Ryndam, 4/11-4/18 Review

[Cruzman]

Some observations:

 

The ship's interior has changed a lot since my last sailing on the Ryndam in 1999. Carpet has replaced the polished marble floors in many areas; the addition of the Canaletto and the Mix, as well as enhancements to the Library, are just a few of those changes. The Vermeer Lounge is now the Showroom at Sea with many new features.

 

We were in stateroom B 197 on the Veranda Deck which was quite roomy as cruise ship staterooms go; plenty of storage and a nice sized balcony (9' x 7').

We heard no noise from the deck above until the last evening of the cruise. As we were packing, around 8:30 PM, we heard loud scraping and banging from above. After going up to Navigation Deck to investigate, I observed a couple of deck hands slinging chairs across the deck, with an officer in charge observing, and quite obviously amused. I was not so amused, and had this continued for much longer I would have issued a formal complaint. It did cease soon afterward, however. We also felt very little vibration except when the ship was maneuvering into, or out of port. We had only one day when seas were pretty rough; this was right after leaving Costa Maya. Many folks were complaining, but after a few Margaritas, I went right to sleep, lol.

 

We had no plumbing issues, nor did we hear of any complaints from others.

 

Neither did we have any air conditioning issues. We did hear some complaints about public areas being too cold, but the temperature suited me just fine.

 

The one area that we observed with maintenance issues was the area in or near the Seaview pool. I assume that this area is low priority because it is due for major renovation next year. On this particular cruise, the Seaview pool was filled with salt water; although, the Lido pool was fresh water.

 

Ship's time was reset one hour back at 2 AM Tuesday, and was reset to one hour forward at 2 AM Saturday morning.

 

We all thought that the Rotterdam Dining room food was good to excellent, but service was very slow. On one evening, our waiter apologized for the slow service, noting that it was primarily associated with "anytime dining", because it was impossible to determine how many would be dining at any given time. He explained that often, the food was not prepared until after the kitchen received an order, much like a restaurant ashore. We missed a couple of shows in the Showroom at Sea because of the extended dining times. The Master Chef's Dinner was held Saturday night and, unlike some, I found the entire event quite entertaining. The wait staff seemed to be having a great time during the whole presentation.

 

The Pinnacle was incredible, and well worth the $20 per person. We were so stuffed that no one could eat desert.

 

And then there was the Canaletto. The service was somewhat lacking, but granted, this has to be a learning experience for the wait staff here. After only a few short weeks, they are still working out the kinks. I have to say that the food was very good, except for the bread, which was stale. I like my garlic bread warm and toasted; this was cold, although there was evidence that it had been toasted at one time.

 

Entertainment was excellent. The singers and dancers were top notch. I did observe that our CD was no where to be found during the majority of our cruise. At least, he was always somewhere that I wasn't. Certainly he, nor anyone else on the staff, showed up at our Meet & Greet on the first sea day. There were about 25 who attended and all seemed to have a great time. Kudos to Sue (wdw1972) who organized the whole thing.

 

It was difficult not to notice that the ship's photographers were missing in action on this cruise. Personally, I found it refreshing that we were not constantly being asked to pose for pictures. Embarkation, and once in the Rotterdam Dining room, were the only two occasions on which we encountered the photographers.

 

Embarkation and debarkation were very efficient and timely events. We arrived at the pier at 10:30 AM and boarded at 11:35. On debarkation, we were off the ship at 8 AM, in our car and on the road by 8:30.

[cruz chic]

Thanks so much for your review. I appreciate you taking the time to do it:).

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home.

 

Thank you for your review.

 

Glad you had a great cruise.

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review of your cruise. Sounds like you enjoyed it.

[aliaschief]

Nice review. We really appreciate that you took the time to tell us about your cruise. Thanks.

[zula]

Thank you for your review

 

Regards

[Host Dan]

Thanks Cruzman. It was nice meeting you and fellow CC'rs!

 

Host Dan

[cindy1957]

Thanks for the review. As part of your CC group I ditto everything you said.

 

We really had a wonderful time. Our comfy cabin B146 had a verandah and was on deck 9 a perfect spot to access everything the ship had to offer. The itinerary was good, the food was just right, the entertainers were talented and the ship had the restful vibe I was looking for.

 

My only frustrating experiences did involve Canaletto and one of our excursions.

The service at Canaletto was soooo slow and the staff did not clear the tables after other diners had left. Yuk! The Dolphin Swim on Roatan at Anthony's Dive Resort was awesome. The rotation time involved in trying to fit so many people in to the experience needs work. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

 

We met lots of very nice people including some of our CC'ers.

Looking forward to our next cruise.

Does anyone know if the person being evacuated by the Coast Guard is okay? An at sea pick up was exciting but I am sure there was reason!

[snowman]

Concierge Vincent said that he was being treated at Tampa General but did not know anything more than that.

[Himself]

Your review was brief and to the point. You covered all the major bases. Thanks much!