New to HAL - Questions about Ryndam and Mexico '07

[ltsally]

Hello - While prowling the Silversea board this morning, I happened across reference to an HAL cruise that included Copper Canyon. That set my imagination in motion and I started looking into HAL's itineraries in that region for Feb-March 07.

 

Spouse and I have only one other cruise under our belts (lifejackets?) - a transatlantic crossing last year (S'hampton-Boston) on Silversea. That was a fabulous introduction!

 

So my concerns, first of all are: if some of the things we loved about SS were the small ship atmosphere, the all-inclusive (including tips and liquor) policty and the open-seat dining -- how big of an adjustment will HAL be?

 

The staterooms (Cat A verandah) looked to be fairly similar, tho a little smaller of course, but still comfortable.

 

What would be a reasonable expectation of extra charges to run - given pre-and post-dinner cocktails for each of us in one of the lounges? I don't think I completely understand the dinner seating - must you indicate at the outset the size of the table you wish to be seated at (2, 4, etc?) and then that is your dinner table - and your tablemates - for the duration of the voyage? Has anyone had experience of being seated with folks who aren't "a fit"? How did you handle it? Is it easy to find quiet, tucked-away spots onboard, where you don't necessarily feel like you're on a ship with 999 other people?

 

And of course, I'm interested in comments/experiences about this particular itinerary. Oh - on the HAL site, they indicate several stateroom categories for the late Feb 07 Mexico cruise are already 'closed.' Does that really mean they are sold out this far in advance?

 

I know I've packed in a lot of questions here - but will be appreciative of any answers/info on any of the topics (or other things that occur to share with a HAL newbie). Thanks very much!

[kh1980]

As far as cocktails you should expect to pay about the same prices you would at an upscale lounge on land. HAl has four different dining times to choose from. Two early seatings, which are 5:45 in the upper dining room and 6:15 in the lower, followed by two later seatings at 8:00 in the upper and 8:30 in the lower. You are asked to choose your dining time when you book, and you will sit with the same party throughout your voyage. I'd suggest a table for atleast 6, that way, you're bound to like a few people you're sitting with. don't request a table because most likely get a table for four and if you don't like the other couple you're seated with, you may end up having to avoid the main dining room altogether. Also, HAL has formal nights. On the Ryndam cruise you should atleast expect three. On these nights a suit and tie is required in the main dining rooms and some of the alternative restaurants. A good escape on these nights if you don't want to dress up is the buffet, which actually has really good food, open-seating, and a VERY relaxed atmosphere. You will be able to find plenty of secluded areas on board.

Usually, the sports deck is a nice place to hide. HAL ships are generally not very crowded to begin with because they don't sell as many rooms as alot of the other lines.

The verandah suites on the Ryndam are about 270 square feet including the verandah. Not a bad sized room, but a bit cramped for people's taste. This is a very popular cruise and if a category shows closed on HAL's site it probably is sold out.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We did both the Sea of Cortez and Mexican Riviera cruises on the Ryndam in November 2005. We have sailed on the Ryndam several times. You will love the new Explorations Cafe. Graet for getting away - Crows Nest. We booked that cruise nearly 15 months in advance in order to get the suite we wanted. Since it is not offered very often, it will sell out fast.

 

I wrote a review including Copper Canyan when I returned. I will try and find it for you and post it here.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Topolobampo - Copper Canyon

This tour was offered on our first segment (Nov 7th cruise). I tried to get as much information from those who did take it since we were unable to take this tour.

 

The tour can handle 330 people. Breakfast was served from 3 - 4 AM in the Lido for those who went on the tour. Then everyone gathered in the Veermer Lounge at 4:30 and waited until 5:30 when they boarded their buses. Each person was given a card that indicated their bus number, train seat assignment, and what time they were to eat at the summit. It is about a 2 hour bus ride to the train station - the buses were given a police escort through Los Mochis so as to avoid lights and traffic. Once on the train everyone got a box breakfast. There were 2 shifts for lunch at the summit. And everyone was given a box snack on the train on the way back to the buses. Some said the food was definitely not HAL's - the overall rating - typical Mexican food. Everyone was back on the ship by 11 PM. So in order to eat between 3 and 4 AM you had to be up by at least 2:30. For those passengers - a long day - 20 and 1/2 hours!!!

 

We were able to attend a small meeting with a few TA's and the captain after this tour. All the TA's had small groups on this cruise (20 - 30 passengers in each group). One man claimed that he had brochures that said the train was supposed to be the Southern Orient Express (I have never heard of this) and the some of the cars were supposed to be dome cars - none were. He had shown his clients this brochure and felt that he had been mis-represented by HAL. The train nothing more than a regular Mexican train. All complained about the dirty windows - it appeared that the windows had not been cleaned in weeks. The bathrooms wer terrible - especially on the return trip down - no one had bothered to clean them or restock the toilet paper or paper towels. As I mentioned before, everyone was assigned seats. Some people had great views on the way up to the summit. Others didn't. On each car there are 4 windows that are quite small making viewing the scenery difficult for 8 passengers. On the return trip passengers trade assigned seats so that those who had the bad windows now have the larger windows. But as one woman said - it was great for about 2 hours but for the last 4 hours you travel in all darkness. In the talk session that we attended, another woman was asked if she would take this tour again and she said no and she said that she wasn't really certain if she would recommend this tour to anyone or not.

[ltsally]

Tha'ts reallly good-to-know information about the Copper Canyon train trip, Krazy Kruisers. I appreciate your bringing it back to share with me. It doesn't turn me off that particular cruise, but sure doesn't sound like that excursion wouldn't really be worth the time/money (and lack of sleep!)

 

kh1980: As expected, some answers are leading to ....more questions:What's the difference between the "upper" and "lower" seatings? Same dining room, different levels? Any notable differences or why would one choose one over the other?

 

Also: a premium martini (gin) straight up, can run anywhere from say, $8 to $12 or more on land. Any idea whether it would be near the low or high end of that range on HAL?

 

Don't mean to sound like a couple of lushes (we're not:o ), but given the inclusive policy of Silversea and having read various posts from folks who say the added-on charges on non-inclusive cruises often came up rather stupefying, we'd just like to go into this (if we decide to do it) well-prepared, budget-wise.

 

Thanks!

[RuthC]

What's the difference between the "upper" and "lower" seatings? Same dining room, different levels? Any notable differences or why would one choose one over the other?

Time. The Upper sitting is one-half hour before the Lower. Some people find 5:45 a bit too early; others find 8:30 a tad late.

Other than that the only appreciable difference is that the upper level is smaller, so the meals may come from the galley a little more quickly.

[kh1980]

kh1980: As expected, some answers are leading to ....more questions:What's the difference between the "upper" and "lower" seatings? Same dining room, different levels? Any notable differences or why would one choose one over the other?

 

Also: a premium martini (gin) straight up, can run anywhere from say, $8 to $12 or more on land. Any idea whether it would be near the low or high end of that range on HAL?

 

It is the same dining room. Some people prefer the upper because they like to sit near a rail and look down on the lower dining room. Others prefer the lower because it is slightly larger.

If you're interested in a deal on spirited beverages, HAL offer certain packages, one of them being a gin and tonic package. I'm not sure of the details off of the top of my head, but I believe for $30 you can purchase a fifth of gin and two bottles of tonic water. They also offer similar packages for other mixed drinks. I'm not sure if they offer a martini package. these packages are for guests that woyld like to enjoy a few cocktails in their stateroom. When it comes to the lounges, I would expect to pay roughly $8-$10 per drink.