

[General Max]

We booked cabin 5180 on the inaugural cruise, February 22, 2006. By the way, Mrs. Max and I acquired a taste for Sangria when we were in Spain in 2003.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[doone]

I had suite cabin 5187 on the Zuiderdam which is an aft corner suite and I would highly recommend the aft part of the ship vs. the front of the ship. We never felt any vibration other than that of being on the water. Like the other posters here have already said, lots of movement towards the front. If your cabins are in the back part of the ship, I would most definately keep those cabins as well.

[kelelmel]

General Max, that's my cabin, take good care of her and be sure to provide all details upon your retrun. :D It's not hard to acquire a taste for Sangria. I haven't had the pleasure of visiting Spain, but I was first introduced to it at a local Portugese resaraunt. I've since acquired a couple of pretty decent recipes.

 

Doone, thanks for the firsthand info. I am definetely convinced and am definetely keeping these cabins.

[General Max]

kelelmel, We will try not to spill anything on the floor or on the bed. If we order room service, we will eat on the balcony. By the way, they wanted $200 per person per day for this cabin on the inaugural sailing. Maybe that's not too pricy for a ten day cruise.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[kelelmel]

General Max, I plan on doing a thorough inspection of the cabin and holding you personally responsilbe for any imperfections :p

 

I thought it was a little high too, ($200 per person/day) but I paid the same thing. Sounds like you did ok since I would assume yours should be more than mine being that yours is the inaugural cruise.

 

Nevertheless, I'm pleased. I think the deal is reasonable enough and the cabin seems to be a good choice. This will be my first cruise longer than 7 days and the newest ship I've been on yet. Another bonus is no air for me, just a short drive to the city.

 

~Kelly

[General Max]

It also was hard to book the inaugural cruise on the Internet. A lot of sites didn,t even list it as available. From what I understand, a lot of Travel Agencies have blocked out rooms and are trying to make a killing. Just like car dealers when a new model comes out.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[HAL92]

Your cabins are in the aft part of the ship, which is better movement wise than the bow. They are overlooking the stern, and the verandahs may not be as private as a cabin on the side of the ship. While I'd personally upgrade to a suite, the Deluxe verandah Staterooms are very nice. Their best feature is the private verandah, which is the main selling point of these cabins. There is a decent bathroom, a queen sized bed, and a small sitting area. The only aft cabins I've stayed in are aft corner suites, and I'd reccomend the aft part of the ship. The layout of the Noordam is the same as the other Vista ships, but the decor and design will be much different.

[kelelmel]

We had a suite on the Z and it certainly was awesome and I would definetely love to upgrade to a suite this time. As a matter of fact, I priced a suite yesterday but it was over a grand more. I figure I could put that extra money toward my bar bill.

 

I think I will be pleased with my cabin selection. I've had a lot of reassurance (I need that). I am, however, still a bit concerned about the privacy issue. Although I am not planning on doing anything crazy, I still want to be able to enjoy my breakfast in my pj's.

[General Max]

kelelmel, you can wear the robe provided by HAL to enjoy your breakfast on the verandah. I just don't want any beer spilled on me.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[kelelmel]

General Max,

 

Do they provide robes for non-suite categories? If so, I will definetely make good use of mine. However, you won't need to worry about me spilling beer, martini, maybe.

 

~Kelly

[doone]

Every cabin category gets robes.

[General Max]

I understand that sometimes you have to ask your room steward for the robes.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[K&RCurt]

I understand that sometimes you have to ask your room steward for the robes.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

 

The robes will be hanging in your cabin when you first enter.

[General Max]

That will be the first thing I check for when we board the Nordam in February.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[kelelmel]

Robe, no robe, either way it won't ruin my cruise. Although, it seems to me that if they are cruising out of NYC in Feb., they may want to consider replacing the robes with parkas!

[General Max]

I just checked our cruise reservation booking. The cost was $4095.74 for two people on the 10 day inaugural cruise. (Category VA cabin with verandah). Are other TA's quoting higher or lower prices? It is difficult to check any numbers except for what HAL wants.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[kelelmel]

You did just slightly better than I did. Which, as I said earlier, is probably a good deal, yours being the inaugural cruise. I didn't think my deal was so great, this is the most I've spent on a cruise (no air) so far. I was getting better pricing for a suite on the Maasdam, a week earlier, 11nt. out of VA. I guess we are paying a premium for a new ship. They probably need to recover some money quickly. Was hoping I could get a suite for that price, but it not even close.

 

~Kelly