Ryndam March 16-23, 2014

[Desdemona01]

We just returned from our 3rd cruise on the Ryndam. To begin with, this cruise reaffirmed that the Ryndam is our favorite ship. She may have been heading to drydock after we disembarked but we never would have known from the way the crew was taking care of her or any of the services provided. The ship size, the elegance and ambiance of the Ryndam are among the things that make her our favorite. We were in a Neptune suite and the size of the verandah alone is worth it, to us.

 

This may have been the friendliest crew we've had in several cruises. From the time we boarded until we drove away we kept commenting to each other about the smiles and enthusiasm that we witnessed among any and all of the crew members we interacted with.

 

The food--I will say that this was my only disappointment. When we were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in December I was thrilled with the vegetarian offerings on the MDR menu, and that they were indicated with a "V" on the menu, taking the guesswork out of soups, entrees, etc. Not so on the Ryndam. No "V"'s anywhere on the menu so I passed over most of the soups, since I had no way of knowing if chicken or beef broth was used. It was not unusual to find that all of the appetizers and/or salads/soups were not vegetarian-friendly. There was only one entree each night that was vegetarian, which sent us to the Lido on the evening when the veg option was stuffed chilies (at least in the Lido I could get a plain pasta with red sauce). Before anyone suggests I should have used the vegetarian menu I will say that, with open seating, we've found this almost impossible. I've tried it on previous cruises and it's just not practical. No, I didn't starve, but it was a disappointment.

 

Entertainment--we are big piano bar fans, when the entertainment is good (Jimmy Maddox!!). David Anthony is very talented but it was not our type of piano bar. We prefer an entertainer who is flexible, takes requests, doesn't insist on sticking to *theme* nights, and is clearly having fun. After the first night we spent more time in the Ocean Bar, and discovered, much to our delight, that the piano player/vocalist for the Neptunes, a Scotsman named Andy, was one of the most talented performers we've enjoyed onboard since our cruise with Jimmy Maddox. While the Neptunes are expected to play the tranditional standards for people to dance to, he interspersed amazing renditons of music from Elton John, Van Morrison, Marc Cohen, Paul Simon, etc with Gershwin, Porter and Bacharach. He was so kind--we requested Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" and he came back early from his break to perform it, before the dance music began again. We did notice that the Ocean Bar seemed to be drawing as many people as the Piano Bar. We found out on the last night that, after his break, he will be taking over the piano bar on one of the ships (didn't find out which one). I hope we have the opportunity to enjoy his music again on a HAL ship.

 

We no longer attend the shows with the singers/dancers--too redundant. We did go to see Tricia Kelly, who has a great voice and did songs from Janis Joplin to Julie Andrews. The guitarist performing in the Mix, Terry, is very talented but had little interaction with the crowd.

 

We were on board for St. Patrick's Day and partcipated in a bar hop. We started in the Ocean Bar, continued to the Piano Bar, then to the Lido Bar, and finished in the Crow's Nest. Each stop included a green, Irish-themed drink. In the Ocean Bar the Neptunes performed a very good rendition of "The Wild Rover" to start us off. In the Piano Bar, David was asked to perform an Irish tune but declined. By the time we got to the Crow's Nest, Andy (from the Neptunes) joined the HALcats and did a reprise of "The Wild Rover" for the crowd. It was a fun night and had a good turnout--I would guess 30 or so participants.

 

Ports--we booked this cruise for the ship, with Key West being the bonus. We did go ashore in Roatan, Guatamala and Costa Maya but did not do any excursions. We spent as much time as possible on our verandah, enjoying the sun and scenery (and not missing the snow banks back at home).

 

We received our 100-day medallions wihile on board, which was fun. This cruise ranks in the top 5 of our all-time favorites and we cannot wait to sail aboard the Ryndam again in the future. The added bonus is sailing from Tampa--what a delight after dealing with the chaos at Port Everglades.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions, and I will try my best to answer.

 

Des

[Mtn2Sea]

Thanks for the review. We were on the Ryndam for two weeks in December. It's interesting how the musicians change around so much. We had Jamm Masters in the piano bar and enjoyed him very much. I agree the Ryndam's crew is very friendly. We've already booked our next cruise on the Ryn.

[obriendan]

Thanks for the Review. We board the Ryndam for ou third cruise aboard her on April 6th.

 

Dan

[Desdemona01]

Thanks for the Review. We board the Ryndam for ou third cruise aboard her on April 6th.

 

Dan

 

Many of the crew and staff that we spent time with will still be aboard when you sail, so I think you'll be pleased :)

[portofrome]

Thanks for the review.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for the nice review of your Ryndam cruise. We have a soft spot for her as she was our first Hal ship many, many years ago when she was brand new to the fleet.:)

[EDLOS]

We just returned from our 3rd cruise on the Ryndam. To begin with, this cruise reaffirmed that the Ryndam is our favorite ship. She may have been heading to drydock after we disembarked but we never would have known from the way the crew was taking care of her or any of the services provided. The ship size, the elegance and ambiance of the Ryndam are among the things that make her our favorite. We were in a Neptune suite and the size of the verandah alone is worth it, to us.

 

This may have been the friendliest crew we've had in several cruises. From the time we boarded until we drove away we kept commenting to each other about the smiles and enthusiasm that we witnessed among any and all of the crew members we interacted with.

 

The food--I will say that this was my only disappointment. When we were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in December I was thrilled with the vegetarian offerings on the MDR menu, and that they were indicated with a "V" on the menu, taking the guesswork out of soups, entrees, etc. Not so on the Ryndam. No "V"'s anywhere on the menu so I passed over most of the soups, since I had no way of knowing if chicken or beef broth was used. It was not unusual to find that all of the appetizers and/or salads/soups were not vegetarian-friendly. There was only one entree each night that was vegetarian, which sent us to the Lido on the evening when the veg option was stuffed chilies (at least in the Lido I could get a plain pasta with red sauce). Before anyone suggests I should have used the vegetarian menu I will say that, with open seating, we've found this almost impossible. I've tried it on previous cruises and it's just not practical. No, I didn't starve, but it was a disappointment.

 

Entertainment--we are big piano bar fans, when the entertainment is good (Jimmy Maddox!!). David Anthony is very talented but it was not our type of piano bar. We prefer an entertainer who is flexible, takes requests, doesn't insist on sticking to *theme* nights, and is clearly having fun. After the first night we spent more time in the Ocean Bar, and discovered, much to our delight, that the piano player/vocalist for the Neptunes, a Scotsman named Andy, was one of the most talented performers we've enjoyed onboard since our cruise with Jimmy Maddox. While the Neptunes are expected to play the tranditional standards for people to dance to, he interspersed amazing renditons of music from Elton John, Van Morrison, Marc Cohen, Paul Simon, etc with Gershwin, Porter and Bacharach. He was so kind--we requested Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" and he came back early from his break to perform it, before the dance music began again. We did notice that the Ocean Bar seemed to be drawing as many people as the Piano Bar. We found out on the last night that, after his break, he will be taking over the piano bar on one of the ships (didn't find out which one). I hope we have the opportunity to enjoy his music again on a HAL ship.

 

We no longer attend the shows with the singers/dancers--too redundant. We did go to see Tricia Kelly, who has a great voice and did songs from Janis Joplin to Julie Andrews. The guitarist performing in the Mix, Terry, is very talented but had little interaction with the crowd.

 

We were on board for St. Patrick's Day and partcipated in a bar hop. We started in the Ocean Bar, continued to the Piano Bar, then to the Lido Bar, and finished in the Crow's Nest. Each stop included a green, Irish-themed drink. In the Ocean Bar the Neptunes performed a very good rendition of "The Wild Rover" to start us off. In the Piano Bar, David was asked to perform an Irish tune but declined. By the time we got to the Crow's Nest, Andy (from the Neptunes) joined the HALcats and did a reprise of "The Wild Rover" for the crowd. It was a fun night and had a good turnout--I would guess 30 or so participants.

 

Ports--we booked this cruise for the ship, with Key West being the bonus. We did go ashore in Roatan, Guatamala and Costa Maya but did not do any excursions. We spent as much time as possible on our verandah, enjoying the sun and scenery (and not missing the snow banks back at home).

 

We received our 100-day medallions wihile on board, which was fun. This cruise ranks in the top 5 of our all-time favorites and we cannot wait to sail aboard the Ryndam again in the future. The added bonus is sailing from Tampa--what a delight after dealing with the chaos at Port Everglades.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions, and I will try my best to answer.

 

Des

 

I agree with the positive comments above, crew outstanding and I found the food selection (Non- vegetarian) in Lido and MDR very good.

The not so good :

They had major problems with the Air Conditioning with whole sections Mid-ship with either no Air Conditioning or barely working.

I was moved from mid-ship to a cabin in the forward section of the ship when they agreed that 83 degrees in my first cabin was unacceptable.

Many furnishings very worn: The arms on velour chairs in the Crow's Nest were threadbare as an example.

The wood grain laminate tops on the dining tables in outside pool areas were worn through is another example.

The A/C problem appears major, but the shabby furnishings is an easily solved problem, just spend some money replacing them. No excuses !

 

The only Service problem was in MDR where we waited more than an hour between first course and main course virtually every night which appeared to be a kitchen problem not table service problem.

After Dry Dock, I would like to hear if any and/or all of the above problems were addressed before sailing again on the Ryndam.

[superoma]

We also enjoyed the 7 day Ryndam cruise over Christmas for all the same reasons you mention. And Tampa is a joy to cruise from!! Also, we took DSIL and DBIL over there in February for this cruise and compared to Port Everglades it is a walk in the park!!

 

Was Mama Lou back on the ship by any chance?

[GeriatricNurse]

I agree with the positive comments above, crew outstanding and I found the food selection (Non- vegetarian) in Lido and MDR very good.

The not so good :

They had major problems with the Air Conditioning with whole sections Mid-ship with either no Air Conditioning or barely working.

I was moved from mid-ship to a cabin in the forward section of the ship when they agreed that 83 degrees in my first cabin was unacceptable.

Many furnishings very worn: The arms on velour chairs in the Crow's Nest were threadbare as an example.

The wood grain laminate tops on the dining tables in outside pool areas were worn through is another example.

The A/C problem appears major, but the shabby furnishings is an easily solved problem, just spend some money replacing them. No excuses !

 

The only Service problem was in MDR where we waited more than an hour between first course and main course virtually every night which appeared to be a kitchen problem not table service problem.

After Dry Dock, I would like to hear if any and/or all of the above problems were addressed before sailing again on the Ryndam.

 

I'm thankful that the a/c in my interior stateroom, just forward of midship, during my recent 14-day Ryndam cruise never went higher than 70F, (with the setting on the thermostat set at maximum low)! It was the 'warmest' stateroom temperature of any HAL cruise to date! :eek:

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.

[nana51]

I know HAL has an extensive vegetarian menu. You need to ask your server for it and you can pick your meal for the next night. I found they had lots of vegetarian and vegan choices.

[superoma]

I know HAL has an extensive vegetarian menu. You need to ask your server for it and you can pick your meal for the next night. I found they had lots of vegetarian and vegan choices.

 

They do, Nana51, but it works best with the fixed dining. Or, if you make a reservation in open dining for the same spot every night. If you just walk in, it gets very confusing very soon picking your food one night and getting it the next. My BIL had that problem so they just booked the same table for every night in open dining. Then it worked.

[Oceanwench]

Excellent review!

The Ocean Bar piano player sounds awesome.

Like you, I am a Jimmy Maddox fan, and I am usually disappointed with other Piano Bar players. I especially dislike the ones who think they are there to perform to an audience, rather than to engage the audience.

 

I completely agree about ordering off the vegetarian menu when you have open seating. It just doesn't work well. Also, I have been very disappointed with the vegetarian menu items I have tried. They don't taste much better than a frozen dinner.

 

I've not sailed on Ryndam (the smaller ships don't offer the same selection of HC cabins), but I'm pleased that the Vista and Signature ships have some great vegetarian items on their regular, nightly menus.

 

The Port of Tampa sounds very appealing!

 

P.S. Congratulations on your medallion!

Edited March 27, 2014 by Oceanwench

[Mtn2Sea]

They do, Nana51, but it works best with the fixed dining. Or, if you make a reservation in open dining for the same spot every night. If you just walk in, it gets very confusing very soon picking your food one night and getting it the next. My BIL had that problem so they just booked the same table for every night in open dining. Then it worked.

 

When we were on the Ryndam in December, DW had just begun a gluten free diet. Each night she was given the next night's menu so she could make her choices. We were open seating and had no problems with getting her food even though we were regularly taken to a different table each evening. When an attempt was made to give her the menu, DW simply told the dining steward that she had already placed her order because of her gluten free diet. Sometimes she would have to ask for the next night's menu so she could make her choices and sometimes the steward would remember and bring the menu before DW could ask for it.

[Desdemona01]

We also enjoyed the 7 day Ryndam cruise over Christmas for all the same reasons you mention. And Tampa is a joy to cruise from!! Also, we took DSIL and DBIL over there in February for this cruise and compared to Port Everglades it is a walk in the park!!

 

Was Mama Lou back on the ship by any chance?

 

No, Mama Lou was not with us on this cruise. We did meet her the last time we were aboard the Ryndam and really enjoyed her--she's quite a character :)

[Desdemona01]

When we were on the Ryndam in December, DW had just begun a gluten free diet. Each night she was given the next night's menu so she could make her choices. We were open seating and had no problems with getting her food even though we were regularly taken to a different table each evening. When an attempt was made to give her the menu, DW simply told the dining steward that she had already placed her order because of her gluten free diet. Sometimes she would have to ask for the next night's menu so she could make her choices and sometimes the steward would remember and bring the menu before DW could ask for it.

 

I'm really glad that it worked out for you--I've found that open seating is hit or miss with special dietary requests. When we had fixed seating I always ordered from the vegetarian menu for the following meal--it usually went well. On our first two cruises with open seating I tried, but found that either they couldn't find my meal or I would get it as the rest of the table was ordering dessert. It was just way too much stress for something that was supposed to be enjoyable. This cruise was the first time I'd noticed such limited vegetarian options on the MDR menu. Again, there may have been more options than I could judge but without any indication that they were veg-friendly I wasn't going to chance it. I've asked servers in the past if they knew if something had chicken broth, etc. and, again, it just wasn't worth it for them to go running back to the kitchen to find out. And, there's always the chance that they will *guess*, which doesn't work out well for me. Other than the stuffed chilies night, I made do in the MDR. I am going to suggest on my survey that they offer a pasta & red sauce and/or house salad on the "available anytime" portion of the menu (right now the only salad offered is Caesar).

 

Thanks for all of the kind comments--we're still going through withdrawal and miss the lovely Ryndam and her amazing crew :)