Veendam question

[unclerich]

Planning Veendam cruise May '07 (Aegean). Anyone have thoughts on A vs B Verandah Suites ..... Navigation deck vs Verandah deck?

 

Thanks,

 

Richard

[Randyk47]

We're on the Veendam in Mar '07 in a Cat B. I couldn't see paying the extra money for basically the exact same cabin one deck up. We took Cabin 141 which put us more or less midships and in between elevators.

[RuthC]

I suggest you take a look at what's over and beneath those decks.

Isn't Veranda Deck one above Upper Promenade? If it is you could be directly over the lounges or casino. That's not a problem if you're the one closing the lounges/casino, but could be if you turn in early.

[Tricia724]

I vote with Randy.....to me it's not worth any extra money when the cabins are identical. RuthC is correct....the Veranda Deck is above the Upper Promenade Deck, but a number of the B cabins are over the shops, Explorations Cafe, Explorer's Lounge and other areas which close early or are normally not loud or intrusive. Check the deck plans before you book.

 

We currently have a cruise booked on Veendam and Maasdam, and in both cases, we chose a B stateroom.

[Aussie Gal]

I have an interesting publication which came out a couple of years ago citing the best cabins for the money on the various ships. On the HAL S class ships , the publication states that the B verandah cabins are a great buy, saving quite a bit of money because they are only one deck lower than the A's and are exactly the same size. Why pay hundreds more just to be one deck higher!

 

Jennie

[boomerSexyK]

Just checked the HAL site .... On 2 different 10 day cruises next spring there is only a difference of $80/pp between an 'A' or 'B' cabin. Same diff. on a Transatlantic (18 day). I would think for $160 I'd rather avoid any noise problems and be a deck higher.

[Aussie Gal]

boomerSexyK,

 

Remember that the A Verandahs are directly underneath the Lido so you could get a bit of noise from there.

 

We are directly over the Exploration Cafe so I doubt if there will be any noise from there at night, especially as we are on late sitting and therefore won't be going to bed before 11pm.

 

I would prefer to be above the noise than directly under noise. I hate the scraping of chairs etc. waking me up in the morning. We had that earlier this year when in a mini suite on the Regal Princess. They were cleaning the pool deck down each morning around 5am! It took me a few days before I worked out what the noise was each morning. After 17 mornings we did get used to the noise!

 

With our 34 day cruise there is a difference of $300US p.p. which amounts to over $1000Aud, so there is a saving involved for us, especially as the cruise isn't one of your "cheapies".

 

Jennie

[unclerich]

Thanks to all of you for your input. I agree about being hesitant with a cabin below the pool area. Early morning cleaning might be annoying.

 

Richard

[Randyk47]

I've experienced more noise....and that really is a relative term as none of it was a problem....in my couple of S category cabins than in my two B category cabins. Starboard midships on the Verandah Deck is pretty quiet and we've not noticed much if any noise. Less hallway traffic too. There's about a $225 per person difference for our 14 day cruise so I'll only wind up in an A if HAL upgrades us and I'm not even wishing for that upgrade....an S maybe ;) but not to an A.

[Tricia724]

I've experienced more noise....and that really is a relative term as none of it was a problem....in my couple of S category cabins than in my two B category cabins.

 

It's really amazing to me that so many cruiselines have continued to cling to the age-old "higher is better" attitude when locating suites on ships. They still continue to put suites or higher priced cabin category cabins directly under the pool deck....so the people who are spending the most money are subjected to the thumping, scraping, and loud music often associated with the pool area. Even the penthouse suites on some ships are not in the most desirable location. At least on the Vista class ships, HAL has moved the SA suites down a deck which IMO is a better location because they are between two passenger decks and are very quiet.