Signature Suite vs Vista Suite

[Iamthesea]

Congratulations on your pick!   

 

I don't know if the red chair was standard or not.  When we first entered the room and I saw it blocking the coffee table and seemingly a good for nothing chair, I started to tell DH that I was going to ask for it to be removed.  He piped up and said, "oh good, a chair for T.V. watching."  He immediately turned it around so that it faced the T.V.  We did have to go around it just a little to get out unto the veranda.

 

What port in Norway do you visit?  We have also been to Scotland and Iceland.

 

Susie - Did you happen to take a photo of your Vista Suite?

[0106]

@detroit70  I believe this is your Roll Call 

 

[Haljo1935]

Congrats on your selection, we enjoyed the extra space in the SS.

Nieuw Statendam is one of my favorite ships due to Grand Dutch Cafe - it's great for quick, different food options and has the best coffee on the ship!

Safe travels  - enjoy your cruise!

[Ferry_Watcher]

We are booked in a Vista on the Zaandam.  If I was interested in upgrading to a Signature Suite, what would be the best way of doing that?  Would it be best to wait until the final payment date to see if some Signature Staterooms become available?  Any other suggestions?

[RuthC]

32 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

We are booked in a Vista on the Zaandam.  If I was interested in upgrading to a Signature Suite, what would be the best way of doing that?  Would it be best to wait until the final payment date to see if some Signature Staterooms become available?  Any other suggestions?

The Zaandam doesn't have Signature Suites. It has Vista, Neptune, and a Pinnacle suite. It also has inside and outside cabins. 

[detroit70]

On 6/19/2023 at 9:40 AM, Iamthesea said:

Congratulations on your pick!   

 

I don't know if the red chair was standard or not.  When we first entered the room and I saw it blocking the coffee table and seemingly a good for nothing chair, I started to tell DH that I was going to ask for it to be removed.  He piped up and said, "oh good, a chair for T.V. watching."  He immediately turned it around so that it faced the T.V.  We did have to go around it just a little to get out unto the veranda.

 

What port in Norway do you visit?  We have also been to Scotland and Iceland.

 

Susie - Did you happen to take a photo of your Vista Suite?

My PCC checked with guest services and reported back to me today that the “red chair” (or its equivalent) is standard SS furnishings on the NS!  I’m relieved to know I’ll have a place to sit with my morning coffee and CNN before venturing out.

[Ferry_Watcher]

9 minutes ago, RuthC said:

The Zaandam doesn't have Signature Suites. It has Vista, Neptune, and a Pinnacle suite. It also has inside and outside cabins. 

 

Thanks!  I had booked directly online with HAL, and they (at some point) administratively changed my stateroom from Deck 7 (a BC) to Deck 6 stateroom (AA).  The new room's location is fine, so I didn't pursue why it was changed.

I was so enamored of the Signature Suite photos posted earlier in this thread, that I thought I would look into an upgrade, but thanks to you I know that that isn't an option.  I would love to be in a Neptune someday though.  :  )

 

Since you are the 'Go to Person' for all things HAL, I hope I have your nod of approval for our Deck 6 Aft (VB) room on the Westerdam for a 26 day cruise.  This will be our first really long cruise.  We are very excited.

Also, any suggestions, insights or 'don't miss' ideas would be welcomed (for either ship sailing)

[RuthC]

49 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Since you are the 'Go to Person' for all things HAL, I hope I have your nod of approval for our Deck 6 Aft (VB) room on the Westerdam for a 26 day cruise.  This will be our first really long cruise.  We are very excited.

Sorry, I am hardly the 'go to person' for every HAL. 
I do heartily approve of choosing a 26-day cruise, as I love longer cruises. My personal best was 39 days; that was in a year when I did 71 cruising days (also my personal best). 

But when it comes to balcony cabins, I have done very few of them: twice in the Prinsendam, and once on the Nieuw Statendam. I am primarily an inside cabin gal, as that is what has allowed me to afford those longer cruises! 
But I certainly wish you the best of times in that VB cabin on the Westerdam. I know I had a good time on that ship (in an inside). 

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

We are booked in a Vista on the Zaandam. ...Any other suggestions?

The Zaandam Vista Suite is larger with more storage than the Vista on Koningsdam/N.Statendam/Rotterdam. We sailed with my mom -- we each had a bank of drawers and a closet each, plus other shelves behind closet doors. The steward made up the sofa each morning so we could have our own little happy hour and made it a bed every evening while we were at dinner.

 

Other suggestion is have the ship do your laundry! We sailed the Zaandam when there were still passenger laundries, and what a waste of time! By the bag is most economic and unlimited is most convenient, letting you pack less.

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, crystalspin said:

The Zaandam Vista Suite is larger with more storage than the Vista on Koningsdam/N.Statendam/Rotterdam. We sailed with my mom -- we each had a bank of drawers and a closet each, plus other shelves behind closet doors. The steward made up the sofa each morning so we could have our own little happy hour and made it a bed every evening while we were at dinner.

 

Other suggestion is have the ship do your laundry! We sailed the Zaandam when there were still passenger laundries, and what a waste of time! By the bag is most economic and unlimited is most convenient, letting you pack less.

YES!! Laundry service is the best!! They do such a great job, even honoring special requests if you include a note.

[SusieKIslandGirl]

@IamtheseaI didn't get any decent photos of the Vista cabin but Halfacts.com has several cabins showing the layout.

[DaveOKC]

One of the things I dislike about the smaller HAL ships is the limited cabin type selection.  No verandahs and no Signatures, so if you want a balcony you have to go with the Vistas or Neptunes.

 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

@RuthC and @crystalspin, I believe I read somewhere that there is public access on some HAL Aft decks.  I will be on the Zaandam deck 6 - would I find public access on any of the Aft decks on that ship?

[RuthC]

3 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

I will be on the Zaandam deck 6 - would I find public access on any of the Aft decks on that ship?

Yes, but I won't swear to which ones, as it has been a while since I sailed an R-class ship, and even longer since I was able to do stairs. 
IIRC, there is an outside staircase smack dab in the middle of the stern that will take you down several decks---at least to Veranda Deck; you can't get past the two dining room decks on that staircase. 
You can also get outside on Main Deck, I believe, and Lower Promenade, of course as that is the promenade deck. 

[crystalspin]

12 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

I read somewhere that there is public access on some HAL Aft decks.  I will be on the Zaandam deck 6 - would I find public access on any of the Aft decks on that ship?

On the Zaandam there is access to the Aft on Decks 6 and 7. The doors are solid and "industrial" looking, one each starboard and port. The open area is deeper on Deck 6 (lucky you!) and the Cruise Deck Plans photos show a stack of lounge chairs ready to be used!

 

Now, the rails are solid and the area at least on Deck 6, is pretty much covered (for better or worse). But the area is there.

[fox02554]

2 hours ago, crystalspin said:

On the Zaandam there is access to the Aft on Decks 6 and 7.

 

 

[AFNavigator]

On 6/14/2023 at 9:22 PM, Iamthesea said:

On our Nieuw Statendam cruise last month, DH and I had planned to be in a Vista.  We had upgraded from a Veranda.  A couple of weeks prior to the cruise, we bit the bullet and moved up to a SS.  So glad that we did!  It will be hard going back to a Verandah or a Vista, however.   We have a Verandah booked for our May 2024 cruise on the Rotterdam.   If we cannot move up to a SS, we will be thankful for the little extra room that the Vista will give us, should we upgrade.  Thanks for the video crystalspin!!!

 

I see many videos of staterooms online, but very few photographs.  I wanted to return the kindness to CC. When DH and I were onboard the N. Statendam, I carefully photographed long range views of our Signature Suite to share. 

 

You can see in the bedroom portion that there is a red chair.  My DH used the chair to watch T.V.  I could easily see the T.V. from the dressing table.  We never once used the couch to watch it.  In fact, the only time we used the couch was to sit on while eating our room service breakfast.  I had intended to lounge on it to watch the Fjord scenery go by, but we were usually getting ready for morning or evening activities when going thru the fjords, so did not have time to relax.  We did watch a couple of movies on sea days and used the bed to view the set.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE

One feature of a Pinnacle ship's Signature Suites that is a bit hidden in these photos is the second bed's location.  Unlike other cabin classes, it isn't the couch near the bed.  In the topmost two photos above, you can see a portion of the wall with a picture of a saxophone.  That's not just a blank wall, it's actually a pull-down twin size Murphy bed.  The divider between the Murphy bed and the main bed essentially makes the cabin into two separate sleeping areas.  That's a sleeping area separation you don't get with any other cabins of any category (except perhaps the Pinnacle Suite) on any other class of HAL ship.

Edited June 24, 2023 by AFNavigator
Added photos

[oakridger]

@AFNavigator I agree that the murphy bed in the dressing area would be the ideal floor plan when traveling with a friend, relative, or child.  It offers that extra privacy and sound isolation a bit! (Pinnacle ships only).  However, if I was traveling solo or with a significant other, I feel that the murphy bed area is a lot of wasted space.  I normally travel solo so the non-pinnacle ship Signature Suites with the wonderful desk area under the window is so much roomier and user friendly!  If the weather isn't good for eating on the balcony, I love eating breakfast at that desk and looking out the window.  Perfect for me!

 

~Nancy

Edited June 24, 2023 by oakridger

[AFNavigator]

1 hour ago, oakridger said:

@AFNavigator I agree that the murphy bed in the dressing area would be the ideal floor plan when traveling with a friend, relative, or child.  It offers that extra privacy and sound isolation a bit! (Pinnacle ships only).  However, if I was traveling solo or with a significant other, I feel that the murphy bed area is a lot of wasted space.  I normally travel solo so the non-pinnacle ship Signature Suites with the wonderful desk area under the window is so much roomier and user friendly!  If the weather isn't good for eating on the balcony, I love eating breakfast at that desk and looking out the window.  Perfect for me!

 

~Nancy

True.  I was speaking from the perspective of either 3 per cabin or 2 sharing a cabin who would like more privacy.

[Jenhilmc]

AFNavigator- there are two of us booked into Statendam 6052. I see that you stayed in this cabin. Is the angle of the view outward so decreased that we should consider a change?  We won't need the sofa bed. Thank you.