Questions and opinions on the Ryndam

[smoosh21]

I enjoyed my recent cruise on the Oosterdam so much I am looking at booking another HAL cruise for next year. I would really like to do a Panama canal transit. The only itinerary that fits my schedule is the April sailing on the Ryndam.

 

From what I have seen on this board, the reviews are mixed to negative on the Ryndam. I am especially concerned with all I have read about the toilet problems. To me, that could easily ruin a vacation. Are the toilet problems really that prevelent, and is the smell really that bad? Are there really that many dining room problems?

 

I am just looking to find some opinions of people who have sailed on the Ryndam since its Drydock last year. Would you recommend 14 nights on the Ryndam, or do you think I should hold off for some other time and go on a different HAL ship?

 

I always take negative reviews with a grain of salt, because I often see positive reviews to offset them. Even after searching through the boards, I really couldn't find any 'Wow' reviews of the Ryndam as I have seen for basically all the other ships.

[dot73]

I was on the Ryndam in February on a Mexican Riviera 10-day cruise. Overall, I liked the ship and enjoyed the cruise. I had the lowest priced outside cabin and as I spend very little time in my cabin, it was great. The bed was very comfortable with new linens, new flat screen TV, disk player. It was very clean. Not much had been done to the bathroom, but I had no problem with it. I loved the new library and internet cafe. They have recent books, magazines and music stations where you can sit and listen to a variety of music. The specialty coffee bar next to the library had excellent coffee at reasonable prices. The pool areas were very clean and I had no touble finding a lounge chair. The food was typical HAL food - nothing spectacular but generally good. The Pinnacle was well worth the $20.

 

As for the toilets, by the time I went, the problems seemed to be generally fixed. I heard of a few rooms having some problems, but this seems to happen on many ships, not just the Ryndam. I had no problem whatsoever with my toilet. I did hear one story from a crew member about what the engineers found in the toilets after the Christmas holiday cruises. Apparently, some unruly passengers enjoyed throwing some weird things into the toilets. People need to realize that ship toilets are not like land toilets. As for smell, there seemed to be one small area when walking on the promenade that had a slight odour but it was not that bad, and I had experienced the same thing on the Maasdam and the old Noordam.

 

As for negative reviews, as you say, they have to be taken with a grain of salt. I heard some negative comments on the cruise I was on, and I couldn't believe the people who made them were on the same cruise as I was. I have been on seven cruises (6 HAL) and none was perfect, but I enjoyed every single one. I think you will really enjoy the Panama Canal cruise. The experience of going through the entire canal is amazing. As you say, there are no real WOW comments about the Ryndam because it is a good ship but not spectacular. Having said that, for the price of a HAL cruise, I believe you get a good cruise experience. I hope this helps and if you have any questions, I will try to answer them for you.

[SDHALFAN]

I just disembarked the Ryndam Thursday morning at the completion of a 10-day Mexican Riviera/Sea of Cortez cruise and agree with most of what dot73 says. This was my second sailing on the Ryndam: the first being a San Diego to Rio cruise (35 days) a few years ago. I like the upgrades a lot, with the exception of the new Library/Internet Cafe/Coffee Bar. I liked the old set up better - the free capuccinos being a nice touch. I also liked the old Library set up better.

 

The new bed linens and the flat-screen T.V. and DVD player were really nice and I enjoyed them all. If you do not take your own DVDs you can rent some at the Internet Cafe for $3.00 each. The bathrooms did not appear to have been touched at all. If that was a new and improved hair-dryer in the bathroom then all I can say is that it looked the same to me as the old ones, but it worked just fine and I have no complaints. Also, the towels may be larger but they aren't any softer, however, they get the job done.

 

Some people on the Navigation Deck were apparently having toilet problems but we down in the low rent district (A Deck) didn't have any problems that I heard of.

 

The elevators, which have been tarted up, now sport a floor mat with the current day of the week displayed which proves more useful than one would think. I first saw this on the Prinsendam and at first thought it funny but after a few days at sea I was glad to know which day it was.

 

I must admit that I really like the Ryndam. She and the Statendam were always tied for my favorite ship until I sailed on the Amsterdam which is the winner hands down as far as I am concerned. I have never sailed on a Vista class ship and plan never to if I can help it. The S class ships are just the right size for my taste.

 

As dot73 says, the Panama Canal cruise is a fun cruise. I've done the total transit once and the partial twice. I would like to do the partial yet again as I like sailing from and to San Diego (no flying), but unfortunately it's not being offered next year.

 

I also agree with Dot73 about the negative comments. There are some people who are just never satisfied no matter what and to them a minor problem (not the toilets - that would be quite major) becomes a gigantic one. I have never been anywhere, or done anything that has gone totally without a hitch somewhere along the line. I find it better to shrug it off and not sweat the small stuff.

 

Oh, I found the food to be quite good: especially the appetizers and the soups. I only ate in the Dining Room twice though but that was because of my tablemates who were, to put it mildly, not very interesting conversationalists, although very nice people I'm sure. I ate in the Lido with people I had met playing Team Trivia or, if there was a particularly good movie showing in the cabin (and we did get some really good movies in cabin this time) then I would order room service from the Dining Room menu and enjoy the entertainment.

 

I would definitely go for a cruise on the Ryndam, but then as I've said, I really like the Ryndam.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose and I hope that you have a wonderful cruise.:)

[SDHALFAN]

Oops, sorry I hit the "send" button twice and double-posted, and let's face it: I'm just not that interesting!:o :)

[Cruising Illini]

Just returned 2 days ago. There were many plumbing problems -- most on Main deck and Verandah deck. Friends had mini-suites and had problems off and on for three days!! We were on Navigation and heard of only a couple of problems there -- we were fine. The best maitre'd on HAL - Kiki is running dining room so that is fantastic -- excellent service even though our boys had 22 to serve. I agree with a previous person -- liked the old library/card room/etc. better and this seemed underutilized. Would recommend the ship and all of it's staff in particular!!

[DaveOKC]

We were on the Rnydam early Dec for 7 days. We loved the ship and the improvements (this was our third time on her), but we experienced MAJOR sewage problems and I would not sail on her again until I was assured they were fixed.

We heard the same excuses from the crew about what was being flushed, but the funny thing is we never experienced a sewage problem before on Ryndam or even last week on the Oosterdam! I think the problem is greater than they are admitting.

DaveOKC

[cdkempton]

SDHALFAN...When were you on the S.D. to Rio cruise?? We were on that cruise leaving S.D. on 10/28/01. It was a spectacular adventure. We are now returning to the Ryndam this coming Christmas 12/17 for the Mexican Riviera 10 day. We are looking forward to our return to the Ryndam. Since the '01 cruise we have sailed on the Crown Odyssey (35 days) from Barcelona, Spain to Los Angeles. It was our second time going through the canal and we enjoyed it every bit as much as the first time in '82. Also sailed the NCL Wind Hawaii 11 day "freestyle". While we enjoyed not having to get decked out for dinner on NCL we missed the one on one with your same waiter/bus persons and are looking forward to the Ryndam's wonderful service.

As far as odors go, I don't remember those problems from '01 trip but have almost always encountered something of that sort on most ships. You'd be surprised at what people think they can put in the toilet. We've personally never had any problems of this sort. Happy sails!!

[RuthC]

The elevators now sport a floor mat with the current day of the week displayed which proves more useful than one would think. I first saw this on the Prinsendam and at first thought it funny but after a few days at sea I was glad to know which day it was.

Oh goodie! This is the first time I've seen mention of this, and I love it! Such a simple, easy thing for HAL to do and it's great! :)

This was done on the old Royal Viking Line (where the Prinsendam came from) and it was a huge help---especially on a longer cruise. And they changed the rugs at midnight, too! No matter what time I toddled on back to the cabin I always knew the day.

[stormyc]

...This was done on the old Royal Viking Line (where the Prinsendam came from) and it was a huge help---especially on a longer cruise. And they changed the rugs at midnight, too! No matter what time I toddled on back to the cabin I always knew the day.

 

Very interesting ...thank you for sharing this.

 

You are an absolute treasure trove of useful and interesting information about so many things!!

 

I always watch for your posts, and really appreciate all of the help you provide to everyone.

[jasl]

Because of the negative Rijndam comments, I chose Princess for my upcoming Alaska cruise. Boy did I goof. . . . had I known that Kiki was the Maitre D, I would have gladly put up with the plumbing problems!! Wish we had a way to check which of our favourite HAL people are on which dam ship. . . . . . . . . . . .

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Mark us down for another one who loved the Ryndam. I can honestly say the this ship is great. Especially her crew and Captain (Capt. Consen) We were on her last November. I really wish they were not moving her out of San Diego because I would of loved to take her out of San Diego one more time in 2006. We are booked solid for cruises this year and now looking to book for 2006. They are only going to be doing 14 day cruises with her next year.

 

If you enjoyed the Oosterdam you will definitely enjoy the Ryndam. Those two are my two favorite ships.:D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

You know I had forgotten about the "Days of the Week" mats in the elevators. I thought that was great. At the time I thought it was something new for the SOE but now that I think about it the Westerdam did not have this:confused:

 

Does anyone know is this something unique for the Ryndam or do others have this?

[General Max]

We enjoyed the Ryndam for our first cruise. Maybe it was because we were in a suite, 033 and enjoyed the amenities but we experienced absolutely no toilet or other foul smells on the cruise. Only one public restroom was closed for two days but I don't know if it was due to toilet problems other other plumbing malfunctions.

 

Cheers

 

General Max

[SDHALFAN]

Hi cdkempton,

 

We were on that same cruise (San Diego to Rio) with you. Wasn't it a wonderful cruise? I remember it so fondly - I still think that it was my favorite cruise of all time.

 

Since you are doing the 10-day Mexican Riviera cruise in December (and I'm assuming it's the 10-day Mexican Riviera/Sea of Cortez cruise), if you like dolphins and birds I can highly recommend the 'Bay, Birds and Dolphins' cruise out of Topolobampo. We saw dozens of dolphins (apparently there are 8 families who live in the bay) and lots and lots of birds on Bird Island. It's a relaxing cruise and if you are lucky you will get our guide, who went to high school in the U.S. and now teaches English. Needless to say his English is perfect and it was nice after a couple of days of fractured English. I'm not knocking anyone - their English is still way better than my Spanish!:D

 

About 300 of the passengers took the Copper Canyon tour, but this is an 18 hour tour (4 hours on busses, 12 hours on the train and only 2 hours to eat lunch at the hotel and spend time at the Indian village). They had to get up at 3:00 a.m. and I peeked out my window the next morning at about 1:30 a.m. and saw those poor souls lined up waiting to get back on the ship. They must have been exhausted.

 

While in Topolobampo, those of us not on the Copper Canyon tour were treated to a Folklorico show put on by a troup of young dancers from a local dance school. They were absolutely fanastic and put on one of the best shows I have ever seen on a cruise ship.

 

My old friend Kiki is indeed in charge of the Dining Room. I've known him since 1991 on the old Noordam and am always happy to see him again. He and I had several talks about my not showing up for dinner but he had met a couple of my dining companions before and understood my position. It was so good to see him again though, he is the nicest man and I hope to sail again with him soon. It won't be this year though since I'll be on the Amsterdam for the Holiday cruise in order to be with another favorite - Sinaga (Dining Room Steward extraordinaire):)

[RuthC]

You are an absolute treasure trove of useful and interesting information about so many things!!

 

I always watch for your posts, and really appreciate all of the help you provide to everyone.

What a nice thing to read! There was absolutely no good reason for you to post this---other than just being darned nice.

:) Thank you for making my day. :)

[stormyc]

What a nice thing to read! There was absolutely no good reason for you to post this---other than just being darned nice.

:) Thank you for making my day. :)

 

Well, I am sure I speak for many. Your patience in clearly answering questions with so much detail has not gone unnoticed. You're an asset to the HAL board for certain. Just thought I would mention it.

 

Those of us who are new to cruising would be lost in the dark without you kind people who help us with your experience.

 

Sincerely,

[Nanietwo]

We will be taking the Mexican Riviera and Sea of Cortez cruise in September and my husband is doing the Copper Canyon tour. I do not want to be gone 18 hours so I'm thinking of doing the Colonial city of El Fuerte & Tehuecos tour.

I have not read any comments about this tour and I was wondering if you heard anything while on your cruise?

[cdkempton]

To SDHALFAN: Thanks for the info. We must have bumped elbows a time or two in the Lido restaurant or in the theater or lounge. Yes it was a wonderful cruise. It is tied with my other favorite which was China on the Pearl of Scandinavia back in the early '80's.

We have already decided not to do the Copper Canyon tour because of the length. I was searching the web for Topolobampo to try and get info on the area but with very little success. The ship's tours aren't posted yet but I'll keep checking the HAL website. Thanks again. Happy Sails! :) Colette

[travellady]

Just got off the 3 day San Diego to Vancouver Ryndam cruise and absolutely enjoyed it. Wish we could have stayed on with those headed up to Alaska today.

 

Yes, the plumbing problems still persist. Quite frequently during the past 3 days, the public restrooms were closed on the Lido and Upper Promenade decks. Periodically, a sewage smell permeated throughout but didn't last long. We were on the Main deck, cabin 615, and had no issues whatsoever. Beds were very cozy and stateroom was very clean. Bathroom was nice but I do have concerns about older people getting in and out of the tub. It's very deep, thus very steep to get in. I'm only 5 feet tall so it was interesting climbing in and out. There were handrails to help however.

 

Despite the plumbing problems, we'd sail her again in a hearbeat. We enjoyed great food, great crowd (we are close to 50 and the passengers skewed a bit older but lively and great people all of them). We spent several relaxing hours each day in the new library reading and listenting to music.

 

She's a classy ship, wonderful crew, with great service. She's the smallest ship I've cruised on yet I didn't feel claustrophobic and enjoyed seeing the same faces throught the 3 days. Makes for a friendlier warmer feeling.

[Cerinda]

smoosh,

 

On our March cruise, the sewage problems were significant. Several times we couldn't use our own bathroom for periods of two or three hours. Two days, we had to leave both the hallway and veranda doors open whenever we were in our suite.

 

Even so, you may count me among the Ryndam fans. If I were to book HAL again, I would probably consider the other S class ships first, but the "beautiful and elegant ms Ryndam" would definitely be a contender: the service was just that good! And the food was far superior to what the CC boards led me to expect!

[DonMaryCar]

We have done Ryndam pre and post signature of excellence, it was fabulous. I have to agree KIKI was the best Maitre D we have ever had. We had a couple instances of a couple hours of plumbing problems but we have had that occasionally on other lines we have sailed. I think it is just either good or bad luck depending on which sailing you are on. Would definitely book another cruise on her in a heartbeat.

 

Mary:)

[Pammie poo]

it was the worst cruise I've ever been on. The smell of sewage was awful and the signs on the public restrooms were many.

[SDHALFAN]

Hi Pam,

 

I'm so sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your cruise. I know that you had such high hopes surprising your husband for a special occasion. I'm also sorry that we didn't get together for a drink, or a chat, while on the ship.

 

On which deck was your cabin? I was on "A" deck and didn't experience any problems whatsoever (although someone needs to tell the Cabin Stewards that they need to clean the toilet bowl every once in a while - there was a big black ring around the bowl and it stayed there the entire cruise. I do have the same problem at home, but we have "hard water" here and I do take care of the problem as soon as it becomes evident).

 

I don't remember ever smelling sewage and I honestly don't remember seeing more than one or two "signs" on the public restrooms, once in a while (and that can happen, and does, on any ship at any time), but then I was in the "low-rent district" and maybe things were a lot worse on the upper decks.

 

Once again, I'm so sorry that you didn't enjoy your cruise because I know that you had such high hopes and were really looking forward to it.

 

I actually don't know what else to say because I had a wonderful time. I met old friends amongst the crew, and made new friends.amongst the crew and my fellow passengers. I would definitely do this cruise again and the Ryndam is still one of my very favorite ships. I'm just so sorry that you did not have a wonderful time.

 

I hope that your next cruise (no matter which Line you choose) will be a wonderful one,and that you will have many happy memories of it.:)

[Landlubber54]

it was the worst cruise I've ever been on. The smell of sewage was awful and the signs on the public restrooms were many.

 

Where was your cabin located, and what kind of response did you get from your steward? Hotel Manager? Others? Did the problem last the entire cruise?

[dbcruise]

Hi i was just on the 3 day as well on deck 6 all the way aft Afew problems flushing but no oder Thank godness . We did notice Public toilets on Lido deck closed several times . We had a great time and would go again anytime . The only thing I noticed was attitude from about a dozen or so staff to us and others on board was not what i would call 5 star service .The worst was from our cabin steward who was not pleased at all he had to make twins beds out of the Queen bed that was set up when we arrived . I would go for 14 days anytime .