How's the Ryndam?

[joedi]

We're HAL veterans, but never on the Ryndam. We're about to book its Jan. 2 cruise out of Tampa for Honduras, Belize and Costa Maya. Any red flags?

 

Thanks for any observations.

[DutchByAssociation]

We're HAL veterans, but never on the Ryndam. We're about to book its Jan. 2 cruise out of Tampa for Honduras, Belize and Costa Maya. Any red flags?

 

Thanks for any observations.

 

Ryndam has had very high satisfaction ratings following the extensive dry dock earlier this year. The virtual tours on the HAL website for public rooms and staterooms are almost all brand new. Go check them out and see what you think!

[alcpa1]

We took the same cruise last year and were not impressed. In all fairness, the ship did go into drydock so physically she should be in better shape.

The food did not impress, nor did the service. We have been cruising since the middle 80's and this was hands down our least favorite cruise. If you have sailed HAL before, the subjective issues like the food and service are probably not issues to you.

[HappyInVan]

I was recently on the Ryndam in Alaska. The ship's interior looked very nice. The entertainment was adequate. The gym's aerobic machines were fine though the weight machines need to be replaced. The Explorer Library was pleasant and had many interesting travel books.

 

 

No problems with embarkation and disembarkation.

 

 

The biggest disappointment was the food. The menu looked very sophisticated. But, the quality was uneven. I thought that the problem was management.

 

 

For example, the manager of the Canaletto had been delegated to run the Lido. He didn't seem to be on top of things.

 

 

Suggest that you check who's running the Lido when you board the ship. For that matter, check whether there's been a crew change since September.

 

 

Good sailing. Enjoy!!!

[anniegb]

I was recently on the Ryndam in Alaska. The ship's interior looked very nice. The entertainment was adequate. The gym's aerobic machines were fine though the weight machines need to be replaced. The Explorer Library was pleasant and had many interesting travel books.

 

 

No problems with embarkation and disembarkation.

 

 

The biggest disappointment was the food. The menu looked very sophisticated. But, the quality was uneven. I thought that the problem was management.

 

 

For example, the manager of the Canaletto had been delegated to run the Lido. He didn't seem to be on top of things.

 

 

Suggest that you check who's running the Lido when you board the ship. For that matter, check whether there's been a crew change since September.

 

 

Good sailing. Enjoy!!!

 

I think the above review is pretty fair and would add:

 

Food and food service - very poor. I would only recommend the Pinnacle.

 

Crew - very tired.

 

Major issues with our embarkation - waited 12 hours for our luggage ; one lady 'sl uggage was lost completely - left at an HAL hotel in Fairbanks.

 

Major issues with our cabin - 8 sets of keycards issued before they resolved the issue; loss of cold water and power.

 

Bottom line - I would only sail with HAL again for 1 of 2 reasons:

 

1. They can never be as bad again.

2. No other cruise lined sailed to my preferred destination.

[travelgenie]

I am just off the Ryndam yesterday, after a 17 day Panama Canal cruise. I had my concerns when I booked with the Ryndam being the smallest and oldest ship that we have ever sailed on. The cruise was great, the ship is in great shape for the most part and we had the smoothest sail ever. There of course is some wear and tear if you look closely, really the only problem we saw was the tile in the pool area and the chairs in the Ocean Bar needed to be placed and I think they are getting ready to do that area, as one day while sitting there, there were some crew measuring and making notes. The areas that have been redone look terrific, the area known as The Mix, is very hip and cool looking. Our stateroom an outside, was spacious, new vanity in the bathroom, new carpet and was always immaculate even though I will admit that the towels seem on their last days, but it is just a towel after all. Our A/C worked very well in our cabin and though there were areas in the ship that would get colder than others at times, I never heard any complaints. The food was very good, and it amazed me that they could keep the menus creative for 17 days and even the last day, very fresh, it really is amazing. We ate twice in the Pinnacle Grille, a wonderful experience and very much work the extra $20. The quality of the Filet Mignon rivals Ruth Chris, in my opinion and the service is fabulous. We had open seating and never had to wait more than 5 minutes to be seated in the MDR, we were not picky about the size table and we enjoyed getting to meet a lot of fellow passengers. I am sure you will have a great trip and feel free to ask me questions about the Ryndam.

[HappyInVan]

I think the above review is pretty fair and would add:

 

 

 

Thank You! I try to be fair and positive.

 

 

For example, I was astonished to discover that my cabin was smaller than advertised. But, I didn't make any complaint because nothing could be done. In fact, I forgot all about it until after I had made my review.

 

 

That said, I can't ignore a situation where the customers are being insulted because of cost cutting.

 

 

In the Lido, the deserts on the first few days were poor. They were like the cheap cakes in neighbourhood shops. The type that come out in large pans, brightly colored and without toppings.

 

 

Fortunately, the deserts improved at the end of the voyage. In fact, the kitchen was using too much chocolate in one dish.

 

 

I guess that the passengers made their unhappiness known. And, they should when the company is trying to get cheap on them. The passengers didn't sign up for a cheapo cruise!

[Bill S]

We were on the Ryndam in September, and we were impressed with how good she looked, both outside and inside. I have to agree with travelgenie's post. We had previously sailed on the Ryndam and really liked the updates to the cabin bathrooms, the Crow's Nest and the new Mix lounges.

Cuisine was varied and tasted just fine. Service was excellent, both in the dining room, lounges and cabin.

We truly enjoyed our Ryndam experience. :)

[CowPrincess]

I was on part of the cruise Bill S was on. In conversations with the crew, some were finishing their contracts in Vancouver, some in San Diego and others in Tampa. The newness and the oldness of some of the crew may have affected some aspects of the Panama Canal cruise.

 

We found the food okay, not outstanding but certainly acceptable/adequate in the MDR. We found the service overall very good to fabulous with a couple of exceptions.

 

HappyInVan, re the desserts -- that's one area that many of us comment on unfavorably on a regular basis.

 

As for "cheapo" cruises, I most certainly DID sign up for a cheapo cruise :) My fare this trip was just about 50% of my fare in 1999 for similar size and location of cabin. Maybe I should call it a "value" price instead of "cheap".

 

BTW, I absolutely adore Capt Rowden and would sail anywhere with him. (You had mentioned in another thread you didn't care for him -- I think he's great.)

[SwissMyst]

.....

 

HappyInVan, re the desserts -- that's one area that many of us comment on unfavorably on a regular basis.......

 

Desserts even on an unnamed "premium cruise line allegedly known for its cuisine" were photo friendly, but in fact poor quality and tasteless.

 

The only ship we have found with consistently tasty desserts that were as good as they looked has been the independent cruise line ship, MV Discovery. We liked the Zuiderdam MDR desserts as the best HAL ships so far, but the HAL Lido dessert offerings remain mostly poor.

 

Which ultimately is a Good Thing. What would happen if they were as good as they looked?

[CowPrincess]

Which ultimately is a Good Thing. What would happen if they were as good as they looked?

__________________

 

If they DID taste that good, at least they'd be worth the calories :D

[bepsf]

My family and I sailed aboard Ryndam last fall - I was impressed at how well she was holding up considering her age...

...she was in far, far better condition pre-drydock than Zaandam was this past winter, post-drydock.

My only complaint w/ Ryndam was the interior "design" of the Crow's Nest:

An uglier and more uncomfortable shipboard room I've not experienced since the Celebrity Mercury.

[Bill S]

Brian--I had to chuckle about your comment regarding your opinion about the Ryndam's re-designed Crow's Nest.

We loved it! :) The thing that DW and I liked the most was the big flat-screen TV on the port side near the port side entrance. We were able to watch the Monday night football game up there in great comfort with a few other couples.

I guess decor is one of those very subjective subjects. ;) Always good to read your posts!

[Aruba]

My only complaint w/ Ryndam was the interior "design" of the Crow's Nest:

An uglier and more uncomfortable shipboard room I've not experienced since the Celebrity Mercury.

I know what you mean because I felt the same way about Crow's Nest on the Ryndam. :eek: It looked like one of the "before" shots from an hgtv design show.

[cruzn single]

We were on the Ryndam years ago, and then were on it again in May in Alaska. It is one of our favorite ships. Most everything looked very "spruced up" after the dry dock. (I agree about the tiles on the Lido deck in the pool area--need some work!) Loved the new Mix area. Food seemed better to us than our previous HAL cruise in 2005. We were thoroughly satisfied with our repeat visit to Ryndam!

 

ENJOY!

[funlovin'cruiser]

The passengers didn't sign up for a cheapo cruise!

 

 

Ummm...actually you did. If you look at the price of the cruise compared to even 3 years ago it's less. Ryndam cruises seem to be one of the cheapest in HAL's offering.

[HappyInVan]

As for "cheapo" cruises, I most certainly DID sign up for a cheapo cruise :) My fare this trip was just about 50% of my fare in 1999 for similar size and location of cabin. Maybe I should call it a "value" price instead of "cheap".

 

 

 

CowPrincess,

 

 

Don't be offended. I'm not criticizing your fiscal habits.

 

 

I should mention that I have no problem with a low price product. I am not a snob.

 

 

In fact, my first cruise was on the Universe Explorer. The meals were half to a third in value to the Ryndam's. But, the Explorer was honestly cheap and cheerful.

 

 

Oddly enough, I enjoyed the company on the Explorer best of all!

 

 

I consider the Ryndam experience to be cheap because of their behaviour. They were not committed to a consistent standard though they do say a great deal about their 'excellence'.

 

 

They did improve their Lido deserts significantly at the end of the cruise. So, that was what they should have been doing all along.

 

 

In the end, HAL is damaging the value of the brand they spent years building. Will it be a one-way spiral to the bottom?

 

 

IMO, it is the people who care about quality that will save HAL from their short term financial foolishness.

[mvkor]

Ummm...actually you did. If you look at the price of the cruise compared to even 3 years ago it's less. Ryndam cruises seem to be one of the cheapest in HAL's offering.

 

Saying that Ryndam is the cheapest of HAL's offering do you think that HAL cuts the quality of service on board of Ryndam.

Or it is matter of supply and demand of the itineraries that Ryndam is making.

[jmps]

We are going on the Jan 2nd sailing you are considering. Come and join the roll call if you book.

 

We have have only been on Vista class HAL ships before so I can't comment on the Ryndam. But from my research here on CC the general concensus it is the ship is in fine but not perfect shape. To my taste the itinerary is nice and actually drew us to this cruise. Sailing out of Tampa is pretty easy as well.

 

No matter what you choose...have a great cruise.