luvseaair

Think we need to put an urgent call out to anyone currently onboard to post a current photo to put our minds at rest :)

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Have to say, the laundry package seems a great deal. Sure beats taking the laundry home :)

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Have loved reading your review, thank you for posting. :)

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Thank you for posting CJcruzer, great to see the MS Ryndam on the dry dock schedule a few months before we sail on her. :)

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All the S-class ships started life with a public escalator from Main Deck to Lower Promenade in the forward Atrium area. Sometimes they came in very handy.

 

There's no charge for the basic galley tour, but it is also pretty much a walk-through tour. There shouldn't be a charge for what it is.

Thanks Ruth :)

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Loving your review looks like you're having a wonderful time. Seems strange to see an escalator on a ship. Will look forward to a tour of the kitchens. Do HAL charge a fee for the galley tour?

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When the 3 of us went on RCI cruise last year we found ample room in cabin for storing everything & we (I - lol) packed far too much on reflection. I did however take a collapsable mesh laundry basket which came in very useful. :)

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Great intro, looking forward to reading your review. DH, DS & I are will be going on the Ryndam next August. Sorry to hear about Kitty, we are cat lovers and whilst typing my DC (is that a new acronym?) Basil is curled up round my feet & Barney out Ginger tom is gazing out of the widow. Wishing you a wonderful holiday. The Caribbean is on our wish list :)

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Hi Joanie, thanks for checking. When I click on your link I get the 404 error message? :confused:

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Hi Joanie, am having problems opening the MS Ryndam photos on your website. We have booked an inside cabin J756 for our first HAL cruise next August. Any info/pics would be much appreciated. Best wishes, June :)

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Hi,

We are also considering either Vikings Saga or Norse Legends. The first is a bit early - 15 year old needs to get back from camp. The second a bit late - they start school on the 26th. I'm ok with them missing school but they are hesitant. Either way, we hope to be on one of these with our 4 teens and happy to hear other families around with teens! We will have ages 15 - 17.

No one has mentioned "The Oasis" on this thread as of yet - does anyone know what it is like, does it really exist?! Is it really only for teens? It looks kinda cool!

Hope to make our decision soon:)

Hi triplets+1, hope we'll see you on the Norse Legends cruise. Have started the roll call but mine's the only posting so far. The Oasis, does look good, hopefully someone will comment on it. :)

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You'll have a wonderful time! We'll be on the Ryndam with our 14-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter for two weeks in July/August on the Voyage of the Midnight Sun, so I bet we'll just miss you. We've been very fortunate that my mother has taken us on European cruises on HAL for several summers, and my kids have loved every trip. Kids' lives are so packed these days that I think they welcome a chance to slow down and unplug.

 

One caveat, however, if your kid is an athlete. Our son trains for various sports and, on the longer cruises, he gets bummed that he can't work out. To use the gym, you have be 16 and accompanied by an adult. Totally understandable, and I'm sure that's the case on other ships as well. However, since there is no lap pool, climbing wall, etc., the only option is to jog on the sports deck. Just a heads up.

Thanks mtnmommy, shame about the gym though. Our son is very sporty and went to the gym every day on our RCCL cruise last August (mainly floor work, press ups etc) His dad went with him at first until cruise lethargy set in and he didn't have a problem going alone, that said, he does look older. He had to buy a bus ticket on his way to school the other day as he'd lost his oyster card and the driver asked for proof that he was under 16. :)

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Please come back and let us know if it works!

Will do, but not going until next August. :)

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The wording on my upcoming reservation with the Explore4 says that any beverage over $7.00 is "excluded". I feel that the wording is pretty clear unfortunately, it doesn't say a supplement can be paid for more expensive spirits, it specifically says they are excluded. I too am disappointed that there are no Reds by the glass available at all if this is the case.

Might be worth sending an email to HAL to ask them to increase the wine selection so that there is more choice on the package. If they receive enough queries they may act on them :o

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I think I read somewhere that there is a red wine (or two) in the Canaletto menu that are under the $7 limit, and that can be requested in the MDR. I haven't seen the list for that restaurant, so it's all hearsay! :) Maybe someone will have a drinks list for Canaletto hidden away somewhere!

Thanks VictOriann, DH likes a glass of red with dinner so that should keep him happy. :)

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Hi, we've just booked our cruise and the Explore 4 package was a free extra. Couple of questions though. 1) Does anyone know whether mixers eg orange juice or lemonade are included within the drink prices? 2) Can you get a glass of red wine for $7 or less?

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Have a wonderful time. For us it was a toss up between Viking Sagas and Norse Legends. We went with Viking Sagas but I'm sure they will both be fantastic cruises, and am sure you will enjoy the ambience on HAL.:)

Thanks Beejay4016 - is it too early to be excited? :) Wishing you a wonderful trip. :)

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Thank you to everyone for your comments. Booked yesterday to go on the MS Ryndam next August :)

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We have three children, late teen to mid twenty. We have found RCI to be the best fit for fun activities and entertainment we can ALL enjoy. We loved HAL, but will only cruise on them when we are a couple, not all five of us. Princess and Celebrity would be my next choice of the mainstream lines with young adults, then HAL. We cruised on Carnival once, and never again!

 

Europe will be a more active cruise, and so port intensive it may not matter to your son if he has evening activities. Still, considering he will be not have contemporaries in the group, I would consider his needs. I know he will have great memories of this great cruise, whatever you deide.

Thanks comfortcove :)

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Thanks Beejay4016. We're looking at the Norse Legends itinery on 23/08. :)

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There's a big difference in demographics on cruises in January and cruises in July. My first cruise was on Royal Caribbean in January. The average age was about 65.

 

On our July HAL cruise, there were people of all ages. There was no single big demographic. I saw families with little ones and couples in their 80's and everyone in between. The median age was probably 50.

Thanks again Boulders. I think we're going to go for it. Dates are good for us + itinery. At the moment it's between this cruise or one on Celebrity Infinity but they don't appear to have a dedicated teen area. :)

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I was told that the 300 kids on N.A. was a record for the ship, so I don't think they worry about hordes of teens out late at night, like RCCL does. DD doesn't remember a curfew time either. She and her friend were generally not out after midnight though.

Thanks again Boulders. Slightly off topic, what would you say the typical age range will be? DH and I are each side of 50 and enjoy an active social life going to see bands etc. We do appreciate being able to kick back and relax on holiday though. :)

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There will be plenty of other teens onboard in a summer month to keep him busy. He will have the time of his life.

Thanks Typhoon1. I'm kind of hoping that. I love his company and know that he'll dine with us and come out with us when we go ashore but I do want him to have a good time with kids his own age. :)

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You're right! Our 15 year old certainly didn't want us with her while she was enjoying time at night with her friends, so she told the security people that she WAS with an adult -- her 19 year old sibling!

Like it! :D

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I have mixed reviews from our two teens (ages 19 and 15), who sailed on the Ryndam August 2013 from Dover to Barcelona. They did meet and enjoy a nice group of their peers from Spain and other countries, but they called the Ryndam the "no fun ship." They said that there was nothing going on at the teen club (for the 15 year old), and, unlike other HAL cruises we've been on, there were no get-togethers for the 18-25 year old age range. They could not watch the shows, which they enjoyed on other cruises, because they were geared to the 65 and up age range. As mentioned above, the ship was basically dead quiet at 10 pm. For a while, they made some fun by going up to the Crow's Nest after 11 pm and asking the DJ to play their modern music so that they could dance as a group. That fun ended one night when security people dispersed the group and told them that they were not allowed in the Crow's Nest after 11 pm unless they were accompanied by an adult. Although the days were really enjoyable with a great itinerary, realize that the ship is not geared for their age range.

Thank you Epixx, that's a little worrying. My son wouldn't really want us chaperoning him & his friends! As loving as he is when it's just him & us, this would be embarassing for him & I guess the other teenagers if their parents were there too :eek: I do think that 11 pm is a little too early to pull the plug on their fun. The itinery looks great and the price is very good for the 3 of us when taking into account the Explore 4 free drinks package. We'll just have to make a balanced judgement I suppose. Certainly want him to have a great holiday and out of all the holidays we're tried cruising definately gets the big thumbs up and we've got the bug now :)

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