observation deck cabins noordam

[Coco24]

Hi, we have just been allocated our gty cabin on observation deck on the noordam from a couple of old posts there is not much info on them. our cabin no is 10003 anyone had any experience with these cabins? any help appreciated. many thanks still trying to work out how to reply to any answers I may receive lol

[Krazy Kruizers]

Noordam just had these cabins added not too long ago.

I checked HALfacts and so far no one has submitted any pictures of those cabins.

[champagnecruiser]

When does your Noordam cruise depart? I am also awaiting allocation of a GTY cabin so just curious re how soon before departure HAL are allocating GTY cabins!

[Krazy Kruizers]

As a rule HAL starts assigning guarantees around 2 weeks out. A few people have reported that they got their assignments sooner than that.

There are also people who have reported here that they got their cabin assignments a couple of days before the cruise and a handful of people did not their cabin assignments until they got to the pier.

[jtl513]

This post http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=42316921&postcount=11 has comments about one of these new cabins.

Edited May 28, 2014 by jtl513

[Coco24]

We are leaving on the 9 th June

[Coco24]

Thanks!

[OHCruiser]

If I were assigned that cabin, I'd be on the phone BEGGING to be moved to almost any other cabin available on the ship--including a Main deck inside.

 

We were in 10010 in Dec. on the Noordam. It was awful--small, cramped, the AC didn't work properly [we had to keep the drapes closed all of the time so that the temp would stay under 85F and the Front Desk didn't want to hear it]. Hard for 2 people to move around the room together and we also had toilet problems. The balcony is very small.

 

I've vowed to never stay in one of those rooms again. They never should have been added to that ship--the ceiling and glass doors aren't insulated enough to compensate for the rising heat, reflected heat, & beating sun. The A/C seems to be scavenged from an already overloaded system--same with the toilets.

 

Sorry to be so brutal, but having been in one of those rooms for 10 days, it's my honest opinion.

[catl331]

They never should have been added to that ship--the ceiling and glass doors aren't insulated enough to compensate for the rising heat, reflected heat, & beating sun. The A/C seems to be scavenged from an already overloaded system--same with the toilets.

And yet they plan to inflict the same ills on the Zuiderdam! :eek:

[OHCruiser]

And yet they plan to inflict the same ills on the Zuiderdam! :eek:

 

Yes, they did....

 

.....and I'm guessing they'll continue to carve out small, "verandah" cabins wherever they think they can get away with it. I'm sure the extra revenue is worth the complaints and small refunds they give back to the customer for the disappointment and discomfort.

 

They obviously had no way to try these out in real time situations before they were installed. It looked good on paper, but it doesn't work well in practice.

 

All I can say is that the Front Desk doesn't want to hear about it and they'll tell you that the room temp is "within acceptable limits" based on whatever their arbitrary limits are--even if you say that sleeping in dead, moist, 80F air is NOT acceptable to YOU.

 

We had a thermometer with us and documented it with photos. We only got a small resolution when we escalated it to Seattle when we returned home. This was a cruise during a very, very warm Dec. in the southern Caribbean. Had it been Sept. in Alaska, it might have been just fine......

[kids at home cruisers]

Hi Coco24,

 

We'd be extremely interested in knowing your opinion on your cabin aboard the Noordam.

 

We are booked into the same cabin for our cruise departing 25th August and I must say I'm a little concerned after some of the comments in this thread.

 

Thanks

 

-

[Coco24]

We just got back from our cruise in cabin 10003 we loved it! Balcony holds no more than 2 chairs n table but fine for us would b awkward for more than 2. It wasn't hotter than other balcony cabins aircon worked fine. We loved position as it was near the crows nest and the thermal suite and lido. The only annoying thing was you can hear the elevator chimes which are pretty constant so if you dislike noise then this cabin would b no good it didn't bother us that much. Overall we loved the cabin and the convenience of its position on the ship

[rollnoles2]

We spent 11 days in this cabin in June. We are a family of four (with two 6-foot plus teenage sons :eek:) and were very comfortable in the room. We had plenty of room to store our clothes (once we discovered the drawers at the end of the bed) and while cramped, it worked well.

 

The AC was fine-but we did close the drapes during the day to keep out the sun when we were in port (and not in the room anyway). In fact, my family members complained that I kept it too cold at night!

 

Like Coco24, we really enjoyed the location. Since there were four of us in the cabin, we took advantage of the Crow's Nest. It was a great place to read or watch the sea go by and gave us some needed space.

 

The balcony is much smaller than a normal balcony. There is room for only two chairs and those are at an angle-you can't sit facing the sea. It was cramped if all four of us were on the balcony at the same time, but it was okay. It would be fine for just two people.

 

There was more noise than I expected. We weren't that close to the elevators, but we did hear the chimes. There was also more foot traffic than I expected (since the cabin is somewhat out-of-the-way), but not bad. If you are a light sleeper it might bother you, but it wasn't a problem/annoyance for us at all.

 

Overall, I would book this cabin again. It worked well for our family. This is the first time since the boys were small that the four of us stayed in the same cabin and I was afraid that it would just be too much togetherness (did I mention that they are over 6 feet tall? and teenage boys?:D) but I was very pleasantly surprised. The only real negative to this cabin was the size of the balcony, but it's not a deal breaker.