HAL MS Rotterdam - fjordcruise - cabin choice

[BelgiumCruiser1984]

Hello,

 

New to cruising and to this forum, but have already found out a lot and gotten some great tips.  We will be sailing to the Norwegian fjords june 20th 2020 and are looking for the right cabin.   Because of the amazing scenery we will opt for a cabin with a balcony, even though weather can be dicy...  After considering the lanai cabin there was a deal on which we can have a Vista Suite (verandah) for the same price, so we will book that type.  But then choices...  

An aft facing, corner cabin like 6240 looks great, but first time cruisers so is there a big chance to get seasick aft? (we chose port because of starboard being the smokers area at lido deck)

Regular aft facing cabin because of the slightly lower price?

Cabin on the midsection of other part?

 

Any help and experiences would be welcome!

 

Kind regards,

A

[crystalspin]

I would go for midships on the lower prom. Have sailed to Alaska twice in Rotterdam's sister ships Volendam and Zaandam, in partially obscured OV's on the Lower Promenade deck. As you know, most or all of those on the Rotterdam have been converted to Lanai cabins. 

 

If I could stay in a Lanai (midships) for the same price as an aft balcony, I would go for the Lanai anytime. In fact I would love to sail in a Lanai period! They have a private door to the biggest balcony on the ship! And teak loungers reserved for you.

 

On our longer Alaska sailing, that crossed the Bay of Alaska, two of our party of nine did have some seasickness despite being midships and relatively low deck. Another reason to hesitate for an aft balcony on this size ship.

 

Just my opinion, possibly not that humble!

 

ETA: Welcome to Cruise Critic! Also, there are cabin and public area photos of Rotterdam and her sister ships, here:

https://halfacts.com/r-class/

Edited January 15, 2020 by crystalspin

[bbwex]

Hmmmm.  Will you get seasick in an aft cabin?  Do you tend to get motion sick?  If not, you will likely be fine on the cruise.  Many people do get a slight case of seasickness on the first day, but your body will adjust to the motion.

 

I have never had an aft cabin yet -- will have one on our next cruise -- though we have had a cabin all of the way forward.  We were fine, though one day there was a bit of pitching (bow and stern going up and down).  DW tends to get a little seasick on the first day, but the pitching was well into the cruise, and she was fine.  I have heard that the view from an aft cabin is great as you are cruising, but while you are in a fjord, a deck along one side or the other might be better.  In Alaska, we ended up up on deck when we were looking at glaciers, so it didn't matter too much.

 

The majority of the motion is rolling -- side to side -- and if you think that that is going to bother you, being on the top couple of decks will notice that more than decks closer to the Center of Motion.  That used to be down around the main deck, but as ships have gotten so much taller, it is difficult to determine which deck is really in the center. 

[cb at sea]

The aft and bow cabins can experience more motion than something midships....think of a see-saw.  The ends move more than the middle.

 

If you're after scenery, you will want to be OUT AND ABOUT the ship....there's stuff to see EVERYWHERE.  Don't limit yourself to your balcony!

[Belgian fry]

Hello from Belgium. We cruised the fjords on Rottedam in June 2019. We had 3 aft cabins, with one being the corner. The balcony on the corner cabin is huge!

I get seasick and was fine. Just too a tablet for the very rough seas that delayed our departure from Rotterdam and after that I was fine.

[BelgiumCruiser1984]

Hi,

 

Thanks all for the advice!  I just booked the corner cabin aft 6240, so we can enjoy views from the stern and the side.  Balcony did look huge indeed.  

 

We will get up on deck a lot, but it's nice to have a place of your own to relax and enjoy the view.

 

Grtz,

A