Vista suite vs. Verandah

[YourWorldWithBill]

We recently took an Alaska cruise in a Neptune suite booked during the pandemic at a great price. We are on the Rotterdam next spring, also booked in a Neptune suite, but considering downgrading to a Vista suite or a Verandah stateroom.

 

Studying the website it's difficult to see whether the difference between the Vista suite and a Verandah cabin is worth paying the difference. The sizes aren't very different, it seems.

 

We don't think we would miss the size of the room in the Neptune suite (although pretty nice!), but access to the concierge was great and might be a deciding factor.

Edited November 25, 2022 by YourWorldWithBill

[northernphoenix]

We have also enjoyed the luxury of a Neptune suite on two occasions.  I have also cruised in Inside, Lanai, and as recently as September in a Vista…I can say that we were disappointed in the configuration on the NS.  My next cruise (Sept./2023) will be in a basic verandah.  Any room works for me; but the placement of the couch and table for room service was very awkward.  The room was quite cramped.

[crystalspin]

Concierge only Neptune and Pinnacle suites, per the "amenities" list on website. If you pay rack-rate for a Vista Suite (as opposed to an up-sell from smaller cabin), you get double mariner points. The positioning of the sofa relative to the bed (and the balcony vs hallway door) can vary, even between decks on the same ship. Halfacts photos may help with that:

 

https://halfacts.com/

[DaveOKC]

Also consider dropping to a Signature Suite.  Its close (about 80%) of the size of the Neptune, but it does lack the Neptune perks.  Cost is alot lower.  Plus, you might get an upsell offer to a Neptune and save a bunch of money that way (versus purchasing a Neptune).

[REOVA]

If you decide Veranda vs Vista (because of layout of bed) avoid VF (tenders) and I don't like VA and V due to inset of the cabins so you don't get a full view down the ship from the balcony. Just my opinion. 

[olya1972]

On 11/25/2022 at 6:33 PM, REOVA said:

If you decide Veranda vs Vista (because of layout of bed) avoid VF (tenders) and I don't like VA and V due to inset of the cabins so you don't get a full view down the ship from the balcony. Just my opinion. 

Can you please explain what does it mean "inset of the cabins so you don't get a full view down the ship from the balcony"? (we just received a gty assignment into VA Deck 8 Rotterdam). Thank You.

[julia]

See deck plan below for "inset" VA cabins... they are the same size as all others, and it's not really a factor for us.

[mobilemac]

We just returned from the Oosterdam, cabin 5108, an "A" portside veranda.  It was an inset cabin.  Granted, we did not have a full sightline view up and down the side of the ship, but by being inset we had a bit more overhang from the balcony above, helping cut down on the amount of full sun streaming into the cabin in the afternoon.  We were very happy with our selection and would book it again. 

[bennybear]

It really depends on the ship.   The vista isn’t much bigger than a verandah on the Pinnacle class ships.   So not really worth it IMO.  Our friends had one when we were in a verandah and our balcony was much larger,  so lots of variation.    
 

We loved having a Neptune,  the priority tendering and other perks are nice,  but it is pricey.   We’ve also enjoyed the extra space on a signature a couple of times so that can be a good option.  Just not sure how they compare on a Pinnacle ship, as we had them on the vista class. 

[REOVA]

23 minutes ago, olya1972 said:

Can you please explain what does it mean "inset of the cabins so you don't get a full view down the ship from the balcony"? (we just received a gty assignment into VA Deck 8 Rotterdam). Thank You.

It's a minor thing but a personal preference. HALs older ships had a streamline portside and starboard. The Signature Class ships began widening at the bow and stern so midship cabins inset. The Pinnacle Class ships added a "bulge" in the middle so they have 2 lines of insets on each side of ship. These are all VA verandas on deck 8 so if looking bow or stern, you see V cabins at the corners of the "bulge". Look at the difference of VE cabins that are more forward/aft and are not inset so you can see down the side (be cautious that different categories within Veranda have different size balconies - maybe 1 foot diff if that matters - and either solid or glass railings). Like I said its not a big deal. You still get a view of the water and partial angles right and left. Most people look straight out anyway. I don't think VA balconies on Deck 8 are deep since on our last cruise we could look up from deck 7 and people were looking down over into our balcony (we had deeper balcony in Neptune). Also on your cruise you would be under Lido pool and and Lido market which is noisy at night and morning as chairs and tables are dragged around. So if you could choose a different VA on, say deck 6 or 7 it may be better but my guess is they have cabins open on 8 they want to fill. Attached are deck plans to compare when booking. 

hal-deck-plans-020522.pdf

[olya1972]

49 minutes ago, julia said:

See deck plan below for "inset" VA cabins... they are the same size as all others, and it's not really a factor for us.

Thank you.

[olya1972]

9 minutes ago, REOVA said:

It's a minor thing but a personal preference. HALs older ships had a streamline portside and starboard. The Signature Class ships began widening at the bow and stern so midship cabins inset. The Pinnacle Class ships added a "bulge" in the middle so they have 2 lines of insets on each side of ship. These are all VA verandas on deck 8 so if looking bow or stern, you see V cabins at the corners of the "bulge". Look at the difference of VE cabins that are more forward/aft and are not inset so you can see down the side (be cautious that different categories within Veranda have different size balconies - maybe 1 foot diff if that matters - and either solid or glass railings). Like I said its not a big deal. You still get a view of the water and partial angles right and left. Most people look straight out anyway. I don't think VA balconies on Deck 8 are deep since on our last cruise we could look up from deck 7 and people were looking down over into our balcony (we had deeper balcony in Neptune). Also on your cruise you would be under Lido pool and and Lido market which is noisy at night and morning as chairs and tables are dragged around. So if you could choose a different VA on, say deck 6 or 7 it may be better but my guess is they have cabins open on 8 they want to fill. Attached are deck plans to compare when booking. 

hal-deck-plans-020522.pdf 5.11 MB · 0 downloads

Thank you very much for that detailed response. It's very informative.