Vista Class Balcony Cabin Question

[Travelrd]

I've on been two cruies and I've had a mini suite on each of them. The bathroom on the Oosterdam was perfect. However, I was wondering what the bathroom is like on the Balcony cabins. Does it have a bathtub/shower combination or just a shower like on Princess Grand Class ships. The shower is quite small on the Princess ships and I am a tall, large man and need a roomy shower, therefore my question. I was thinking that on an Alaska cruise, I might save some money by getting a balcony room rather than a mini but I want to find out about the shower facilities.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[azkcruizers]

When you are looking at the cabins on the deck plans look at the legend, there is a sign they use for a room with a shower only instead of a tub and shower. Not all rooms in the same category are consistent with bathroom arrangement. You need to look at exact cabin numbers. I hope I helped without being too confusing. I just looked at the deck plan on the Eurodam and the symbol looks like a star or flower for shower only.

[innlady1]

I've on been two cruies and I've had a mini suite on each of them. The bathroom on the Oosterdam was perfect. However, I was wondering what the bathroom is like on the Balcony cabins. Does it have a bathtub/shower combination or just a shower like on Princess Grand Class ships. The shower is quite small on the Princess ships and I am a tall, large man and need a roomy shower, therefore my question. I was thinking that on an Alaska cruise, I might save some money by getting a balcony room rather than a mini but I want to find out about the shower facilities.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

I think you'll be fine. Most bathrooms have a tub/shower. If you look at the deck plans, there's a symbol for the few that just have a shower (can't recall the symbol, but you'll find it).

 

Here are two photos of our bathroom on the Noordam...a VA on the stern. Double click to enlarge.

[Travelrd]

Thank you both for clearing this up for me. Yes, as long as it's a tub/shower conbination, I should be fine.

[azkcruizers]

There are 14 balcony rooms just on the upper promenade deck of the Eurodam that have showers only. If you really need the shower and tub, be careful what room you take , just check the deck plans:D

[cruisinjudy]

Try the SY category. It is a larger room with a great bathroom. It has a separate tub and shower. It is often not much more than a VA.

[koolforkatz]

I just came back from a fabulous 3-night cruise on the Oosterdam. We had a VA category balcony (#8105) and it had a bathtub. I loved having all that extra room to shower in.

[magictam]

This was from our Noordam, Cabin 5147 (VC).

 

[Sea Island Lady]

Innlady1 and magictam - Thank you for the bath photos of the V category. :)

 

Can anyone tell me about the medicine cabinet space? I will be sharing a cabin with my sister, so we will need lot's of storage room. I have a hang-on-the-door organizer, but it seems to me that on the Oosterdam, there was no CENTER hook on the bathroom door and it caused the organizer to be lopsided so the door wouldn't close.:(

[Mary Ellen]

Thank you both for clearing this up for me. Yes, as long as it's a tub/shower conbination, I should be fine.

Since you'd mentioned you are tall, you might want to consider that some tub/shower combos might not work for you. DH is also quite tall (6'6"). Since the floor of the bathroom is a step up from the cabin and the floor of the tub is higher than the bathroom floor, the head room is reduced. After bad experiences on (the late) Royal Viking Line when we were 'upgraded' to bathtub cabins and DH couldn't stand up to shower, we didn't book a tub cabin on HAL until after I was in one on a cruise without DH and measured how much space there was above my head. The Prinsendam is a former Royal Viking ship so that may be a concern on her (I know she isn't a Vista, but for future reference).

 

As I understand, the stall showers on HAL are much larger than those on other lines. We've never had a problem with the shower curtain wanting to 'dance' with us. :D

[Travelrd]

Once again thank you. All of you CCs are wonderful and so good about answering questions.

[Buddy604]

I was just on the Oosterdam in a VC and we had the shower and tub combo. I'm a big guy (not so much vertically as horizontally!) and it was fine for showering, although the bathtub was pretty short. I'm only 6'1" and I was a bit pretzled when I decided to take a bath.

 

The medicine cabinet was nice, but if you need more than three shelves worth (I didn't) you may be hard pressed. Sea Island Lady, you're right that the hooks on the door are on the right and left, without a centre hook, but you could always bring along one of those 3M removable hooks and place it wherever you want. Even a good suction hook would work on the mirror.

[cruz chic]

As I understand, the stall showers on HAL are much larger than those on other lines. We've never had a problem with the shower curtain wanting to 'dance' with us. :D

I found the showers on Princess to be so tiny. Couldn't even change your mind in them:D. I agree that the showers on HAL are much bigger and I'm always in the cheap seats:D .

[Sea Island Lady]

 

The medicine cabinet was nice, but if you need more than three shelves worth (I didn't) you may be hard pressed. Sea Island Lady, you're right that the hooks on the door are on the right and left, without a centre hook, but you could always bring along one of those 3M removable hooks and place it wherever you want. Even a good suction hook would work on the mirror.

Never thought of that.;) However, after I posted, I decided that an upside down wire hanger might do the trick. Place the long edge over the two hooks and have the hanger hook facing down to catch the hangar on the organizer. Might work if the hooks are close enough together.

[Buddy604]

Never thought of that.;) However, after I posted, I decided that an upside down wire hanger might do the trick. Place the long edge over the two hooks and have the hanger hook facing down to catch the hangar on the organizer. Might work if the hooks are close enough together.

That should work, but then again, I just realized a loop of dental floss between the hooks would work too.

[jrzebird]

That should work, but then again, I just realized a loop of dental floss between the hooks would work too.

 

 

We just used an over the door shoe holder and had like 24 pockets to store things in! It is perfect and I don't recall any problems with hooks. Plus, in addition to the medicine cabinet, there's a shelf that goes the width of the sink under the sink. We used this, too.

[Moriah]

The over the door shoe organizer thingie I bought last summer at Target doesn't require any hook to hang it on. It comes with it's own hook that you put literally, over-the-door, and you hang the organizer on that. The door had no trouble opening or closing. I used it on the outside of the door in our S cabin since that way it was accessible to the dressing area, and in our VA I faced it into the bathroom. The hooks on the door sort of caused it to bulge out a bit, but no real problem. It was very inexpensive and I would never cruise again without it.

There is not much storage space on top of the sink in the V's. Just one "medicine chest" and very little space on the sink itself. However, there is that nice wide and deep shelf under the sink that really helps. I keep my make-up in a clear organizer under the sink and just hang the whole thing up right on the shoe thing when I am using it, then fold it back up under the sink. I found that things kept rolling out off the shelves of the medicine chest - (mascara, lipstick, things that roll..:)) because it's designed funny - and nothing would stay put! :( But once you get everything organized that first day, you get used to the situation quickly and the bathroom in the V cat. is really okay.

[innlady1]

Innlady1 and magictam - Thank you for the bath photos of the V category. :)

 

Can anyone tell me about the medicine cabinet space? I will be sharing a cabin with my sister, so we will need lot's of storage room. I have a hang-on-the-door organizer, but it seems to me that on the Oosterdam, there was no CENTER hook on the bathroom door and it caused the organizer to be lopsided so the door wouldn't close.:(

 

A suggestion on this board I took to heart was to bring along an over-the-door shoe organizer in which to stash all the little stuff (I even put tip money for room service in a baggie, then in one of the "pockets," so it's handy when food arrives). I hang it on the outside of the bathroom door and it works perfectly. The medicine cabinet is certainly sufficient, but not large (maybe 3 shelves?), and there's also a shelf under the sink to stow things.