Verandah Cabin on Noordam...selection questions

[limace]

Hey, all, still working on booking my first cruise, a quilting cruise with my mom, and it looks like we'll go with the Noordam in Jan of 2014. She insists on a verandah stateroom...dad's paying, so I'm in! :). I'm a little confused about HAL's verandah categories...all the subcategories of V cabins. Our travel agent says it's all about location.

 

It's a priority for us to reduce the chance of getting exposed to a lot of cigarette smoke on our balcony (not looking for an argument about smoking here, just know how my mom is about smoking and scents in general). I'm wondering if cabins near the bow of the shift are a better bet here, assuming that wind will blow smoke away from us. A lot of these cabins seem cheaper, too-eg the VH and VF cabins on deck 4. Are there negatives about these cabins I'm missing.

 

Assuming that we are OK spending the few hundred dollars either way for staterooms in this category, what do you recommend? Besides the smoking issue, are there big differences in balcony size or any other things we might not know about?

 

Thanks, all!

[IRL_Joanie]

Hey, all, still working on booking my first cruise, a quilting cruise with my mom, and it looks like we'll go with the Noordam in Jan of 2014. She insists on a verandah stateroom...dad's paying, so I'm in! :). I'm a little confused about HAL's verandah categories...all the subcategories of V cabins. Our travel agent says it's all about location.

 

It's a priority for us to reduce the chance of getting exposed to a lot of cigarette smoke on our balcony (not looking for an argument about smoking here, just know how my mom is about smoking and scents in general). I'm wondering if cabins near the bow of the shift are a better bet here, assuming that wind will blow smoke away from us. A lot of these cabins seem cheaper, too-eg the VH and VF cabins on deck 4. Are there negatives about these cabins I'm missing.

 

Assuming that we are OK spending the few hundred dollars either way for staterooms in this category, what do you recommend? Besides the smoking issue, are there big differences in balcony size or any other things we might not know about?

 

Thanks, all!

 

The biggest difference is in location as your TA told you. The 2nd biggest difference is in what you see while sitting on your verandah. VH 4001 through VH 4004 and VF 4005 through VF 4042 are staterooms with solid steel verandah railings instead of clear-view Plexiglas® railings. (Photos and Link below)

 

These are of VF 4022

 

 

The photos below are of VD 4164 and VD 4166 and are only to show you the PlexiGlas that you can see through while sitting. The verandahs on these 2 photos are NOT typical of the rest of the V category staterooms. As I said, I am only using them to show the view while you sit:) You cannot fit a Lounge chair on the other V category staterooms UNLESS you are in the very aft VA staterooms

 

 

http://abqreunion2008.com/Noordam/Deck-4.html

 

I understand your mother is sensitive to scents, so my question would then be, Is she prone to Motion Sickness? If she is then you might not want to consider a stateroom anywhere other than midship Deck 4 or 5. If she is not prone to motion sickness then my suggestion is one of the furthest forward staterooms that you can get in order to not have the scent problem(s)

 

Hope this helps in choosing a stateroom best for you and your mom!!

 

Joanie

[limace]

Joanie, thanks! Super helpful! So, is it first come first served if I wanted to try for the rooms with the larger balconies that you showed?

 

Midship sounds more stable, but then more likely to have smoke since we'll be right in the middle of everything. Hmmmmm. I'm probably more prone to motion sickness than she is, but I successfully sailed for 2 weeks in Greece on a 55' sailboat with no ill effects, just took some meds every day as a preventative. Of course, the Aegean is very calm, though I wouldn't the seas in the Caribbean would be typically that bad in January. Am I wrong?

[Orangeguy]

I was in a similar predicament when I was booking my trip a little while back. Our first cruise we had a VD cabin on Deck 5 on the Westerdam and loved the cabin location. So I wanted something similar for our upcoming sailing on Noordam. We ultimately chose VD 4134. The price was right, we liked the location, and the VD balconies are slightly wider

 

As far as avoiding the smoke, I'm not sure that you can all out avoid someone smoking except for maybe an aft verandah. No matter where your cabin is, one of your neighbors might be smokers. Thankfully when the ship is under way, unless the smoker is up wind it really isn't too bothersome.

[Mar56]

Joanie, thanks! Super helpful! So, is it first come first served if I wanted to try for the rooms with the larger balconies that you showed?

 

 

Just wanted to let you know that VD 4166 is already taken for that date.:rolleyes:

 

Our first cruise Feb 2012 had the quilters on it. Saw some very beautiful creative work!

[IRL_Joanie]

Joanie, thanks! Super helpful! So, is it first come first served if I wanted to try for the rooms with the larger balconies that you showed?

 

YES!!!!! And those Aft Wrap Staterooms get taken faster than the Handicapped staterooms do!![/color][/b]

 

Midship sounds more stable, but then more likely to have smoke since we'll be right in the middle of everything. Hmmmmm. I'm probably more prone to motion sickness than she is, but I successfully sailed for 2 weeks in Greece on a 55' sailboat with no ill effects, just took some meds every day as a preventative. Of course, the Aegean is very calm, though I wouldn't the seas in the Caribbean would be typically that bad in January. Am I wrong?

 

 

Hubby got extremely sea sick twice out of all our cruises. The 1st time we were mid ship Deck 5 on the Oosterdam, calmish seas. He was sicker than I ever was during my worst pregnancy with morning sickness, which was pretty bad. Anyway, after getting back home our HAL PCC (TA) told us about Sea Bands. We tried the Sea Bands on our next cruise and they worked!!!! Hubby has only gotten sick once since then and only then because we were in the middle of a typhoon and even the Captain and Hotel Manager got seasick!!.

All but 3 of our cruises have been in the Aft Wrap Staterooms and neither of us get seasick, no matter the location (well, except for the typhoon.)

So, with that being said, IF you think you could deal with " The Motion of the Ocean" I would say take a chance and get an aft wrap around stateroom. Others might disagree, but we all have our preferences and mine is the Aft Wrap staterooms:)

Joanie

[limace]

Coming back in now that we are (finally!) getting ready to book. Unfortunately, I don't think Dad's budget will support the wrap around cabins, though they look amazing. I'm leaning towards forward side of midship, (forward to minimize smoke, mid re motionsickness), decks 4 or 5. Any particularly fabulous verandah suite choices there we should try for? I loove your site, Joanie, though am finding myself in decision-paralysis.

[cruz chic]

Coming back in now that we are (finally!) getting ready to book. Unfortunately, I don't think Dad's budget will support the wrap around cabins, though they look amazing. I'm leaning towards forward side of midship, (forward to minimize smoke, mid re motionsickness), decks 4 or 5. Any particularly fabulous verandah suite choices there we should try for? I loove your site, Joanie, though am finding myself in decision-paralysis.

I wouldn't bet on being more forward to help with smoke. I was in 7004 on my last HAL cruise and there was a smoker in 7002.

[limace]

So, just to make sure I have this right-I've been haunting your website, Joanie, and YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!-but the VD balconies look to be the best deal, since they are deeper than the others??