As I mentioned in yesterday’s post I’m going to share with you what the Holland America Rep told us about the cabins on-board the ship. I did a short cruise to Nassau, Bahama’s at one time and shared an itty-bitty cabin on the inside of the ship. It was ok. We were only in the cabin to sleep at night. During the day if we weren’t ashore we were on the promenade deck or by the pool but Alaska is going to be a bit on the cool side for swimming I would think. They talked more about mittens and scarves than swim suits and tans.
Holland America says they have over 50 years experience cruising Alaska waters which is more than any other cruise line. I admit, if money were no object I would definitely go for a National Geographic Cruise but since that is really “in my dreams” I don’t have any real idea which is the next best line. That said I am now writing about Holland America because they have been the most forthcoming so far. RC (Royal Caribbean) was nice but they just threw so much at me in one phone call that as I said yesterday, I was left feeling very uncomfortable.
So back to the Holland America and the cabin options.
Obviously the most luxurious are the suites with balconies but if we/I am traveling on a budget is this really where we want to spend our money? In the session it sounded like you will be on a deck or in an observation area or on a tour most of the time. Once again cabins are places more for changing clothes and sleeping. The RC counselor was really pushing the ocean view and balconies. Holland America was far more flexible even pointing out that an ocean view can be a disadvantage if you are trying to sleep and the sun is as bright at midnight as it is at noon!
Apparently HA is known for its spacious and luxurious cabins.
The Penthouse Verandah Suite Category PS is the top of the line. At approximately 1160 square ft it’s bigger than my whole 1 bedroom condo which comes in at right around 1000 sq. ft. including my deck! Amenities include: Bedroom with 1 king-size bed, oversize whirlpool bath and shower and additional shower stall, living room, dining room, dressing room, verandah, pantry,1 sofa bed sleeping 2 persons, DVD player, mini-bar, refrigerator, guest toilet, floor-to-ceiling windows. Although this is nice, I would rather put the extra money toward a shore excursion. This is just a bit too big for my taste on a budget.
Option 2: Deluxe Verandah Suite Category S. Approximately 556 square feet including the verandah.
Amenities include: 2 lower beds convertible to 1 king-size bed, whirlpool bath and shower and additional shower stall, large sitting area, dressing room, private verandah, 1 sofa bed sleeping 2 persons, DVD player, mini-bar, refrigerator, floor-to-ceiling windows. At about 1/2 the size of the premier accommodations I wouldn’t mind this especially, with 2 people. The question is, how much would this one set us back???
Option 3: Superior Verandah Suite Category SS:
Approximately 389 square feet including the verandah
Amenities include: 2 lower beds convertible to 1 queen-size bed, sofa bed sleeping 1 person, bathroom with dual sink vanity, full-size whirlpool bath and shower and additional shower stall, private verandah, DVD player, floor-to-ceiling windows, personalized cruise stationery, elegant bathrobes for use on your cruise, fresh flowers and fruit assortment, luxurious beds featuring Sealy Premium Euro-Top mattresses and finely woven cotton linens. Nice but getting smaller and still includes a verandah.
Option 4: Still with Verandah but getting smaller still: Verandah Suite Categories – A, B, BB, BC
Approximately 292 square feet including the verandah
Amenities include: 2 lower beds convertible to 1 queen-size bed, whirlpool bath and shower, sitting area, private verandah, DVD player, mini-bar, refrigerator, floor-to-ceiling windows, personalized cruise stationery, elegant bathrobes for use on your cruise, fresh flowers and fruit assortment, luxurious beds featuring Sealy Premium Euro-Top mattresses and finely woven cotton linens.
I just want to be sure I have a separate bed!
Option 5: Deluxe Verandah Outside Cabin Categories – VA, VB, VC, VD, VE and VF. Approximately 249 square feet including verandah
Amenities include: 2 lower beds convertible to 1 queen-size bed, bath and shower, sitting area, private verandah, floor-to-ceiling windows
Option 6….I feel like it’s the incredible shrinking room ! Losing the Verandah now:
Large Outside Cabin Categories – C, D, DD, E, F, G, H and HH
Approximately 197 square feet
Amenities include: 2 lower beds convertible to 1 queen-size bed, bathtub and shower, window (Category G, H and HH may have obstructed views on certain ships)
Option 7: Oh Oh..no verandah and no outside ocean view. I wonder what kind of savings we would get with one of these.
Large Inside Cabin Categories – I, J, K, L, M and MM
Approximately 182 square feet
Amenities include: 2 lower beds convertible to 1 queen-size bed, shower
Finally the last category. This is what I think I was in when I went to the Bahamas.
Option 8: Standard Inside Cabin Categories – N and NN
Approximately 155 square feet
Amenities include: 2 lower beds convertible to 1 queen-size bed, shower
Have any of you cruised? Anyone with any experience with the cabins?
I checked out the Holland American website a little bit. Most of the information is right there with lots of pictures and virtual tours. The shore excursions are also listed based on the cruise itinerary you will be on. They also list general information about deposits, down payments and so on. Important to know as you line up your financial ducks.
Well, that about covers the rooms/ cabins. Next post I’ll wrap up with some of the finer details such as dress code for dinner and making connections. See you Monday! 🙂