Ryndam

[weluvcruisin']

Would love to have some info on the Ryndam. Are planning a cruise next year and would like to hear from anyone who has sailed on this ship since the Drydock tks Have been on HM on different ships

[Landlubber54]

weluvcruisin:

 

Haven't been myself, but I have been looking around several sites. Go to this link for lots of good pictures and words.

 

http://www.shipcafe.net/shipcafe/shipcafe.htm

 

There are a lot of good sources here at CC. Good luck and good sailing!

[Sage]

We will be aboard the Ryndam for the first time for the March 16th sailing. I will be happy to answer questions once on board and will try to post a review when back home.

[Newcastle]

I was on the Ryndam in December and was not impressed with the dry dock, the ship looked very old and worn and had many issues with bathrooms.

[DaveOKC]

We were also on Ryndam in Dec. plus we have sailed on her 3 times over the past 3+ years. I thought the new improvements were nice, especially in the new Explorations Cafe area. Very nice place to relax and watch the world go by. Plus they added new flat screen TVs in every room and the new bedding is VERY comfortable and much improved.

On the other hand, we (and others) had bathroom overflow problems. Hopefully this has been solved by now, but I would check with more recent cruisers first.

As to cabins, we were in a suite and loved it (of course). I also like the A mini-suites due to their location near the aft pool and being on the same level as the suites. One thing about the suites - sometimes you get noises from above when you are on the balconey. I would bbok one further back that is under the Lido resteraunt (like 041 or 043).

I hope this helps.

DaveOKC

[dot73]

Just got back from a Sea of Cortez cruise on the Ryndam. Overall, I loved the ship. I think there were a lot of problems after the dry dock but it looks like they are being ironed out. On three occasions, I had supervisory staff ask me how I liked the ship and if any improvements could be made. It seems like HAL is listening. There were a few problems with the toilets again, but I don't think it was as bad as in some previous cruises. My toilet was not working for one hour one day. I loved the Explorations Cafe. They had the newest books and magazines and I loved the music stations. The Cafe also provided great specialty coffees at very reasonable prices ($1.35 to $3.00). I had the cheapest outside room and found it very comfortable. The bed was wonderful and the air conditioning/heat worked perfectly. The towels were thick and the robe provided was a nice touch. I found the food to be good but not exceptional. The Lido food was always fresh and tasty but lacked a bit of imagination. The ice cream/dessert station was fabulous. If you like HAL's fabulous bread pudding, make sure you get there before 2:00 p.m. It seems that no matter how much they made, they always ran out. The dinners in the dining room were good, except for the salads that seemed a bit limp at the late sitting. The meat was always done to my specification and the vegetables were not overcooked as on some HAL ships. The desserts, of course, were excellent. I did go to the Pinnacle one night. It was well worth the extra $20. The embarkation and debarkation went very smoothly. If you have any questions, please ask and I will try to answer.

[travellady]

We're doing the 3 day repositioning from San Diego to Vancouver and I'm glad to see this positive feedback. Reviews I've seen about the Ryndam haven't been great. But, it's a long weekend getaway for my husband and I - we are leaving our 11 year old home this time with his 26 year old brother. So, though I'm not looking for perfection, we are looking for a nice quiet laid back trip with decent food. And time to play a little Blackjack as we cruise up the coast.

[weluvcruisin']

Thanks for all the replies. We've sailed on HAl before a number of times but never on the Ryndam.

 

One question we have is we want to book the Ryndam through the Panama Canal, we are debating on a verandah or outside. Whats your opinion on this,

is it worth the extra cost about $1200?

 

Sounds like the revamping of the Ryndam has solved some of its problems. We too had read the reviews and they were so negative makes you wonder about this ship so glad to hear some positives.

[GAJE]

We just got back from the Panama Canal cruise on the Ryndam.. We had a verandah suite and would do it again in a heartbeat, although we spent most of that day out on the navigation deck. (You would miss a lot of the canal transit by just getting your verandah view).

DH has to "help" the ship dock at every port and "supervise" the lowering and raising of the tenders. He says he will always have us booked in a verandah. No argument from me - just tell me when!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

[hippy cruiser]

We were on the ryndam in dec. in a suite. We thought the bedding was fab., and loved the explorations cafe. We ate at the pinnacle grill 2 nights and LOVED it. Look for Zsolt Waiter sooo friendly. I also recomend their grapefruit cosmopolitan. Yummy!! We also had late seating,and the salads did seem a bit limp. and our lobster was mushy. But overall the food was great, especially dessert!

 

We did have problems w/ our toilet a few days & the hall did not smell wonderful

because of it a few times. One day we came to the cabin to change and our toilet was gone!! But they did get it fixed promptly each time we had trouble.

 

Overall we had a great time! I am ready to go again.

[dot73]

While on the Ryndam (Feb. 14), I heard some stories about the toilet problems. Apparently after the Christmas cruises, the engineers found things such as crushed pop cans, condoms, etc. in the drains. I think most of the problems are caused by people throwing inappropriate things in the toilet. I think the problem is being fixed but it's still not perfect.

[DaveOKC]

Dot - Have have been on a number of HAL cruises and can say the toliet problems experienced on Ryndam (have have been on her once a year for the past 3 years) were far beyond the "normal" problems due to passengers being stupid.

I used to travel ALOT on business and know that problems happen, but what burned me on RYndam was the attitude of the front desk and one of the officers on this issue. Lets just say they could have handled it alot better.

They did give us a nice ship credit for our troubles after I wrote to corporate, so we are satisfied and will definately be on HAL again. Just do not believe everything they tell you about the passengers causing all the toliet problems on Ryndam. It does not make sense to me.

DaveOKC

[weluvcruisin']

Nothing yet on Ryndam in Jan/06. Need help pls

[Sage]

Ask your TA for a 2006 Cruise Planner. They don't include fares, but they do show where all the ships will be sailing. It appears the Ryndam will be sailing a 16 day Panama Canal on Jan 6, 2006 followed by 14 day sailings in the Southern Caribbean from Jan 22 - April 2nd. They will have another Panama Canal sailing April 16th and then be in Alaska from May 7 through September 17th. They are then back through the Panama Canal on a 19 day cruise on September 24, and resuming their 14 day Southern Caribbean cruises on October 13th through December 29th. The Southern Caribbean sailing will depart from Tampa. I hope this helps some. The January 6th sailing through the Panama Canal is 16 days, and my TA is booking.

[Randyk47]

Ryndam is one of our favorite ships, in fact, it is our favorite. Sailed on her when she was brand new.....only on her fourth revenue sailing.....and has toilet problems in our suite (back in those days numbered 1010...). I kind of wrote it off then as shaking out the bugs in the system. Sailed her again 4 years later and while we didn't have problems in our cabin there were problems in the public restrooms. Beginning to think the Ryndam has had a long history of pottie problems. :o

[General Max]

On our cruise, some of the public restrooms were closed for varying lengths of time. We never smelled any sewerage odors in the hallways. however. To avoid problems with your cabin toilet only use a little toilet paper at a time and flush often.

 

General Max

[weluvcruisin']

Thanks Sage, will try and get a 2006 planner.

 

Again, thanks to all who have given their opinions.

[kittyspite]

I am going on the April 16 sailing of the Ryndam to the Panama Canal. Anyone else out there going on that cruise?

 

Kitty (Nan)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Kitty

This is the wrong board to start a roll call for a future cruise.

Very few - if any - who may be on your cruise will come here to see who all will be sailing on your date.

[kittyspite]

Kitty

 

This is the wrong board to start a roll call for a future cruise.

 

Very few - if any - who may be on your cruise will come here to see who all will be sailing on your date.

 

I started another thread. The only reason I asked here, was that several people had sailed on the Ryndam and there was mention of an April 06 sailing.

 

Kitty (Nan):rolleyes:

[Rabbitlady]

Please read my recent review of the Ryndam. It was so funny.. after I heard all of the problems about the toilets... my husband and I were sniffing around and to our delight... not one bad smell. In fact, it smelled cleaner then other ships I had been on. I have a very sensitive nose so I would of noticed it right away. There were some out of order signs on a few public bathrooms and we did have a problem(when you read my review) but honestly it was not a big deal. Everything sparkled on the ship!

 

Rabbitlady:)

[kittyspite]

Please read my recent review of the Ryndam. It was so funny.. after I heard all of the problems about the toilets... my husband and I were sniffing around and to our delight... not one bad smell. In fact, it smelled cleaner then other ships I had been on. I have a very sensitive nose so I would of noticed it right away. There were some out of order signs on a few public bathrooms and we did have a problem(when you read my review) but honestly it was not a big deal. Everything sparkled on the ship!

 

Rabbitlady:)

 

Thanks Rabbitlady. Great review. I am really looking forward to April 06.

 

Kitty

[Seasons]

Note that your toilet will only overflow if the suction isn't working/stopped up, so don't try to keep flushing as this will cause overflow. Toilet works of vacuum principle, NOT gravity like land toilets (i.e. when the toilet tank doesn't replenish the bowl you can just throw some into the bowl and it will flush).

 

Don't use a wad of paper and expect it to flush. The pipes are narrow. My cabin steward's way to make it flush was a bent wire hanger!

 

Hope you enjoy your trip!