1cruiselvr Posted August 26, 2009 #1 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I apologize in advance if the answer is here someplace. I did a search but nothing came up. I have a 24 hr hold on a VF GTY booking on the Eurodam and I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it. I have only sailed on the S-class ships so I'm totally confused by all the balcony categories - V, VA, VB, VC, VD, VE, VF, VH, VQ, VT. I did read that the VT's have 'juliette type' balconies so they are to be avoided if you want to sit on your balcony at all. I have 2 questions for the experts: 1) Is it possible to get assigned a VT? In other words, is VT a higher category than VF? 2) Are there any other significant differences between the balcony categories? Like what's a V vs. a VQ? My head is spinning from all the category choices and assignment possibilities. HELP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator83 Posted August 26, 2009 #2 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Hi, You might want to be careful about booking a VF Gry because you might wind up with one of the VF balconies that has a solid railing and you won't be able to see through it. I had one like that on the Oosterdam and I wasn't happy with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pms4104 Posted August 26, 2009 #3 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Or with a VF guarantee, you could end up in the VT with the Juliette balcony-ette. The VQ, I believe, is the spa verandah stateroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3-sheets-to-the-wind Posted August 26, 2009 #4 Share Posted August 26, 2009 I was told by Hal that VF on deck 4 have a steel railing on the balcony. On deck 5 the VF's have plexi glass but some can over look lifeboats. I went with VF on deck 5 in a cabin the Hal rep suggested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwinfl91 Posted August 26, 2009 #5 Share Posted August 26, 2009 We did a VF guarantee on a Eurodam cruise last fall and ended up with a VA cabin. Guarantees are just that. They are a gamble and you either roll the dice or pay a little more for an assigned cabin. So far we have had good luck with our use of guarantees but as I said above it is a guarantee. Have a great next cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1cruiselvr Posted August 27, 2009 Author #6 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I know a gty booking is a gamble, I'm mostly confused with the hierarchy of the balcony cabins, for example, is VT higher than a VF? Why would someone pay more for less balcony, it's very confusing to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boytjie Posted August 27, 2009 #7 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I know a gty booking is a gamble, I'm mostly confused with the hierarchy of the balcony cabins, for example, is VT higher than a VF? Why would someone pay more for less balcony, it's very confusing to me. Location, location, location. :) The higher the cabin the higher the category. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innlady1 Posted August 27, 2009 #8 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I apologize in advance if the answer is here someplace. I did a search but nothing came up. I have a 24 hr hold on a VF GTY booking on the Eurodam and I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it. I have only sailed on the S-class ships so I'm totally confused by all the balcony categories - V, VA, VB, VC, VD, VE, VF, VH, VQ, VT. I did read that the VT's have 'juliette type' balconies so they are to be avoided if you want to sit on your balcony at all. I have 2 questions for the experts:1) Is it possible to get assigned a VT? In other words, is VT a higher category than VF? 2) Are there any other significant differences between the balcony categories? Like what's a V vs. a VQ? My head is spinning from all the category choices and assignment possibilities. HELP! Part of the fun is choosing the stateroom and location that you know you'll enjoy...then you don't have to worry...and there are no surprises. Check the deck plans, decide if you want to be forward, midship or aft....port or starboard, and which category suits you the best. Personally, I don't like heights, so prefer a lower deck. If that's a consideration for you, choose Upper Promenade or Verandah deck. The last two cruises on the Noordam, we had VA's on the stern. This year, we have a VD with the "unadvertised large verandah"....it was available and I pounced! LOL! ;) I've never set foot in the casino on the ships (well, we have walked through to get to the theatre), and likewise, I don't "gamble" on where we'll end up on the ship. Like to play it safe, I guess. But if you like surprise, go for a guarantee! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted August 27, 2009 #9 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I know a gty booking is a gamble, I'm mostly confused with the hierarchy of the balcony cabins, for example, is VT higher than a VF? Why would someone pay more for less balcony, it's very confusing to me.Originally the VT were planned to have NO balconies - just wide floor-to-ceiling windows - so it might have been worse: an Outside priced higher than a Verandah! :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1cruiselvr Posted August 27, 2009 Author #10 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Unfortunately, HAL is only offering GTY balcony bookings for this cruise. I guess I'll have to pray that we don't get a VT. Other than that, I don't care. Happy Sailing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boytjie Posted August 27, 2009 #11 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Unfortunately, HAL is only offering GTY balcony bookings for this cruise. I guess I'll have to pray that we don't get a VT. Other than that, I don't care. Happy Sailing! The Eurodam has 596 verandah cabins and only 10 are VTs so the chances are small that you would get one of them. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sail & Rail Fan Posted August 27, 2009 #12 Share Posted August 27, 2009 What is the cabin number of the "unadvertised large verandah" and what is the advantage of this cabin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1cruiselvr Posted August 27, 2009 Author #13 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Good point - I think I will 'go for it'. You never know, I could get one of those suite upgrade offers for a minimal fee at the last minute. :D:D Happy Sailing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jena1 Posted August 27, 2009 #14 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I hope you get something better than a VF or a VT. A couple years ago we booked a VF gty and we got a VF. It wasn't so bad. Last spring we booked a VF gty on the eurodam and we got a V. This time we booked a VD with a definite cabin #. I can't stand the suspense! VD do have the largest balconies. Happy cruising!:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare debsjc Posted August 27, 2009 #15 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Are the experts sure that with a VF gty HAL can assign you a VT? - I would have thought that was a lower category, as it doesn't technically have a full balcony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallassie Posted August 27, 2009 #16 Share Posted August 27, 2009 I booked this category for my May, 2009 Gems of the Baltic cruise. And I ended up in a suite! (at no extra cost!) You never know. I say, go for it. Tallassie:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted August 27, 2009 #17 Share Posted August 27, 2009 Are the experts sure that with a VF gty HAL can assign you a VT?- I would have thought that was a lower category, as it doesn't technically have a full balcony. Yes, but as Boytjie said in post #11, since there's only 10 of them the odds of getting assigned one are small. I think they are often booked by people who don't know that the balconies are so tiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare debsjc Posted August 27, 2009 #18 Share Posted August 27, 2009 In that case it might have been better if HAL had built them with no balconies, then they could only offer them to people with an outside GTY, not a veranda GTY! I have to say I think it's totally wrong if HAL assign those cabins to someone on a VF gty :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarep Posted August 27, 2009 #19 Share Posted August 27, 2009 A VF guarantee simply means that you are guaranteed to be assigned a VF class balcony or better. I have had several guarantees and would never have agreed to one if there was a chance of being assigned to a lower class cabin. I have never heard of this happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted August 27, 2009 #20 Share Posted August 27, 2009 A VF guarantee simply means that you are guaranteed to be assigned a VF class balcony or better. I have had several guarantees and would never have agreed to one if there was a chance of being assigned to a lower class cabin. I have never heard of this happening.The point is that HAL ranks the VT as a higher class than the VF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aarep Posted August 27, 2009 #21 Share Posted August 27, 2009 The point is that HAL ranks the VT as a higher class than the VF. Well you are right. To my surprise the VT is shown above the VF. However I was basing my information on Vacations to Go site where the categories are listed and they had listed the VQ and VT below the VF. I do have a VF guarantee on the Eurodam 10/17 cruise so am hoping for a 2 or 3 class upgrade. Just had a BB on the Maasdam in June and got a B balcony. Have had 2 guarantees on the Zuiderdam and both times got a 2or 3 class upgrade. If I did get the VT that would be the end of taking a chance on a guarantee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geonna Posted August 27, 2009 #22 Share Posted August 27, 2009 How bad are the VFs on 4 with the steel verandahs? If you are sitting, is it like sitting behind a barrier? Also, what is a juliette balcony? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pms4104 Posted August 27, 2009 #23 Share Posted August 27, 2009 How bad are the VFs on 4 with the steel verandahs? If you are sitting, is it like sitting behind a barrier? Also, what is a juliette balcony? Thanks My understanding, from comments here and from looking at pictures, is that these are small curved balconies with only enough room for standing out there for a bit of view or fresh air. No room at all for any type of chair or table. Sorry, no personal experience with the steel rails, so I can't comment on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtl513 Posted August 28, 2009 #24 Share Posted August 28, 2009 How bad are the VFs on 4 with the steel verandahs? If you are sitting, is it like sitting behind a barrier? I've never had one, but all of the railings on the ship are the same height (about 4 ft) so I can tell you from other verandahs that we've had that in order to see over the railing when seated in the wicker chairs I have to look slightly upward. I could see the tops of nearby mountains, but nothing on the water. (I am 5' 11") Try marking a horizontal line on a wall four feet from the floor and then sitting in a straight chair four or five feet back from it, and you'll get an idea of what it's like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolfan66 Posted August 28, 2009 #25 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I've never had one, but all of the railings on the ship are the same height (about 4 ft) so I can tell you from other verandahs that we've had that in order to see over the railing when seated in the wicker chairs I have to look slightly upward. I could see the tops of nearby mountains, but nothing on the water. (I am 5' 11") Try marking a horizontal line on a wall four feet from the floor and then sitting in a straight chair four or five feet back from it, and you'll get an idea of what it's like. This is correct....you can't see the water. I would avoid it if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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