Sail7Seas: Your thoughts on the "Ryndam"

[serendipity1499]

Hi Sail..Since you did the Ryndam Southern Carib. in April have a couple of questions..Will be boarding the Ryndam with same itinerary in Nov...Have been told to expect 3 Formal Nights, but wonder when they will have the third one as only 2 sea days out of Tampa & 3 back into Tampa..All other days are ports..Realize will get sched. OB, but trying to plan our clothes in advance & also celebrating our friends Anniversary.. Would like to plan Pinnacle for a Informal or Casual night..Don't want to miss a formal dinner in the dining room!;)

Another question: Do they have the Mariners Reception during the day or Evening on the Ryndam..Want to plan a special outfit to wear for pix.. with the Captain;) ..Our first HAL cruise was on the Ryndam in 1998 & our 100th day for both couples will be on her again this Nov..:)

Know you love the Maasdam, but interested in knowing how you compare the Ryndam with your favorite ship...

Thanks for your input..Betty

[sail7seas]

Hi Betty......

We really loved our cruise on Ryndam. In fact, we loved it so much we have booked the same 14 day cruise for Veendam in 2007. Veendam will start doing it when Ryndam starts going to Mexico.

The Dress Code for us was as follows: (Of course, no guarantees it will be the same on your cruise.)


Tampa............................. Casual
At Sea............................. Formal
At Sea............................. Informal
San Juan, Puerto Rico....... Casual
St. Thomas...................... Casual
Roseau, Dominmica.......... Informal
Barbados......................... Casual
St. George's, Grenada....... Casual
Isla de Margarita.............. Formal
Bonaire........................... Casual
Aruba.............................. Informal
At Sea............................. Formal
At Sea............................. Casual
At Sea............................. Casual
Tampa


Yes, you are right about how much I love Maasdam. She'll always be 'my' :) Maasdam but we really enjoyed being on Ryndam as well. She's very elegant; beautifully decorated IMO We very much enjoyed our time aboard. Dining Room we thought excellent. We had Room Service breakfast every morning and it was always hot and prompt. Lunch in Lido was fine for our tastes. I'm not crazy about the way they now have the salad bars on the "S" ships. They're considerably smaller with fewer offerings but what they had was fresh and crisp....nicely presented.

Ryndam has a nice crew....very friendly and accommodating in every way. We were very pleased with both our cabin and dining stewards.

Truthfully, there was almost nothing we didn't like about Ryndam.

I am trying hard to remember about the Mariners Party and I am quite sure it was a morning party so would have been casual. I cannot say for absolutely sure though. I remember the party and enjoying Captain Consen .....Yes, I'm almost sure it was a morning party. Congratulations on looking forward to receiving your Medallion. Fun!!!

I hope you enjoy your cruise on Ryndam as much as we did. It's a great itinerary and 14 days is heavenly. While we are often aboard 14 days for b-to-b's, we all know there is a significant difference between that and a 14 day cruise.

Enjoy and I'm happy to help with any questions you may think of.

[Copper10-8]

Just the sound of Capt. Consen delivering his noon-time report (or for that matter any time he speaks) over the P.A. system is worth a cruise on Ryndam. "Enjoy your day on the beautiful RRRRRRRRRRRRRyndam":D Funny guy!

[serendipity1499]

Sail7Seas & Copper...Thanks so much for your reply's...

Now can get down to planning my wardrobe & really getting excited! Only 9 Friday's to go..Can't wait!:) Betty

[Orlandocruiser]

Thanks sail for the info - we are on the same sailing as Betty and like she is we are counting down those Fridays until our "ship comes in". :)