lack of a/c on Ryndam 12/1 to 12/7

[startwin]

We have sailed HAL many times and only once encountered this - it was fixed promptly. I am at the point that I think it's how hard you complain and how you complain (nicely - but firmly). The head of housekeeping ended up in the room and DH who is not usually a complainer said he couldn't sleep in those conditions and it wasn't what we paid for - I don't know what they did - but it was fixed!

 

At the same time, I am getting worried that we lucked out and what happens next time. Nevertheless off we go with three cruises booked. I have to say, that the old ship theory doesn't work for me. The oldest ship in the fleet is the one I have ever had the least issues with :) And the Elegant Explorer is on our itinerary once again.

 

The biggest issue we had was on the Nieuw Amsterdam and it was barely 6 months old:eek:

 

Yes, kazu - you lucked out. I can attest to how frustrating it is to have an ongoing mechanical problem that adversely affects your cruise enjoyment - in my case for over 3 weeks. I've had noisy cabins where they were preparing food from 3 am onwards above our heads and too hot/too cold - and dealt with it, but the worst is a non-functioning toilet. Fortunately, I have not encountered no air conditioning in a humid climate. Dealing with the front office is an exercise in complete frustration when you have an ongoing problem. The front office staff needs to have some additional training so that they are not always denying that there's problem with the mandatory "there's ever been a problem before" (a complete lie) and putting the onus on the passenger. You would feel a whole lot better if you got some empathy and a feeling that they were actually trying to do something about it.

[MermaidWatcher]

We have sailed HAL many times and only once encountered this - it was fixed promptly. I am at the point that I think it's how hard you complain and how you complain (nicely - but firmly). The head of housekeeping ended up in the room and DH who is not usually a complainer said he couldn't sleep in those conditions and it wasn't what we paid for - I don't know what they did - but it was fixed!

 

At the same time, I am getting worried that we lucked out and what happens next time. Nevertheless off we go with three cruises booked. I have to say, that the old ship theory doesn't work for me. The oldest ship in the fleet is the one I have ever had the least issues with :) And the Elegant Explorer is on our itinerary once again.

 

The biggest issue we had was on the Nieuw Amsterdam and it was barely 6 months old:eek:

 

I don't know if how you complain can help get a mechanical failure fixed, since they seem to be going on for years, but I can see persistence and working your way up the management ladder resulting in a more satisfactory compensation offer. But compensation is hardly an elixir for a vacation spent under miserable living conditions.

I do like to be fair, so once again I will say that we did not personally experience any problems, and had two excellent sailings on HAL. But I echo your thoughts on booking another, never knowing when my lucky streak will end. I would rather use up my luck on a winning Powerball ticket than on a cruise selection. :D

[chrispb]

Yes, kazu - you lucked out. I can attest to how frustrating it is to have an ongoing mechanical problem that adversely affects your cruise enjoyment - in my case for over 3 weeks. I've had noisy cabins where they were preparing food from 3 am onwards above our heads and too hot/too cold - and dealt with it, but the worst is a non-functioning toilet. Fortunately, I have not encountered no air conditioning in a humid climate. Dealing with the front office is an exercise in complete frustration when you have an ongoing problem. The front office staff needs to have some additional training so that they are not always denying that there's problem with the mandatory "there's ever been a problem before" (a complete lie) and putting the onus on the passenger. You would feel a whole lot better if you got some empathy and a feeling that they were actually trying to do something about it.

 

And who wants to spend their holiday in a queue to make complaints - not my idea of fun (I can do that at home:) Either re-training engineers or new fixtures seem to be required.

[ldog]

We were on the Ryndam for 21 days - Nov 17 to Dec 8. Our cabin was 645 just forward of the aft elevators.

 

The air conditioning worked but only a little. We had friends further aft that clocked 87F in their cabin. They called the front desk every day. They had a fan but as noted all that does is move hot air around. I'm not sure if they were offered any compensation.

 

It seems that all the cabins aft of the elevators had severe problems.

 

One officer told somebody it was because the Ryndam had just returned from Norway and wasn't used to the heat.:confused:

 

It was really hot and humid in Roatan and Guatamela - cruise log said it was 89.5F but with the humidity it was a good deal warmer.

 

The common areas of the ship were fine. I don't know what the front office staff can do when it's a full ship and something like this happens. It would be good if someone in authority stepped forward and acknowledged the problem. Avoidance only makes matters worse.

[Arwen]

We were on the Ryndam for 21 days - Nov 17 to Dec 8. Our cabin was 645 just forward of the aft elevators.

 

The air conditioning worked but only a little. We had friends further aft that clocked 87F in their cabin. They called the front desk every day. They had a fan but as noted all that does is move hot air around. I'm not sure if they were offered any compensation.

 

It seems that all the cabins aft of the elevators had severe problems.

 

One officer told somebody it was because the Ryndam had just returned from Norway and wasn't used to the heat.:confused:

 

It was really hot and humid in Roatan and Guatamela - cruise log said it was 89.5F but with the humidity it was a good deal warmer.

 

The common areas of the ship were fine. I don't know what the front office staff can do when it's a full ship and something like this happens. It would be good if someone in authority stepped forward and acknowledged the problem. Avoidance only makes matters worse.

 

 

Hubby and I have sailed with HAL for over 14 cruises, and did encounter an A/C. problem one time and another time where the A/C made our stateroom so cold (like a meat locker) that hubby had to buy a HAL windbreaker in the gift store. It took them three days to fix that one. Still, I would rather encounter a 'meat locker' than a sauna!

 

Now that I have a medical condition (though benign) and know that heat,in particular at night while sleeping, speeds my heart up (tachycardia) AND interrupts my sleep...IF, I encounter this, and it cannot be fixed within 24hrs or be moved to a stateroom with working A/C....Hubby and I will be getting off at the next port to fly home.

 

I would certainly go up the Hotel Management ladder, and I would also contact my TA. But for me, no A/C. in a hot humid climate is a deal breaker.

 

My health matters as do many here on this forum who have other health conditions that can be aggravated by this.

[cruz chic]

We have sailed HAL many times and only once encountered this - it was fixed promptly. I am at the point that I think it's how hard you complain and how you complain (nicely - but firmly). The head of housekeeping ended up in the room and DH who is not usually a complainer said he couldn't sleep in those conditions and it wasn't what we paid for - I don't know what they did - but it was fixed!

 

At the same time, I am getting worried that we lucked out and what happens next time. Nevertheless off we go with three cruises booked. I have to say, that the old ship theory doesn't work for me. The oldest ship in the fleet is the one I have ever had the least issues with :) And the Elegant Explorer is on our itinerary once again.

 

The biggest issue we had was on the Nieuw Amsterdam and it was barely 6 months old:eek:

I don't think you can compare the Prinsendam to other ships. Also, I'm fairly sure they would make sure the a/c is functioning in the more expensive cabins on the ship before they do the cheap seats. That just makes financial sense for HAL.

[MermaidWatcher]

:confused: indeed !

We were on the Ryndam for 21 days - Nov 17 to Dec 8. Our cabin was 645 just forward of the aft elevators.

 

The air conditioning worked but only a little. We had friends further aft that clocked 87F in their cabin. They called the front desk every day. They had a fan but as noted all that does is move hot air around. I'm not sure if they were offered any compensation.

 

It seems that all the cabins aft of the elevators had severe problems.

 

One officer told somebody it was because the Ryndam had just returned from Norway and wasn't used to the heat.:confused:

 

It was really hot and humid in Roatan and Guatamela - cruise log said it was 89.5F but with the humidity it was a good deal warmer.

 

The common areas of the ship were fine. I don't know what the front office staff can do when it's a full ship and something like this happens. It would be good if someone in authority stepped forward and acknowledged the problem. Avoidance only makes matters worse.

 

That is really scary.....that someone wearing officers' insignia could be dumb enough to make a statement like that . :confused: indeed

Edited December 11, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[Caroniaguy]

We were on the same cruise 12/1-12/8 and also had difficulty with our a/c. Our friends noticed it when they came to our cabin for a glass of wine prior to dinner the second night out. HAL had left a notecard in our cabin (650 Main Deck Portside), and asked if there was anything that could be done to improve our cruise experience. I noted that the DVD player was not working and that the a/c was not cooling the room as it should and could it be fixed. I also asked for a fan in the event that the a/c problem could not be resolved. When we returned from dinner the fan was in our cabin and running, the DVD player was working except that it had no sound. The front desk called several times to confirm that the work had been done to our satisfaction and 3 additional times sent engineers to our cabin to check the temperature and air flow. We had very limited a/c for 4 days and then it was wonderful. We were told that the filters had been changed and that had been the source of the problem. Was it? I'm not sure. None of this was at my request beyond the initial comment card. Additionally, we received a note of apology and a $50 beverage card for the inconvenience. We also met another couple who had experienced no a/c for the entire trip and HAL had not even given them a fan or tried to change thier cabin. This entire cruise was rather strange and far from the norm we've come to expect on Holland America. Not bad really, just sub-par.

Edited December 11, 2013 by Caroniaguy

[MermaidWatcher]

I don't think you can compare the Prinsendam to other ships. Also, I'm fairly sure they would make sure the a/c is functioning in the more expensive cabins on the ship before they do the cheap seats. That just makes financial sense for HAL.

That is not logical, mechanically speaking. The ac is a chilled water system, and is piped in different zones running off of different chilling units, so when cold water circulation is lost for whatever reason, either a chiller or circulating pump failure, the entire zone is down, regardless of the prices of cabins in that ac zone. The only part of the system that is specific to your cabin is the evaporator coil and fan unit, which is located in the ceilings, behind the access panel.

Edited December 11, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[coaster]

The public areas seemed fine which someone else mentioned. It only seemed confined to guest cabins. I was sure tempted to find a public space and camp for the night though. I was on the SS Norway when she was over 30 years old and there were not an a/c issue. Ryndam will only be 20 next year. I don't know if we just had bad luck on this cruise, or if this is an ongoing issue with this ship.

Edited December 11, 2013 by coaster

[cruz chic]

That is not logical, mechanically speaking. The ac is a chilled water system, and is piped in different zones running off of different chilling units, so when cold water circulation is lost for whatever reason, either a chiller or circulating pump failure, the entire zone is down, regardless of the prices of cabins in that ac zone. The only part of the system that is specific to your cabin is the evaporator coil and fan unit, which is located in the ceilings, behind the access panel.

I'm not an a/c specialist so I can't dispute what you are saying. I know one thing, you can feel the difference in temp walking down a hallway. When I've been on the upper floors or R and S class ship I've never feel warm like I do on the lower decks. I always thought it was odd because heat rises.

[cruisinbulldog]

That is not logical, mechanically speaking. The ac is a chilled water system, and is piped in different zones running off of different chilling units, so when cold water circulation is lost for whatever reason, either a chiller or circulating pump failure, the entire zone is down, regardless of the prices of cabins in that ac zone. The only part of the system that is specific to your cabin is the evaporator coil and fan unit, which is located in the ceilings, behind the access panel.

 

High rent,,low rent districts could be different zones. I would think it could be possible to spend more time/money maintaining specific areas on the ship.;)

[cruz chic]

High rent,,low rent districts could be different zones. I would think it could be possible to spend more time/money maintaining specific areas on the ship.;)

 

Absolutely! I'm pretty sure they would tend to fix problems a lot quicker in the PH then an inside room.

[MermaidWatcher]

Absolutely! I'm pretty sure they would tend to fix problems a lot quicker in the PH then an inside room.

 

Not disputing the idea that they would jump on fixing a problem quicker in the PH than an inside, assuming that it was problem specific to the individual cabin. My point in earlier post was that the problems do not seem to be in individual scattered cabins, but in blocks of cabins that because of their proximity, are most likely on the same piece of equipment. On the Nov 8 Zuiderdam cruise, the ac issues were in the aft section of decks 6,7, & 8. Since high rent, low rent, as one poster put it, is kind of subjective to the marketing dept, and does fluctuate a bit, it would not be practical to do mechanical design based on that.

 

All my opinion of course...free, and worth exactly what you paid for it :rolleyes:

Edited December 12, 2013 by MermaidWatcher

[tkwbear]

I've spent a lot of time on the Ryndam in the recent past (see below) and I've been fortunate to have the a/c work in all my cabins. I always do the guarantee option, so I have never had the same cabin twice.

 

There have been times on other ships where I have had issues, and for the most part they were corrected quickly.

[Granny DI]

I think the problem is the aft area of the older ships and not just Holland America. We were on deck 6 aft of an Azamara ship last July. We were sailing the British Isles but our cabin was hotter than hades! We sort of solved the problem by complaining and keeping the drapes shut during the day when we were docked. We were on the starboard side. Last week we were on an Azamara ship again this time on deck 8 aft starboard. It was very warm on the aft end of the ship in the hallway and our cabin sailing south in the Caribbean. We complained and they sent someone right away. It got better and we started keeping the drapes closed during the day. When we headed back north it became like an ice box in the cabin... I didn't complain as I'd rather be cold than hot! When I've had unresolved problems on a cruise ship I simply send an email to my TA and problem is solved!!!! Saying all this I had a problem with HAL 12 years ago. My TA called and wrote a letter...nada was done so we didn't sail HAL for 10 years. We sailed HAL 2 years ago and are sailing them again in Oct.

[Snowbaby369]

We were on just before, nov 17 to dec 1 in cabin 529 . First time inside and won't do it again.

A/c worked right up until the last evening when we got back from supper.

But we always thought it was a bit damp, but tolerable

We complained and spent the last night in 419, right at the back, over the propeller.

Overall, a good cruise

[coaster]

Incredible! We were in cabin 529 also after you disembarked. I just wish we were informed of the problems prior to boarding and had a chance to reschedule. Thanks for sharing.

Edited December 20, 2013 by coaster

[Mtn2Sea]

We’re currently on the Ryndam on Deck 10, just forward of the aft elevators (we love the location) and our a/c has functioned to our satisfaction . Our next door neighbors moved to Deck 9 after a couple of days due to no a/c. They complained to the Front Office, but didn’t get anywhere until someone came to the room and the temperature was in the upper 80’s. Fortunately, the ship is not totally full. I was near the Front Office when I heard a couple state their new cabin was wonderful and the a/c was working great. I also heard a gentlemen state his cabin is fine now that he has a fan. Tonight, we got the following letter.

It will be interesting to see whether our a/c is different after the “maintenance.”

[Hlitner]

Ok, so I am going to toss out a question (and hope it gets back to Seattle). We have cruised on more then 65 different ships of 14 cruise lines (we are 4 Star Mariners) and have had A/C problems on more then half of our HAL cruises. But DW and I cannot recall ever having had A/C problems on any other cruise line. Why? If you read through the various cruise line threads here on CC you will find regular posts about A/C problems on HAL ships. But when you look at the other mass market lines you rarely see this type of issue.

 

As to HAL fans, we find it amusing that some folks thing asking for a fan is the solution. That is absurd! There is no reason we should need fans on any cruise ship. The environment is controlled and should always be comfortable. And cabin thermostats should allow everyone to find a comfy setting. Yes, we still like HAL, but with all the cut-backs, A/C issues, shortened port times, etc. we find ourselves booking more cruises on other lines and fewer on HAL. HAL still has the best itineraries.....but now seems to lack in every other category.

 

WHY?

 

Hank

[startwin]

Ok, so I am going to toss out a question (and hope it gets back to Seattle). We have cruised on more then 65 different ships of 14 cruise lines (we are 4 Star Mariners) and have had A/C problems on more then half of our HAL cruises. But DW and I cannot recall ever having had A/C problems on any other cruise line. Why? If you read through the various cruise line threads here on CC you will find regular posts about A/C problems on HAL ships. But when you look at the other mass market lines you rarely see this type of issue.

 

As to HAL fans, we find it amusing that some folks thing asking for a fan is the solution. That is absurd! There is no reason we should need fans on any cruise ship. The environment is controlled and should always be comfortable. And cabin thermostats should allow everyone to find a comfy setting. Yes, we still like HAL, but with all the cut-backs, A/C issues, shortened port times, etc. we find ourselves booking more cruises on other lines and fewer on HAL. HAL still has the best itineraries.....but now seems to lack in every other category.

 

WHY?

 

Hank

 

That's a good point, it's a puzzle. We now use only two cruise lines, and have never had plumbing or a/c problems on the other one. Some will say it's luck of the draw, I guess.

[hypercafe]

Ok, so I am going to toss out a question (and hope it gets back to Seattle). We have cruised on more then 65 different ships of 14 cruise lines (we are 4 Star Mariners) and have had A/C problems on more then half of our HAL cruises. But DW and I cannot recall ever having had A/C problems on any other cruise line. Why? If you read through the various cruise line threads here on CC you will find regular posts about A/C problems on HAL ships. But when you look at the other mass market lines you rarely see this type of issue.

 

As to HAL fans, we find it amusing that some folks thing asking for a fan is the solution. That is absurd! There is no reason we should need fans on any cruise ship. The environment is controlled and should always be comfortable. And cabin thermostats should allow everyone to find a comfy setting. Yes, we still like HAL, but with all the cut-backs, A/C issues, shortened port times, etc.

we find ourselves booking more cruises on other lines and fewer on HAL. HAL

still has the best itineraries.....but now seems to lack in every other category.

 

WHY?

 

I have had the same experience also with plumbing. I think there is a real lack of maintenance on HAL ships and I really think they cut back on AC to save money. We cruise lots but no on HAL any more. We have not had these issues on other lines.

[bcscot]

Ok, so I am going to toss out a question (and hope it gets back to Seattle). We have cruised on more then 65 different ships of 14 cruise lines (we are 4 Star Mariners) and have had A/C problems on more then half of our HAL cruises. But DW and I cannot recall ever having had A/C problems on any other cruise line. Why? If you read through the various cruise line threads here on CC you will find regular posts about A/C problems on HAL ships. But when you look at the other mass market lines you rarely see this type of issue.

 

As to HAL fans, we find it amusing that some folks thing asking for a fan is the solution. That is absurd! There is no reason we should need fans on any cruise ship. The environment is controlled and should always be comfortable. And cabin thermostats should allow everyone to find a comfy setting. Yes, we still like HAL, but with all the cut-backs, A/C issues, shortened port times, etc.

we find ourselves booking more cruises on other lines and fewer on HAL. HAL

still has the best itineraries.....but now seems to lack in every other category.

 

WHY?

 

I have had the same experience also with plumbing. I think there is a real lack of maintenance on HAL ships and I really think they cut back on AC to save money. We cruise lots but no on HAL any more. We have not had these issues on other lines.

 

AMEN to that! My sentiments entirely. Your experience almost mirrors mine exactly, except that I have only been on 21 ships from 8 lines over 33 cruises and we are almost 4 star Mariners!

It is because we like HAL so much, that this situation is SO frustrating.

I have just re-read this and realised that the above was two different posts! Never mind. The facts remain the same.

Edited December 20, 2013 by bcscot

[coaster]

Emailed HAL corporate and received a reply December 27 with onboard credit. A credit towards the fare of another HAL cruise cruise with working a/c would of been more appropriate. Money off overpriced onboard items does not makeup for what we endured. I should of made a stink while onboard for not having a/c 6 of 7 nights. Lesson learned.

Edited January 9, 2014 by coaster

[Kosi]

Wow this scares me.. We are on this very ship in Feb.. I could not live in a room that hot!