Please Help Ms Veendam Oceanview Question

[jt58203]

I'm interested in the Ms Veendam Western Caribbean itinerary departing in February or March 2009. I have only taken one cruise (Caribbean Princess) back in March of this year and am anxious to plan for another cruise next year. We had a wonderful time in our BALCONY cabin. My DH wants to try all the different cruise lines before settling in on just one. Ok, so here's what I need help with. Looking at a particular date an Oceanview cabin is $675 pp while a balcony is $1575 pp. I really can't justify paying $1800 more on a 7 night trip to have a balcony. As of now, I can't travel in January where the fares are less. My budget is $3500 which would be $1000 pp for the cruise, plus taxes and $600-$700 each on airfare. Looks like I'd have to settle for a category F, or maybe an EE or E would fit my budget. Even a lower category oceanview would be fine, but I'd like a window and not portholes. What's your pick?

[serendipity1499]

We are like you, can't justify veranda's when we can get good deals on outside's..We also usually take the longer cruises..Also will never book a Porthole cabin!

The Veendam, Statendam, Volendam & Ryndam are sister ships with the same cabin configurations...All of our cabins have been either on Deck "A" in an E"" or "EE" with the exception of the Ryndam, when we were on Main Deck..We also enjoy the smaller S & R class ships..

Just got off the "Veendam" two weeks ago & had "E 746" which was outside midship. .Yesterday we booked an "EE" on the "Statendam" for a cruise in 2009...The "E" & "EE" Cabins are on Deck A...On the Ryndam our cabin was on Main deck..Have never been in "F" cabins on these ships, but did have an "F" on The Amsterdam..That was fine for us as it was forward rather than AFT..Believe that the "FF" AFT cabins might be too noisy, but don't know for sure....

All of the cabins were perfect for us..HAL's veranda cabins are the same size as the large outside cabins, but smaller inside as the Veranda takes up part of the 195 SQ Ft...We prefer to have the large inside space...We also travel with Friends, enjoy other people & spend our sea days out on HAL's beautiful Promenade deck, people watching, watching the water & reading..DH & I live, on the water in South Florida, sailed our own boat for many years & have plenty of alone time, therefore a veranda is not important to us.. We would rather spend the extra $$ on other things..

Does the $675 fare include, port charges, fuel charges & Govt. fees & Taxes?..They can really add up..

HAL has raised the Auto Gratuity to $11.00 per person per day which will be charged on your shipboard account..Many Travel Agents are advertising good fares for outside cabins, & are looking for business now, with low down payments , so now might be a good time to book..We were afraid that fuel charges will increase so that's the reason we booked so soon after we got home..

We have to wait almost 15 months for our next cruise..:(

Hope this helps..Cheers..:) Betty

[RuthC]

The Veendam, Statendam, Volendam & Ryndam are sister ships with the same cabin configurations...

Almost right. It's the Veendam, Statendam, Maasdam, and Ryndam that are sister ships.

The Volendam (and the remaining R-class ships) though are very similar. The cabins are identical category for category.

[jt58203]

I did some more research. Guess the oceanviews are so much cheaper because all the balcony cabins are suites! With taxes & fees the rate pp on the oceanview comes to approximately $815, so well within my budget. I'll have to keep this one in mind. I'm also considering Celebrity Century 5-night Western Itinerary (I could afford a balcony on that!). Thanks for your advice...I really enjoy reading the cc boards.

[lardor]

Just got off the "Veendam" two weeks ago & had "E 746" which was outside midship. .

 

Hope you cleaned that cabin up, we have it for our cruise :)

[serendipity1499]

Almost right. It's the Veendam, Statendam, Maasdam, and Ryndam that are sister ships.

The Volendam (and the remaining R-class ships) though are very similar. The cabins are identical category for category.

 

OOPS...:o Sorry my goof...Thanks Ruth..Just talking to our Friends today who will be on the Maasdam this Nov & we looked at the deck plans...Believe it or not they are still here on my desk & I have it right on my copy, but mixed up in my memory...

 

Think it's time for me to go to bed..Trying to listen to Palin speech at the same time on here..Used to be able to multi-task...

 

On Maasdam in 2003 our cabin number was "E 737"...

 

Cheers..Betty

[serendipity1499]

Just got off the "Veendam" two weeks ago & had "E 746" which was outside midship. .

 

Hope you cleaned that cabin up, we have it for our cruise :)

 

Hi Larry..That's so funny..Left it nice & clean with the porch light on...If Edward (our Cabin Steward) is still there tell him, Hello from us..He's a sweetheart, so be sure you treat him well & give him a good report!...LOL.

Cheers...:) Betty

[jtl513]

Looks like I'd have to settle for a category F, or maybe an EE or E would fit my budget. Even a lower category oceanview would be fine, but I'd like a window and not portholes. What's your pick?

IMO the F or EE on the A deck are preferable to the far forward or far aft E's on the Main deck. (Too much noise and motion there.) The Main Deck E's near the aft elevators would be OK.

 

Have you considered taking a Vista ship instead of the Veendam? Because of supply and demand, the verandah cabins there are cheaper than on the R&S class ships. The Westerdam does a "circle Cuba" itinerary twice in Jan, once in Feb, and twice in Mar.

[lardor]

 

Hi Larry..That's so funny..Left it nice & clean with the porch light on...If Edward (our Cabin Steward) is still there tell him, Hello from us..He's a sweetheart, so be sure you treat him well & give him a good report!...LOL.

 

Cheers...:) Betty

 

Will do.........

[Sundagger]

I did some more research. Guess the oceanviews are so much cheaper because all the balcony cabins are suites! With taxes & fees the rate pp on the oceanview comes to approximately $815, so well within my budget. I'll have to keep this one in mind. I'm also considering Celebrity Century 5-night Western Itinerary (I could afford a balcony on that!). Thanks for your advice...I really enjoy reading the cc boards.

 

There is some bad terminology used by HAL for verandahs (balconies) - on the S & R class ships, they are called "Verandah Suites". On the Vista class, the equivalent category is called "Deluxe Verandah Oceanview Stateroom". The Verandah Suites are a little larger, but it would be a stretch to call them suites. Perhaps mini-suite would be more appropriate for both.

 

As John mentioned, the Vista class ships, such as the Westerdam, are almost always priced less for similar itineraries.

[jt58203]

There is some bad terminology used by HAL for verandahs (balconies) - on the S & R class ships, they are called "Verandah Suites". On the Vista class, the equivalent category is called "Deluxe Verandah Oceanview Stateroom". The Verandah Suites are a little larger, but it would be a stretch to call them suites. Perhaps mini-suite would be more appropriate for both.

 

As John mentioned, the Vista class ships, such as the Westerdam, are almost always priced less for similar itineraries.

 

Thanks for the great idea! Looks like balconies (ummmm, verandahs) on Westerdam are affordable. My $3500 budget is just for the cruise fare, airline tickets, taxes & fuel surcharges, etc. I plan on spending an addition $700-$800 while on the cruise (tips, shore excursions, drinks, etc.)

 

Also, for those wondering why my airfare budget is high--I live in Grand Forks (GFK). We only have one airline. It's a five hour drive to Minneapolis, but for many reasons (winter weather, time, hotel possibly 2 nights, parking, etc.) it's just less hassle flying from here.

 

Keep the ideas/suggestions coming! I don't have to go to the Caribbean, I can do Mexican Riviera.

[candbgirl]

And you don't get the suite perks with some of the cabins listed as suites. I was on the Veendam last Spring. She is a great ship. We had a BB cabin on the Verandah Deck. It was a lovely cabin with a nice balcomy but the balcony had a metal wall so unless you were standing on the balcony looking out you couldn't see the sea. I didn't like that at all. I guess I am used to having a clear wall so even if I'm sitting I can see what's happening. So I guess what I'm saying is get a cabin on the Veendam with a great big window. Skip the balcony. If you want fresh air go up on deck. You'll have a great cruise no matter what you decide to do.

[jt58203]

I was wondering if one had the beds configured to a queen, is it very difficult to look out the window?

[RuthC]

I was wondering if one had the beds configured to a queen, is it very difficult to look out the window?

In an outside? Just look out? No, but you can't get right up to the window unless you kneel on the bed.

Having the beds separate it's easier to get close. Only the two nightstands are in the way---and they are easy to lean over.

[catl331]

Ask for the beds to get separated. Then you can easily see out the window and it seems to make the room feel roomier to me. Also it is easier to sit on the beds and get out at night for bathroom needs. We liked our oceanview on Promenade deck. Easy to get outside and run over to see the other side if there is a sight there. That would be on the non-Vista ships. Our luck with Verandahs is 50-50. Once in December it was just too dreary to sit out there and another time too windy for most of the cruise. If it is a cruise with many ports, we spent quite a bit of time off the ship.I did enjoy the verandah on our Baltic cruise watching all the Baltic ferrys.

[silvercruiser]

Affordable balconies are great, but the older ships like the S-class don't have any. ....price difference is huge. But we always book balconies on Princess (affordable ones) We had mini-suites twice on HAL S-ships, then decided the huge price difference wasn't worth it. Last cruise was on Lower Promenade in a C cabin, handily near the launderette. Then I did some research and realized that if I booked a DD farther down the hall the lower price would more than cover the price of buying the laundry package. Also checked out the HH and found that they are NOT fully obstructed and saved even more. We love Lower Promenade deck.

We're in an HH in Oct. on Maasdam and then in Nov. in a mini-suite in Europe on Princess, the result of taking advantage of a flash sale a long time ago. I know we'll enjoy both cruises. Even loved our inside on Lido deck a couple of years ago that we got free for giving up a balconey cabin at the last minute.

Hey, you're on a cruise ship! Lucky you!

[fann1sh]

I used my favorite search function (which I can't mention here, because it's on a travel agency website). I looked for the cheapest balcony on HAL for February or March for the West Caribbean or Mexico.

 

The two possibilities that stood out were March 8 Westerdam from Fort Lauderdale to Half Moon Cay (gorgeous private island), Grand Turk, Grand Cayman and Costa Maya. The advertised balcony price is around $999 pp. That's for a VF (lowest balcony category), which has a solid metal balcony wall instead of plexiglass. If you take a guarantee, your chances of getting upgraded to a balcony with plexiglass are fair, but certainly not a sure thing. With taxes and surcharge the total will likely come to around $2,300 for 2.

 

The other is Oosterdam out of San Diego, on any of Feb 7, 14, 21, bound for Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. The advertised balcony price is around $899. In fact, on one site I found that price for a VD (largest balconies, except for some VA's) on February 14. Total with taxes and fuel surcharges around $2,100 for 2. A VE guarantee (much smaller balcony) would be about $100 less.

 

(If you're willing to consider the Eastern Caribbean, also look at Westerdam February 8 out of Fort Lauderdale to Half Moon Cay, Grand Turk, San Juan and St. Maarten - advertised balcony about $899, VF guarantee, so around $2,100 for 2. March 15 Westerdam does the Southern Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale - Half Moon Cay, Aruba, Curacao. Balconies advertised at $999, VF guarantee - around $2,200 for 2. This last choice is the one I'd pick.)

 

Hope this helps!