My review of Ryndam

[penguinscott]

Review of HAL Ryndam

 

This was my 3rd sailing on Holland America and so far, they are definitely my favorite cruise line. I cruise to feel pampered and living above means. I appreciate a nice dinner and show, the fresh flowers, the live music, the classy atmosphere and art- the lack of crass, flashy over polished ship décor that seems prevalent today. This is what cruising used to be like back in the hey day. I’m glad there is a line like HAL to cater to these needs, leaving other ships and lines for those who need slides, rock walls and smoke and mirrors.

 

This vacation on Ryndam was a 15-night transatlantic crossing, leaving Barcelona, stopping in Malaga, Cadiz, Lisbon, Half Moon Cay, and ending in Tampa. I’m not reviewing the ports of call here, just the ship (I did hop on buses in each of the 3 European stops).

 

Ryndam is a sister ship to Veendam, who I sailed a few years ago and loved. On my past 2 transatlantic voyages, I often found myself wishing I were doing so on the Veendam. Finally, I got to experience a TA on a classy medium-sized ship, which I loved so very much! Here is my breakdown:

 

Crew and Staff 9 of 10

First of all, kudos to the crew and staff for dealing with our 3 fire alarms and 2 fire drills flawlessly. I never felt more safe on a voyage before, knowing the crew were well versed in what to do when a fire alarm goes off. We were always kept informed with frank and brief announcements and were never really put in harm‘s way.

 

Secondly, I must comment on the great and entertaining Capt. Werner Timmers, who some said resembles the guy from Despicable Me! His daily updates were informative and often peppered with a great sense of humor. He was seen around ship often and was always approachable. He was featured in 2 celebrity chef cook-offs and he was funny enough to be a comedian on a TV show! After our 3rd fire alarm, I jokingly asked him if I could put in a request for a wake up call the next day. He laughed and told me that before this voyage, there had not been a fire alarm in over 2 months.

 

All staff were great. They were constantly working hard and with smiles. There was an incident just after departure when I went searching for my missing cocktail cup. The staff didn’t believe it went missing and as I turned to leave the area, I heard them say as much. This was part of the reason they lost a point here. (This was the same staff, who, when I went to the pool one afternoon and found no towels, was told I had to go the Lido pool and get a towel. Um, no, you have someone bring towels to the Sea View Pool, don’t ask a guest to do it!)

 

A few staff members (1 in Lido and 1 in the MDR) drug their feet as they walked past, which was irritating. I made mention to Tom, the MDR assistant, who I got to know. He said it was also his pet peeve and would mention it. This was the other reason they lost a point here.

 

Filled out a comment card delivered near the start of the cruise and appreciated that the events coordinator, Kristi, called back with responses to nearly every comment made. Very nice touch!

 

Rick Barnes was the best cruise director I've encountered. Sure, he occasionally spoke down to the guests and could often become annoying with his sermons on what was going on around the ship (we have dailies and know how to use them), but he was great with a microphone and a likeable guy.

 

One day in the sauna, I poked my head out of the men’s locker room to find a staff member to let them know it was not hot. Rick came up the stairs from deck 10 and saw me leaning out. He seemed to be in a hurry, but stopped and asked if I needed anything. He went to the desk for me to let them know the sauna was not hot. He was always professional and friendly and had a great sense of humor, esp at the celebrity chef cook off.

 

Widodo, my room steward, always answered my requests (more stationary, make a towel penguin for me to keep all voyage, special requests in my room). He apologized if he saw me before he made up my room, as a few days he seemed over worked and my room wasn‘t made up until nearly noon. He always said hello and waved from down the hall.

 

Kiersten was the best Culinary Arts Center Host I've seen on a HAL ship. She was knowledgeable and timely. She filled in the slow times during cooking shows and did a great job hosting the hilarious and very entertaining Celebrity Chef Cookoffs. I hope to sail with her again.

 

Angela at the Lido started bringing me a glass of water any time I sat down with food. I loved that she knew that's what I always wanted. That kind of attention to detail makes me love HAL. Drink service was a little spotty by Lido pool. One day I asked for a drink and when I’d finished eating and was ready to leave 20 minutes later, still no drink.

 

Cabin (Aft starboard on deck 10) 10 of 10

The cabin was flawless. I was in a cabin which opened looking into the rear stairwell of deck 10. When I saw this, I was horrified and feared noises and issues. I was wrong. It was a quiet location with great access to the aft pool, the Lido above and just a few flights down to deck 8. I also loved that I had a partial overhang from the Lido above, keeping the sun and rain off of me when I was on the balcony. I would love this cabin again.

 

The cabin had a large leather sofa and flat screen TV with an adjustable table. There were 3 closets and 9 drawers, plus 4 more drawers in the 2 night stands. There was a hair dryer in one of the drawers, an in-room safe, a mini bar and small fridge. The bathroom had a Jacuzzi tub and on the balcony was a lounger, chair and small table.

 

I made a few special requests of my room steward, which were all taken care of or I was informed as to why not (no note pads were available). I upgraded to a balcony, a first for me. It was bliss, only because I was traveling solo and without friends and loved spending time out there reading, napping and watching the seas. Normally, I am never in my cabin and prefer insides.

 

The cabin started warming up about half way across the Atlantic. I finally broke down and made a call. It was not remedied, however, so they brought a fan to my room, which was probably better than having it cooled down, as I love white noise. I received an apology from the concierge, which went above and beyond my expectations.

 

The only outlet was across the room from the bed, and I sleep with a Cpap machine. I asked for an extension cord, which was delivered to my room. It was a tripping hazard in the night if I went to the window. I really wish there had been an outlet on the same wall as the bed.

 

 

Food 10 of 10

The food on this ship was about the best of any cruise I’ve been on. Every single meal was great, even when looking at the menu and thinking I was not going to really enjoy the culinary experience. The items were always fresh and hot. The meals were quite tasty as well. The portions were medium; not too large nor too small. Special requests were always honored without issue.

 

Pizza guy at the Lido grill often didn't have pizza ready. Twice I was told to wait 20 minutes while one was made. The grill, where they cook the burgers and make the pizza pies, is too small. I feel sorry for those who work there in those cramped quarters. Often the line was very long as it was quite popular. I found that going before noon or after 1300 was ideal.

 

The grill’s buffet with Mexican fare was always very good. The sour cream was often suspicious looking, but no one seemed to get ill. I ate here most days for lunch. Pizza was always fantastic, burgers tasty and fresh with fresh-baked buns. However, there were several times items on the buffet were out (such as cheese or meat for soft tacos). It took a few days to realize they only put out taco shells, ground beef and cheese sauce at 1400hrs.

 

Tea service: often offered desserts 1st, then sandwiches. Odd. Staff would seem put out that I passed and asked for desserts to be delivered again later. Was once offered a nearly empty tray of desserts! Loved that they offered tea service each and every day, even while in port.

 

In room dining was always delivered on time and hot. Very impressed. I’d never really used the room service option before, but I wanted to spend more time in my lovely room than I normally do. 3 of the 4 times I had fresh flowers on my tray. You pretty much need to be specific- if you don’t ask for water or bread, you won’t get it. However, at breakfast, I received hash browns with my entrée, which I didn’t request, but it was a great touch. I was able to order the entrees featured in the MDR without issue.

 

Desserts were so good, I was disappointed- because I couldn't stop eating them! Most cruises I've been on have bland dessert. Not Ryndam! Excellent desserts every time. However, ice cream was consistently soft. I never got a hard scoop of ice cream on this ship. (Not to mention that 80% of the time the dishes were so freaking hot, one needed space shuttle tiles to handle them!)

 

You may see the honey butter tart on the dessert menu. Get it. Eat it. Take more to your room. Don’t miss out on what has to be about the best pie I’ve ever had. Damn you, tasty Ryndam desserts!!!

 

I do wish the soft serve ice cream were available later at night. I often wanted a cone of chocolate soft serve while dancing in the Crow's Nest late at night, but the only option was room service; and they only offered vanilla with chocolate sauce. However, one night, we did order up 4 burgers around 0130 and had them delivered to the Crow’s Nest without issue.

 

I do wish there were food available later than 2330 besides room service (late night dining in Lido is only from 2230-2330). A table of sandwiches like NCL has in their casino, or a plate of food like the Crow's Nest has in the evenings would be ideal for those of us dancing the night away.

 

Every meal on this voyage was tasty, hot and quality. Very good job!

 

The ship 10 of 10

The ship was in great condition. I could find no flaws, except for one chair in Lido that had a hole in it. I saw no rust around windows as I’ve seen on other ships. I never saw worn out carpet, either, as I’ve heard others mention. (I never did make it below deck 7 except when leaving the ship, so I can’t speak to those conditions.) It was well maintained and did not show her age.

 

Great fitness area and Penny was such a joy to talk to. The ladies at the front desk were very nice as well. The machines were in good working order and it was nice to work out in an uncrowded area (so long as one avoids the morning rush).

 

In the men's locker room, the door opens so those outside can see in. I was coming down the stairs from the Crow's Nest and got a good look at a naked man leaving the sauna. I noticed often while using the men's locker room that people could see in quite easily. Something should be done to block the view...a curtain or change the direction the door opens.

 

Crow's Nest was the best spot on the ship. It was large enough for groups to meet and not bother others and was very nicely decorated. So nice to be able to watch over the bow and enjoy magnificent sunsets. Mix bar and the interactive tables were really fun. The Champaign bar area with the piano was classy and well decorated.

 

I wish there were a hot tub on the Sea View Pool deck.

 

Cigarette smoke often bothered me on my balcony from guests below and forward of me. Stair well area on deck 10 aft often reeked of smoke from the smoking area just outside. Other than that, I thank HAL for the non-smoking policy on board, esp. in the Crow's Nest. I only once noticed smoke from the casino, even a few times when I was bold enough walk through it.

 

Entertainment 10 of 10

We were well entertained on this crossing. Each of the guest entertainers was world class. The cast was wonderful and easy on the eyes. I laughed and I cried. Bravo!

 

Appreciated that mostly, only 2 PAs were made a day. Other cruise lines make 5 or more a day. We did have a day when the first one (for bingo, of course) was delivered at 0830. Another 2 were made in the next hour. But it was rare when more than 2 were made in a single day (not counting the 3 fire alarms and 2 drills).

 

Adagio Strings...I hope they get paid well. It was so very much enjoyable to sit and listen to them each evening. They were professional and never flawed, and really made the voyage a classy one.

 

In the past, I was disappointed in Stiletto's entertainment (the LA company HAL uses for their shows). The cast has always been great, but the shows lacking. On Ryndam, the cast was great, and the shows were as well. They were very entertaining, energetic and the costumes were simply spectacular. I wish we could have had photo ops with cast in them at the end of the shows! Would love to see some more original work like short plays or musicals that don't use pop music.

 

The guest entertainers were the best of any cruise I've been on. Joe, the comedian, was always hilarious. Annette, the soprano, what a gem! The violinist was great. The acrobats, while nothing new in their routine, were a joy to watch and bringing out their boy to perform was a highlight of the entertainment experience. The Temptations act were such a joy, even when seen roaming the ship, they were always pleasant. I don’t normally enjoy magic shows, but Romany was lovely and entertaining and dealt very well with the fact that one of her prop coins rolled into the crack of the stage and fell below, completing her act as if it never happened!

 

Enjoyed being able to interact with the cast, but wish they were around more often, esp. at night in the Crow's Nest as on past cruises. I appreciated how friendly Andi and Jona were. You could approach them any time and they never seemed annoyed. Maria was graceful and gracious with compliments. Danny was always smiling and friendly. Wonderful cast! Great dancers! But please, come hang out more often with those of us younger guests in the Crow's Nest at night. Same goes for the HALcats. Come hang out with us!

 

The HALcats were spectacular. What a joy to hear Robin and her gang so often. Robin was phenomenal; great singing voice and flawless playing.

 

Loved Jamm, the piano player. Such a joy to watch and really good voice and piano skills. The guitarist was good, but I found his voice annoying...not his fault, to be sure. He was well received by other guests.

 

So many activities...I often found it difficult to do all that I wanted to do. Mixology and tea at the same time...guest lecture and art auction...cooking show and guest lecture at odds. I heard a few guests say there was not enough going on. These guests are clearly not normal and should not be paid attention to. Kudos for the many wonderful things to do that made it difficult to figure out when I could squeeze in a work-out in the fitness center with a dip in the pool and get my daily nap in! I didn’t even finish reading the book I brought along!

 

Prof. Joe Daley was a gem and the best guest lecturer at sea I've encountered. He could have used more time. His counterpart, Allen Thomas was great, but I often missed his lectures because of other events I wanted to see and it was difficult to sit in the theater at sea for 2 hours in a row first thing in the morning (for me, anyway).

 

I relish HAL's sophistication and the entertainment on this voyage exceeded my expectations.

 

Embarkation/Debarkation/Ship and shore access 9 of 10

Embarkation in Barcelona was painless, a small wait of about an hour was the only thing between my arrival from the airport and getting on the ship. Because so few passengers were embarking, it was a quick process. I was only disappointed that upon stepping on board, I was not officially welcomed aboard. I entered on deck 5, and knowing where my cabin was, I turned right and headed to the aft elevators. As I got half way down the hall, I realized I never received a, “Welcome aboard,” which is a nice thing to hear.

 

Access to shore on our port stops was easy and quick. Being tendered in Half Moon Cay took a bit longer than expected. Had to have a seat in the showroom for nearly an hour; and this after thinking waiting for 2 hours after our arrival would eliminate such a wait.

 

Most of the times, returning to the ship from ports of call, there was water to drink, and one day, hot chocolate. Don’t miss out on the hot chocolate. Normally, I do, but this was great and really a nice treat before getting back on board.

 

Debarkation in Tampa was easy and quick. I waited until the friendly-voiced all call to head ashore was announced, as I carried my own luggage off with me and had to wait for my ride once on land. I waited for a while in my cabin, but started to feel in the way as they came in to remove my sheets and towels and to clean my balcony. I then waited in the Library with friends and walked right off the ship.

 

Hope this helps those who are considering the Ryndam. She was a great ship. I know the crew will vary, and some of the people I commented on here got off the ship in Tampa. But HAL runs a tight ship and seems to only employ those who have the deepest respect for passengers spending their money to vacation on their vessels. I loved my 15 nights on Rydam and would not hesitate in the slightest to sail her again; a feeling I share with sailing on Veendam and Rotterdam! Happy sailings!

[portofrome]

Thanks so much for your review.

[aliaschief]

Enjoyed your review. Thank you very much for all the effort and time you put in to it.

[SeaTacMike]

Thank you Penguin for an excellent and informative review of the HAL Ryndam.

I'm unsure how sections of your review that contained complaints still got 10 of 10.

Surely they must not have been all that bad :)

Am I to understand based on what you wrote, that aside from room service, HAL doesn't offer a 24 hour restaurant to the passengers?

 

Thanks again for a remarkable review !!!

 

Mike

[penguinscott]

I did realize that I gave 10s even with comments that I hope HAL will see and improve upon. The complaints were minor and in the category involved, it was totaled on the whole experience and not just focused on the complaints.

 

As to a 24 hour restaurant, no. This is one area where NCL beats HAL. Room service is free 24 hours a day on HAL (limited menu after a certain time, which I don't recall). However, as mentioned, they did deliver food to us in the Crow's Nest lounge at nearly 2am.

[TracieABD]

Thank you so much for your comprehensive review! It sounds as if you had a charmed vacations!:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your wonderful review.

Glad you had a wonderful cruise.

[Tampa Girl]

Having been on the same cruise, I echo the OP's comments. It was one of the best cruises we have taken, and I agree that the food was also the best. Normally we do not like all the entertainers (I'm only talking about the venue entertainers, not the Show Lounge), but on this cruise, we enjoyed them all.

 

My only disagreement was with the Cruise Director. I found him most annoying with too frequent announcements. One particularly egregious announcement of activities came during the middle of a film, causing it to be muted while we listened to the CD. And on the last night, we and others at our table, found the CD's little sermon on the staff somewhat inappropriate and, IMHO, a little patronizing. Enough, already! We all appreciate them and show it. In fairness, the CD did his job well, but he did it too often. Fewer announcements would have been appreciated. But he was very friendly!

 

Apart from the above, rather minor complaint, it was a wonderful cruise. We didn't want to get off and were considering hiding under the bed, but reality set in!

[kakalina]

Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to write such a detailed review of the ship. It has been awhile since we sailed on the Ryndam and we loved her as much as you seemed to.

I hope we are as lucky with the food and entertainment on our upcoming Veendam cruise.

[mamaofami]

Thanks for the great in depth review. It certainly sounds like you had a great cruise.

[Hlitner]

ARGH! We could not help but note that the OP had trouble with the A/C in their cabin. This does seem to be a HA issue that spans quite a few different vessels. If this was a normal problem with cruising we would see it as an issue on other cruise lines. But having personally cruised on 14 different cruise lines and many different ships (over 60) this seems to be a major HAL problem while its only a sporatic issue on other lines. What gives?

 

Hank

[kazu]

Great Review!!! Really nice detail and points :)

 

Loved the way you did and your little points - just so well done :)

 

This is a ship that we have been considering and fellow cc'ers were very pleased on her so I am happy to hear that you were too.

 

Just a wonderful review and a joy to read.

 

Thanks for taking the time to do it and welcome home:)

[erewhon]

Enjoyed reading your thorough review.

Thank you.

[Mtn2Sea]

Thanks for the review. We leave in a few weeks for our second cruise on the Ryndam. We upgraded today to a veranda cabin that appears to be close to OP's cabin. Hoping we don't have too much smoke on the balcony.

[Bellair]

Many thanks indeed,

 

We are looking at this ship for a Russia cruise in May.

 

I appreciate your detailed report

 

Bellair

[Greythoundmom]

Thank you for posting! I'm looking forward to my first HA cruise in February even more now :)

[Tampa Girl]

ARGH! We could not help but note that the OP had trouble with the A/C in their cabin. This does seem to be a HA issue that spans quite a few different vessels. If this was a normal problem with cruising we would see it as an issue on other cruise lines. But having personally cruised on 14 different cruise lines and many different ships (over 60) this seems to be a major HAL problem while its only a sporatic issue on other lines. What gives?

 

Hank

 

 

I think that it is sporadic on this line as well. We were on the same cruise and had no trouble with the A/C in our suite. However, one of our tablemates who, as she put it, was in steerage, did have problems. We have, OTOH, never had A/C problems on any of the HAL ships that we have sailed: Zuiderdam, Statendam, Veendam, Noordam, and Ryndam.

[greatver]

Great review, Penguin. We were on same sailing and confirm Penguin's observations.

 

Re: A/C issue: my wife thought it was weak at times but I was fine with it -it certainly did not detract from our enjoyment of the cruise.

 

I also agree with Penguin's comments on the Terrace Grill; I made critical observation on it in the post-cruise survey to HAL. But again, minor point in the big picture.

[wandb]

Thanks for a wonderful review of my favorite all time ship!!:)

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[Caroniaguy]

Thanks for the very helpful and informative review. We are sailing for the second time on Ryndam in a little over a week. We have done this itinerary before in 2009, but enjoyed it and the ship so much we are going again, this time with another couple who will taking their first cruise. Glad to hear that really nothing has changed on board from 2009, the service and quality I mean. We have never failed to have a wonderful time on the HAL ships and I know this cruise will be no exception. As far as A/C problems, we have experienced it on a number of different ships, Caronia, QE2, Maasdam, but it has never been unfixable. We usually request a fan upon boarding and that seems to do the trick.

Yes I do agree that their need to be more outlets in the room....I sleep with a CPAP as well and have to remember to pack an extension cord so that I can reach the outlet from the bed, not to mention bringing a power strip to charge our cameras and power our Ipod.

Looking forward to the vacation and to meeting new cruise friends!

[penguinscott]

Appreciate all the wonderful comments.

 

I did consider a more harsh review of our CD on this cruise for his interruptions and long-winded announcements on goings on aboard Ryndam. But I had the chance to speak to him on the last night while in the Crow's Nest and I realized that he was merely doing what was required of him to do.

 

I'd comment (in hopes that HAL reads this) that perhaps ships need to schedule in when the announcements are made and try to ensure other events aren't going on. I was in numerous events on board that had to take a break for Rick's announcements (such as during the final art auction, when we were all eager to finish up so we could see the show that had been rescheduled after the previous night's cancellation due to high seas).

 

I couldn't give him a bad grade for doing his job, as annoying as we found it to be.

 

I heard the sermon at dinner the final night, and while an obvious PR ploy, I found it heart warming and it brought a lump to my throat in hopes it might help us to feel the commonality of those various nationalities have a chance to spread peace and understanding once back home.

 

One thing I failed to mention in my review, I felt at time like I was on a church retreat, what with all the masses, bible studies and such. But I guess being on a cruise with so many Americans, that's to be expected. (This isn't a complaint, as much as an observation, so please don't tear me apart for it.)

[greatver]

The Masses are routine on all HAL ships the Bible study was new to me. Different strokes for different folks - that's what makes the world go around.

 

I think you're right about CD having to do his promotional thing but sometimes, it's too much. We had a very enjoyable dinner in the Pinnacle Grill and when we mentioned it he told us how good it was (which we already knew) and how it was sold out every night (we had just been there and saw that it was not, in fact, sold out!).

[dvcmember]

Thank you so much for such a detailed review.

It sounds like this is definitely the ship for us. Part of the reason why I choose this itinerary was because of the Ryndam being such a small ship. Pretty soon as the cruise industry evolves, these size ships will pretty much be obsolete, because they cannot complete with other ships in service.

We do plan on participating in the culinary classes and seeing all the shows. From what you have stated, people have agreed with the entertainment and quality of food in the MDR.

Plan on doing a pictorial of the Ryndam upon my return home. That's what seems so draw so much interest. Besides, pictures speak a thousands words.

[Keith1010]

Thank you for taking the time to write and share your review.

 

Keith