Review of Ryndam Thanksgiving week Western Caribbean cruise

[hmp2z]

Smells

First of all, I have to say, this was the absolute smelliest place I've ever had the misfortune to be trapped in for 7 days! I couldn't believe the, in my husband's words, "buffet of smells" that accosted my nose. Depending on the floor, and the position on ship, the smell would change. There was one part of the ship that I referred to as the tire fire and my husband called the diesel leak. I don't know what caused this smell, but it smelled chemically and was very, very strong. I am nauseated remembering it! I thought it was worse than the fishy smell right around the Explorer's Lounge, but my husband took issue with the fishy smell more so than the tire fire. To each his own! I started getting incredible, head-splitting migraines every single night for the last 4 nights of the cruise, and I absolutely believe they were attributable to poor air quality.

Our room appeared to be clean, but the bathroom smelled strongly of urine. Some of the common rooms smelled like stale cigarette smoke. I have allergies and knew, going into this, that the cigarette smoke might be a problem, but I didn't know about the urine, fish, and tire fires.

Unfortunately, my strongest memories of the ship are of the terrible smells on board.

 

Service

Most of the service we got was excellent. We tried a few mediocre waiters before settling down with San, who we really liked. Most of the staff was friendly and very helpful. The exception was the sommeliers, who were either woefully inefficient or surly (we only tried 3 sommeliers, so others may have been different). The sommelier on our Celebrity Solstice cruise was prompt, efficient, and very friendly, so I would say that the sommeliers here contrasted poorly with those on the Solstice. However, the wait staff here was much friendlier overall than the wait staff on the Solstice.

 

Food

We really, really enjoyed almost everything that we ate in the main dining room. We didn't feel the need to try the specialty restaurants, so I can't review those, but we were impressed by the quality of the food on this ship. I really liked the mushroom millefeuille, and the fruit soups were outstanding! We thought that the food here contrasted positively with that on Celebrity Solstice, though we thought the food there was fine - it just wasn't great.

 

Entertainment

There wasn't much that we wanted to do, entertainment-wise, based on what was offered on this ship. We're in our mid-30's, and I am guessing we just weren't in their demographic for programming. They did invite us to a "young and restless" get together, but, as it wasn't until 11 p.m., we weren't going! We had early expeditions scheduled at all ports, since we were trying to dive. We wished that the kitchen tour had had a bit more to it, and we did enjoy the presentation by the French chef from the Pinnacle Grill. He had a language faux-pas that was quite amusing, and he was a very personable guy.

 

Decor

We didn't care for the decor, calling this the "Quality Inn of the seas." Everything seemed a bit blah in our opinion - we definitely preferred the decor of the Celebrity Solstice.

 

Ports

Our favorite port remains Costa Maya. We had a wonderful diving experience there - it was so relaxing, and we saw two sea turtles, which was a very novel sighting for us. Our host at the restaurant we went to there told us that they didn't get much business off of Holland America, since most people wanted to do ruins tours or something Mayan-related, not beach-related, but we enjoyed the lack of crowds. There were many more guests at Majahual when we cruised on the Solstice, so I guess maybe that's more of a beach-loving crowd. We had a wonderful time in Costa Maya.

Belize City was pretty good; we didn't enjoy the diving here as much as at the following two ports, but it was still nice. This was our first time at the Mahogany Bay port in Roatan, and I was disappointed that there was no one hand-rolling cigars there as they had in the other Roatan port. I was banking on this as a souvenir for my brother! We liked the fact that Mahogany Bay didn't have the little stalls of vendors yelling at us, but we didn't like the fact that it's a big-chain type of place. I think what makes each port special is not the fact that it's got a Tommy Bahamas or a Fat Tuesdays, but the fact that it's got something unique to that particular port. Mahogany Bay was fairly homogenized.

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions about our experiences. Overall, the cruise was okay, but we wouldn't cruise on that particular ship again simply because of the array of offensive smells. We will definitely go back to the balcony stateroom next time, as well. We had an ocean-view this time, but I think that having a balcony to help circulate air would have helped me avoid those 2 a.m. migraines.

 

Cheers!

Heather W

[micro yaya]

thanks for your review, what floor was your room? what besides your problem with the ship smells was your overall impression ?. were the public rooms nice, were the shps shops well stocked. how was the casino, and finally how was the stability of the ship any rocking and rolling? thanks

[hmp2z]

We were on the 6th floor (Lower Promenade deck). We had an outside view stateroom, but unfortunately, its windows looked out on the walking track, so we couldn't actually make use of the outside view. In retrospect, I wish that we'd simply booked an inside cabin or else the balcony cabin.

We thought that overall the ship was okay; we thought the service was great, but that the decor was a bit like a Quality Inn. If we could put the Ryndam's staff and food inside the Celebrity Solstice, we'd have our dream ship :)

We had a difficult time finding areas to relax where we weren't bothered by cigarette smoke. What we ended up doing was going up to the top deck, right behind the wind shields, and lying there. It was loud from the motors and often cold with the wind, but it was fairly deserted, so we liked it! I was a bit worried about this in advance, and I think that I ought to just go with the less smoker-friendly ship next time. I say this, not as someone who's got an ethical problem with smokers, but simply as someone with nasal passages that are blocked most of the time and can't take any additional smoke! :)

The ship's shops seemed fine, as far as the merchandise that they stocked. Not a huge variety, but what they did have seemed to be available, except for the $10 watches, which got pretty picked over. I didn't buy one of these, but did notice that they were wildly popular. The 2 for $5 rings seemed to be very popular, too, and there weren't many of these left by the end of the cruise.

The casino was fine, too, except for the fact that they didn't put our winnings to our account, even though we used our stateroom card to gamble. We had a $17 credit which they ended up keeping, since they rang us at 11 p.m. on the last night and told us that if we wanted our credit, we had to present ourselves in person in the casino before midnight. We decided that we'd pay $17 to not have to get dressed and rush up to the casino at that hour, so we took the hit. $17 isn't a huge amount of money, but it's the price of a few drinks, so we were a bit irked about that. I'm sure there was some fine print somewhere that said we had to present ourselves in person on the night before our return in order to collect our meager winnings, but if so, I must have missed it. The slot machines weren't the traditional move-your-arm slot machines that I'm familiar with; there were a few of those, but not many.

The motion of the ship was WILD! I guess it's because it was a smaller ship, since our room was mid-ship, which I have always heard meant less rocking. We were conscious at all times of the rocking, and I felt dizzy on the ship, possibly because of the combination of odors and rocking. I didn't mind the rocking; it just messed a bit with our equilibrium and was definitely more evident on this ship than on our one previous cruising experience!

Reading this over, it sounds like I wasn't crazy about this ship, but really, it wasn't bad. It just didn't have that WOW factor that I'd like my vacations to have. Life's too short to have mediocre vacation experiences! I know not everyone will agree with my reviews, but that's what makes the world go 'round. These are just my opinions, and I definitely don't think that I'm the demographic that HAL is targeting, which is okay, but probably why I don't think I would cruise HAL again. My absence means more room for those who enjoy this ship more than I do!

Cheers!

Heather

[IRL_Joanie]

Thank you Heather for the honest review!! It does not matter if anyone thinks the review is good or bad. To me it is the honesty that is projected!!

 

I am sorry that you had migraines and the smells that really disturbed you! Believe me I DO understand!!

 

I'm hoping you might be willing to give a larger HAL ship a try. I think you'd be happier on one of the Vistas or a Signature Class ship. I know you said no, but....

 

Again, thank you for the honest and amazingly fair review, considering what you went through:)

 

Joanie

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[HappyInVan]

Thank you Heather for the honest review!! It does not matter if anyone thinks the review is good or bad. To me it is the honesty that is projected!!

 

I am sorry that you had migraines and the smells that really disturbed you! Believe me I DO understand!!

 

I'm hoping you might be willing to give a larger HAL ship a try. I think you'd be happier on one of the Vistas or a Signature Class ship. I know you said no, but....

 

 

Joanie

 

Joanie,

 

Don't the larger ships have smells and leaks too?

[cruise crazed]

I agree with you about Costa Maya. We went on the Jungle Beach Excursion and it was awesome.

[IRL_Joanie]

Joanie,

 

Don't the larger ships have smells and leaks too?

I am sure they may very well have their own smells. But except a couple of times only I smelled nothing.

 

Twice on our cruise while on the verandah, for a split second we, and a few other CC members while having a sail away party on our verandah smelled skunk. Now unless there was a skunk loose on the ship in the hold area, I have no idea why there'd be a skunk on board:eek: We were at sea when the skunk smell happened:confused: BUT, the scent lasted for a grand total of about 3-5 seconds at most and was gone.

 

Oh, and one morning around 3 a.m. I was awakened by the smell of french fries, I woke long enough to smell it and then went back to sleep.

 

You have to understand my personality HappyInVan, things do happen that I could let color my enjoyment of a cruise or even a land vacation, but I do not let them get to me. I deal with the issues and do not dwell negatively on them.

 

As to leaks, most likely they do, but they have not happened to me, so I can not complain.;)

 

Joanie

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for your review.

We spent 14 days on the Ryndam in October and never encountered any bad smells. And I am sensitive to smells.

[HappyInVan]

 

Oh, and one morning around 3 a.m. I was awakened by the smell of french fries, I woke long enough to smell it and then went back to sleep.

 

You have to understand my personality HappyInVan, things do happen that I could let color my enjoyment of a cruise or even a land vacation, but I do not let them get to me. I deal with the issues and do not dwell negatively on them.

 

As to leaks, most likely they do, but they have not happened to me, so I can not complain.;)

 

Joanie

 

Ah!

 

I hope you don't mind when others complain. It (smells) could affect others badly because of a pre-condition! Surely, a malfunction in the toilet would inconvenience some badly?

 

What ships are least affected by these problems? Do you know? After all, you asked the OP to try another ship!

[IRL_Joanie]

Ah!

 

I hope you don't mind when others complain. It (smells) could affect others badly because of a pre-condition! Surely, a malfunction in the toilet would inconvenience some badly?

 

What ships are least affected by these problems? Do you know? After all, you asked the OP to try another ship!

Well bless your heart. Sorry if you mistook my reply to the OP as rude or anything like that. It was, in my opinion a kind reply and meant nothing against the OP. I definitely do not mind when others complain, expecially when I know that these problems do exist on probably most ships throughout the cruising industry.

 

The OP gave a very honest review and I appreciate it, and therefore, I thanked her for it. The OP did not come here to slam HAL, she came to give her honest and open review of her experiences.:)

 

I KNOW from reading the MANY posts on the HAL boards that MANY people have encountered smells of varying degrees. Some extremely offensive!! I have no intention of detracting from what anyone else experience on their cruise, I can only address, as I did in my reply to the OP, the smells we had and my sincere apology that she had to endure smells that were so bad she suffered from migraines!!

 

I also only ASKED that she try another of the HAL ships and not let this, her first HAL cruise color her forever. Would you not do the same sir?

 

Joanie

[HappyInVan]

Well bless your heart... I definitely do not mind when others complain, expecially when I know that these problems do exist on probably most ships throughout the cruising industry...

I also only ASKED that she try another of the HAL ships and not let this, her first HAL cruise color her forever. Would you not do the same sir?

 

Joanie

 

Joanie Joanie

 

I realize that you are not flaming the OP.

 

 

I would caution you about offering advice that is not backed by specific knowledge. Surely, not all ships and cruise lines have a history of engineering failures?

 

 

For example, I would ask the OP to try the newest ships (2005 and later). Their engineering systems are probably still under warranty.

 

 

Above all, avoid the cruise lines that under-invest in their installations.

 

 

This can happen near the end of the life of a ship. It can also happen because management wants to record a profit on their books. They do this by cutting costs in places that the customers can't see.

[IRL_Joanie]

Joanie Joanie

 

I realize that you are not flaming the OP.

 

Excuse me for thinking that you thought I was flaming the OP. Your reply seemed to me as if you thought so. My apologies sir.

 

I would caution you about offering advice that is not backed by specific knowledge. Surely, not all ships and cruise lines have a history of engineering failures?

 

And I sir, would ask you to cautiously refrain from assuming I feel I am more knowledgeable than I am. I made a comment NOT a statement in regards to what I have read on these boards and from those who have sent me their comments regarding such problems. I sir, am allowed to do this, just as you are allowed to do so. If you do not like what I or others might state, please feel free to place me on your ignore list:)

 

For example, I would ask the OP to try the newest ships (2005 and later). Their engineering systems are probably still under warranty.

 

Thought that is what I'd suggested when I asked her to give a Vista or Signature class ship a try before deciding totally against HAL.

 

Above all, avoid the cruise lines that under-invest in their installations.

 

 

This can happen near the end of the life of a ship. It can also happen because management wants to record a profit on their books. They do this by cutting costs in places that the customers can't see.

 

Joanie

[hmp2z]

Thank you to all who replied to my post; I appreciate your appreciation :) and suggestions. My husband and I would probably do further research before booking a cruise again; I think that the smells are something that we'd research before booking, regardless of whether our next cruise is HAL or some other line. We just hadn't really considered them in advance, and now we know!

 

We did see them doing some sort of mechanical work on our floor in a utility closet, so some sort of malfunction could possibly account for the diesel/tire fire smells?

 

Thanks again!

Heather W

[HappyInVan]

We did see them doing some sort of mechanical work on our floor in a utility closet, so some sort of malfunction could possibly account for the diesel/tire fire smells?

 

 

Sorry to hear about the horror you endured on the Ryndam. I was on the ship in September. Thought it had a smart interior and a comfortable layout. Said to have the best library in the fleet.

 

 

Yes, I did see crewmen (in gas marks and protective clothing) working on the utility closets even in the upper decks. Yes, for some reason on HAL ships, the crew accesses the plumbing system through the utility closets found in the PASSENGER AREAS. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

 

This means that any attempt to clear blockages will release sewage gas into the passenger area. The longer the work, the more gas will be released. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.

 

 

Do other ship designs have this bonus feature? I hope that experienced cruisers will enlighten us.

 

 

Suggests that sewage smells will be epidemic on ships with certain designs, certain demographics, and certain itineraries.

 

 

Why are there diesel and food smells in the passenger areas? Something seems to have gone very wrong with the ventilation system. The extra smells are being released inadvertently during an engineering failure. Or, released intentionally in order to recover from an engineering failure.

 

 

That's why it is important for passengers to report anomalies and problems conscientiously. We need enough samples to identify problem ships. Persistent problems suggest design/maintenance issues.

[m steve]

they are not everywhere on Rymdam but seemed to be in a few areas constantly. Cooking, sewage and smoke. I hadn't noticed it much on other larger ships. It was even in our cabin one morning. Hope they find a way to alleviate it.

[HappyInVan]

they are not everywhere on Rymdam but seemed to be in a few areas constantly. Cooking, sewage and smoke. I hadn't noticed it much on other larger ships. It was even in our cabin one morning. Hope they find a way to alleviate it.

 

Steve,

 

What areas are these?

 

I did notice during my Rotterdam trip that a section on Deck 2 near the Starboard WC was a problem.

 

Thanks.

[m steve]

at the enttrance to Explorers lounge near the desk, just before the aft elevator in the port passageway and along the port side going forward and in our cabin one day.

[hmp2z]

We noticed the smells in our cabin, on the 6th floor where our cabin was located (that was the tire fire or diesel smell - something burning and chemically) and the fish smell was right around the Explorer's Lounge area, not only on the 8th floor, but on the 7th and 6th as well at that same area.

 

Cheers!

Heather W

[HappyInVan]

Wow!

 

That is pretty bad. Did you guys ask for OBC as compensation?

 

They should have offered something! :(

[m steve]

It was a great cruise and it was only a minor distraction. I wouldn't ask for or expect the ship to give me anything.