Category and price question

[Sirdar]

I posted this question in another thread but have no reply. Maybe a broader audience can help.

 

Sorry to be obtuse but can someone explain the various cabin categories to me? , i.e. H vs. VH? etc. Are they standard throught the industry? HAL? ,or do they vary ship to ship?

I tried looking through the search engine but it's not working (for me).

 

We booked a Guar H on Veendam for January and the price just went down. Our TA got the reduction for us. Does this price reduction more than 2 months out indicate poor sales? Does it improve the odds for an upgrade?

 

THANKS!!

[RuthC]

I just posted a reply to a portion of your question. For simplicity I'll repeat it here:

 

At the top of the HAL page with the list of threads you will find a few "stickies". One of them is a description of the various classes and ships of the HAL fleet.

I believe it was written before the introduction of the E-dam; suffice it to say that the E-dam is a revised Vista class.

If you have any questions after you read through that thread, just post and someone (many someones? ;)) will be happy to answer.

In short form here's the list:

Prinsendam. HAL's smallest ship. It's a one of a kind.

S-class. Small ships. Statendam, Maasdam, Ryndam, Veendam.

R-class. Medium-size ships. Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Volendam, Zaandam. A revised S-class.

Vista class. Large ships. Zuiderdam, Oosterdam, Westerdam, Noordam. Large ships. An entirely new design for HAL.

Signature class. HAL's largest ship. Eurodam. Revised Vistas.

[jhannah]

Ruth, I believe he's interested in the CABIN categories ... not ship size designations.

 

Basically, HAL starts with PS, meaning penthouse suite. This is the largest accommodation on the ship.

 

Next comes SA/SB/SC, the Deluxe Verandah Suites. They are large staterooms with a separate dressing area. All fall under the S category, with the SAs being closest to the Neptune Lounge.

 

Verandah staterooms are A, B, BB, C ... and on some ships these designations carry a V in front (i.e. VA, VB, etc.) The VA (or A) are in the more prime locations.

 

You can check the HAL website for any particular ship you're interested in and see what the other stateroom designations are. They go "downward" in size/location the farther into the alphabet you go. Outsides will have ocean views or be obstructed. Insides will be standard or large. Etc. HAL uses virtually the same lettering designations across the fleet.

[wwinfl91]

HI,

 

the sticky does a good job of explaining the various classes but I'll add my 2-cents.

 

As far as I am concerned all cruise ships have 4 categories of cabins.

 

They are inside (no windows), outside (a window or porthole), regular balcony cabin and suites (variety of sizes and prices).

 

Within the above four categories prices vary depending on where the cabin is on the ship (near the bow, under or over a noisy public area, etc.). Within the top category, suites, the highest prices suites may come with extras like a butler, special lounge only accessible by certain suite passengers, etc. as well as being larger, generally in the best locations on the ship and having bigger balconies.

 

As far as the price going down on your cruise, that is happening on a lot of cruises as the problems with the economy continue to affect people. We live in Central Florida and hotels and attractions here are seeing a drop in business as people put off traveling because they have less money to spend on extras like travel.

 

As far as an upgrade goes, that is something that just seems to happen and when it does you just have to be happy it did. We had our best upgrade when we had an outside cabin booked for a transatlantic on RCCL's Jewel of the Seas. When we got to the dock to check in we got told we no longer had that cabin but that we would be happy with the new one. It turned out to be one of the balcony cabins on the back side of the hump of the ship. It had a bigger balcony than most of the balconies and was also mostly protected from the wind when the ship was moving. It was a great cabin. The people who had originally booked it had gotten an upgrade to a suite so they ended up happy also.

 

Good luck on getting an upgrade but be happy with the price reduction and have a great next cruise.

[jhannah]

... the highest prices suites may come with extras like a butler ...

No butlers on Holland America ships.

[jrncin]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong......

 

On the Eurodam, for example, from highest to lowest would be

SA

SB

SC

SS

SY

SZ

 

V

VA

VB

VC

VD

VE

VF

VH

 

C

D

DD

E

F

G

GG

H

HH

 

I

J

K

L

M

MM

N

NN

 

:) Hope this helps.

[RuthC]

Ruth, I believe he's interested in the CABIN categories ... not ship size designations.

Oops. Maybe I should get a refund on that speed reading class? :rolleyes:

Glad that the other readers were able to post better info for the OP.

[RuthC]

As far as I am concerned all cruise ships have 4 categories of cabins.

 

They are inside (no windows), outside (a window or porthole), regular balcony cabin and suites (variety of sizes and prices).

Since HAL has many more "categories" than that, it might be better to refer to these as "classifications". The classifications are then further subdivided into the extensive list of categories.

[RuthC]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong......

 

On the Eurodam, for example, from highest to lowest would be

 

V

VA

VB

VC

VD

VE

VF

VH

 

Aren't there also VT and VQ categories on the E-dam? The spa category and the cabins with the "Juliet" balconies are a different category, aren't they? I don't know where they rank on the list, though.

[jtl513]

Aren't there also VT and VQ categories on the E-dam? The spa category and the cabins with the "Juliet" balconies are a different category, aren't they? I don't know where they rank on the list, though.

VQ V VA VB VC VD VE VT VF VH

The VT are the Juliet balconies, VQ are "spa".

[wwinfl91]

I agree with the idea of classifications if that makes more sense to people.

 

Also I believe you are right about the VT category because someone on our cruise said they had been assigned one and they weren't too happy about it.

Personally I thought the location of those cabins was fantastic but I would miss being able to sit on the balcony and read.

 

Have a great next cruise.

[jrncin]

Thanks.. I missed the VT, VQ and at the very top, the PS.

 

 

 

When I made the list, I just grabbed that info from trav*loc*ty and those cabins must have been unavailable for whatever date I pulled up...

 

That site has the VT cabin with the other "oceanview"s C, DD, D, E, ...etc. and not under the verandah category.

 

 

 

VQ V VA VB VC VD VE VT VF VH

The VT are the Juliet balconies, VQ are "spa".

[Mary Ellen]

Actually, wouldn't looking at a brochure be best? Or at least the HAL web site. There are pictures, diagrams and descriptions of the various types of cabins and which ships they are on.

 

Each and every cruise line has their own categories of cabins. Other than the basic inside, outside, veranada (all with different initials for the categories) NO industry standardization. Some cruise lines have insides that do have windows out to atrium. Others have 'navigators' verandas with a large round opening rather than the usual straight railing. Some lines have suites with butlers, others have multiple bedrooms. You really need to look for your self to see what would be best for you. That is half the fun. :D

 

Enjoy!

[CalGal777]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong......

 

On the Eurodam, for example, from highest to lowest would be

SA

SB

SC

SS

SY

SZ

 

V

VA

VB

VC

VD

VE

VF

VH

 

C

D

DD

E

F

G

GG

H

HH

 

I

J

K

L

M

MM

N

NN

 

:) Hope this helps.

You forgot the VQ

[jhannah]

Yes. He acknowledged that two posts above yours. ;)