Ryndam Alaska Cruise 7/9/04-7/23/04

[localady]

My husband and I have just returned from a lovely 14 day Back-to-back cruise from Vancouver to Seward and back aboard the HAL Ryndam. The weather was actually hot enough to sunburn in Sitka, Haines and Skagway. Boy were the fish were biting! We have a 60 lb. Halibut, a King Salmon, some Silver and Pink Salmon being Fed Ex’d to us! Our freezer will be filled to the brim!

 

The Ryndam is a lovely Ship! HAL has yet to disappoint us with the decor or cleanliness of any "Dam" ship we have sailed. The Ryndam was in good condition, but is in need of the 3 week dry dock to remedy the small stuff a ship needs repaired or replaced every 5 or so years. The Ryndam will be dry docked at the end of Sept. 04 for 3 weeks, at which time I would hope they repair minor things like the crack in the sink and the light fixture missing a light direction cover.

 

The towels on the Navigation deck the second week were replaced with upgraded all white cotton towels, a nice large size, which fit around my ample size nicely:) The mattresses were still the older ones, I’d think that would be rectified after dry dock hopefully.

 

The crew again was the icing on the cake. I was so relieved to find that the crew is as friendly and accommodating as ever, maybe even more so than we’ve experienced before! We were pleased to see that the crew seems to have adjusted well to the changes now, and I didn't hear any real complaints about it and we did talk to staff members quite a bit, they are so friendly in general. One thing that came up is that the staff is "stuck" for the 3 weeks when the Ryndam goes into drydock. The good news is they are in drydock in Victoria, B.C. which is fairly affordable and is as beautiful and hospitable a place one could hope to find. The bad news is it’s unpaid which is difficult and presents a hardship for many staff.

 

Our experience at the Pinnacle was generally good during our 3 visits. We had one "pretty good" meal in the Pinnacle, one "really good" meal, and then one "spectacular" meal! We had dinner there the night they allowed the Chef to do a vintners menu and deviate from the regular menu, it was absolutely fabulous food! The Chef of the Pinnacle is obviously very talented and really shined when allowed to offer an alternative menu.

 

The food was pretty good in the main dining room. We had mixed feelings about the new dinner times. We loved our first week at a table for 2 at 5:45, our waiters Jaye and Lucky were fantastic. The second week there was no availability in the early sittings so we requested 8:00, and had a table of 8. While we enjoyed the company, it was often 10:15 before we left the dining room and we had Much slower service at the bigger table. Neither the waiter or his assistant asked my name, nor did they introduce themselves, but they did keep my ice tea full and were very accommodating. The dining times on the Ryndam were 5:45, 6:15, 8:00 and 8:30 for the Alaska itinerary.

 

Our room stewards both weeks were just wonderful, Suaji and Agus. Both were wonderfully efficient and very friendly, we were very lucky to have gotten 2 stewards of that fine calibur:)

 

Room service has been changed a bit for the good! A new breakfast menu has been developed that has delivery options for 15 minute increments, and ours was delivered promptly by a very lovely member of the wait staff whose name I regretfully did not get as I am usually not at my finest before coffee. Each morning our breakfast was delivered really piping hot, as each plate had a bottom metal platter to keep the plate warm!

 

Overall we had a phenomenal trip to Alaska and highly recommend the trip, especially back to back. In Seward, HAL this year provided a free shuttle into Seward and free tickets to the Sealife Center that day. It was a wonderful and unexpected touch, making for a great day in Seward!

 

 

I totally recommend the Ryndam to others, the Capt. Jan Smit and the Hotel Manager Theo Haanen are to be congratulated for having a tip top staff!

I am happy to answer any questions about the ship or itinerary.:cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

:) localady

So glad that you had a wonderful cruise on the Ryndam in Alaska. We also did back-to-backs on her last year in Alaska.

Jan Smit was our captain as well. Very friendly captain.

Boy have times changed. We had to use the trolley in Seward to get in and out of town - at that time it was $5 per person for an all day pass (or $2 per person each way). And we had to pay our own way into Wildlife Center. That is a plus for HAL.

That is so sad that the crew will be "stuck" with no pay while the Ryndam is in dry dock. This must be another new change for the crew members. At least they will get their food and a place to sleep for free.

Like the sounds of the new room service for breakfast in the mornings. Fifteen minute intervals are much better than one half hour. And hot meals on a metal warming platter sounds terrific. Can't wait to see if we have that on the Statendam.

:)

[rocks]

I'm so glad that you had a GREAT cruise! I kept thinking of you the last 2 wks & have been anxiously awaiting your report.

What excursions did you do? Are there any that shouldn't be missed or ones that we shouldn't bother with? Where did your hubby do his fishing?

Did you go too? Did you book any excursions from independents at the ports? Which is your favorite Alaska port?

I have to agree with you about the Crew...they are the ones that keep me from straying to another line. Did you happen to meet Penny (BLD) or Teresa (Bartender)? Do you remember any of the other Bartenders names? Did you have a favorite lounge?

Was there a band in the Crows Nest or DJ? How was the Cruise director & Staff? Any shows that shouldn't be missed?

How about the Piano player..do you remember who that was?

How about cabin 51...were you there on the way up or back? I keep reading about getting a balcony on the right side of the ship; but can't figure out if we got it right. We are in 51 on the way back..not assigned our cabin on the first leg yet.

You were so helpful & sweet with all the advice you have given me before...hope I'm not pushing my luck with all these questions!

We are getting SO excited for our B2B on the Ryndam...only 38 days till we leave!

rocks

[FlorenceItaly]

Thanks so much for sharing. It sounds like you had a lovely time. The weather is unusually warm in Alaska this summer, and I am hoping it stays that way, since I cruise Aug 22 on the Veendam.

 

How's it going adjusting to life back home?

 

Marie

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Localady, So glad you had a great time. Sounds like we made a good choice to try the Ryndam in November. Some where you stated you saw whales, Humpbacks or Orcas? Did you see pods with young ones? We were lucky enough to see several up close on our cruise. We were also amazed with seeing the Blad Eagles and their size.

Now the hard part!:eek: Getting back to reality:(

[Peggy Sue]

Thanks for sharing your cruise experience..glad to read you had a great time. Alaska is at the top of our "must do" list and your b-t-b sounds terrific. We've considered flying to Anchorage..doing a land package and the the 7 day cruise back to Vancouver. Sounds like you had a lot of fun fishing with great results! Fire up the grill when all that great fish arrives!!

 

Peggy Sue

[localady]

LisaL-

We saw pods of both Orcas and Humpbacks! We saw the most hunmpback activity on the Otter Quest in Sitka, even the staff was stunned at the find! The waters were so rich they were not diving to deep, just coming up with their mouths open. Stunning! There were calves with the humpbacks, didn't see them with the Orcas.

 

Marie-

I came back to easily 50 ripe tomatoes, many at least a half pound, and 2 children who were thrilled to see us, they had come home from Dad's within minutes of our arrival. So I am making spagetti sauce, and we are enjoying fresh vine ripe tomatoes in everything, you know how good the Sac Valley is for that!

 

rocks-

You are no trouble at all!! Those with us with a passion for this (obsession?) love to share our experiences!! This time we didn't do too many HAL excursions. We loved the White Pass and Yukon Railroad in Skagway. Though we docked in Haines, I set the railroad trip up thru the Railroad and and the Chilcat Ferry across the Lynn Canal from Haines, saving a bit and getting to stay longer in Skagway. The Otter Quest in Sitka was equally amazing. Also we really enjoyed the days that we set up our own day after judging conditions at the dock. One day we took the $5 shuttle to Mendenhall and walked the trail, and another day we just shopped and walked around Ketchikan and had a fabulous lunch of Halibut Cheeks and wonderful Dungenous Crab salad at Annabelles on Front St. In Seward we took advantage of HAL's generosity and took the shuttle and visited the Sealife Center gratis, then walked to the waterfront to feast on seafood yet again!

Agus was our steward on the second week in room 51. We were on the Starboard side both ways, but I think either side is really spectacular!!

 

 

KK- As I understand it, the Ryndam will be in drydock and the staff will need to find other arrangements during this time. :( I suggested that 4 of them try to work out a weekly rental of a room as it's not peak tourist season.

 

 

PeggySue- It's a great idea to do the land portion first as it is more tiring than the cruise!

 

 

One thing I missed mentioning in my review was how active the Hubbard Glacier was both days we were there. I spent hours standing on the veranda deck at the bow watching it's breathtaking show and listening to it's wonderful sounds of white thunder:eek: ! I had the pleasure of meeting a Glacerologist (Sp?) from the University of Mississippi the first time, his information was very interesting.

[Ziggy7]

localady,

Welcome home ! Glad you had a wonderful trip!

[localady]

Thanks so much Ziggy and welcome to the Board!!:D

 

I would love to hear what you think of the "Zuid" after you cruise on her in August also!

[peabody304]

localady,

Our ship, Vision of the Seas, passed the Ryndam as y'all left Hubbard Glacier and we were getting closer. I took several photos of the Ryndam as we passed each other. Let me know if you would like for me to email them to you; or I could also post them to a web site instead if that would be easier.

Cary

[localady]

Cary,

 

I also got pictures of the Vision of the Seas while it was in Hubbard Glacier! I was so happy to hear that they had fixed the Propeller damage and that you were able to make all your scheduled stops. It looked like a lovely Ship, my sons would love the rock climbing wall!!! Yes I would love to exchange pictures. Please email your addy to localady42@yahoo.com. Thanks in advance!!

 

Sher

[peabody304]

localady,

 

The damage to the propeller occured on the Vancouver to Seward cruise (must of been on 7-15 or 7-14). They made Seward on one propeller although, according to the Captain, they were 7 hours late. I guess we were really lucky that they were able to get the right equipment to repair the propeller and we departed Seward more or less on time; seems the longshoremen weren't loading the luggage fast enough to suit the Captain.

 

We boarded in Seward and arrived at Hubbard Glacier on 7-19 so that's when my photos were taken. I'll send them on in an email.

 

Cary