Differences in classes/categories? Size? Perks?

[Roboat]

I can't figure out what all the HAL cabin classes/categories mean. A B vs a BB, S vs SS, J,K,L MM, etc, etc.

 

Do they denote room sizes? Deck locations?

Is there a diff between classes and categories?

I THINK there are perk differences for Penthouse, Suite, and "other". What are they?

 

I couldn't find answers on HAL site, and don't want TA to spend an hour on the phone if not necessary.

 

Is this written down somewhere? Is there a link?

 

Sorry if this has been covered recently. I couldn't find it.

 

Thank you!

[etrainer1]

if you go to either the expedia.com site or the cruisevalue.com site, you can get a photo and size of the room, and where it's located.

[Orcrone]

The categories go A through N with several exceptions (PS, S and SS).

 

A through B are verandah rooms. Not much larger than regular rooms, but they have a balcony. The order is something like A, AA, B, BA, BB, BC going highest to lowest.

 

C through H are outside rooms, although I believe that G and H are portholes in some ships.

 

I through N are inside rooms.

 

Then there is the SS category (superior verandah suite). It's a bit larger than a regular verandah room (categories A and B). There's the S suite which is larger still and each ship has one or two PS (penthouse suites) which are over 1000 square feet and very expensive.

 

The S and PS categories also come with numerous suite amenities.

 

Also, you can go to the Holland America website and go through the motions of booking a room. At some point you'll come across the deck plans which will show all the room locations.

[sail7seas]

On every ship, there are categories of cabin. Cabins vary in size, location, and price.

 

 

On HAL and on every ship, it is easy to determine which are considered the best, they are the ones that cost the most. By the same token, one can assume the ones that are the least costly will usually be the smallest, in the worst location and the least desirable to "SOME" people. That is not to say that any cabin is bad....someone will think it just fine for them.

 

What is good for me may not be for you and vice versa.

 

The best is to look at a deck plan in an HAL brochure or at their website.

You can then see by diagram where a cabin is located and get a general feel for it's size in relation to others in a higher/lower category.

 

On HAL, "PS" is the Penthouse Suite. It is huge, it is luxurious. It is very costly. Next comes the "S" which stands for delux veranda suite. It is very large. It is very comfortable and it cost a little less than "PS" but is still costly. And so on.....

 

The Amenities and nice extras that you refer to are only available to people who are in the "PS" and "S" cabins.

 

Hope this helps.

[Roboat]

Thank you all so much for the very helpful information. :)

[mcduck]

Have to disagree with sail7seas that the cabins that cost the most are the best. The higher up the deck is on the ship, the more you will be charged for exactly the same cabin, even though the higher you are, the more motion you will feel.

 

If you look at the floor plans for most ships you will see that the large, expensive suites are almost always mid-ship about half way up. The reason is simple, that is the best location. You can spend more money to be decks higher for the same cabin, but get nothing in return other than the ego trip of thinking you have a better cabin because you are higher up.

 

But as sail7seas also said it is very individual. we would never sail without a veranda, but we have friends who are very happy in an inexpensive inside cabin on the bottom decks. I love to sit out on the veranda listening to the ship cut through the ocean at night, and they like to use the money they saved to spend at the casino.

[Orcrone]

There is another confusing exception to the "price" rule. For whatever reason the cruise line will often keep a low category room available by making it ridiculously expensive. For example, on my upcoming Maasdam cruise the NN category (lowest on the ship) is actually more expensive that every other category except the S and PS categories.

[sail7seas]

 

If you look at the floor plans for most ships you will see that the large, expensive suites are almost always mid-ship about half way up. The reason is simple, that is the best location. You can spend more money to be decks higher for the same cabin, but get nothing in return other than the ego trip of thinking you have a better cabin because you are higher up.

NOT ON HAL SHIPS. If you look at a DECK Plan, you will see that on HAL ships, the most costly Suites are on the top DECK for Passenger cabins.....Navigation Deck on other than Vista Class ships.

 

 

In theory Mcduck is accurate. In reality, in practice on HAL, that is not the case.