Noordam Cat VF - Good or bad?

[karen&kevin]

We were on the 12/10 Westerdam sailing and had cabin 4005, with the steel railing. We loved the cabin since the balcony was about 2 ft deeper than the others but when sitting down, we didn't see much sea. If you really have your heart set on seeing the water, pay for an upgrade now.

 

On the other hand, if you like to have a larger balcony for a great price, and love seeing the stars at night, keep your VF! Our cabin was forward of the bridge and for visibility, the lights on those balconies are controlled by the bridge and cannot be turned on after dark. As a result, it is quite a bit darker and the stars are magnificent. We noticed quite a difference from say, deck 9 aft.

 

We were also very lucky that on our approach to Tortola, the captain opened the bow deck for observation, and the door was two cabins away, so we got there first! That was an incredible experience! No, we didn't do the "King of the World" thing from Titanic....

 

Anyhow, our bottom line is that if the price is right, we will take a VF again, but if it's only a few dollars more for a VE or VD.... Oh, and we love the motion of the ocean, but if you are prone to seasickness be aware that there is more motion that far forward.

 

Once again, we had cabin 4005, third from the bow, but there are VF's farther aft, so your experience may vary. I'm going to try to attach a picture of our balcony later today.

Enjoy!

Karen

[noblepa]

You are right....there are some VF cabins on deck 5 that have plexiglass. They are near the aft elevators.:o

 

There are also some VF's on deck 5 forward, as well. They are just aft of the "bend", where the superstructure narrows.

 

We had 5065 (VF) on the Oosterdam. It was a great cabin. All outside cabins on deck 5 have plexiglas. When I looked at the deck plans, I didn't see any cabins in any Vx category, except maybe the aft-facing VA's, that I would rather have. Being a deck or two higher doesn't do much for me. They just cost more. This feeling was confirmed once we were onboard.

 

Paul Noble

[ekerr19]

This a view of the balcony from inside the cabin on Deck 5....

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2574443090060949994TwGCnk

[2boyzmom]

Maybe you will get a nice upgrade.

[2boyzmom]

Room numbers are 4025 and 4039... Looks like they definately have steel. Final payment was made today. I spoke to my agent and there are no more Cat VF rooms available. A VD would wind up costing me an additional $500 for all 5 of us.....and the rooms would be at the opposite ends of the ship. I keep telling myself that we really don't spend that much time sitting on the balcony but I am still very disappointed ....

 

Looks like you're directly above the showroom. That's probably ok if you are out late. Should be quiet during the day to catch a at nap :)

[Tinknock50]

There are also some VF's on deck 5 forward, as well. They are just aft of the "bend", where the superstructure narrows.

 

We had 5065 (VF) on the Oosterdam. It was a great cabin. All outside cabins on deck 5 have plexiglas. When I looked at the deck plans, I didn't see any cabins in any Vx category, except maybe the aft-facing VA's, that I would rather have. Being a deck or two higher doesn't do much for me. They just cost more. This feeling was confirmed once we were onboard.

 

Paul Noble

 

Thanks for pointing out those additional VFs on deck 5.

 

One thing we can say with certainty.....All VFs on deck 4 have the steel railings.....All VFs on deck 5 have plexiglass.

[dividedsky319]

I'm going to try to attach a picture of our balcony later today.

 

That would be great... thanks! I'm just unsure of how "ugly" the steel will look... decisions decisions...

 

It would be nice to get an upgrade without paying, though ;-) I guess that's one good thing about booking a GUAR room, always a chance for that...

[Navy_Chief]

Navy Cheif,

All VFs do have steel railings.....the plexiglass ones you see in your pic are VDs.

 

True for Deck 4 but not Deck 5. My brother was in room 5138 (VF) with plexiglass. That's what I was speaking of Sean. Opps, never mind, I missed your second post Sean :D

[2boyzmom]

Are the VFs on deck 5 balconies smaller than the other balconies on that deck?

[Navy_Chief]

My brother's was smaller than my VB on deck 6 but had a little angle section (5138)

[Seago2]

Wow! I just got offered the chance to upgrade my VF (yes, metal railing) to an SB for only 8,300 more!

 

I declined it. :rolleyes:

[noblepa]

Are the VFs on deck 5 balconies smaller than the other balconies on that deck?

 

In 5065 on the Oosterdam, I could just about touch the railing and the cabin wall at the same time. I'm six feet tall (almost exactly), so my reach is also about six feet. I don't know how that compares to other cabins. I assume that the Noordam and Oosterdam are the same in this respect.

 

The balcony was a comfortable, but cozy size for my wife and I. There were two plastic deck chairs and a small (approx. 2' x 2') table. This left enough room for two people to move around without tripping over each other (too much), even with a room-service breakfast tray on the table.

 

Three people could probably stand on the balcony without too much trouble; four would be a little crowded; five would be almost impossible. And don't even think about any more furniture. There have been questions in the past about bringing another deck chair onto the balcony. No way!

 

Paul Noble

[SantanaTto]

We were on the 12/10 Westerdam sailing and had cabin 4005, with the steel railing. We loved the cabin since the balcony was about 2 ft deeper than the others but when sitting down, we didn't see much sea. If you really have your heart set on seeing the water, pay for an upgrade now.

 

On the other hand, if you like to have a larger balcony for a great price, and love seeing the stars at night, keep your VF! Our cabin was forward of the bridge and for visibility, the lights on those balconies are controlled by the bridge and cannot be turned on after dark. As a result, it is quite a bit darker and the stars are magnificent. We noticed quite a difference from say, deck 9 aft.

 

We were also very lucky that on our approach to Tortola, the captain opened the bow deck for observation, and the door was two cabins away, so we got there first! That was an incredible experience! No, we didn't do the "King of the World" thing from Titanic....

 

Anyhow, our bottom line is that if the price is right, we will take a VF again, but if it's only a few dollars more for a VE or VD.... Oh, and we love the motion of the ocean, but if you are prone to seasickness be aware that there is more motion that far forward.

 

Once again, we had cabin 4005, third from the bow, but there are VF's farther aft, so your experience may vary. I'm going to try to attach a picture of our balcony later today.

Enjoy!

Karen

 

Karen,

 

It looks like we will stay in Cabins 4025 and 4039 with the steel railings..I would love to see the picture you mentioned of your balcony!

 

Thanks!

[karen&kevin]

I'm going to attempt to post a picture of our steel balcony from our Westerdam cruise but this is my first time doing so. Sorry for the delay but I had to figure out how to resize the image first....

Ok, here goes...

 

Hope this helps you get an idea of what your balcony is going to look like.

Enjoy!

Karen

[SantanaTto]

Thanks Karen for the photo! The view is not as bad as I was imagining it would be. I think we'll be just fine in these rooms! I can't wait to go!

[dividedsky319]

Thanks for the pic!

 

That doesn't seem THAT bad... any guesses as to how high the railing is? If you're sitting on the chairs out there can you see over the side?

[noblepa]

Thanks for the pic!

 

That doesn't seem THAT bad... any guesses as to how high the railing is? If you're sitting on the chairs out there can you see over the side?

 

The railings are "letter high", as we used to say in Little League. That is, on an adult, they come to mid-chest; probably 3.5-4 feet. They're higher than a normal kitchen counter, which is usually 36 inches high. No, you can't see over them from a sitting position, unless maybe you play for the NBA. :)

 

Paul Noble

[seaair100]

Just booked a VF/deck 5 category.So glad to know I have a plexiglass rather then steel rail.It is a splurge.Usually an inside guarantee booker, due to being a single traveler.

Booked this via a new local TA.About 100.00 cheaper, then HA site.No disc. for mariner, because this price fell under the View/Verandah sale.It is an Oct. trip, so agent was suprised that the sale inc. Fall bookings.

No cabin guarantee with this sale, so took the cabin I was offered.

2 other things,I live in Phila. area, and told by agent, when asked, that the homecoach service, that I took to NYC, last March, was gone.TA said that a lot of lines are not running shuttle service anymore. TA booked people yesterday, for Feb. and homecoach not available.Well had her call, and for Oct., at this moment ,it does, always need to check.

And dinner hours, know the Noordam is experimenting with alt. hours.What I was told today ,was that open seating ,is at 5:45, and 6:15PM, and fixed seating is 8:00, and 8:30 PM.Not happy because I want fixed seating at 6:15.But may all change again by Fall.