Forward Facing Cabins

[Ksqrd]

Hello all,

 

We are cruising to Norway in May and we are considering an forward facing cabin on the Nieuw Statendam (cabin 6200). Has anyone stayed in this cabin or one like it?  The room and the wrap around balcony look great but we are wondering how windy it will be. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!

Edited March 12 by Ksqrd

[colbe]

21 minutes ago, Ksqrd said:

Hello all,

 

We are cruising to Norway in May and we are considering an forward facing cabin on the Nieuw Statendam (cabin 6200). Has anyone stayed in this cabin or one like it?  The room and the wrap around balcony look great but we are wondering how windy it will be. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!

Do you perhaps mean 6002?

https://halfacts.com/pinnacle-class/6002-nieuw-statendam/

[CruiserBruce]

It could be quite windy if the ship is under way.

[Ksqrd]

Oops! Yes, it should be 6002!  Thank you for picking up on that and for the info.  Sound like it will be too windy for our liking.

Edited March 12 by Ksqrd

[kochleffel]

I've only had forward-facing oceanview cabins (on some other ships) but I'll mention one thing that may or may not matter to you: in cabins all the way forward, or all the way aft, wi-fi tends to be weak and spotty.

 

[cruisingrob21]

Just know that if you get seasick easily, pack the Dramamine (or whatever you use).  If you encounter rough seas you will feel it in forward rooms more than even a few rooms closer to the middle of the ship.

[oakridger]

The wind is cold in Norway. Even in May.

[NRFBQN]

I recommend against it.  We were in a similar cabin about a year ago and it was too windy to use the verandah while underway.  In fact, you could barely get the door open if you tried.  In the evenings, due to the proximity to the bridge, we had to draw the curtains so our light didn't interfere with their vision.  So, in the daytime it was like being in an Oceanview cabin and at night it was like being in an Inside cabin.  The bathroom was great, though!

[CruiserBruce]

7 hours ago, oakridger said:

The wind is cold in Norway. Even in May.

Even in July!!

[Ksqrd]

Thank you all for your responses.  I think we will stick with an aft facing cabin!

[NengEuis]

We were in 6002 in the Caribbean and loved it. For a port-heavy itinerary or one with with fjord cruising I would do it again in a second. While the outside area is not ideal with the vessel is underway, any time they open up the bow for any kind of viewing you will thank yourself for booking that stateroom! I am trying to book it again for another cruise. This is when we were approaching San Juan PR. 

[albingirl]

I trust a mid ship cabin far more in case of rocky seas. And that can happen anywhere. We have a personal vessel, so I  generally have my sea legs, but out in rough open water it can be challenging.

[Heidi13]

On 3/11/2024 at 4:50 PM, Ksqrd said:

Hello all,

 

We are cruising to Norway in May and we are considering an forward facing cabin on the Nieuw Statendam (cabin 6200). Has anyone stayed in this cabin or one like it?  The room and the wrap around balcony look great but we are wondering how windy it will be. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

Thanks!

 

With respect to wind, you need to consider both the relative wind (not the true wind) and the design of the fwd structure.

 

Relative wind is what is experienced over the decks and is the result of the ships vector and the true wind vector. If the wind is from ahead, then yes, it will be extremely windy over the decks, with the ship's speed adding to the true wind speed. However, if the true wind is from astern or abaft the beam, the ship's speed reduces the true wind speed over the decks. If the wind is right astern and the ship's speed and wind speed are the same, you will not have any wind over the decks. Therefore, wind on a fwd balcony can be variable throughout the entire cruise and will change as the ship alters course.

 

Having spent many hours on open Bridge Wings, even in head winds, the fwd structure deflects the wind, so it is actually fairly calm out on the wings. Had a similar cabin on our Viking World cruise and had no wind issues on the balcony. Haven't sailed with HAL yet, so can't comment on how effective the structure is at deflecting the wind away from balconies.

 

Some other issues you may wish to consider. The increased distance from the ship's centre of gravity means more movement in a seaway, fwd cabins get noise/vibration from the thrusters and may also get noise from the anchor chains in a seaway, plus during anchoring operations.

 

Another consideration for fwd cabins is having to keep the curtains closed from sunset to sunrise, as cabin lights shining fwd, negatively impact the night vision of the Bridge watchkeepers.

[matthenrysmoot]

I've been in 6002 on Nieuw Statendam for a Mediterranean cruise. It was a great balcony for scenic cruising - we were out on the balcony sailing into Dubrovnik, Kotor, and sailing through the Straits of Messina. But the balcony got very windy when the ship was sailing, and overall we didn't use it very much. I'd much prefer an aft balcony.