Difference between classes

[mauimacho]

By luck of the draw all of our previous cruises were on "R" class ships. Our next cruise however is on the Noordam, a Vista class. What are the major differences between the ships?

[feathersandnananose]

Did you check the "sticky" at the top of the Holland America forum? It's generally informative, then I'd look at deck plans of ships you know vs the one you're going on. The Vista class are bigger, and will have more people, but we found them quite comfortable and "small enough".

 

I've never been on an R class, but on several of the smaller S class. The location of the library / explorations cafe was the biggest difference we noticed. (On the Oosterdam, it's attached to the Crow's Nest.) Also the lack of self-service laundries on the Vistas.

[RuthC]

The Vista ship will still have the same "feel" that you're on a Holland America ship.

However, it will be much larger than the R-class ships. The walk from the dining room to the show lounge can be daunting!

The Lido especially will be more crowded , especially at meal times. There isn't quite enough room in there for the number of passengers.

I have sailed on three of the Vista ships (only one yet to sail is the Oosterdam), and did have a good time on each. Service was not quite up to the levels found on the smaller ships, but had moments when it excelled. Food is the same. Beds are comfy, but storage in the cabins isn't as much.

Have a good time.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The cabins, balconies and verandahs on the Vista Class and Signature class ships are smaller (except for the aft -- corner suites have larger verandahs).

On the Noordam the Explorations Cafe is on the Promenade Deck -- but on Starboard side.

[PathfinderEss]

By luck of the draw all of our previous cruises were on "R" class ships. Our next cruise however is on the Noordam, a Vista class. What are the major differences between the ships?

 

Major differences is the size. They all have the basic's.

[visagrunt]

The biggest difference is that the principal public decks on the R class are decks 4 and 5--sandwiched between the decks of accommodation. This reduces the travel time from one's cabin to the places one wants to go (especially if you have a balcony).

 

On the Vista class, however, the principal public decks are 2 and 3, so that if you are on deck 7 or 8, say, it can be a long haul to get to where you want to go.

[Mekka]

I believe the differences go beyond the mere size increase between the classes of ships. As HAL moves to larger vessels, they do not proportionally increase the size of public spaces. This creates a feeling of crowdedness on the larger ships. We've sailed on all sizes (except the Prinsendam, which we are trying this fall) and I find the atmosphere on the larger ships to be less inviting.

 

For example, the crows nest, the gym, the explorers lounge, etc. may be larger on the Vista class, but the size increase is proportionally less than the increase in number of passengers. This means that you will find yourself competing for a chair by the pool, a seat in the theater, or a machine in the gym. If you attend a computer class, you have to get there early if you want to sit down. If you attend a dance class, there may be 30+ people with you. The Lido will seem more crowded and you may wait longer for a table with flex dining.

 

Personally, I get very tired of this sort of thing. I don't like wondering if I'll get a seat or if I can get a steward's attention. I fear that this phenomenon will only get worse with the new Pinnacle class ship. This will be a 99,000 ton ship for 2,660 passengers (versus 82,000 tons for 1,916 in the Vista class). This is a 13% reduction in the ship size per passenger. The larger ships offer essentially the same services as the smaller ones, but more cabins and more people competing for them.