Sailing in the "bowels" of the ship . . .

[satchiesmom]

We are on a strict budget for our January cruise so we took the least expensive cabin we could get which is an inside aft on Deck A of the Massdam. Has anyone ever done this? We read a post on another board that this was an extremely noisy area with banging going on all night, etc. Of course, this poster also thought the ship should be retired which I know many of you disagree with. Any help out there? It seems like the majority of you HAL folks cruise in suites but maybe someone has been out here with the masses ;) .

 

Thanks,

Susan

[Atomica]

I was in an A Deck cabin aft on the Veendam last September, and although mine was an outside, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that deck. True - I did hear the thrusters come on when we docked, but it wasn't anything more than a low rumble. Some bangs & such on occasion (again, only when docking), but nothing disruptive in any way.

 

I've stayed in insides, outsides, obstructed views, suites...and frankly there's nothing wrong with any of them. I'd book whatever would get me on the ship :) I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

[hammybee]

Inside is better than shoreside, anyday.

[satchiesmom]

Good point, both of you. I was thinking the same thing even as I typed my OP - most any noise or annoyance can be compensated for by being at sea!

This woman was just so adamnant that I got a little nervous.

[arabrab]

We had an inside on the lower promenade deck on the Maasdam for a New England Canada cruise two years ago -- and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The size of the Maasdam is darned near perfect, we loved the real promenade deck that you could walk all the way around, the teak,... There were plenty of nooks and crannies to settle into when you want to be out of your cabin, so finding a good place is not a problem. The only thing we didn't care for about the ship was the inattentive service in the dining room at breakfast and lunch, and that didn't depend on your stateroom category at all -- it was uniformly bad. (Dinner service was fabulous.)

 

The only suggestion I would have with the inside cabin is to bring a travel clock, because the lack of exterior light makes it very hard to figure out, "is it day yet?" when you wake up at some random time, and a nightlight for the bathroom.

 

Have fun,

Barb

[RuthC]

I spent 35 nights in an inside, aft on Lower Promenade on the Maasdam last summer. Admitedly, that's two decks higher, but it does give some idea of what your cabin will be like. Mine was fine.

That's a quiet place to be, as far as people walking by goes. It's fairly handy to the aft staircase/elevator---which leads directly to food!

It's a short hop to the Internet Center and most lounges. It's kind of a hike to the gym, but hiking to a gym is part of the purpose, isn't it. ;)

 

I agree about bringing a small clock. I usually leave the light in the bathroom on all night and close the door.

[luvs2beachit]

We have traveled in just about every cat cabin there is and other than a suite (once) our choice is an aft balcony or an aft inside. We do not care about outside cabins and if it's a choice between inside and outside we take the inside. We love how dark the room is at night and it's great for afternoon naps. A balcony is our favorite but if its not available or there are budget concerns then it's an inside. And yes, sometimes you can hear thrusters etc. when the ship docks but that might be a good thing when your in an inside.........you know your there!! Whatever cabin gets us on the ship is a good cabin.

We were on the Maasdam a year and a half ago and thought she was a beautiful ship. Just the right size.

[satchiesmom]

I hope I haven't misled anyone - we have stayed in a couple of inside cabins, but never this far down and this far aft. Our main criteria for an inside cabin is that it is between 2 other "cabin only" decks and as close to midships as we can get. But thanks to all of reassurance I have gotten from all of you, I say "to heck with it, I'm goin' on a cruise"! Oh yeah!!!!

 

Thanks y'all,

Susan

[OVgirl]

We were on the Maasdam on A deck last year. We were in an OV. When the seas were rough we did hear some banging noise. We asked the steward to check and he said everything was fine. It sounded like big metal doors banging open and shut. I'm not sure, but I thought it might have been the stabilizers. Unfortunately this was usually at night when we were trying to sleep. Good thing it didn't happen all the time. Maybe three nights on the ten day cruise. It sure didn't hurt our cruise experience. Enjoy your cruise!

[HAL92]

The noise whouldn't be that bad. I would reccommend staying on the Main Deck or Lower Promenade, where you can still get cheap inside cabins, for maybe a hundered or so extra dollars. But staying on A Deck shouldn't make that big of a difference. I've never stayed on that deck, but it sounds okay.

[satchiesmom]

We checked the pricing on Main deck and it was $600 more :eek:. We didn't want to pay that much right now just to move up a deck. I guess if there's much banging I will just put on my ipod!

[Stevesan]

Susan, I just priced the January 4 and 24 Maasdam sailings and I'm not seeing the $600 price differential on HAL's web site.

 

The difference between the A Deck aft cabins, MM, and the Main deck aft, M, is only $30 p/p. An L is $40 more.

If you go up to Lower Promenade deck the K cabins are $89 more than your MM.

 

I'm not arguing that you should move up, just suggesting you might want to get another price quote.:)

[May4]

There may occasional bangs, roars, rattles, and rumbles down there on A Deck but that gives one the chance to play the, "What the heck was that???" game. I've had very quiet rooms down there and some not so quiet, but I've had a great time just the same.

 

Also, after walking around for awhile in some port or other, it's so nice to come up the gangway, visit the Purell dispenser, and pop up just one flight of stairs. You're home! :p

 

I suppose that I could spend more and get an outside cabin, but I'd much rather apply that money on my shipboard account - excursions, wine, T-shirts and the like.

 

Have a great cruise.

[cruisequeen10]

Did you book a guarantee. If you did, then maybe you will be upgraded tfrom the "bowels" to "the cavity". Good luck.

[scopewest]

A couple of times we stayed on the lowest deck of a cruise ship and found a nice bonus - when the elevator arrives, everyone gets off/is off, and you have no trouble getting on! I also found it's easier to walk downstairs than up, and sometimes I'd do that instead of waiting for an elevator that I may not be able to get on because it's already full.

[satchiesmom]

LOL Cruisequeen! Scopewest and May4 you have brought up some great positives!! I was put on the list for an upgrade by the booking agent, so I guess I could get up there in the cavity, movin' on up!!! :)

[RevNeal]

I actually LIKE the lowest passenger deck. On S and R class ships it's very nice because, when re-boarding after shore excursions, there's only one short flight of steps to climb and you're on your deck. You don't have to wait forever for an elevator to take you up 10 decks. Likewise, after the life boat muster drill you don't have to wait to ride an elevator up a bunch of decks ... you just have to go DOWN a couple of decks. This is also true on the Vista class ships. :) Going down stairs is like a controlled "fall". Just be careful when wearing that life jacket ... it can be hard to look down.

[Love Cruises]

We have been on inside cabins, aft on the lower decks of HAL ships often. We had no problem. In fact, as many have said, it's great getting the elevators on the lower decks. When you go in and out of port, it is a little noisy with the thrusters but just for a short period of time. We love an inner cabin for afternoon naps. I would suggest also having a lighted alarm clock because often after waking up from a nap, it is hard to gauge what time it is. We don't care what cabin we are in just as long as we are cruising!

[satchiesmom]

Stevesan, wow, what a price difference between what the HAL booking agent told me and what you found on the website.

I think we may consider staying where we are - I hadn't thought about the elevator and stair advantage which will be great for me since I have severe asthma and a chronic pain condition.

I love these boards and the HAL folks here because I can count on a plethora of good advice and wisdom. Well, most of the time anyway! ;) :D

[donh1]

We sailed on the ZUIDERDAM last January and loved being on the Main deck. The elevators were absolutely empty for the trip up. Seemed that when you summoned one the wait was minimal. Past cruises when staying on decks 7 or 8 elevators always seemed to be a challenge. Also the thought of waiting a few minutes for a three floor trip that sometimes turned into a 10 minutes wait was somewhat aggravating. There is no doubt that when the ride is for 10 or 11 floors any waiting is worth it. :)

[kryos]

Inside is better than shoreside, anyday.

Amen!

 

When you're in that cabin ... especially if you only retreat there to sleep, rest, etc. ... it's not gonna matter one iota whether it is on "A" deck or the Navigation Deck. Sure, you might miss having a balcony to relax on, but hey ... there are plenty of open decks around the ship where you can do the same thing without paying for it.

 

I always stay in the "cheap seats," and I've never had a problem with excessive noise. On my last cruise, I was on the main deck ... which I believe is one level above "A" deck, and had a lovely cabin.

 

If it's a choice between "A" deck or no cruise ... guess which one I'd take in a heartbeat? :)

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita