HELP - Suites

[brian_uk]

I have an oppurtunity to get a Suite at the front of the Ship for a cruise around Italy.

 

Disregarding TA crossings where the sea may be rougher and winds higher, I am looking for any information regarding what Noise and Vibration I might get in this location.

 

I have read many times about dropping the anchor and that also Suites on Deck 6 are prone to be overlooked by Crew. I would only take one on 7 or 8.

 

Another point, does the non smoking regulation apply to the Crew who might be out on deck as smoke would carry towards the cabins.

 

Any help would really be appreciated.

 

Brian

[LEBA]

Brian UK....A pleasure to address you directly. I've always enjoyed your posts. Particularly your brave efforts to bring sanity to posts that have gone astray.

 

Our experience with the Vista Suites is that the only thing that interferes with perfection is the tossing about you will have in rough seas. It may be the roughest ride on the boat. To judge roughness, I would consider typical experiences in the Med. In most cases when it is too rough to tender into a port, we are still comfortable in the VS. We were only bothered sailing north from the Panama canal along a patch noted for rough seas.

 

Noise may be a problem as the ship arrives in port. The seamen are using electric wenches and stuff to dock the ship. This lasts a little over 30 minutes, and it WILL wake you up. Our attitude is that we are on a ship and these are ship like activities, besides it’s fascinating to watch.

 

I have never seen the crew smoke in the area below the suites. This is a serious work area and the crew does not hang out here.

 

There are no suites on deck eight. Check your deck plan. Hope to catch up with you on board sometime.

[tgg]

The seamen are using electric wenches and stuff to dock the ship. This lasts a little over 30 minutes, and it WILL wake you up..

 

electric wenches = big breasted women of the evening who light up? I bet that will wake you up.

 

Perhaps they should stick to using winches.

[Leonid]

The one VS we occupied was delightful. Yes there is a certain amount of noise with the "anchor issue", but since we are early risers, it never bothered us. Motion can be another issue and we did experience it, but we have good sea legs and we basically ignored it.After 33 cruises, on tends to be able to ignore anything!

You will love the extra space. And if you do book the VS, use the butler. We tend to under utilize.

BTW-there is no VS on Deck 8. Only the OS is on decks 6,7 & 8.

[CintiPam]

electric wenches = big breasted women of the evening who light up? I bet that will wake you up.

 

Perhaps they should stick to using winches.

 

ROTFLOL:D tgg, thanks so much for the most entertaining moment of my day!

[Jana]

I just returned from Insignia where I had the luxury of a Vista Suite on Deck 6.

 

Last summer I had been in one of the standard veranda rooms between the Vista Suites on Deck 6, and while I had originally been worried about that location, this time I knew exactly what to expect. In terms of location, that is, not in terms of the incomparable luxury we would experience in that location.

 

The suite itself is incredible. Huge. Two bathrooms. Lots of light. Room to spread out. A big-screen TV and Bose sound system that takes awhile to learn to coordinate but eventually is like entertainment heaven. Service. (We underused our butler too, forgetting to even fill out the daily request for afternoon munchies.)

 

It would be hard for any crew to see in to the suite. There is one spot at the very front and up on the highest level from which they might be able to see in if it's dark out, your lights are on and your drapes, including the sheers, are open. But any crew in that spot is way too busy concentrating on his work to even look up, so that is not a worry.

 

Yes, you do hear winch and anchor noises, and it can be jarring if you are sound asleep. I was awakened by that noise several times and I smiled because I knew I was on a ship and then went back to sleep or got up to watch.

 

We had bad seas once on our cruise and missed a tender port because of it. We did go up and down a lot but we looked at it like an E-ticket ride at Disney. Then we grabbed the railing, walked to the elevator, and went mid-ship until it settled down. It was no big deal and we wouldn't have traded that suite for anything.

 

Friends who were onboard with us saw the Vistas on Deck 7 and told us that they are substantially smaller. I am not sure of that but our friends insisted.

 

The crew smoking area is way below decks. Officers and senior staff occasionally smoke in the areas set aside for guests. I assure you, you will never get a whiff of smoke in the Vista Suite on either deck.

 

Go for it. Enjoy it. Take me!!!

 

Jana

[LEBA]

tgg. It seems that every time I post something, I screw something up.

Give an old guy a break!

[brian_uk]

Thanks for the valuable input.

 

O think we are really quite spoilt at we have previously had an OS at the rear and on balance we are going to bide our time to get this hopefully at a reduced price.

 

Brian

[brian_uk]

Hey Leba

 

I really appreciate your kind comments. Sometimes "them folks" ,to coin a phrase, get rather carried away with nonsense.

 

Anyway I hope one day that our paths will cross on board a Ship

 

Brian

[tgg]

tgg. It seems that every time I post something, I screw something up.

Give an old guy a break!

 

leba, I wasn't laughing at you. It just struck this sailor as very funny. And, in these very tough times, if we can't laugh, what do we have left?

[Leonid]

The verandas on the for VS might be the reason for the difference in size. I do not believe that the suite itself is smaller.

 

We have had an OS on decks 6 &7. I would agree that the verandas are in fact different, but not the interior accommodation. When one thinks about it, as one goes from deck 6 up to deck 8, the aft decks do slope inward, which would account for the smaller verandas.

 

One other point on a deck 6 VS. Although we not experienced it, pax. we with whom we have talked have said that the noise from the entertainment area can be disconcerting -LOUD!

 

Len

[riversidecruiser]

One other point on a deck 6 VS. Although we not experienced it, pax. we with whom we have talked have said that the noise from the entertainment area can be disconcerting -LOUD!

 

Len

 

We had 6003 on a TA, and while you can definitely hear the band when they play in the entertainment section, it's usually only for a half-hour to an hour at a time, and never past 10PM.

 

As for the crew at docking: it's fascinating to watch, and they don't have time to even notice the passengers on their balconies. Of course, we usually liked to get up early to watch the docking process, so I don't remember the noise of the anchor.

[LEBA]

tgg ..........No problem. We old engineers were not expected to spell properly. Why do you suppose I preferred that spelling?

[panamaline]

We were on a Central America cruise last year and loved the cabin itself.

 

You can't see the ocean when sitting on the balcony unless you are very tall (I'm 6'2" and I couldn't really see over the enclosed section below the rail).

 

It is a poor cabin to be in if the sears are rough. We had heavy weather and my wife got very sick for the first time in or many cruises.

 

The waves came up over our balcony and actually blew the sliding glass doors off their runners one night.

 

We never saw any crew smoking, I do not think that will be a problem.

[Leonid]

We've got two sailings on the Regatta in 2010 and both will be in a VS (7005).

 

Regarding spelling, I'm arguably the world's worst. If it wasn't for DW, I have to stay off of CC.

[CarlsbadSally]

I just sailed on the Insignia last week, and had a concierge level veranda room near the front of the ship on 7. There was no real problem except a couple of times when we were leaving port late from anchorage. On one occasion, we heard grinding and felt vibration for over an hour starting at 11 PM, enough so that I thought the anchor must have been stuck. I didn't feel it really marred our cruise, though- I can sleep through anything, and we didn't anchor at many ports.