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VF on Eurodam

1cruiselvr

By 1cruiselvr,
in Holland America Line

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1cruiselvr

1cruiselvr

Posted
Posted

I apologize in advance if the answer is here someplace. I did a search but nothing came up. I have a 24 hr hold on a VF GTY booking on the Eurodam and I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it. I have only sailed on the S-class ships so I'm totally confused by all the balcony categories - V, VA, VB, VC, VD, VE, VF, VH, VQ, VT. I did read that the VT's have 'juliette type' balconies so they are to be avoided if you want to sit on your balcony at all. I have 2 questions for the experts:

1) Is it possible to get assigned a VT? In other words, is VT a higher category than VF? 2) Are there any other significant differences between the balcony categories? Like what's a V vs. a VQ? My head is spinning from all the category choices and assignment possibilities. HELP!

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Gator83

Gator83

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

You might want to be careful about booking a VF Gry because you might wind up with one of the VF balconies that has a solid railing and you won't be able to see through it. I had one like that on the Oosterdam and I wasn't happy with it.

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wwinfl91

wwinfl91

Posted
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We did a VF guarantee on a Eurodam cruise last fall and ended up with a VA cabin. Guarantees are just that. They are a gamble and you either roll the dice or pay a little more for an assigned cabin. So far we have had good luck with our use of guarantees but as I said above it is a guarantee.

 

Have a great next cruise.

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Boytjie

Boytjie

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I know a gty booking is a gamble, I'm mostly confused with the hierarchy of the balcony cabins, for example, is VT higher than a VF? Why would someone pay more for less balcony, it's very confusing to me.

 

Location, location, location. :)

 

The higher the cabin the higher the category.

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innlady1

innlady1

Posted
Posted
I apologize in advance if the answer is here someplace. I did a search but nothing came up. I have a 24 hr hold on a VF GTY booking on the Eurodam and I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it. I have only sailed on the S-class ships so I'm totally confused by all the balcony categories - V, VA, VB, VC, VD, VE, VF, VH, VQ, VT. I did read that the VT's have 'juliette type' balconies so they are to be avoided if you want to sit on your balcony at all. I have 2 questions for the experts:

1) Is it possible to get assigned a VT? In other words, is VT a higher category than VF? 2) Are there any other significant differences between the balcony categories? Like what's a V vs. a VQ? My head is spinning from all the category choices and assignment possibilities. HELP!

 

Part of the fun is choosing the stateroom and location that you know you'll enjoy...then you don't have to worry...and there are no surprises. Check the deck plans, decide if you want to be forward, midship or aft....port or starboard, and which category suits you the best. Personally, I don't like heights, so prefer a lower deck. If that's a consideration for you, choose Upper Promenade or Verandah deck.

 

The last two cruises on the Noordam, we had VA's on the stern. This year, we have a VD with the "unadvertised large verandah"....it was available and I pounced! LOL! ;)

 

I've never set foot in the casino on the ships (well, we have walked through to get to the theatre), and likewise, I don't "gamble" on where we'll end up on the ship. Like to play it safe, I guess. But if you like surprise, go for a guarantee!

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jtl513

jtl513

Posted
Posted
I know a gty booking is a gamble, I'm mostly confused with the hierarchy of the balcony cabins, for example, is VT higher than a VF? Why would someone pay more for less balcony, it's very confusing to me.
Originally the VT were planned to have NO balconies - just wide floor-to-ceiling windows - so it might have been worse: an Outside priced higher than a Verandah! :rolleyes:
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Boytjie

Boytjie

Posted
Posted
Unfortunately, HAL is only offering GTY balcony bookings for this cruise. I guess I'll have to pray that we don't get a VT. Other than that, I don't care. Happy Sailing!

 

The Eurodam has 596 verandah cabins and only 10 are VTs so the chances are small that you would get one of them. :)

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jena1

jena1

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I hope you get something better than a VF or a VT. A couple years ago we booked a VF gty and we got a VF. It wasn't so bad. Last spring we booked a VF gty on the eurodam and we got a V. This time we booked a VD with a definite cabin #. I can't stand the suspense! VD do have the largest balconies. Happy cruising!:)

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jtl513

jtl513

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Are the experts sure that with a VF gty HAL can assign you a VT?

- I would have thought that was a lower category, as it doesn't technically have a full balcony.

Yes, but as Boytjie said in post #11, since there's only 10 of them the odds of getting assigned one are small. I think they are often booked by people who don't know that the balconies are so tiny.
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debsjc Great Review Rare

debsjc

Posted
Posted

In that case it might have been better if HAL had built them with no balconies, then they could only offer them to people with an outside GTY, not a veranda GTY!

 

I have to say I think it's totally wrong if HAL assign those cabins to someone on a VF gty :confused:

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aarep

aarep

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A VF guarantee simply means that you are guaranteed to be assigned a VF class balcony or better. I have had several guarantees and would never have agreed to one if there was a chance of being assigned to a lower class cabin. I have never heard of this happening.

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jtl513

jtl513

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Posted
A VF guarantee simply means that you are guaranteed to be assigned a VF class balcony or better. I have had several guarantees and would never have agreed to one if there was a chance of being assigned to a lower class cabin. I have never heard of this happening.
The point is that HAL ranks the VT as a higher class than the VF.
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aarep

aarep

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The point is that HAL ranks the VT as a higher class than the VF.

Well you are right. To my surprise the VT is shown above the VF. However I was basing my information on Vacations to Go site where the categories are listed and they had listed the VQ and VT below the VF. I do have a VF guarantee on the Eurodam 10/17 cruise so am hoping for a 2 or 3 class upgrade. Just had a BB on the Maasdam in June and got a B balcony. Have had 2 guarantees on the Zuiderdam and both times got a 2or 3 class upgrade. If I did get the VT that would be the end of taking a chance on a guarantee.

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pms4104

pms4104

Posted
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How bad are the VFs on 4 with the steel verandahs? If you are sitting, is it like sitting behind a barrier?

 

Also, what is a juliette balcony?

Thanks

My understanding, from comments here and from looking at pictures, is that these are small curved balconies with only enough room for standing out there for a bit of view or fresh air. No room at all for any type of chair or table.

 

Sorry, no personal experience with the steel rails, so I can't comment on them.

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jtl513

jtl513

Posted
Posted
How bad are the VFs on 4 with the steel verandahs? If you are sitting, is it like sitting behind a barrier?

I've never had one, but all of the railings on the ship are the same height (about 4 ft) so I can tell you from other verandahs that we've had that in order to see over the railing when seated in the wicker chairs I have to look slightly upward. I could see the tops of nearby mountains, but nothing on the water. (I am 5' 11")

 

Try marking a horizontal line on a wall four feet from the floor and then sitting in a straight chair four or five feet back from it, and you'll get an idea of what it's like.

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Dolfan66

Dolfan66

Posted
Posted
I've never had one, but all of the railings on the ship are the same height (about 4 ft) so I can tell you from other verandahs that we've had that in order to see over the railing when seated in the wicker chairs I have to look slightly upward. I could see the tops of nearby mountains, but nothing on the water. (I am 5' 11")

 

Try marking a horizontal line on a wall four feet from the floor and then sitting in a straight chair four or five feet back from it, and you'll get an idea of what it's like.

 

 

This is correct....you can't see the water. I would avoid it if you can.

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