Ryndam Western Caribbean ~ Reviews?

[Alegria-Paz]

Hello, Has anyone returned from the Ryndam's Western Caribbean cruise that would like to write a review? I have been anxiously awaiting your return and am very interested in hearing everything and anything. I've searched, but haven't found any comments from Ryndam cruisers.

 

Thank you!!

[CruiserBruce]

The Ryndam just arrived back in the Caribbean within the last 10 days or so. So it might be a little early....

[Alegria-Paz]

Thanks. I think the first Tampa round-trip sail returned on Sunday. Am interested in impressions of the ports, the ship, anything ~ !

[Cruisinetta]

I just got back Sunday from a (Caribbean cruise) on the Ryndam. Because of Hurricane Paula, we ended up spending 4 days in the Bahamas. So, our cruise in a word was boring. Nassau, HMC and Grand Turk. We did get to our first destination with no problems....Key West. Just love Key West. I wish we could have stayed there over night. Grand Turk was nice. Nassau..let's don't go there. And HMC, well was HMC. I have rebooked the Ryndam for Jan 2 so that I can finally get to those ports we missed because of Mother Nature. Good Luck to those going out Sunday, Richard many cause some trouble.

[Chelly]

I was on the Ryndam's 10/10/10 cruise that was scheduled to call at Key West, Belize, Roatan and Costa Maya. All ports except Key West were cancelled due to hurricane Paula. Substituted ports were a half-day in Nassau, a half-day in Grand Turk and a full day in Half Moon Cay. I am still way too disappointed to compose a fair review.

C.

[CowPrincess]

Cruisinetta and Chelly, sorry to hear your cruise was affected so profoundly by Mother Nature!

[Chelly]

Cruisinetta and Chelly, sorry to hear your cruise was affected so profoundly by Mother Nature!

 

CowPrincess: Thank you for your kind words. I was aware of the risks of cruising during hurricane season and was prepared to enjoy myself despite disappointments.

C.

[Colombia1]

I was on the Ryndam's 10/10/10 sadly Mother Nature had other plans for us. I still believed that the captain's decision of going somewhere else in order to avoid Paula was a good decision. Unfortunately, a lot of people were disappointing by that. For what I saw on the ship, I got the impression that some people actually were looking forward to be hit by the hurricane. Honestly I did not get it.

 

Instead of going to Mexico, Honduras and Belize, we went to Nassau, Turks and Caicos and Half Moon Cay. Oh! And Key West. This was my first time and Turks and Caikos and I love it. My significant other went diving and he had a blast. I spent my time at the beach (Margaretville) and I had a good time. I did not go to the pool; it was way too crowded and noisy for me.

 

We have been in Nassau, Key West and Half Moon Cay before. I was not crazy about those ports but between being in the middle of a hurricane with waves of 50 feet high, more than 70 miles winds and being stuck in the cabin's bathroom throwing up all my guts, I gave thumbs up to the captain's choice.

Perhaps next year we’ll be able to visit Mexico, Belize and Honduras.

[Jade13]

Hello, Has anyone returned from the Ryndam's Western Caribbean cruise that would like to write a review? I have been anxiously awaiting your return and am very interested in hearing everything and anything. I've searched, but haven't found any comments from Ryndam cruisers.

 

Thank you!!

 

The Western Med trip was canceled last week because of a hurricane and they did an Eastern/Bahamas cruise instead, which may be why you can not find a recent review.

[Alegria-Paz]

Thanks for all the replies! Wow. I had no idea.

Chelly, Cruisinetta & Colombia ~ I am so sorry that weather conditions prevented you from going to the planned ports. I am also interested in hearing more about other aspects of the cruise (the ship, the entertainment, your cabins, etc), but completely understand if you are not interested in responding at this time (or ever). I have sailed with Holland, but never on the Ryndam.

 

Chelly, I am so sorry. Personally, I cruise for the destinations, so I imagine I would be disappointed too.

 

Cruisinetta, I'm glad you were able to book a trip on Jan 2! (You will be boarding as I disembark.) And, I agree with you about Key West ~ I love it too. It would be a wonderful place for an overnight!

 

Key West is actually one of the things I have been wondering about... it seems that the port stop is very short. I'm curious about how much time was really spent there... when you arrived & departed.

 

Colombia, Thank you for your comments. Sounds like you made the best of it!

[CowPrincess]

Alegria-Paz, we did the W Carib on the Ryndam in January. Some ports are different this season, but if you tell me what ports you are going to, I may be able to give you some info.

[Colombia1]

Alegria-Paz,

This was our fourth time at the Ryndam and I can't complain because I really like this ship. We were in an inside mid ship cabin on deck 4 (A deck) and our cabin was not bad. The only thing is that I felt that it was a little bit crowded because we were three people in there and I felt that it was too small. Usually when I go on cruises I only travel with my SO, therefore an inside cabin is perfect for us. We had an excellent service from our cabin steward therefore we do not have complaints about him. I noticed that there was a musty-mold smell in that deck, the smell tried to bother me a little bit but I had my allergy medicine and I was fine after that.

 

Regarding the restaurants, we had the late dinner at the main dining room. We did not try the Pinnacle Grill or the Italian restaurant on the Lido deck so I can’t comment about them. We went to the main dining room and to the Lido Deck. Unfortunately, the service on the first two days on the main dining room was extremely slow to the point that one morning we spent almost an hour and forty five minutes waiting for our breakfast and two hours at dinner time. Due to that issue we missed the 10:00 PM show. I believed that somebody in our section complained regarding this problem, and they changed the waiters in charge of our area. The new waiters were superb and super fast. We even had time to go to the Ocean Bar to see the ballroom dancers before the 10:00 PM show. The quality of the food was good, I was glad to see “non sugar added” deserts and more healthy conscientious items on their menus (dining room and Lido Deck). The only complaint that I have here is that even though HAL tends to take care of guest with dietary restrictions still they felt short. My SO’s brother is a “vegan” and even though we told the travel agent, the menu that HAL presented was for a “vegetarian” person not a vegan. My SO’s brother spent most of his time having his meals at the lido deck (mainly salads and fruits)

 

Entertainment was OK; it was mainly by the ship’s entertainment crew. One night we had a comedian and that’s all. They did have plenty of activities during the day; I can’t believe that people got bored over there. Regarding the Gym, they upgraded the Gym facilities, so that was nice. I did not use the spa so I can't comment about it.

 

Even though we had our Nature’s Mother issue, I really enjoyed this ship and this vacation. I hope that you can enjoy your vacation on the Ryndam.

[gebo]

Currently booked on a Ryndam cruise in March. Does anyone know what/if there was storm damage and where?

[Alegria-Paz]

Thank you Colombia & CowPrincess!!

 

CowPrincess ~ The ports are Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Belize City, Santo Tomas de Castilla (Guatemala), Roatan & Puerto Cortes (Honduras).

 

Colombia - Sounds like a great trip. Again, I'm sorry about the change in ports, but I did read that there were 100 mile winds in the Western Caribbean, so again sounds like you made the most of it! How was the aft pool, by the way? Crowded? Was it designated for adults only? Thanks again for all the info!!

 

Gebo - Are you referring to storm damage to the ship or to Central America?

[CowPrincess]

The ports are Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Belize City, Santo Tomas de Castilla (Guatemala), Roatan & Puerto Cortes (Honduras).

 

Oh you're getting the same ports we did. This is from a report I did on this board:

 

Roatan -- we did a ship shorex for kayaking and snorkelling and were TOTALLY impressed. A great tour, great guides, 12 pax and 4 guides. Very safety-conscious, without being "wearing" about it Equipment was in good repair, the tour ran well, and everything was just about perfect. We were docked in Mahogany Bay. Carnival Corp has developed the MB area, and has a private beach and a "tourism village" there. We were going to go independent, but had a fair bit of OBC we needed to use, and were glad we did this tour. They took us by non-air-conditioned little old bus to West End, got us into kayaks, took us out, beached, hiked, kayaked back to lunch (YUMMY!!!!!! and all you could eat), fitted us with snorkel gear, then with 1 guide in a kayak and 3 in the water, out snorkelling. Full day, no chance for shopping.

 

We would return to Roatan in an instant, and likely will to spend a week there. Very cool, very funky.

 

Puerto Cortes -- independent cab to "the beach", which was described as (if I remember correctly) "sparkling". It was not sparkling, it truly wasn't a beach, and the "full service" restaurants looked like there'd been a hurricane thru there the previous day. Filthy, run down, poverty stricken and sad. The beach was about 3 feet wide, looking like it was partly mud and partly sand. The high water mark was AT LEAST 20% plastic garbage. We did not even walk on the beach, afraid of the dirt and garbage. Other pax found and took pictures of discarded syringes on the beach. Some of the HAL shorex pax got a partial refund for some of the tours in this port.

 

If there had been anything to buy, we'd have emptied our wallets in an attempt to help the people there. But no one was really interested in interacting with us, and only a few of the restaurants seemed to be open when we were there.

 

The port area is a working port, with almost zero accommodation for tourists. Puerto Cortes was not a highlight of the trip. I asked one of the officers (in an elevator, he couldn't escape) what kind of feedback they'd gotten on Puerto Cortes, and he shielded his face with his hand, rolled his eyes, and kinda laughed. We heard that more than 700 of the 1260 onboard never even left the port area. There were 4 or 5 vendors of trinkets right at the end of the gangway, some interesting wood carvings.

 

Santo Tomas -- Another working port, but set up to welcome tourists. We felt like honored guests here! We did a tour up the Rio Dulce and through Livingston. The land is fabulous, and we saw a lot of birds and terrain. Saw people who fish for a living on the river. Had a snack at a native hut, handmade by the woman of the family. Went to a restaurant in Livingston for lunch before the walking tour. Had some time during the walking tour of Livingston to shop. Truly did not see anything that spoke to me. Were herded to a specific vendor, who supposedly sold ONLY items he and his son made. Yeah, sure Booked independently. Had a bit of time pre-tour to visit the "tourism village" at the port and purchased a lovely weaving. The vendors in the tourism village all truly looked desperate

 

Would go back to Guatemala to see more.

 

 

Serious sincere advice: take a ship's tour in Puerto Cortes. We usually prefer independent, which is how we got to the "beach" in Puerto Cortes. Being independent in Puerto Cortes was probably the worst idea we had on the whole trip :)

 

Belize City: We did a tour of the Rescue/Rehab/Zoo facility and it was demoralizing in many ways. BUT it is also the only facility that provides care and shelter for injured or problem animals in Belize. And it finally occurred to me that the animals in the facility have more security than many of the Belizean citizens. If we went back we'd get a water taxi to one of the Cayes to beach for the day.

 

Costa Maya -- we had two days there, one in each week. First stop we did The Native Choice tour of Chacchoben (thanks to strong recommendations on this board), and it was great. The second time we stopped there we took a taxi to Mahahual, a small town about 10 mins drive from the port. GET OUT OF THE "tourism village" AND SEE SOMETHING :)

 

More advice: with the development of Mahogany Bay, I've heard that local tour operators (not ship shorex) are not allowed into the port area. That means if you book an independent tour, you will need to walk up a hill to a place to meet your tour operator. The hill is steep, no sidewalks that I recall, and the road is pretty narrow.

 

Hope this helps. Happy to answer if you have other questions.

[Alegria-Paz]

Wow, Cowprincess! Thank you so much. I searched for reviews, but I did not find the wealth of information that is yours. Thank you so much for being patient with me & for reposting.

 

I do have a few questions, and if you can answer them, please do so at your leisure. So you know, we are independent travelers (new to cruising) and don't usually take shore excursions. However, we are MORE THAN willing to participate in them if the window is short (we don't want to take a great or unnecessary risk ... and, then miss the ship!).

 

First, did you visit Cozumel? If so, what did you do there? We'd like to see the ruins of Tulum and Playa del Carmen, but we've never even been to Cozumel. We are torn. If we do go to Tulum, we would like to travel there independently, but with the ferry schedule + the bus, we're not sure that this is feasible. Port time scheduled is 10am - 8pm. If we stay on Cozumel, we'd like to explore the entire island (see the east side and maybe one or both of the lighthouses)... is the only/recommended way to do this by car?

 

For Costa Maya, is possible to go to Chacchoben *and* see the small town in the same day (via independent travel)? I've read about Native Choice and am considering them, but I prefer to travel to the ruins on my own and take taxi or public transport to Majahual. We have an early start here: 7am-3pm. We stop in Key West twice, so this is our only day in Costa Maya.

 

Thanks for the suggestions/comments about Puerto Cortes, we are taking a shore excursion here ... to see the Mayan ruins at Copán. It will be a long day, but it's a site I've wanted to visit for a long time. I appreciate the opportunity to travel there overland.

 

Wow. I really like the snorkeling/kayaking combo in Roatan, (and have been somewhat torn about it), but we were thinking of renting a car and exploring the island on our own. What do you think about this? My assumption is that there are a lot of neat places to explore and your comments seem to infer the same. Would you agree it would be a fun idea?

 

Santo Tomas - with whom did you book your tour? It does not seem that Holland offers a Rio Dulce / Livingston tour. They have a Rio Dulce tour, but it stops at the San Felipe Fortress (not Livingston).

 

I thank you again for all your help and hope you get back to Guatemala. I've spend a bit of time there - in the interior, mostly (Antigua, Tikal, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala City), never on the Caribbean coast - and I absolutely adore it. It's so nice to read what you wrote about Guatemala. I completely agree with you. Such an incredibly wonderful (magical, really) place.

 

Think that's it... sorry for all the questions!! Happy weekend. :)

[CowPrincess]

Didn't go to Cozumel, so can't help at all -- that's why we had 2 stops in Costa Maya. But IIRC it is a TENDER port, so add tendering time onto any plans you make.

 

Costa Maya -- I have no idea how you would get to Chacchoben on your own. And personally I wouldn't try, the highway that goes there is a major route and the army stops every vehicle looking for narcos. So if the army is looking for narcos there, I think it's a reasonable assumption that there may be narcos there. Just my opinion, but I feel like less of a target being with a local tour operator, who speaks the language, y'know?

 

E-mail David and Ivan at TheNativeChoice.com -- they speak excellent English, are very hard-working, and are passionate about what they do. Our tour to Chacchoben went at 9 a.m., not leaving much time for getting to Mahahual. But they DID say that they could have dropped us off there if we'd arranged it. So possibly you could arrange an earlier start time? Worth asking, anyway. I think Chacchoben was great, BUT if we get a chance to go back, we'll just sloth on the beach again, eating shrimp :) That's one of my highlight memories of the trip.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to do Roatan on my own. You can probably google a good enough map to find the things you want to see and do. Forgot to mention, during the kayak/snorkel, we beached for a bit and most of the group went for a hike into the jungle. I didn't go, my foot was too sore, so I stayed on the beach. Saw lots of fish, and a bunch of lobster. The people who went into the jungle got a narration about the various trees, flowers, birds, etc, they encountered.

 

In Santo Tomas we did the "Go with Gus" tour, the "humanitarian" one :rolleyes: Our tour did not live up to the rave reviews that some people give it. I don't think our guide was as good as Gus, but Gus took out the people from Seven Seas Navigator. So we got "second string" IMHO.

 

I have zero desire to go back to Livingston. Be prepared for lots of street dogs :( and (again JMHO) I really didn't think that most of the residents were too thrilled to have us there. The river itself was lovely. If you do this trip, take LOTS of $1 bills, as you will constantly be seeing tip jars, and adorable children who will show you fish, turtles, crabs, etc, in the expectation you'll tip them. And you can't really give one kid something, and the rest nothing, y'know?

 

As for the Ryndam itself, I was on it in Sept again. It's been in drydock since we did the W Carib (which we refer to the "Voyage of the Ryn-dammed" in our house :) ) The food was fine (not exceptional, just fine). We had the BEST dining room team we've EVER had on our Sept. cruise. I'd like to have all the guys at home with me :) My useless git cabin steward (whom we endured in Jan, and I got again in Sept) has finished his contract, so you won't have to put up with him. We did the Canaletto for dessert once, and it was good. For me Alaska is all about the outdoors, so as for onboard activities I couldn't tell you anything. The Front Desk people were overall excellent both in AK and the Carib. I spend most of my onboard time either walking on the Lower Prom deck or viewing from the deck by the Aft pool, and both of those met or exceeded my expectations.

 

Ask away if you have other questions!

[2NebraskaCruisers]

We are on the Ryndam next week (our 2nd cruise) and were on the Eurodam last year.

 

The casino and nearby sports bar on the Eurodam was unbearably smoke filled. We didn't spend any time there as a result, but had to walk through the smoke fog to and from the theater.

 

Is the layout the same on the Ryndam - are there any HAL ship that only permit smoking in staterooms or outside?

 

Otherwise every aspect of our first cruise was exceptional.

[CowPrincess]

We are on the Ryndam next week (our 2nd cruise) and were on the Eurodam last year.

 

The casino and nearby sports bar on the Eurodam was unbearably smoke filled. We didn't spend any time there as a result, but had to walk through the smoke fog to and from the theater.

 

Is the layout the same on the Ryndam - are there any HAL ship that only permit smoking in staterooms or outside?

 

Otherwise every aspect of our first cruise was exceptional.

 

I looked at the Eurodam deck plans and see that you also could have gone up or down one deck to access the theatre, presuming you were on the Lower Promenade when you started. On the Ryndam, if you are leaving the MDR lower level, you will need to go up a deck to avoid the casino/Mix area.

 

We only smoke in our stateroom, or outdoors, so I cannot tell you which, if any, HAL ships prohibit smoking elsewhere. Perhaps you could start a new thread to ask that.

[jimmy2x]

"We only smoke in our stateroom, or outdoors, so I cannot tell you which, if any, HAL ships prohibit smoking elsewhere. Perhaps you could start a new thread to ask that."

 

Please, not again!;)

[gebo]

Question about storm damage was referring to the ports, not the ship.

[Alegria-Paz]

Hi Gebo: That's what I assumed. I have not heard of any damage to Central America as a result of Hurricane Paula, but I did see this article about Mexico, "Cancun in the Clear after Hurricane Paula," -- http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2010/10/cancun-in-the-clear-after-hurricane-paula/127344/1

 

Maybe someone else knows more? Maybe start a new thread, so people who are not reading this one see your specific question & respond?

 

2NebraskaCruisers: I believe all Holland ships permit smoking in the casinos and the sports bar... also one side of the Crow's Nest. If you need more help with this question, it may be a good idea to ask in a new thread (smoking threads tend to explode)... or you can do a search and find lots of information on the topic (or look on the HAL website).

 

And... last, but not least, CowPRINCESS: THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your wonderful thoughts & advice. I have enjoyed living vicariously through you...and learning about your decisions & travels in these ports. It makes my own vacation seem a little closer. YOU ARE SO HELPFUL!!! :)

[Alegria-Paz]

Something specific I've been wondering about is if there are any special or themed dinners in the Pinnacle, such as the wine pairing night? I think this was called the "Sommelier's Dinner" on a previous Holland 2-week, holiday cruise.

 

Our upcoming Ryndam holiday cruise is a Collector's Cruise and I have been told that these "back-to-back" cruises do *not* have specialty dinners because they are really just two 7-day voyages. Is this consistent with the Ryndam W Caribbean cruise experience?

 

I'm also curious if the "programming" is the same from week-to-week. SO, same meals, entertainment, activities, etc. I know the ports are slightly different, but I am wondering about the shipboard side of things.

 

I have never been on a "Collector's Cruise" and I am still not entirely clear about the differences between a Collector's Cruise and a regular 2-week voyage.

 

Thank you!

[RuthC]

I have never been on a "Collector's Cruise" and I am still not entirely clear about the differences between a Collector's Cruise and a regular 2-week voyage.

A 2-week cruise is just that---14 days with the same people. Although given entrées may be repeated, the menu as a whole is not. Evening entertainment is not repeated.

A "Collector's Cruise" is really back-to-back cruises at a lower price than the two individual cruises combined. Some passengers will get off on turn-around day. There will likely be repeats on menus and entertainment.

[Alegria-Paz]

Thanks, Ruth! I did understand the general concept, but I thank you for confirming. (I was unclear & not specific in my question ~ sorry!). Since the ports are different, I thought everything else might be different too. (As in, am I taking both parts of two unique cruises OR sailing the same cruise twice?).

 

I thought maybe Ryndam W Caribbean cruisers would be willing/able to confirm or deny.

 

Also, I wonder if there would be any further differences in the holiday sailings (I know the ports are slightly different). But, as I write this, I'm thinking I may have to call Holland to find this out.. ?

 

THANK YOU!