tell me about the ryndam

[melika091900]

so im 90% sure we will be booking the sea of cortez cruise on ryndam in april, and we have never been on holland america,

 

any thoughts on the ship?dining? pools? casino? staterooms?

 

or any pics you want to share?

 

any info on the ryndam would be great

 

thank you all in advance

melissa

[cp556]

Thanks for starting this thread. Our Alaska cruisetour includes Ryndam, so we're interested as well ...

[HALFans]

We're doing the Ryndam Sea of Cortez on March 5, 2009, and did the Ryndam Alaska Inside Passage in the fall of 2006.

 

You can see some of our Alaska cruise photos here: http://halfans.myphotoalbum.com

 

I'm sure you'll love both the ship and the cruise.

 

Be sure to check the Reviews area for lots of information on the Ryndam or Ports of Call.

[CowPrincess]

any thoughts on the ship?dining? pools? casino? staterooms?

 

or any pics you want to share?

 

any info on the ryndam would be great

 

We love the Ryndam. Took an Alaska cruise on her, came home and booked 10 day Mexico for Nov 08, and have a 2010 cruise booked on her, too :)

 

The food was substantially better on the cruise to Mex (Nov 08) than to AK (May 08). The unobstructed oceanview cabins we had, had plenty of space, a full bathtub with shower that was hard to climb into, and lots of storage. The one in Nov 08 had a bathroom that is ready for drydock, but no substantial wear & tear in the sleeping area except for rust around the window. The one in May 08 was pristine, bath and sleeping area both.

 

The casino took my money. What more can I say? :D We are smokers, never smoked in the casino, and never saw anyone else smoking there, either.

 

We like the small-ish size of the ship, around 1250 pax. The aft pool area is lovely to enjoy in either Mexico or Alaska. We didn't care for the Lido pool, too busy and noisy for us.

 

If you've not yet booked, check the cabins on the HAL deck plan. Try to avoid being surrounded by quad and triple occupancy cabins, as this increases the hallway traffic and noise. And you end up with room stewards who are run off their feet if you are cruising during a school break with all the quad cabins FULL of families.

 

Most of the dining room tables that are located at windows are 6-tops. If you sit right at a window at the very back of the ship and the water is a bit rough, do NOT look down into the wake. :)

 

The Lido food is very good for a buffet, and we usually grabbed lunch there. Room service was easy and good for breakfast.

 

I did reviews on both trips, including shorex. You can find them by clicking on the orange bar at the top of the page that says "Reviews" and working your way to Ryndam.

 

8 trips around the Promenade Deck equals 2 miles.

[Loreto]

We have been on the Ryndam 3 times to the Sea of Cortez. It is a favorite itinerary, thus my name "Loreto," a charming port. Cow Princess covered the ship very well. We took the Copper Canyon excursion and were pleased. Sit on the right hand side of the train and enjoy the spectacular scenery.

 

We may go again this spring because we can drive to San Diego.

Enjoy the cruise!

Karen

[brucory]

We had a great time on the Ryndam.

 

Here is a link to our recent review:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=49461

 

Happy to answer any specific questions if we know the answers.

 

:D:D:D

[melika091900]

We had a great time on the Ryndam.

 

Here is a link to our recent review:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=49461

 

Happy to answer any specific questions if we know the answers.

 

:D:D:D

 

 

great review !!! very detailed ..

i wanted to ask about the shuttle to the beach, that was in la paz? and what was the name of the beach again ? do you think it was pretty safe as far as for kids?

 

and you said loreto had no good beaches as far as what you heard about the stingrays and things right ?

 

thanks so much for your review and for letting me ask questions, weve been all over mexico but not loreto la paz or topolabampo... so im very interested on what to do in these 3 places.

 

thanks again

melissa

[melika091900]

thank you all so much for responding,

yeah we saw the ryndam in port when we were leaving san diego going to hawaii and it is a little ship, but i think that it would be nice, maybe less walking, hee heeee

 

 

thank you all and happy new year ..

[brucory]

great review !!! very detailed ..

i wanted to ask about the shuttle to the beach, that was in la paz? and what was the name of the beach again ? do you think it was pretty safe as far as for kids?

 

and you said loreto had no good beaches as far as what you heard about the stingrays and things right ?

 

thanks so much for your review and for letting me ask questions, weve been all over mexico but not loreto la paz or topolabampo... so im very interested on what to do in these 3 places.

 

thanks agai

melissa

 

 

We didn't get to the beach at Loreto. You have to arrange your own transport if you wish to go. Be sure to watch the mountains as you sailaway on the starboard side. I hope to do it again...

 

The beach at La Paz was called Tecolate. We really enjoyed this beach. The views around are so beautiful. Make sure you have some pesos for the beach bars here. It is almost irresistable to avoid a cerveza at this beach area.

 

We were so happy that we chose the Sea of Cortez. It is a wonderful part of the world!!!

 

:D:D:D