Noordam "J" inside cabins

[M5M]

Considering a J level cabin on the Noordam.  They are on Main Deck, and apparently are square rather than rectangular, having an L shaped sofa.  Can anyone comment on these? Is there noise from the public areas above? Thanks!

[RuthC]

23 minutes ago, M5M said:

Considering a J level cabin on the Noordam.  They are on Main Deck, and apparently are square rather than rectangular, having an L shaped sofa.  Can anyone comment on these? Is there noise from the public areas above? Thanks!

I have been in many of those cabins, on all the Vista and Signature class ships. They are my favorite cabins on those ships, and my first choice every time. 
The 'L-shaped couch' doesn't have much of an 'L' to it after it starts curving, so there isn't a lot of sitting room. The longer part of the couch is a pull out bed in those cabins that have extra sleep space. But it is comfortable for two to sit on, in either case. 
The last time I was on any of those ships, the TV had been removed from the shelf above the desk (a corner shelf by the closets), and a large flat-screen TV was affixed to the wall opposite the bathroom door. The shelf was left intact, as were the outlets that had previously been used by the TV and DVR, so there was a lot of extra space and outlet capability. 

I stayed on starboard every time except once, and recommend that side of the ship, the closer to mid-ship, the better. Port side is under the Queen's Lounge bandstand and the 'thump-thump-thump' of the bass can be disturbing until the band closes down for the night. Now, if you are there closing the place, the cabins will be fine. Closer to the forward area you are beneath Billboard Onboard and the Casino. I was under the Casino once, and didn't find noise a problem; I don't know about Billboard Onboard noise. 

Some of these are connecting cabins; I've never had a noise problem from the doors between. The connecting cabins have the head of the bed against the bathroom; those that don't connect have the bed facing the closets, desk, and TV. 

The K-cabins on the same deck are exactly the same, except much further aft. If you like to stay out at night, they are a long walk home, but otherwise fine cabins.

They are under the dining room, so quiet. 

[canadarocks]

When we first started cruising, inside cabins were our "go to". From my first day on Cruise Critic (way back in 2009 I believe), I learned to always listen to RuthC. ESPECIALLY when it comes to inside cabins!! 

[RuthC]

17 minutes ago, canadarocks said:

When we first started cruising, inside cabins were our "go to". From my first day on Cruise Critic (way back in 2009 I believe), I learned to always listen to RuthC. ESPECIALLY when it comes to inside cabins!! 

Why, thank you! 
I've spent enough days in inside cabins, on enough HAL ships, to be pretty expert on them. 

[boards]

Our last cruise in Nov. of 2019 was on the Noordam and had cabin J1053.  We enjoyed very much.  We had plenty of room.

[M5M]

14 hours ago, RuthC said:

I have been in many of those cabins, on all the Vista and Signature class ships. They are my favorite cabins on those ships, and my first choice every time. 
The 'L-shaped couch' doesn't have much of an 'L' to it after it starts curving, so there isn't a lot of sitting room. The longer part of the couch is a pull out bed in those cabins that have extra sleep space. But it is comfortable for two to sit on, in either case. 
The last time I was on any of those ships, the TV had been removed from the shelf above the desk (a corner shelf by the closets), and a large flat-screen TV was affixed to the wall opposite the bathroom door. The shelf was left intact, as were the outlets that had previously been used by the TV and DVR, so there was a lot of extra space and outlet capability. 

I stayed on starboard every time except once, and recommend that side of the ship, the closer to mid-ship, the better. Port side is under the Queen's Lounge bandstand and the 'thump-thump-thump' of the bass can be disturbing until the band closes down for the night. Now, if you are there closing the place, the cabins will be fine. Closer to the forward area you are beneath Billboard Onboard and the Casino. I was under the Casino once, and didn't find noise a problem; I don't know about Billboard Onboard noise. 

Some of these are connecting cabins; I've never had a noise problem from the doors between. The connecting cabins have the head of the bed against the bathroom; those that don't connect have the bed facing the closets, desk, and TV. 

The K-cabins on the same deck are exactly the same, except much further aft. If you like to stay out at night, they are a long walk home, but otherwise fine cabins.

They are under the dining room, so quiet. 

Ruth!! That is wonderful information! Thank you so much for taking the time to explain the nuances.  We are booking this morning so will make decisions based on this.  

[atexsix]

These are excellent cabins, I thoroughly enjoyed it for 18 days to Hawaii.  Never did I feel closed in or lacking fresh air, but I enjoy indoor environments with soft gentle lighting, it was perfect for me.  

 

If you are the type of person at home that likes every window in the house wide open, that's a good indicator if these rooms will work.  

 

Reach out to Ruth with any further questions, she's our HAL indoor cabin expert.  

[janmcn]

There are photos of them on halfacts.com

[RuthC]

3 hours ago, atexsix said:

Reach out to Ruth with any further questions, she's our HAL indoor cabin expert. 

Thank you for saying that! When you have spent as many nights in an inside cabin, on all classes of ships, you do learn a few things I guess. 

[BermudaBound2014]

28 minutes ago, RuthC said:

Thank you for saying that! When you have spent as many nights in an inside cabin, on all classes of ships, you do learn a few things I guess. 

 

A bit off topic, but what insides do you recommend on Vista class? I'm aware of the two special "K" rooms, but other than that???

[RuthC]

7 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

A bit off topic, but what insides do you recommend on Vista class? I'm aware of the two special "K" rooms, but other than that???

As I noted in my first post, I recommend any of the J- and K-cabins on Main Deck only, with the exception of the few (3-5) on port side, under the Queen's Lounge bandstand. 
There are some pros & cons to some of them, including distance from the evening entertainment, or possible noise from some of that same entertainment. 

What do you mean by the 'Special K' cabins? 

[BermudaBound2014]

3 minutes ago, RuthC said:

As I noted in my first post, I recommend any of the J- and K-cabins on Main Deck only, with the exception of the few (3-5) on port side, under the Queen's Lounge bandstand. 
There are some pros & cons to some of them, including distance from the evening entertainment, or possible noise from some of that same entertainment. 

What do you mean by the 'Special K' cabins? 

 

Thank you, I feel so silly. I misread the original post and thought OP was sailing on a R-class.

 

There are a few inside K cabins on observation deck that book quickly due to proximity to the observation lounge and outside air.

[Roz]

I can tell you what cabin you DON'T want on the Noordam - 8056 on Navigation deck.  A tuna fish can has more room.  It's small and poorly arranged.   It's the only inside cabin I've had where I experienced claustrophobia.  I booked a guarantee (I'd previously had good luck with guarantees) which is how I ended up with it.  Never again.  Lesson learned.

[Kc1220]

On 4/18/2022 at 8:46 AM, boards said:

Our last cruise in Nov. of 2019 was on the Noordam and had cabin J1053.  We enjoyed very much.  We had plenty of room.

Going to Alaska in May on the Noordam and in room 1060

[crystalspin]

4 hours ago, Kc1220 said:

Going to Alaska in May on the Noordam and in room 1060

Hate to tell you but you will be directly under the BBKings Blues Club with throbbing bass (IF they are still on board -- have heard rumors on CC...). They (or whoever is in their place) do quit about 11pm if you are not an early-to-bed person.

 

You might start a new thread specifically about what is going on in the "Queen's Lounge" as it was once called.

[dmwnc1959]

On 4/17/2022 at 7:31 PM, RuthC said:

I have been in many of those cabins, on all the Vista and Signature class ships. They are my favorite cabins on those ships, and my first choice every time. 

My apologies for digging up an old thread, but wanted to ask you about these specific cabin types and HAL’s newer ‘policy’ that leans towards favoring triples/quads as an excuse/reason to bump (single-occupancy) passengers.
 

I’m booked on the April 19, 2026 Noordam doing the “Great Bear Rainforest” sailing r/t from Seattle. It’s off-season (2 weeks after Easter), very early ‘Alaska’ season, and mostly all British Columbia, Canada ports and scenic cruising. It only has one stop actually in Alaska. 

 

There’s a very high probability that I’ll book the following voyage and make this a B2B. 
 

At this point in time, do you feel that it’s safe - based on the above observations - that I won’t get bumped, or should I go ahead and move my cabin now and save myself some grief? 
 

[Mary229]

I read some of that thread.  I think the most affected rooms will be the new family rooms on the Pinnacle class ships which have always been difficult to buy unless you were a triple.  For other rooms and this policy - I will believe it when I see it.  

[RuthC]

5 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

At this point in time, do you feel that it’s safe - based on the above observations - that I won’t get bumped, or should I go ahead and move my cabin now and save myself some grief? 

I'm sorry, but I really am not yet in a position to judge. The program hasn't been in effect long enough for people to have been displaced, and for us to know under what circumstances. 

I do know that many of the J-cabins on Main Deck on the Noordam are for two people, but are connecting cabins to a cabin for four, or three---good family areas. I would be concerned that a larger family might want the two connecting cabins---the double for the parents, and the one for 3-4 for the kids. So even booking the double might not be safe. 

I think since your cruise is quite early in the season, and is a longer cruise, the demand for the cabin you have might not be there. 

I hope this works out for you! 

[dmwnc1959]

7 minutes ago, RuthC said:

I'm sorry, but I really am not yet in a position to judge. The program hasn't been in effect long enough for people to have been displaced, and for us to know under what circumstances. 

I do know that many of the J-cabins on Main Deck on the Noordam are for two people, but are connecting cabins to a cabin for four, or three---good family areas. I would be concerned that a larger family might want the two connecting cabins---the double for the parents, and the one for 3-4 for the kids. So even booking the double might not be safe. 

I think since your cruise is quite early in the season, and is a longer cruise, the demand for the cabin you have might not be there. 

I hope this works out for you! 

THANK YOU! 👍😁
 

Actually just off of them phone with a PCC - our first contact - with him making an initial ‘how’s it going’ introduction. I went over my concerns as laid out above, and he confirmed that the new ‘policy’ is in play. He also agreed that the itinerary, time of year, and ship made it a lot less likely that I’d get bumped, saying it was probably around 5%.
 

I only booked that category based on the fact that it has much more room to spread out, but that’s not so important to risk that 5% and having a B2B bumped to separate cabins in less than desirable locations. 
 

I’m not really interested in the balcony cabin, even if I get upgraded to one. Past experience shows that I just never spend any time there, even in Alaska. I’ve researched other inside cabins, specifically the sideways inside cabins aft on Verandah Deck.
 

Time is definitely on my side, I’d just rather get this out of the way so that I can focus on my current booking for April 2025. 
 

😁

[Mary229]

On 4/18/2022 at 4:41 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

A bit off topic, but what insides do you recommend on Vista class? I'm aware of the two special "K" rooms, but other than that???

All of the 10th floor K’s are nice.  There are so few cabins up there it does truly develop a neighborhood feel.  Plus you are a few steps to the coffee, the crow’s nest and a few steps to the outside walk and sports.  

[dmwnc1959]

19 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

All of the 10th floor K’s are nice.  There are so few cabins up there it does truly develop a neighborhood feel.  Plus you are a few steps to the coffee, the crow’s nest and a few steps to the outside walk and sports.  

How was it for motion? I think on the second half of the B2B I’m contemplating Noordam travels on the outside of Vancouver Island into the open ocean. That would probably be the worst of it. I do rather like the idea of being only a step or two from the outside.

 

😁

Edited March 27 by dmwnc1959

[Mary229]

57 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

How was it for motion? I think on the second half of the B2B I’m contemplating Noordam travels on the outside of Vancouver Island into the open ocean. That would probably be the worst of it. I do rather like the idea of being only a step or two from the outside.

 

😁

I have never noted a problem but I am not prone to motion sickness.  

[dmwnc1959]

32 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I have never noted a problem but I am not prone to motion sickness.  

One more question, if I may. Any issues with the Oak Room, and cigarette smoke wafting into the hallways? 🤔

[Mary229]

5 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

One more question, if I may. Any issues with the Oak Room, and cigarette smoke wafting into the hallways? 🤔

I just learned about the Oak Room so I guess my answer is no😉

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

How was it for motion? I think on the second half of the B2B I’m contemplating Noordam travels on the outside of Vancouver Island into the open ocean. That would probably be the worst of it. I do rather like the idea of being only a step or two from the outside.

We did a TA in K10021 on the Zuiderdam. While there were no storms, we felt no motion (and DH does have history of Mal de Mer). We risked it based on how much time we spent in the Crows Nest anyway!

 

One thing about the K-inside, that seems to be true of every cabin below a suite on the Vista ships, is a dearth of drawers: small ones in the nightstands and large ones under the beds. I obtained and bought collapsible shallow boxes (sold as drawer organizers) and used them on the closet shelves.