Just Back From Ryndam - Good & Bad

[marc62]

Just back from the Fjords in Norway on Ryndam.

In many ways it was the best cruise we have had but at the same times a number of things which we felt was un-professional

* HAL staff eating in the Lido taking up seats when paying customers had to wait

* We were informed on the Monday (1st day cruising) that "due to operational concerns" cancelling the Cruising Lysefjord and Pulpit rock which was and remains a main feature of the cruise. When we spoke to the front desk we were told that HAL had cancelled that part of the cruise last November. When I said that it was unreasonable to wait until people are on board we were told they have the right to alter a cruise! We boarded the ship on Sun 24th and did not see a Fjord until Thursday 28th.

* We found it poor that HAL staff took up theatre seats before the general public leaving paying customers to stand at the back

* We were charged twice for dinks that we had not ordered

* We found that the ship is showing it's age, certain areas (pool) were very dirty and taty around the ages.

 

On the plus side the service was the best we have experianced, the food was excellent.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

 

Marc

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome Home

 

Sorry you didn't get to see all the fjords that you were hoping to see.

 

In the fine print in your cruise documents -- yes -- an itinerary can be changed without notice.

 

We were on the Ryndam in October 2010 for 14 days and found her to be in great shape.

 

[gwilli]

I'm not sure what happened since the first week in July .... But we did cruise that fjiord and did cruise by Pulpit Rock. It was nice but not worth getting upset about missing. Glad you found other things about the cruise to make it a nice vacation. Cheers!

[aliaschief]

Thank you for your candid review.

[RetiredMustang]

Just back from the Fjords in Norway on Ryndam.

In many ways it was the best cruise we have had but at the same times a number of things which we felt was un-professional

* HAL staff eating in the Lido taking up seats when paying customers had to wait

* We were informed on the Monday (1st day cruising) that "due to operational concerns" cancelling the Cruising Lysefjord and Pulpit rock which was and remains a main feature of the cruise. When we spoke to the front desk we were told that HAL had cancelled that part of the cruise last November. When I said that it was unreasonable to wait until people are on board we were told they have the right to alter a cruise! We boarded the ship on Sun 24th and did not see a Fjord until Thursday 28th.

* We found it poor that HAL staff took up theatre seats before the general public leaving paying customers to stand at the back

* We were charged twice for dinks that we had not ordered

* We found that the ship is showing it's age, certain areas (pool) were very dirty and taty around the ages.

 

On the plus side the service was the best we have experianced, the food was excellent.

 

Happy to answer any questions.

 

Marc

 

Marc,

 

Sorry you had some problems. Some comments, keyed to your comments:

 

* HAL staff in the Lido. I presume these were ship's officers, contract people (spa ladies, shop staff, etc.) and other staff such as shore excursions people. The main crew (the Indonesian and Filipino stewards, etc.) have their own mess arrangements, but the other staff have to eat somewhere. What I have experienced is often, at dinner time especially, one side of the Lido is for the staff and the other for the paying passengers. OK, Ryndam Lido is smaller than on the Vista class, and sometimes there were staff at tables with no others open, but would you rather have them eat in the Lido or the main dining room? I understand your perception, but am not sure what HAL can realistically do about it -- as I said, those people have to eat somewhere and there are only so many tables in the Lido.

 

* Changing the itinerary. Yes, as others point out, HAL can change itineraries without notice, but I agree a change made that far in advance is something they could and should have emailed people about. A change made last November is not the same as a weather-related change mid-cruise.

 

* HAL staff in the theater. Do you mean the main show lounge or the movies? I've not encountered this, but I suppose again that it is the "other" staff and not the crew you are discussing. No reason they can't enjoy a show/movie but agree that if the place is packed, they probably should yield their seats. But, it's a tough call -- if the show starts and people come afterwards, they may not notice that there are customers doing SRO.

 

* Double charging for drinks. I agree, this is not right. But it may have been error instead of intent. Did you point it out when the waiter presented you the charge slip? A couple of times, we have been given the wrong slips. It happens. Did you find out later, and then go to the front desk to sort it out? We have cleared up a couple of erroneous charges by doing so (and pointed out once that they had not charged us for internet service) and had no problems. That's why we check our account before final payment day. If you go to the front desk and ask, they are happy to print out a copy of your account so far.

 

* Ship showing its age. We were on in February, and she looked fine. But, it has been several months since, and heavy use can make a difference in a short time, especially on a ship at sea. So, a bit of tattiness happens. But, the pool area being dirty is something that should be taken care of at the time. Was it a busy time and a short-time mess, or did it appear it had been overlooked for quite a while?

 

* Service. We agree, the service on Ryndam, and all of the HAL ships we have sailed, has been excellent. That's the main reason we come back to HAL.

 

Hope you had a pleasurable time on board despite the problems you encountered. For me, a bad day at sea on a cruise ship beats the best day in the office hands down!

 

Dave

[Rutland Gate]

I would never pay for a dink I had not ordered.

[mudscraper]

Words to live by.

[DizzyDallasDi]

I would never pay for a dink I had not ordered.

 

I would never pay for a drink I did not drink. ;)

[SwissMyst]

Thanks for your report - we board her in a few weeks down in the Mediterranean. Luckily no deal-killer items for us, and we are going to be so port intensive on our trip that most of our time will be spent offshore or asleep so the one part that was good to hear is the food and staff are great. Good news for us so thanks for giving us your update. So far about 20 people are responding to our CC Meet and Greet - Aug 28 Ryndam departure and from all over the globe - Aussies, Russians, Spaniards and a few of us Merkens.

[erewhon]

marc62,

 

Thank you for this report.

 

As Retired Mustang stated the staff have to eat somewhere.

 

We consider ourselves fortunate to have had interesting conversations with some the HAL staff while eating in the Lido.

On our first cruise, one evening we were able to talk with the Captain, while dining in the Lido.

[marc62]

Hello all

 

Allow me to confirm that we loved our first cruise with HAL and would not hesitate to cruise with them again. The food and service was superb!

 

Our issues

* Lunch time in the Lido whilst at sea and the first day was very busy, there were HAL staff taking up tables to eat whilst paying customers had to either wait or go elsewhere.

* Pinicle Grill on the Wednesday evening, paying guests were unable to get a table as the Pinnicle was fully booked out. One of the tables was taken by four members of the Entertainments team.

* As you do not sign for drinks the first you are aware if there are any issues is when they issue the bill at approx 7:00am on the day of departure. We did ask for a copy the day before when we found we had been charged $20 for drinks we had not ordered. After investigating (it took them 2 hours) they agreed to remove the amount. When we then recieved the final bill at 7:00am on Sunday morning (our time to leave ship was 7:30am) we found that we had been charged $8 for other drinks on the Friday which we had not ordered. We had a coice to swallow the charge or join a long line at the desk to get a refund - we left

* The members of stakk at the show took up seven seats off the main centre aisle approx 20 mins before the show was due to start so it is not a case that they took up spare seats. It was a case that they prevented paying guests from taking a seat in advance of the show.

* The pool area was dirty around the outside walls, this was on the first morning the day after the cruise started.

* My point about the cancelled Fjord cruise is not that we would have cancelled the cruise, it is a point of princible that HAL knew last November that they would not be going to that Fjord or the Pulpit rock but continued to advertise and include it within the itinery up until after departure. This I think is decietful and guests should have been informed in advance. Cruise ships are very quick to charge customers when fuel prices go up but I wonder how much five hours of fuel costs and how much HAL saved??

 

Positive points outway the bad but if the bad points were not there the cruise would have been unbeatable.

 

Happy to answer any questions

 

Marc

[gwilli]

As you said:

* My point about the cancelled Fjord cruise is not that we would have cancelled the cruise, it is a point of princible that HAL knew last November that they would not be going to that Fjord or the Pulpit rock but continued to advertise and include it within the itinery up until after departure. This I think is decietful and guests should have been informed in advance. Cruise ships are very quick to charge customers when fuel prices go up but I wonder how much five hours of fuel costs and how much HAL ...

 

But they didn't change the itinerary on the July 1 cruise. There must have been something going on there for them to go one week and not another. The fjord is small and somewhat narrow, maybe there were other ships there and not enough room to turn around .... An event there with people jumping ..... If you want, I can post pictures so you can see that, yes, it was nice, but not worth fussing about.

Cheers!

[kazu]

Thank you for your candid review.

 

While I can understand your concerns what other posters have said is true. The staff have to eat somewhere.

 

It has never bothered me, but different strokes ;)

[marc62]

lol funny old bunch in here! ;)

 

We all have a view which is good and as Kazu states - "the staff have to eat somewhere"

Other cruise lines do not have a problem and if HAL feel that it is right during peak hours / events for paid staff to take up places preventing a paying customer thats up to them. :confused:

 

With regards to the cancelled part, the point is that HAL cancelled it some EIGHT months before the cruise but failed to inform anyone until the cruise was underway. :mad:

 

Maybe next time only the good things should be spoken about as an opinion against HAL is not heard very well in certain quarters.

 

Anyway, the offer is still open for those who may be interested is they have any questions regarding Ryndam / Fjord cruise or ports. I am happy to assist. (let's try to keep it positive people :D)

[SwissMyst]

I would never pay for a drink I did not drink. ;)

 

You are not a guy, Di. How else do guys pick up chicks other than buying them free drinks. :p

[kazu]

lol funny old bunch in here! ;)

 

We all have a view which is good and as Kazu states - "the staff have to eat somewhere"

Other cruise lines do not have a problem and if HAL feel that it is right during peak hours / events for paid staff to take up places preventing a paying customer thats up to them. :confused:

 

With regards to the cancelled part, the point is that HAL cancelled it some EIGHT months before the cruise but failed to inform anyone until the cruise was underway. :mad:

 

Maybe next time only the good things should be spoken about as an opinion against HAL is not heard very well in certain quarters.

 

Anyway, the offer is still open for those who may be interested is they have any questions regarding Ryndam / Fjord cruise or ports. I am happy to assist. (let's try to keep it positive people :D)

 

marc62 - I wouldn't be happy if a port was cancelled and found after that it had been cancelled 8 months ago. :eek: Definitely you should have been notified and the itinerary should have been changed on the HAL website.

I wouldn't be happy either.

 

One of our ports has changed but we did get notice from HAL via out TA and the itinerary on their website has changed. The itinerary on some on line TA websites has NOT changed.

 

Rhyndam? haven't been on this ship yet...was she really worn everywhere or was it just the pool area? Just wondering as she was on our 'bucket' list. Thanks so much;)

[SwissMyst]

 

Rhyndam? haven't been on this ship yet...was she really worn everywhere or was it just the pool area? Just wondering as she was on our 'bucket' list. Thanks so much;)

 

She was recently refurbished and all reports say she looks lovely - her HAL website photos seem to confirm the interior decor updates look very nice.

[marc62]

Hello Kazu

 

The Ryndam is a lovely ship, yes it you can see that it is a approx 15 years old but the same could be said for any luxury hotel. The main areas that were tatty were around the pool, areas against the walls etc which are easy to avoid when neing cleaned etc. Our understanding were that the main areas for the re-furb were those which are tucked away (flat screen TV, some bathrooms etc). Would we go again...... yes

The entertainments team were easily the best we have ever seen, the cruise director has done a very good job.

 

Marc

[kazu]

Hello Kazu

 

The Ryndam is a lovely ship, yes it you can see that it is a approx 15 years old but the same could be said for any luxury hotel. The main areas that were tatty were around the pool, areas against the walls etc which are easy to avoid when neing cleaned etc. Our understanding were that the main areas for the re-furb were those which are tucked away (flat screen TV, some bathrooms etc). Would we go again...... yes

The entertainments team were easily the best we have ever seen, the cruise director has done a very good job.

 

Marc

 

Thanks so very much :D We love the older ships so as long as they are in decent shape, happy to sail on them. I know the NA has a lot of fans, but we have decided to head 'back' in time a bit. Well, I guess a lot, since we are doing the P'dam in November.:)

 

appreciate the info. thanks again:D

[kazu]

She was recently refurbished and all reports say she looks lovely - her HAL website photos seem to confirm the interior decor updates look very nice.

 

 

Thanks SwissMyst:D

[cccole]

Last night I was recommending HAL to a friend for a cruise to Alaska or Hawaii with her parents. It sounds like you had a good cruise with some minor glitches. I have a couple of questions: (1)when crew were taking up spots in the Lido, was this morning, noon, and night?, (2)since I have never been on any ship where the theatre was full, did you mean the movie theatre or the evening show?

 

Unfortunately, it seems that errors in bar bills are common and bills should be checked often.

 

I would be upset with a port cancellation if HAL knew months ahead of time.

 

It sounds like you had a good cruise but it would have been better without problems you encountered.

 

Thank you for your helpful review, Cherie

[RetiredMustang]

...

With regards to the cancelled part, the point is that HAL cancelled it some EIGHT months before the cruise but failed to inform anyone until the cruise was underway. :mad:

 

OK, I agreed with you.

 

Maybe next time only the good things should be spoken about as an opinion against HAL is not heard very well in certain quarters.

 

Not sure what you mean here, and that comment may be uncalled for ... pretty much everyone has been sympathetic, but some have pointed out that there may be some back story in some cases. There has not been what I would call a flame that I've seen. I think most of us agree that dirtiness, changing itinerary well in advance without notice, and charging for drinks not ordered is not right. I also agree that if faced with an $8 charge that I could challenge by standing in line or say to h*** with it and get off the ship I would probably just get off; yeah it's wrong but is it worth my time? I've not seen it personally, but can believe it happens now and then.

 

OK, I've seen staff in the Lido, but not the Pinnacle or show/movie lounge but don't doubt it happens. You have a point; if I was turned away from one of those and saw staff there, I would also be a bit peeved.

 

Thanks for pointing out some things I have not seen before, but will notice next time if I see them.

 

 

...:D)

 

Hope you have a great time on your next cruise.

 

Dave

[brian_uk]

I too was on this trip and while disappointed about the change in itinerary it actually made no difference to the holiday.

 

Apparently they HAL were told that on the date of the Fjord Cruise there was a yachting regatta in the area and it would have been dangerous. I agree totally with Marc that we should have been told but we found so many other highlights especially the exit from Flam that we were happy.

 

We only saw 2 shows and had no difficulty in finding acceptable seats, both were the late performances. We also never had a real problem in finding seats in the Lido for breakfast or lunch.

 

There were a few issues that we were unhappy with, specifically the 8pm closure of the Lido Buffet. You had to arrive at around 7pm to be relaxed and for us this is too early. We ate most nights in Canaletto which was very good and Harry the Maitre d' always found space for us no matter what the computer showed.

 

Dr Boogie was fantastic in The Mix and we spent many happy hours there.

 

We normally travel with Oceania and Azamara and while the food on HAL is not as good we actually preferred our trip on HAL because of the onboard entertainment.

 

Brian

[marc62]

Hope you have a great time on your next cruise.

 

Dave

lol

[cymraes42]

Thank you for your review marc62.

We are on Ryndam on 7/8/11 and have a question about parking please.Did you arrange through HAL ? close to ship? easy to board?Thanks

We have a choral group on board for our cruise called sing live - looking forward to their workshops and concerts.

Can`t wait!

Karen