Cabins to avoid

[FishOn55]

Thank you to all of you who shared your firsthand experience regarding the lack of noise for those of us who have cabins booked directly across the hall from the entrance to the elevator/stairwells. Leave it to someone who has not even been assigned a cabin in that area to try and put a damper on my enthusiasm while waiting for my cruise on the Westerdam next month!

[jtl513]

On the Vista ships there are a couple of balconies that have solid steel panels. I don't know the location since I haven't sailed on a Vista but I am sure someone on this board knows where they are.

 

All of the VFs forward on deck 4 (Upper Prom)

[bob brown]

The J-Category Inside Cabins on the S and R class ships are all found on the Lower Promenade Deck, amidships, just aft of the Atrium. They are in an EXCELLENT location, and are among my favorite cabins on the S and Rs. They are all the same size, at 182 square feet ... indeed, they are a little larger than the outside C-category cabins just across the hall from them. :) In my opinion they are the best truly inside cabins on those ships because of their location.

 

However, for my money and in my experience and opinion, the largest and best inside cabins in the whole dam Fleet are the Js and the Ks found on the Vista's Main Deck. Just don't get them confused with the Js and the Ks found on the upper decks ... they are MUCH smaller.

 

I just got back from my first Vista class cruise on the Noordam and enjoyed cabin 1123 very much, but the best inside I ever had was 2619 on the Rotterdam, a huge cabin, and located dead center on the ship for a very stable ride.

[Liner]

Willowoodf...have a great time. We'll be boarding after you return! Don't drink all the liquor or eat all the food!! :p

[RuthC]

the best inside I ever had was 2619 on the Rotterdam, a huge cabin, and located dead center on the ship for a very stable ride.

Hush up, awready. :rolleyes:

It's my favorite cabin on the R-class ships (I've booked it on every single one of 'em; Volendam and Zaandam this year alone!) and I'd hate to have it booked out from under me when I want it again. ;)

[RevNeal]

I just got back from my first Vista class cruise on the Noordam and enjoyed cabin 1123 very much, but the best inside I ever had was 2619 on the Rotterdam, a huge cabin, and located dead center on the ship for a very stable ride.

 

2619 is one of the cabins articulated length-wise to the motion of the ship and just forward the center-staircase. 1877 (1875 on the Rotterdam), directly beneath, should be the same size.

 

Hmmm ... maybe I should look into booking 1875 for the South America/Antarctica Cruise in January 2008? I wouldn't want Ruth mad at me and Scott for booking 2619 out from under her!!! :D

[RuthC]

Hmmm ... maybe I should look into booking 1875 for the South America/Antarctica Cruise in January 2008? I wouldn't want Ruth mad at me and Scott for booking 2619 out from under her!!! :D

Thank you. You know darned well that if you want to see my pretty face on that cruise I need my cabin. :D

And I know darned well that you want to see my pretty face on that cruise! ;) (You do, don't you?)

Is Scott coming? Yippee!!!!!

[RevNeal]

Thank you. You know darned well that if you want to see my pretty face on that cruise I need my cabin. :D

And I know darned well that you want to see my pretty face on that cruise! ;) (You do, don't you?)

Is Scott coming? Yippee!!!!!

 

Yes, I want to see your pretty face on that cruise! Our Team Trivia wouldn't be the same without you!!! :D

 

Yes, Scott is coming on the cruise. At least, he says he wants to. Christopher has made noises about it too, but we'll see about that ... money is tight. If Christopher comes we'll have to find some other arrangements for Scotty. If Christopher doesn't come, Scotty and I will probably share so as to avoid the horrific $1500+ they're asking as a single supplement.

[Little Feet]

It sounds like you had pretty rough weather.

 

If it was an area of the ship that usually had waves banging up against it, there wouldn't be big windows there... If anything there would be small portholes with deadlights that would be tightly closed in bad weather.

 

Last year we got caught in quite a storm aboard ROTTERDAM and the waves were washing over the window of our Main Deck cabin and splashing up onto the boat deck one deck above on Lower Promenade Deck.

 

We did have a porthole....it was on the Navigator of the Seas, during Hurricane Wilma in October of 2005. We could not land anywhere except Montego Bay (island was flooded, and raining, so we did not get off the ship), then a stop in Ocho Rios (1st dry day in several days), & Labadee. Water was seen splashing up onto the porthole on occasion.

[Nasmas]

I would avoid any room near the elevators, the arrival tones are loud enough to wake the dead. I am sure that would get a bit annoying. Then again I was pretty impressed with the sound insulation of our aft room.

 

We like to book mid-ship rooms near the middle elevator. We've been next to the elevator in an older ship (the room was much larger than others its size) and across the hall from the elevator on the Zaandam. We never heard the elevator. Maybe it was us, but we're usually light sleepers. I really don't think the elevators are an issue

[azsunshine]

Although not on HAL, you reminded me of something regarding poles in the middle of the room. We sailed on the Enchantment (RCC) shortly after its inaugural. At the foot of our bed towards the bathroom, was a 10 inch around brass pole. We were so surprised when we walked in, it look like a fireman's pole. that room creaked all night and had a jerky vibration incessiantly. it was 4 doors forward of the center elevators and was a verandah cabin, the ones just below the suite level. it was very akward to say the least to navigate around it, and it was impossible to sleep for long there.

[waASPCrusier]

We are going on our first HAL crusie(2nd overall) and are in Cabin number 5002 - on Verandah Deck Catagory SY...if anybody has any good insight into this room/area of the Oosterdam that would be great.

 

 

Thanks for any information.

[GOTTA-GO]

The J-Category Inside Cabins on the S and R class ships are all found on the Lower Promenade Deck, amidships, just aft of the Atrium. They are in an EXCELLENT location, and are among my favorite cabins on the S and Rs. They are all the same size, at 182 square feet ... indeed, they are a little larger than the outside C-category cabins just across the hall from them. :) In my opinion they are the best truly inside cabins on those ships because of their location.

 

However, for my money and in my experience and opinion, the largest and best inside cabins in the whole dam Fleet are the Js and the Ks found on the Vista's Main Deck. Just don't get them confused with the Js and the Ks found on the upper decks ... they are MUCH smaller.

I was looking at the J cat on Maasdam and noticed hallways on both sides of the room and was wondering about hallway noise. Double hallway = double noise??

Otherwise, looked like a great location though.

[RuthC]

I was looking at the J cat on Maasdam and noticed hallways on both sides of the room and was wondering about hallway noise. Double hallway = double noise??

Otherwise, looked like a great location though.

My favorite cabin on the S-class ships is J-345---it's an inside just aft of the atrium.

As you say, there is a passageway on each side but I don't remember any noise. The bed's headboard abuts one passageway, and the closet/bathroom area abuts the other. My favorite is even near the self-service laundry, and I don't remember any noise from that, either. Only convenience.

These insides are larger than the outsides directly across the passageway and are steps from the largest veranda on the ship.

(Also handy for lifeboat drill. ;) )

[cruisefrk]

We are on our first HA ship in Nov. on the Zuiderdam - we were assigned our cabin today - its going to be a connecting cabin. Has anyone found them to eliminate privacy? We selected one on the RCCL Explorer with our friends and it was terrible. It had no soundproofing at ALL!! Anyone have experience on HA with connector - not by choice? (Its a SS category if that matters).

[RevNeal]

I was looking at the J cat on Maasdam and noticed hallways on both sides of the room and was wondering about hallway noise. Double hallway = double noise??

Otherwise, looked like a great location though.

 

I don't remember hearing much, if any, hallway noise when staying in these cabins. Oh, sure, if someone is out yelling in the hallway I'm sure I would hear it ... but, then, I've almost never heard that happening on a damship.

[RuthC]

Anyone have experience on HA with connector - not by choice?

Once I was assigned a connecting cabin on the Rotterdam's Lower Promenade deck. Sometimes while sitting at the end of the bed---right by the connecting door---I would hear the TV next door softly.

I imagine that if the neighbors had the TV loud all the time---or for that matter were having a "knock-down, drag-out" fight---they would be heard. Other than that I haven't found it to be a problem.

[RevNeal]

Once I was assigned a connecting cabin on the Rotterdam's Lower Promenade deck. Sometimes while sitting at the end of the bed---right by the connecting door---I would hear the TV next door softly.

I imagine that if the neighbors had the TV loud all the time---or for that matter were having a "knock-down, drag-out" fight---they would be heard. Other than that I haven't found it to be a problem.

 

Now, Ruthless, you should sit on the end of your bed with your ear plastered to that door!!!! :D

[arzz]

Just returned from 10 days on the Volendam on Tuesday -- We had a great time on the cruise and the Volendam is still the lovely ship that I enjoyed last year....but.....we had taken a EE oceanview guarantee and were granted an "upgrade" to a C cabin -- I do think this is one to avoid if you can -- We are still not sure why this cabin is considered to be a higher category than the D and E cabins on decks 1 and 2.

 

The only particular advantage to this cabin is that it was located EXACTLY at our lifeboat station.

 

It was cabin 3319 -- it is the first cabin forward of the crew exit to the lower promenade deck, forward of the atrium (starboard side). We were treated to the banging of the doors to the outside deck at virtually any hour, we endured the lack of privacy that a window opening to the promenade offers (yes, I know that during the day no one can see in, but when one is considering laying about the cabin in one's whatevers and one can constantly see people walking right in front of the window it is rather intimidating) -- for us the most difficult part was the size of the cabin. All of the C cabins on the lower promenade deck are smaller than the oceanview cabins on other decks, but this cabin was literally what Ruth C would call a "cabinette" -- it reminded me of those inside cabins on the Vista class ships -- I am not sure that it was even 150 square feet -- we had a love seat rather than a couch that was positioned against the bathroom wall facing the window (rather than perpendicular to the window). It barely fit and there was maybe 24 inches between the couch and the foot of the bed -- with the table in between the couch and the bed there was not really adequate clearance to get to the bed, let alone have more than one person stand at a time. It rather reminded me of our cabin on an RCL ship.

 

We did approach the front desk about moving to an "adult size" cabin, but they were clearly only interested in considering a change if we wished to pay for an upgrade rather than just move downstairs. They kept saying that we were number one on the list and that they would call us and let us know if there was a cabin available -- either our phone was broken, or, as we suspect, they never followed up.

 

We did not let it ruin our cruise.

[Sunshine91]

We sailed on the Enchantment (RCC) shortly after its inaugural. At the foot of our bed towards the bathroom, was a 10 inch around brass pole. We were so surprised when we walked in, it look like a fireman's pole.

 

Hey sunshine - RCCL has stripper poles? Was that in a suite or steerage or somewhere in between? Wonder if HAL would consider adding those to their cabins.......... :D

 

cruisefrk - Our cabin on Noordam had a connecting door. Never heard a peep from our neighbors. Not even their TV.

 

arzz - The joys of a guarantee. Guess Tinkerbell wasn't too happy with you that week. ;)

 

But your post got me thinking. How does a cabin "become available" during a cruise? I guess if someone leaves early due to unforeseen unfortunate circumstances, then their cabin is "available". (Remember Jim & Stan) But would the ship move someone from an inside to a now available suite, if that's all that became available? Guess it would depend on how bad the cabin is that folks want to be moved from.

[arzz]

I do not think that it was an issue of a cabin "becoming" available. By the number of empty and near empty tables in the dining room we do not believe that the ship was full even though they said it was (Also, up until about 10 days from sailing travelocity was showing a lot of availability for our cruise).

 

We also walked the corridors and found many cabins with more than a day's worth of mail in the mail slots -- lots of "honeymooners" on board or empty cabins?

 

Then, there were those who due to weather missed the ship in Florida and had the option to join us in Aruba on day three of the cruise.

 

I do, however, think it possible that since our EE guarantee was bumped to a C that the ship was probably full from the bottom up so if we had coughed up some cash we probably could have gotten another cabin. We considered this but we are saving our dollars so that we can explore the ports on our South American adventure on the Prinsendam in January.

 

Every trip we learn something new. Though we have enjoyed many a guarantee cabin (usually verandah guarantees where we would be hard pressed to be disappointed) that next time we do an oceanview we will just take an assigned cabin.

[GOTTA-GO]

I don't remember hearing much, if any, hallway noise when staying in these cabins. Oh, sure, if someone is out yelling in the hallway I'm sure I would hear it ... but, then, I've almost never heard that happening on a damship.

My last cruise was on Carnival, sooooo wasn't sure about the kids running the hallways, door slams, loud conversations in the wee hours. I've also cruised on NCL and Celebrity and am very much looking forward to my first damship. Thanks.

[senator6]

Our only experience with a connecting cabin (BB 120) was on the Veendam for a back to back 21 day cruise. For the first 14 days we had no problem, never heard a thing from our neighbors. The last 7 days different passengers we in the adjoining cabin and we could hear them all the time. They were just loud- so I guess it all depends on who is next to you. The connecting door definitely reduces the normal soundproofing.

[mydogs]

:rolleyes: We had 8095 on the Zuiderdam in 2004. We did not realize it had a connecting door until we saw it. We never saw or heard anyone in the next cabin. So perhaps it was unoccupied. I hear every little noise that is imaginable. I am a very,very light sleeper. My DH always says I can hear a fly sneeze. So I am guessing they have great sound proofing around the doors. Good luck !

[azsunshine]

Hey sunshine - RCCL has stripper poles? Was that in a suite or steerage or somewhere in between? Wonder if HAL would consider adding those to their cabins.......... :D

 

Yes, but darn that was before I took my stripper lessons.:o It was the equivalent of a mini suite.