New to HAL board.....

[emilygrace]

....so please bear with me! We are considering our first HAL cruise on the Statendam (5 night Pacific NW) in May. At this point it seems to be almost fully booked, with only guarantees available. We have never had a guarantee on any of our previous 14 cruises, and since we're new to HAL we don't know anything about the ships.

 

My TA says the lowest priced ocean view guarantee is an EE. I looked at the deck plans and from what I see they are only on deck 1 (I didn't even KNOW there was a deck 1!), slightly forward and aft of the center of the ship.

 

My questions are.....1. do these ocean views have a bathtub? and 2. how likely are we to actually be assigned an EE? I am not going to book with the assumption that I will be upgraded, but I'd just like to know my odds.

 

Thanks for any help!

[Bill HaHa]

Welcome . I cannot answer your questions haveing never had that room assignment. I have been on the Statendam twice. A very good ship. Again welcome to the Hal boards

[Mary Ellen]

My questions are.....1. do these ocean views have a bathtub? and 2. how likely are we to actually be assigned an EE? I am not going to book with the assumption that I will be upgraded, but I'd just like to know my odds.

The outside cabins on this class of ship do have bathtubs. There are VERY few HA cabins with a shower.

 

As to the other question - only the mystical upgrade fairy knows.... ;)

[DFD1]

Welcome to the HAL board. It's an interestng place. I hope you stay with it.

 

If it were me, I would not ever book a guarantee if I could not be happy with a room in that category. I've booked guarantees many times over the years and have probably been upgraded 50 or 60 percent of the time. Others here have been more fortunate, so it seems to vary from passenger to passenger.

 

Just be sure you would be happy with an EE stateroom, because that may be what you get.

 

JMO, of course.

[dchip]

on the Maasdam October 07 & March 08 for our first HAL cruises. Up until that time, we had only booked balconies with Princess.

 

I was very concerned about an oceanview room and especially one so close to the water. It was wonderful, no problem at all which is why we booked the same location for our second cruise on the Maasdam.

 

There are photos in my gallery of the room which was quite large compared to Princess. We also spent a lot more time exploring the ship instead of sitting on our balcony. It was all good.

 

Here is a link to the gallery and then go to At Sea on the Maasdam:

http://www.pbase.com/dchip/southerncaribbeanmaasdamtaketwo

 

 

Cheers, Denise

[Aunty Pat]

The May 1 departure of the Statendam to Vancouver will be made up of the cabins available that aren’t sold on the 18 day Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver Panama cruise. HAL won’t sell specific cabins on the short leg until they are sure that guests cruising for the full 18 days have their choice of cabins. This means that the availability if specific cabin for the San Diego to Vancouver portion won’t be known until the ship leaves Fort Lauderdale on April 17. The only way you can book this short cruise is to book a guarantee in the minimum category that you would find acceptable and ask to be wait listed for a higher category.

An EE is not the lowest category of ocean-view state room. It is the lowest category of mid-ship ocean view stateroom. At this time it is the least expensive ocean view state room. Ocean view categories F, FF, G & H are lower and in less desirable locations forward and aft of the EE’s.

If you were my client I’d suggest that you book an EE guarantee and ask to be waitlisted for a categories D & C if you are willing to pay an additional fare if one of them becomes available. If you don’t want to pay extra for a D or C don’t asked to be waitlisted and you just might get upgraded at no additional cost.

I fyou want a veranda book a BB guarantee for $200/person and you just migth end up with a deluxe suite and Neptune Loung perks.

Aunty Pat

 

Barefoot Windjammer - Phantom ‘81

K&D German Rhine Line ‘84

NCL - Norway ’85, Pride of America ’05, Southward ’87, Star ’97 & ‘05, Starward ’92, Sun ’02 & Windward ’93

RCC - Song of America ‘89

American Hawaiian - Independence ‘98

HAL - Volendam ’99, Noordam ’06, Oosterdam ’07 & ‘09, Statendam ’02 & ‘08, Prinsendam ’03 & ’06, Westerdam ’09 & Zuiderdam ’04, ’06 & ‘07

Carnival - Spirit ‘05

Celebrity – Summit ‘05

Cruise West - Yorktown Clipper ‘06

Princess - Golden Princess ‘07

A & K - East Queen ‘07

Cunard - QM2 ’08

[RuthC]

The bathtubs on the Statendam (on all S- and R-class ships) have very high sides. They can be difficult, or even impossible, to climb into and out of. The bottom of the tub is higher than the floor, so climbing out is more of a challenge. In rough seas the floor can seem to drop out below you.

If there is any mobility problem at all, or arthritis in the hips or knees, it's best to be aware of this.

Other than that, this is a good cabin.

Aunty Pat gave you excellent advice.

[emilygrace]

Thanks for all your replies. This info helps a lot. I would be content with an EE because the location is good, near the center of the ship. I've just never been on that low of a deck. But since this 5 night cruise (May 5) is in a port each day, a balcony is not a priority like it usually is.

 

The high sides on the bathtub are not an issue. We had one like that on our Alaskan cruise this year. It is a weird feeling to step into the tub and be higher than the floor of the bathroom.....but it's better than some of those teeny tiny showers we've had!

 

And thanks for the link to the photos. That really sets my mind at ease about being so close to the water line. I had visions of it being LITERALLY an ocean view....looking out the window to an underwater scene!!!

[Mary Ellen]

Don't worry, you'll actually have a smoother ride on deck 1 - and there are still a few decks below you before the waterline. ;)

[GoldieJ]

We recently sailed the Zandaam, Deck 1, EE outside cabin.

We were very comfortable. You don't feel as much rocking and rolling on the lower deck. Also very quiet. We had a tub with two grab bars. No trouble getting in and out.

You will still be quite a bit above the water line although waves may splash your window. We loved our view and our cabin. Would book this category again. Good value for the money. Have fun!