Ryndam Voyage to the Midnight Sun Review

[FinnishFun]

Review - Ryndam Voyage to the Midnight Sun; May 23 – June 6, 2015

I’ve been a lurker on the forum for several years but thought I would give a review of our recent cruise as a thank you for all the helpful information I have found on this site.

Background: I am currently living overseas in what could be called a stressful, security restricted area. I was looking for a relaxing, interesting location for my three week holiday. I have enjoyed cruising in the past (this was our 4th Holland America cruise) so decided on a cruise to the Norwegian fjords and above the Arctic Circle. I invited my mom to join me as I knew this cruise was on her bucket list. My 84-year-old mom has mobility issues and uses a walker.

I flew into London a few days early and enjoyed the freedom of doing what I wanted, when I wanted. My mom flew in on Friday morning. I had a car service meet her and bring her to our central London hotel. We had afternoon tea at our hotel and walked a couple of blocks down to Westminster Abbey so mom could get some fresh air and stretch her legs.

The following morning we checked out and used the same car service for the trip down to Harwich. We arrived at Harwich around 11:30. Embarkation was easy and we were on the Ryndam within 15-20 minutes. I will try not to be too long-winded and will condense it down to pros/cons of the ship and the cruise itself and the different ports.

PROS: We loved the smaller ship. Our previous cruises had been on the Statendam (Alaska), Amsterdam (Baltic), and Niew Amsterdam (Med). It is so much easier to find everything and makes for a much more intimate setting.

As usual, the crew and staff were great. They were all very friendly and always looking out for my mom. Their help in getting off/on the gangway/tender at ports was invaluable. Our Room Steward Riyadi and Attendant Supri were amazing, as were our Dining Room Steward Luki and Attendant Muzza. We also enjoyed our Wine Steward Ricardo’s sense of humor and the AYWD host Ario was a lot of fun. I would also like to acknowledge the Cruise Director Kieran Buffery who was a great sport and very quick-witted. His twice-daily announcements were short and to the point which we all appreciated. Captain Mark Rowden was also great. He made a point of keeping everyone informed if there were any deviations to our course. He also explained what he was doing and why.

We were thrilled with our cabin. I had booked this cruise later than I normally would and the only handicap-accessible cabin was a forward port hole cabin on A deck. Our last two cruises had been in verandah cabins so I wasn’t sure how this would work out but it was our only option for mom’s comfort and convenience. We were very pleased with cabin G709. It was very large with plenty of room. We had four port holes – two over the couch and two over the one twin bed. This was the largest cabin we have ever had including the handicapped verandah cabins. I paid for the unlimited laundry - $98 for 14 days and worth every penny. We usually had a 12 hour or less turn around on the clothes. Pretty amazing.

Food is always a subjective issue. We enjoyed all of our meals. We had dinner every night but one in the main dining room. We both thought the food was quite good with plenty of options every evening. We had one dinner in the Pinnacle Grill and also enjoyed that. The one dessert I was disappointed in was the melting chocolate cake in the Pinnacle. It was very dry and not very appealing. Most days we had lunch in the Lido. It can be frustrating finding a table there at any time. We eventually figured out it was easier to find a table in the Cannaletto area. The food in the Lido is fine. We also tried out the Dive In and the taco bar several times. The burgers are pretty good and mom really liked the taco bar. We ended up having breakfast in our cabin almost every morning. Mom discovered the convenience of room service and not having to deal with the crowds in the Lido. When you use a walker/rollater it can be quite tricky in the Lido. I think we will be using room service for breakfast again on our next cruise.

We both thought there were plenty of activities to keep everyone involved. We enjoyed the Coffee Chats with the various officers on sea days. The first two with the Hotel Director and then with the Food & Beverage Manager were held in the Crow’s Nest and were very interesting. The last one with the Captain was in the Show Lounge and the place was full. He has had a very long and interesting career. There was discussion about the transition (their words) of the Ryndam and Statendam to P&O Australia in the fall. The Captain will be transferring with the Ryndam to ensure a smooth transition. He said it would be for 17 months and then he should be reassigned back to Holland America. He also reassured everyone that the staff and crew of the two ships would be absorbed into the other ships until the staffing of the Koningsdam in the spring of 2016. He stated that HQ had assured him that there would be no redundancies.

I signed up for the hands-on cooking class which was great fun and well worth the $29. There were seven of us and we divided up the cooking of a Norwegian Feast. I really enjoyed it and will definitely sign up for it again on my next cruise. We also attended the wine tasting and that was quite helpful for those of us who don’t know much if anything about wine. Mom purchased the three-bottle Navigator’s Package and enjoyed her choices. She usually drinks red wine but picked one white wine for the package as that is about the only kind I like.

CONS: The internet access was horrible. I purchased 250 minutes for $100. After the second day, I was unable to connect. I went for a period of six days without being able to connect. This was a minor frustration for me but if I had been dependent on a Wi-Fi connection to do business etc I would have been very unhappy. There were a lot of people at every port taking advantage of Wi-Fi wherever they could. We had been warned that due to traveling to the fjords etc the connection could be spotty or unreliable but six days seemed a little excessive.

When we first arrived on the ship we received a letter explaining that the elevators in the forward part of the ship were being worked on and would be temporarily unavailable during our cruise. I understand that it is necessary to keep them in good working order but as the cruise went on it became very frustrating. There were only two out of the four elevators working on any given day. At some points there was only one elevator working. This made it very inconvenient when all of the disembarkation for the ports was through the forward exit on deck 3. It is easy enough to tell people to take the stairs or walk to the aft elevator bank but this is quite difficult for someone with mobility issues to deal with. We couldn’t understand why at some ports they couldn’t have used the aft exit for the gangway. Anyway, we dealt with it but some people were getting pretty ticked about it by the end of the cruise.

We did take one ship excursion on this trip. We normally arrange for independent excursions when we cruise. With my mom, it is much easier to have a private car and driver. We can go at our own pace, see what we want to see, do what we want to do, and not inconvenience others in a large group. The ship’s excursion that we did was in Trondheim. We took a bus tour to the Niadros Cathedral and then to the Ringvue Museum (musical instruments). We paid $99 a person to spend a total of 15 minutes inside the cathedral and a 30-minute guided tour of the museum. There was no time to look at the other exhibits or the Botanic Gardens at the museum.

PORTS:

FLAM: I booked our tickets for the railway online and just confirmed them at the ticket office in Flam. It was very easy. The train station is very close to where we docked. We had some issues getting mom on the train, but once I found a train employee and they got the ramp out it was taken care of. Unfortunately, that meant we had last choice of seats and ended up sitting on the inside. We could still enjoy the views but made it difficult to take any photos.

ALESUND: I had booked a taxi and driver online. They were waiting at the dock when we arrived. The driver took us on a scenic tour. We made it to the view overlook before all of the tour buses which was great. There was only one other couple there when we arrived. Alesund is built on several islands that are connected by tunnels. We went out to see the Ilnes lighthouse on one island and completely deserted. He then took us over to see the country church. It wasn’t open but I was able to walk around the outside and explore the local graveyard. I had also wanted to see the “Rose Church” in Stordal. He wasn’t sure it was open and explained it would not be worth the drive if it wasn’t open. He made several calls and was able to make arrangements for the caretaker to open the church for us. It was about a 40 minute drive out there and was worth it. The church was built in the 1700’s over an old 11th century stave church. They incorporated the posts and the crucifix in the new church. It is known for the painting of its interior. The patterns allude to flowers or roses and that is why it is called the “Rose Church”. We had great weather and it was a very scenic ride out there through another fjord.

TRONDHEIM: This was one of the ports where I was unable to book a private tour and we went with the ship’s excursion. See my notes above. We would have loved to have spent more time at both the cathedral and the museum.

TROMSO: Another place where I was unable to book a private tour. A shuttle bus was provided to the town center and from there we walked to the nearest taxi stand and grabbed a taxi. We arranged for the taxi to take us to the Arctic Cathedral but when we arrived we found out the cathedral wouldn’t open until 3:00 p.m. which wouldn’t work as the ship was scheduled to depart at 3:00. After discussion with the driver, he took us to Polaria, a local aquarium/education center. While it initially didn’t look like much, we ended up really enjoying it. They do a very good job of explaining the sea life in the area. After shopping in their store, we asked them to call a taxi for us which they happily did. I had seen a stuffed polar bear outside a souvenir store near where the shuttle bus had dropped us off and wanted to take a photo of my mom with the bear (a long-time bear thing that goes back to when my mom and dad were first married.) The taxi driver volunteered to take us to see another bear that was outside the meteorological institute. We agreed and off we went up the mountain. This bear was enormous. They had stuffed him standing up and he was double my height. He had apparently been aggressively interfering with scientists in a remote area above the Arctic Circle in 1995. They had tried everything to get him to leave but ultimately their lives were in danger and they had to shoot him. The driver did drop us off near the other average-sized bear so I was able to get that photo too.

HONNINGSVAG: I had booked a rental car here. We were in port for twelve hours so had plenty of time to go exploring. We were off the ship early and the car rental place was next to the tourist information office. We got situated and started off towards Nordkapp (North Cape). It was easy driving until the fog rolled in! We made it up to the North Cape but we were two hours early and it was totally fogged in. We went back down and explored some of the side roads on our way to our next adventure which was a bird safari. I had booked this on-line also. Of course we were too early and so we wandered the small town looking for a toilet. We found a small market and they graciously let us use their facilities in their unfinished basement J We wandered their aisles and made a small purchase and then made our way back to the bird safari location. We were really surprised that there was only one other family of three from the Ryndam on this excursion. We eventually were joined by a land-based tour group of about 20-30 people but that was it. It was quite an adventure sailing out to the small islands which were protected rookeries (?) for many different birds including puffins, kittywakes, cormorants, and golden eagles. We were out for about an hour and a half. Mom stayed inside as the deck would have been too treacherous for her. She thoroughly enjoyed herself though. In spite of the weather, so much fun. After the ship departed, the Captain announced that he would be sailing past the North Cape as slowly as possible and would hopefully stop and make a 360 turn so everyone could see it. There were a lot of people outside the Crow’s Nest. Unfortunately the weather and the ocean did not allow him to stop and spin but we all got great photos in spite of that.

MOLDE: Maybe our favorite port, Molde is a lovely small town known as the “City of Roses”. Another place I had not made any prior plans, we walked up to a nearby hotel and asked them to call a taxi for us. They were very gracious and made the call. We had a taxi in five minutes. We arranged with the taxi driver to take us up to the Molde viewpoint and then out to the Atlantic Ocean Road. Another great driver who was more than willing to tell us about his hometown and the area surrounding it. Beautiful scenery everywhere.

GEIRANGER: I had made prior arrangements for a private car and driver here. They met us at the dock and took us up the hair-pin turn road to Eagle’s Bend view point and then out to a seldom used view point on the other side of the mountain. Going up to Mt. Dnabbas (sp?) was going to be iffy because it had snowed the night before and an avalanche had blocked the road. Our driver was in contact with his company and we eventually got up as far as the road was cleared (2,000 meters above sea leavel). We ended up in a snowstorm! There were 2 ½ meters of snow still on the side of the road up there. He also took us out to Westerias Farm to enjoy the views on that side of the valley. On our way back to port he stopped at the local octagonal church which had amazing views of the fjord. After dropping us off, we made our way to the local chocolate shop and spent some money there before going back to the ship. This was the only tender port in the cruise. The crew was invaluable here in helping my mother get down to the tender and then get off once we were at the dock.

BERGEN: I had made no arrangements here, which was a good thing because my mother was worn out from all our adventures. She had been to Bergen before and decided she would not be leaving the ship here. I walked into town and wandered around the market street and the fish market. I walked up to the funicular station but the line was very long and the weather was really cloudy. I decided it wasn’t worth the money or the effort (maybe I was just a bit tired too.) I was on a mission for some items for my mom and found a Boots pharmacy nearby that had what she needed so mission accomplished.

In conclusion, we enjoyed this cruise very much. The draw here is the scenery and Norway did not disappoint. While the weather could have been better on a couple of days, we were dressed appropriately and managed quite well. I participated in the Dancing with the Stars at Sea and ended up as one of the six finalists in the final show. It was a little nerve-wracking, but lot of fun. I ended up in second place for my cha cha J

We used the same car service in Harwich to take us back to Heathrow but had them take us on a sight-seeing tour first. We went to Flatford (Constable country) and then to Colchester (amazing Norman castle). We had a pub lunch out in the countryside and then to our hotel near the airport. We had a car meet us the following morning and drop my mom off at Terminal 3 for her flight back to the U.S. and then Terminal 4 for my flight back to somewhere else. All in all, a wonderful trip and I made my 3-star status the second to the last day of the cruise! We are already looking at our next cruise but probably won’t be able to make it work until 2017.

[portofrome]

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. Thanks for the review.

[Jazmyn49]

We enjoyed reliving our similar cruise while reading your review. It sounds like you had a wonderful time with some off the beaten path moments that made it even more special. What a forever memory for both you and your mother!

[1of4]

Thanks for taking the time to review your cruise. It is now higher up on my bucket list! :)

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for posting your review.

We will be on the Ryndam soon, so I hope that the elevator issues will be corrected.

We will be on a different itinerary than you did, but we will see some of Norway - sounds wonderful.

Glad you had a good cruise.

[Mtn2Sea]

Great review! Thanks for taking the time to do this. The Ryndam is one of our favorite ships, so we're sad to see it transitioning away from HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

I would have been ticked off about those elevators as well. I have no choice but to use a rollator and can not do steps.

Glad your ports were great.

[sammiedawg]

Nice review. We did this trip two years ago and enjoyed the ports. Do not hold your breath on the elevator problems, they were also broken two years ago.

We had Captain Timmons, did anyone mention him? He is the only ship captain that ever made an impression on me. He was terrific and did several sessions with passengers.

Edited June 11, 2015 by sammiedawg

[St Pete Cruiser]

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

I also did the "Midnight Sun" 14 day cruise on the Ryndam in 2013, and found it to be one of my all time favorites. Having been on the Eurodam previous to that cruise, I wasn't sure I would still like the Ryndam, so am glad it pleased you even as it is down to its last few months with HAL. Capt Timmons was aboard that trip, and yes, he was most enjoyable. I believe he was transfered to one of the larger ships this past winter. He and Rowden were the two captains assigned to the Ryndam in recent years.

[h&swells]

Glad to hear she is in good shape - cant wait for my Norway trip in July, this will be our third trip on Ryndam and they have all been with Cpt Rowden. Kieran is an excellent CD and really managed to tickle my sense of humour a couple of years ago, hope he is still on her when it is my turn

[RMurp007]

We leave on July 4 doing the same cruise. Thank you so much for your detailed review. It is very helpful. We are trying to determine some costs. If you don't mind, could you please tell me what the taxi cost was in Molde to the viewpoint and the Atlantic Rd? Also, what was the cost in Geiranger to Eagle's Bend and Mt. Dnabbas? These are some of the attractions we would like to visit without the crowds of the ship.

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your Ryndam cruise.

 

Interesting that Captain Rowden will transfer with the ship for 17 months, guess the Captain of the Statendam will do the same.

[kazu]

Great review!

 

Thanks so much for sharing.:)

[Broon]

Thank you very much for your review. We were on a similar itinerary to the North Cape & back from Rotterdam on the ROTTERDAM and thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. Would go again. Norway is a favourite destination.

[FinnishFun]

We leave on July 4 doing the same cruise. Thank you so much for your detailed review. It is very helpful. We are trying to determine some costs. If you don't mind, could you please tell me what the taxi cost was in Molde to the viewpoint and the Atlantic Rd? Also, what was the cost in Geiranger to Eagle's Bend and Mt. Dnabbas? These are some of the attractions we would like to visit without the crowds of the ship.

 

Hi RMurp007,

 

The taxi in Molde was 1800 NOK. This was for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. A great local taxi driver. I think he turned the meter off when we returned from the Atlantic Ocean Road. If you decide on this option, you should check out a stave church that is in the area. begins with a "Knaves" ? maybe? We did not go because it was not open for the season yet.

 

In Geiranger, I had pre-booked a car and driver with Geiranger Taxis. You can google that and find the web site. I believe it was 2900 NOK for 4 hours. An extremely knowledgable and experienced driver. I think his name was Paul Hansen.

 

I want to add that Norway is an expensive country. The costs I've given were for the car and driver. With just my mom and I it was on the high side but worth every penny. With four people i think the pp cost would be much more reasonable and equatable to the ship's excursions but with the freedom of doing your own thing.

 

We really enjoyed this itinerary and the Ryndam. I don't want people to think she was in pristine condition because she was showing her age in places (worn upholstery in some public places etc). Nothing that affected our enjoyment of the cruise though. Have fun. I would think in July you should hopefully have warmer weather :)

[FinnishFun]

I just realized that my posts show me living in Helsinki. People are probably wondering "what is so stressful about living in Helsinki?" Lets just say I do not live there anymore :)

[knittinggirl]

We did the Edvard Grieg concert in Bergen. It was a bit of a walk to his house and concert hall, but had a long rest afterward.

[RMurp007]

Thank you so much FinnishFun. I really appreciate the information.

[Typhoon1]

Thanks for taking the time.

[cruiznLYNN]

Enjoyed your review! You also gave me some good ideas on how to sightsee at ports with my Mom, who has similar mobility challenges, during our first cruise together next year. Thanks for taking the time.

[MaisonRose]

Hi,

Thanks for your review.

Just wondering: is Barbara still on the Ryndam leading the demonstrations?

We loved her on our November TA.

She also did an hilarious Mystery Dinner in the Pinnacle.

Susan

[wen_c82]

Hi,

Thanks for your review.

Just wondering: is Barbara still on the Ryndam leading the demonstrations?

We loved her on our November TA.

She also did an hilarious Mystery Dinner in the Pinnacle.

Susan

 

Hi

Barbara was on Eurodam TA this past April. Not sure if she stayed with Eurodam to Copenhagen. She did mention she's supposed to go to Asia later this year.

[Harts grove]

Hi RMurp007,

 

The taxi in Molde was 1800 NOK. This was for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. A great local taxi driver. I think he turned the meter off when we returned from the Atlantic Ocean Road. If you decide on this option, you should check out a stave church that is in the area. begins with a "Knaves" ? maybe? We did not go because it was not open for the season yet.

 

In Geiranger, I had pre-booked a car and driver with Geiranger Taxis. You can google that and find the web site. I believe it was 2900 NOK for 4 hours. An extremely knowledgable and experienced driver. I think his name was Paul Hansen.

 

I want to add that Norway is an expensive country. The costs I've given were for the car and driver. With just my mom and I it was on the high side but worth every penny. With four people i think the pp cost would be much more reasonable and equatable to the ship's excursions but with the freedom of doing your own thing.

 

We really enjoyed this itinerary and the Ryndam. I don't want people to think she was in pristine condition because she was showing her age in places (worn upholstery in some public places etc). Nothing that affected our enjoyment of the cruise though. Have fun. I would think in July you should hopefully have warmer weather :)

 

I am so sorry as new to this thread s do not know how and where to ask question. so please excuse me if this is not the way it should n

be.Finnish Fin I am very happy to read your review. You have done lot of hard work to give us all this valuable information. We are also taking this Midnight Sun cruise on 4 7 2015 and I would like to know the taxi firm in Molde. I tried to find myself but unable to find and we would like to do Atlantic Ocean Road.

\your help will be much appreciated.

[FinnishFun]

I am so sorry as new to this thread s do not know how and where to ask question. so please excuse me if this is not the way it should n

be.Finnish Fin I am very happy to read your review. You have done lot of hard work to give us all this valuable information. We are also taking this Midnight Sun cruise on 4 7 2015 and I would like to know the taxi firm in Molde. I tried to find myself but unable to find and we would like to do Atlantic Ocean Road.

\your help will be much appreciated.

Hi Harts grove,

 

I don't remember the name of the taxi firm in Molde. We just got off the ship and walked up the street to the hotel and I asked the staff at reception to please call a taxi for us. He was very gracious and called. The taxi was there within 5 minutes and we negotiated with the driver to take us to the Atlantic Ocean Road. When we returned to port several hours later there seemed to be several taxis waiting there. So if you got off a little later maybe 9:00 or so there might be taxis already there.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[notjaded]

Many thanks for your review, FinnishFun! We are doing the Ryndam in June, and appreciate your insights. We are staying in london pre-and-post cruise, and would very much appreciate the name of the car service you used. It sounds like they were very good. Many thanks!