Ryndam Alaska Advice please!

[SteakMama]

Very excited to be part of the 'cruise' family. :D Our first cruise will be in Sept/07 leaving from Vancouver. How does the whole cruise experience work? I hear about formal nights, themed nights, dancing etc. R we only told about each event on the boat? When should we board, our ship leaves at 5pm? The theatres and shows on the boat, do we need to book, do we just show up? What sort of food can we expect for dinners? I hear about lobster and steak alot but is that only in the Pinnacle? Sorry if I sound so lame....maybe I should know all this already!:confused:

[Krazy Kruizers]

There will be 2 formal nights. The other nights are smart casual. On Alaskan cruises there might be one night - late in the evening in the Crow's Nest when they will have a 50's and 60's night. There is dancing before dinner in the Ocean Bar and Crow's Nest and after dinner later in the evening in those areas.

 

The shows are free - there will be 2 production shows. Then the other entertainment varies from ship to ship. Comedians, singers, etc. The times for these shows will be listed in your daily program and depends on your dinner time.

 

You can arrive at Canada Place anytime around 11 PM. Embarkation usually begins around 11:30. Once you are on the ship you will not be able to go directly to your cabin as the crew will still be working on them. An announcement is usually made around 1:30. But you can go to the Lido for the buffet lunch.

[Krazy Kruizers]

There will be a choice of 7 entrees each evening in the dining room. Lobster is only offered on the 2nd formal night. They are tiny!! We stopped getting them years ago. Many times you get only 2 bites. But you can ask for seconds.

 

The Pinnacle does not serve lobster.

[SteakMama]

Thank you! Appreciate your help!

[Krazy Kruizers]

If you have any more questions - just ask.

[cdkempton]

I think KK meant to say 11 A.M. you would be able to start the boarding procedure. The Ryndam is a lovely ship. You'll enjoy and I'm sure you'll get the hang of cruising from day one. It's soooooo easy. Check with HAL's web site for FAQ's and know before you go for good information.

Bon Voyage!!:D

[jtl513]

R we only told about each event on the boat?

Every day you will receive a Daily Program with details about all activities and times of dining, etc, etc. On port days you will also receive a 2nd page with information about the port and usually a map. One important piece of info in that In Port page is the Port Agent's name, address, and phone number. Bring that with you when you go ashore "just in case". :)

 

Don't worry about getting "lost" on the ship. It takes most people a day or two to know their way around unless they've sailed on the same class of ship before. There's maps on every deck at both elevator banks.

[O2B@C]

... read, read, read! I've learned an enormous amount about HAL over the last few months just by reading this board and the reviews on Cruise Critic. I also second cdkempton's suggestion that you go to HAL's official website and read their FAQs and all the other information there about life on board their ships. You can study the deck plans for your ship, too, so you'll have an idea what's where before you go on board.

 

The more you learn before you go, the better your cruise will be. You won't miss out on things you would have enjoyed if you had known about them (e.g., did you know that room service is free? :D - though most people give a $2 - $5 tip to the waiter); you won't bother with things that you can tell you're not interested in, based on other people's comments; and you won't have misplaced expectations or misunderstandings that could lead to disappointment.

 

Then, when you get on board, pay close attention to the daily programs, as jtl513 suggests. Dining hours for lunch and for Lido dinner may vary from day to day, for example. The programs will also inform you about the evening's dress code and any special events and activities taking place that day.

 

Have fun! Cruising is wonderful, and if you're like me, once you've done it once, you'll be eager to go back again as soon as possible!

[traveler1980]

Yea and congratulations on your first cruise. My husband and I took our first cruise this year to Alaska as well. We absolutely loved every moment of it and actually got a little teary eyed to leave! These boards are so helpful and I learned a lot from them before leaving, so researching before you go is half the fun. I'm not sure when you are getting into Vancouver, but we did a tour of Vancouver the morning we boarded the ship and the tour brought us directly to the pier around 1:00. We boarded the ship and were allowed to go directly to our room. We dropped off our hand luggage and then went to the Lido for lunch.

 

One thing I really enjoyed was buying a thermal suite pass. It was $150 for me for the week and $100 for my husband for the week. It gives you use of the whirlpool, heated stone chairs, saunas, and scented mist showers.....I'm sure someone else can give you a better description, but it was amazing and I went every day.

 

I also really enjoyed the mango margaritas in the Crow's Nest.

 

The day you board they have a ship tour, which we took, that helped get us acquainted with everything. I think the tour was around 2ish or so.

 

Those daily programs you will receive at night really are the key to staying up with what all is happening on the ship. Also, for Alaska, I would stay outside as much as possible if you want to see wildlife. You just never know when you will see something awesome! We enjoyed eating at both the Lido and Dining Room. We also enjoyed getting room service with cheese and fruit plates to enjoy with the wine we brought on. You can bring your own wine on board and save a lot of money! I know you will have a wonderful trip. We are addicted now!

[RustaRoo]

Our first cruise will be in Sept/07 leaving from Vancouver.

Which sailing are you on? I will be on the Ryndam for her Sept 16th cruise with four friends from Calgary.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yep - I meant to say 11 AM.

[FOOTNOTE]

DW and I are on the 9/2/07 tour. Have only seen one other person post that they were on it. Only 30 days to wait.

[SteakMama]

Which sailing are you on? I will be on the Ryndam for her Sept 16th cruise with four friends from Calgary.

That's the same one we will be on :)

[SteakMama]

 

One thing I really enjoyed was buying a thermal suite pass. It was $150 for me for the week and $100 for my husband for the week. It gives you use of the whirlpool, heated stone chairs, saunas, and scented mist showers.....I'm sure someone else can give you a better description, but it was amazing and I went every day.

 

Also, for Alaska, I would stay outside as much as possible if you want to see wildlife. You just never know when you will see something awesome! We enjoyed eating at both the Lido and Dining Room. We also enjoyed getting room service with cheese and fruit plates to enjoy with the wine we brought on. You can bring your own wine on board and save a lot of money! I know you will have a wonderful trip. We are addicted now!

 

Thank you! We are very excited. These boards definately are helping! Thanks for the tip on the thermal suite pass. That sounds wonderful!

[RustaRoo]

That's the same one we will be on :)

Fantastic! Now with you two and two I've met on TheCanadianCruiser (from Victoria), and the five of us from Calgary that makes 9! Should be a fairly empty ship - LOL:D Have a great cruise!

[SteakMama]

Fantastic! Now with you two and two I've met on TheCanadianCruiser (from Victoria), and the five of us from Calgary that makes 9! Should be a fairly empty ship - LOL:D Have a great cruise!

Well, I'm bringing 12 in my crew so maybe a few more! But yes, that's why we ended up on this cruise. We got such a great deal we couldn't pass it up!:p

[shelinae]

As far as the formal nights, are those usually done on days "at sea"? (There are only 3 shore excursion days on the 7 night Alaska cruise on the Ryndam) What general time is the evening entertainment show and does this conflict with the dinner schedule?

Also, on other posts I've read, people mention coffee: is coffee readily available at all times? We like to sip on coffee first thing in the morning!