Ryndam- please post positives!

[sr5242]

my husband and I have just booked a 7 nite western caribbean cruise in march 2010 for ourselves and our twin 7 yr old boys. We have never taken the boys on a cruise, and have not had a "real" vacation in 4 yrs (just driving trips).

This is a lot of money for us, so I would love to hear positive experiences people have had on the ryndam, and especially on western caribbean cruises, and experiences with the kids' clubs.

Also, what beverages are included? do they offer soda cards?

Thanks in advance!!

[HALFans]

You didn't say how old the twins are... The HAL kid's club isn't among the top rated but depending on their age it may not be an issue.

'Our' son hasn't cruised with us yet but is too old for the kids club! We've sailed on the Ryndam twice in the last several years... you can check our review of the latest trip from the link in our signature. (We probably won't sail her again.)

To answer your question though... We've done the Caribbean several times. Ports change all the time; even during the cruise depending on the weather! Be sure to check the Cruise Critic pages for each of the ports your itinerary includes. You can get terrific up to date information there. :D

Tea, Coffee, TAP water (better than most bottled) is included. All Sodas are fairly pricey and with a family of 4 it's best to take advantage of the beverage cards if they're still offering them.

Also of note with children is the FREE ICE CREAM! (And the most phenomenal bread pudding.)

Enjoy your cruise! Be sure to take full advantage of the Halclub baby sitters! :D

[jer_l]

The Pinnacle Grill on the Ryndam is the best bar far that we have tried. The service, presentation and food were all amazing.

Of the four HAL ships we've sailed the Ryndam is definitely our favorite.

[sailaway211]

Unless you are going during spring break - there may not be many children onboard at all. My children have traveled extensively since they were young and it is their opinion that Royal Caribbean is the best for children/teens. With that being said I just took my 15 year old to Europe on HAL's Noordam and in two weeks we are leaving on the Ryndam for the W. Caribbean. I did tell her there will probably be no teens on this sailing.
We planned this trip very last minute and we are just going to relax and hang out together. Hope that helps. Enjoy!:)

[sr5242]

actually we ARE going during spring break- Macrh 28-Apr 4! but I was thinking my kids might enjoy not having a ton of kids around so they have more access to the facilities!

[CowPrincess]

Ryndam is going into drydock in Feb, so will be all spiffed up before you board.

We've had great service, great stewards, on the Ryndam and have a 14 day cruise booked for January, so we could travel on her once more before the drydock. Love the size.

On my May/09 cruise on her, I had the BEST cabin stewards EVER :)

[fann1sh]

I was aboard for 14 days in Alaska in August . I'd actually decided on another ship/itinerary. However, a friend had booked, which made me change and reluctantly pick Ryndam.

Oh, my!

I adored her. Beautifully, beautifully run ship. Wonderful crew, from Captain Mark Rowden and Hotel Manager Cees Tesselaar on down.

By the time you board, she'll also have had a dry dock to smarten up her bathrooms, plus some other changes (oops - Cow Princess already mentioned that!)

I cruised her as a solo, so can't comment personally on Club HAL. However, the families I met on my cruise were extremely pleased with the facilities and staff. Since you haven't had a vacation in a while, I suggest you go to the Ports of Call boards to get more info on excursion ideas:

Belize:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=100&f=109

Roatan Honduras:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=27

Costa Maya Mexico:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=169

Key West:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=155

For the Caribbean, independent excursions can be MUCH cheaper than "ship's own". Key West most especially is compact, and you're never so far from the ship to be in danger of missing the sailing time, as long as you leave enough time to WALK there!

Have a wonderful cruise!

P.S. about beverages: milk and juice included, and cappuccino and espresso *in the dining room* also included. I believe soda cards are for FOUNTAIN soda - a can of soda requires two punches on the card. Not really recommended - the cards aren't for unlimited soda. If your 7 year olds drink a lot of soda, I'd consider bringing a case aboard...it's allowed. If you're arriving the day before the cruise, you could pick up the pop at Publix grocery store (southern chain).

[sylteach]

We cruised on the Ryndam in September. The service was excellent. All the crew members were very friendly and helpful. The Terrace Grill has great burgers and pizza. The library was awesome!!! You will have a wonderful time on that ship!!

[heathriel]

The Oasis (Kids club) is the most awesome area on any ship I've ever been on. DH and I kept sneaking up there after hours because it was just that cool.

[sr5242]

Thanks so much for the great responses and ideas!

[cdkempton]

We have a total of 60 days on the Ryndam so obviously we love her. One thing I've noticed, though there weren't many youngsters on board, the crew really caters to them. They'll find out their names asap and remember them each time they see them.
The crew members at the Lido grill (hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos) were especially good with the young ones. Enjoy our favorite ship!!

[sldispatcher]

We sailed on the Ryndam in Feb of 08 on Sea of Cortez trip. GREAT!

Great size of ship. It never seemed crowded. Balcony rooms are great size.

Crew and service were outstanding...don't know about 7 days in Carib.....on her. Just got off of Eurodam 7 day carib. Was fun..but not as good as the Ryndam experience.

[Faithnthyme]

While we haven't been on the Ryndam yet we are going in a couple of weeks with our sons - 8 & 6. They are looking forward to Club Hal as they participated in it on the Westerdam and loved it. The staff was great with the kids, regardless of age. They came up with many activities to keep the kids engaged and entertained. I can't say enough good things about the crews attention and treatment of the kids on board.

I'll post more specifics about the Ryndam's Club Hal after our trip.

[trophy_23]

Don't know about the Caribbean, but have sailed on the Ryndam 2x to Alaska and both were amazing, great crew and great ship. You are going to absolutely love it!!! Have a great time!!