Signature Suite vs Vista Suite

[detroit70]

I've been on a good number of HAL cruises, but not for the last 3.5 years (pre-COVID.)  I've always been fortunate enough to have either a Signature or sometimes a Neptune Suite so it's been comfortable for me.  However, I'm finding the price increases since early 2020 are prompting me to look at the Vista Suite as an option, but I've got a couple questions for those of you experienced cruisers.

1)  Will I feel much more cramped in a Vista Suite than I've felt on previous cruises for 14 to possibly 21 days?

2)  Is it possible to watch the TV from anywhere other than the bed on the Rotterdam or Nieuw Amsterdam if you're in either the Signature or Vista Suite cabins? (I don't plan to be in front of the TV often or for extended periods, but I do tend to sit down late at night with a glass of wine in hand to watch the news, or have my coffee in the morning in front of the TV.)

 

Thanks very much for your insights and opinions!

[0106]

@detroit70 Vistas are only slightly La he then verandahs.  Signatures are substantially larger.  I would never book a Vista but have taken upsells to Signatures.  You can see the TV from the love seat and there is a chair at the desk that you could move to view to TV too.

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, detroit70 said:

 I've always been fortunate enough to have either a Signature or sometimes a Neptune Suite so it's been comfortable for me.  ...prompting me to look at the Vista Suite as an option ((snip))

1)  Will I feel much more cramped in a Vista Suite than I've felt on previous cruises for 14 to possibly 21 days?

2)  Is it possible to watch the TV from anywhere other than the bed on the Rotterdam or Nieuw Amsterdam if you're in either the Signature or Vista Suite cabins?

Thanks very much for your insights and opinions!

Hi Detroit. 

We have never sailed in an upper level suite. While it is true that the Vistas (at least on the Pinnacle class) are "only slightly larger" than Verandahs, they are importantly larger! also in prime locations on the ship. We sailed in a mid-ship VS for 16 days on the Koningsdam, and we are booked in the same cabin for 35 days! OTOH, it would be very hard to go back to an OV or inside. So maybe you would not be as comfortable sizing down.

 

Q2: We did not turn on the TV after watching the safety briefing. The screen appeared to be flush with the wall, but I was not sure if it might be articulated and able to point toward the loveseat. However, researching a little found this video:

which states the TV is not comfortably watched from the loveseat. 

 

Good luck with your cruise shopping!

[Iamthesea]

On our Nieuw Statendam cruise last month, DH and I had planned to be in a Vista.  We had upgraded from a Veranda.  A couple of weeks prior to the cruise, we bit the bullet and moved up to a SS.  So glad that we did!  It will be hard going back to a Verandah or a Vista, however.   We have a Verandah booked for our May 2024 cruise on the Rotterdam.   If we cannot move up to a SS, we will be thankful for the little extra room that the Vista will give us, should we upgrade.  Thanks for the video crystalspin!!!

 

I see many videos of staterooms online, but very few photographs.  I wanted to return the kindness to CC. When DH and I were onboard the N. Statendam, I carefully photographed long range views of our Signature Suite to share. 

 

You can see in the bedroom portion that there is a red chair.  My DH used the chair to watch T.V.  I could easily see the T.V. from the dressing table.  We never once used the couch to watch it.  In fact, the only time we used the couch was to sit on while eating our room service breakfast.  I had intended to lounge on it to watch the Fjord scenery go by, but we were usually getting ready for morning or evening activities when going thru the fjords, so did not have time to relax.  We did watch a couple of movies on sea days and used the bed to view the set.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Edited June 15, 2023 by Iamthesea

[detroit70]

Your pictures and video are so helpful!  Thank you!  The "red chair" is exactly what I was hoping to find and I'm grateful for the video of the cabin as well. On a previous cruise in a signature suite, I persuaded the cabin steward to find a chair like that red one for me so that I could watch the tv without laying on the bed.  I'm hoping that chair is now standard furnishings for a SS.  The balcony pictures are also encouraging in terms of some reasonable space and comfortable chairs, plus a table.  Again, many thanks for your helpful posts!

Edited June 15, 2023 by detroit70

[Kellybc]

We were in a Signature Suite on the Nieuw Amsterdam in April and could only watch TV from the bed or a chair that wasn’t as nice as that red one. I don’t believe the ship had Vista Suites. 

[crystalspin]

4 hours ago, Kellybc said:

We were in a Signature Suite on the Nieuw Amsterdam in April and could only watch TV from the bed or a chair that wasn’t as nice as that red one. I don’t believe the ship had Vista Suites. 

Huh! You are right, none of the Vista Class nor Signature Class (NA & Eurodam) have Vista Suites. Whereas Volendam and Zaandam don't have Verandahs, only Vistas!

[detroit70]

I'm looking at cruises on the Nieuw Statendam and the Rotterdam and I'm finding the Signature and Vista Suites as options on those ships.  So far I think the responses are leading me to book the Signature Suites.  

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

[crystalspin]

Just now, detroit70 said:

I'm looking at cruises on the Nieuw Statendam and the Rotterdam and I'm finding the Signature and Vista Suites as options on those ships.  So far I think the responses are leading me to book the Signature Suites.  

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

Yes the N.Statendam and the Rotterdam are Pinnacle class ships and have Vista Suites in desirable locations (aft and mid-ship), but those don't give the full Suite experience. If you can and choose to afford it, the Signature Suite is the real deal.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

We were just on the Nieuw Statendam in a Vista suite. We were able to upgrade to it from a Verandah at no extra cost. If I had to pay for the Vista, I wouldn't bother-it didn't seem that much bigger than a verandah. I would love to try the Signature Suite someday though-it looks wonderful.

[oakridger]

9 hours ago, crystalspin said:

but those don't give the full Suite experience

 

@crystalspin Wondering what you mean by this as the Signature Suites really only provide more space, double Mariner points and priority boarding/tendering. (I love SS on Vista and Signature Class ships!!) Those are all good things but not what my definition of "Full Suite experience" would be.  Can you clarify?

 

Thanks,

~Nancy

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, oakridger said:

Those are all good things but not what my definition of "Full Suite experience" would be.  Can you clarify?

Yeah, maybe I don't know what I mean! Priority boarding and tendering is good. ALOT more space from the photo-tours I've seen. Vista (on K'dam and with three adults on Zaandam) are my only experience. I guess I just figured from their size and locations that Signature Suites got more good stuff!

[kazu]

3 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Yeah, maybe I don't know what I mean! Priority boarding and tendering is good. ALOT more space from the photo-tours I've seen. Vista (on K'dam and with three adults on Zaandam) are my only experience. I guess I just figured from their size and locations that Signature Suites got more good stuff!

 

Signature suites have a lot more space but perk-wise they are lacking.  Sorry but there is no priority boarding or tendering with them.  You need to be in a Neptune Suite for those perks and others.  

 

You do get priority tendering and boarding with Club Orange, if you are 5 or 4* of course but that has nothing to do with the type of room you are in 😉 

[AncientWanderer]

18 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Signature suites have a lot more space but perk-wise they are lacking.  Sorry but there is no priority boarding or tendering with them.  You need to be in a Neptune Suite for those perks and others.  

 

You do get priority tendering and boarding with Club Orange, if you are 5 or 4* of course but that has nothing to do with the type of room you are in 😉 

 

Early on, the signature suites were a really great value.  But now they are popular and prices went up.  It doesn't seem like the extra square footage is worth the big bump in price.  Like you say, there aren't any other perks.  Just my opinion.

[POA1]

The Signature Suites (category SS, SY, SZ & SQ) are about halfway between a regular verandah and a Neptune Suite, size wise. You get more space, and you used to get - and may still get, telephone concierge service. (Not a super perk, in my experience - but we're a pretty self-sufficient people.)

 

If you are a 4* Mariner or higher, the SS really hits the sweet spot because your Mariner status gets you priority boarding & tendering & unlimited laundry and pressing.

 

As word of the wonders of the SS spread in the last 10 years, price has gone up, driven by demand. (Note to 2014 me: Don't prattle on about how great the Signatures are. It will come back to bite you in the butt.)

 

Full Suite perks come with Neptune & Pinnacle Suites. If you want to compare amenity levels you can use the handy dandy chart on HAL's website. It's not the easiest thing to find, so here's the link:

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/suites-staterooms.html

[POA1]

We're trying a Vista suite for the first time on our cruise in December. We chose one on the Shubert Deck (a fancy way of saying, "7") because we wanted to be in a nice neighborhood. The bulk of the Neptune Suites are on 7 as is the PS. (We hear good things about the schools and parks there, too.)

 

I doubt this will be our go to cabin choice going forward, but this is a short 7 day sailing. It's our first time on a Pinnacle class ship, first time with Club Orange, first time trying Rudi's Sel de Mer, and first exposure to the Grand Dutch Café. The cabana, the ports, and the Elite Beverage Package are all repeats, but otherwise it's a cruise of firsts - including our first cruise of the 2020s (Yay!) and my first cruise in my 60s (Boo!) My child bride is still in her 50s, but on the downslope. HAL demographic, here we come!

[DaveOKC]

Signatures are my favorite category.  Good size cabins plus often we are offered upsells to Neptunes for reasonable prices.

 

[oakridger]

20 hours ago, kazu said:

Sorry but there is no priority boarding or tendering with them.

 

Uh oh.  My apologies for posting false information!  I guess my memory is not working properly. I need to always double check the details before posting.

 

Thanks for the heads up @kazu!

 

~Nancy

Edited June 17, 2023 by oakridger

[Sea-n-Ease]

Thanks for these photos!

 

Does anyone know if any Signature Suites on K’dam have these large shower stalls?

 

We are three single adults with a mid-ship Koningsdam Signature Suite next year.  Booked it specifically to have the twin Murphy bed.
 

I absolutely LOVE this bathroom more than ours, which has a huge bathtub (that we won’t use) and a smallish shower stall. 

[Iamthesea]

1 hour ago, Sea-n-Ease said:

Thanks for these photos!

 

Does anyone know if any Signature Suites on K’dam have these large shower stalls?

 

We are three single adults with a mid-ship Koningsdam Signature Suite next year.  Booked it specifically to have the twin Murphy bed.
 

I absolutely LOVE this bathroom more than ours, which has a huge bathtub (that we won’t use) and a smallish shower stall. 

 

You are welcome!

 

I do not believe that the Koningsdam has the SS without the bathtub unless it is a HC stateroom.

 

Does anyone have information about the Rotterdam SS?

[oakridger]

13 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

I do not believe that the Koningsdam has the SS without the bathtub unless it is a HC stateroom.

 

The YouTube videos I could find all show the separate tub and stand up shower stall with glass door on the Koningsdam.     

 

13 hours ago, Iamthesea said:

Does anyone have information about the Rotterdam SS?

 

According to Halfacts.com Rotterdam has a gorgeous big shower only in the SS!!  It even has a bench and it looks like maybe some extra shower sprays??  I have no first hand knowledge, just the picture!

7101 – Rotterdam | HAL Cruiser Information (halfacts.com)

 

~Nancy

 

[Iamthesea]

Thank you for the photos of the Rotterdam SS.  Exact same layout as our SS on N. Statendam.  I do not like the carpet, however.  I do like the lighter color of the couch.  The shower is the same.  The different shower sprays were not used on our recent cruise.  The shower layout, with the heads mounted on the side, are not ideal.  We hope to be in an SS on the Rotterdam next May.

[Heartgrove]

We have sailed twice in a Neptune Suite and once in a Signature Suite onboard Vista/Signature ships. Onboard the Nieuw Statendam and Koningsdam we have sailed in an A-category Vista Suite (as well as the Veendam but that is a different story) in our quest to reach 4 Star status mainly for the additional amenities.

 

There are two advantages to booking an A-category Vista Suite (not AS, A-H, or BC) on a Pinnacle-class ship. They are: Mid-ship placement for balcony views without lifeboat obstruction; and double Mariner points for a bit more $ than a verandah if you are attempting to raise your Mariner status. Other than a larger balcony that then includes a true table and chairs for balcony dining, the Signature Suite really doesn't offer any advantage IMHO which cost more than five years ago. Regarding a Neptune Suite, we have been truly spoiled by MSC's Yacht Club experience for approximately the same, maybe less (?), cost. I feel it even beats VO.

[detroit70]

Thanks to all of you for your feedback on Vista Suite vs Signature Suite.  Your posts persuaded me to book the Signature on the Nieuw Statendam for the 14 day Northern Isle cruise of Scotland, Iceland and Norway in August.  I'm especially grateful for the pictures posted by Iamthesea a few days ago.  I'm feeling much more confident about my choice after seeing those, and I'm putting in my request for the red chair or something resembling that for occasional tv watching--if it's not available, I'll move in one of those balcony chairs and foot stools!

 

If anyone has further suggestions about the Nieuw Statendam and/or the Scotland, Iceland, Norway cruise, I'd love to hear that as well.  Unfortunately the Norway portion has been reduced to only one port due to "operational concerns" but, since Iceland was my primary goal, I booked it anyway.

 

Again, many thanks for your help!

[SusieKIslandGirl]

Dinner at Tamarind was very good but hard to find. It's only easily accessible from the aft elevators.