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From Onboard Ryndam

garydm

By garydm,
in Holland America Line

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garydm

garydm

Posted
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Saturday

 

We departed San Diego a few minutes early with beautiful weather and the Ryndam in its usual immaculate condition. HAL has embarkation down to a science and it was quick and easy.

 

Our cabin is a B Verandah and it was ready about 2 pm and in mostly nice condition. The door to the refrigerator is not attached to the interior door but it works. This cabin does have substantial vibration, a problem not noted on earlier Ryndam cruises. More typical of Crystal ships. May have to ask for an egg crate for the mattress.

 

Our cabin steward is Farid and he came in and introduced himself. A very nice guy and we are fortunate to have him. I asked him how many cabins he and his partner had to manage and he indicated about 30.

 

Our verandah is somewhat useless as we have smokers down a cabin on both sides. My wife is recovering from bronchitis and smoke does not help the cause. We went out to the Navigation Deck for the sailaway but smokey there too. I think we have done about 100 days on HAL and never had a cruise with so many noticeable smokers.

 

I recall there being a post a week or so ago about the rear pool and kids. It is definitely posted that it is restricted to age 18 and over and if I can figure out a way to transfer a picture from my iPhone I will post it. I had planned to use the new iPhone app for Skype but HAL has blocked it as it apparently would cut into revenue even tho they would be charging for the wireless time.

 

We had pre ordered a couple bottles of the Bon Voyage White and it is a Pinot Grigio and it is reasonably priced and not horrible.

 

We are heading out to dinner. I lack John’s eloquence but will post now and then from the trip.

 

Gary

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mnport

mnport

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Thanks for your post and will be looking forward for more. I will be on the Ryndam on 4-14 and I am in a cruise frenzy now and can't get enough to keep me going. Thanks for your posts they will help!

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aliaschief

aliaschief

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As so many of us who love cruising and are currently "grounded" people we just love hearing about your cruise. Thanks.

 

Only five weeks to go before being back onboard a Holland America Ship!

 

Giddy yup! Giddy yup! C'mon MS Maasdam

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garydm

garydm

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We are futher aft than we usually are. We had the vibration even when at the pier.

 

Had a very nice dinner. They were very busy but the service and food was outstanding. Unfortunately, a couple of families let their kids run loose in the dining room, running along the raised area by the rear windows for more than an hour. I really feel for the waiters and supervisors having to put up with this lack of parental supervision.

 

Gary

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garydm

garydm

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Sunday-At Sea

 

Headed to the gym this morning. Only two recumbent bikes and people backed up to use them so I hit the treadmill. Two of the seven treadmills did not work and only two TVs on the treadmills worked. Otherwise there was an active aerobics class going on.

 

We ran into our cabin steward on the way to breakfast and I asked if they might have an “egg crate” mattress cover they could put on the bed to compensate for the heavy vibration. He indicated he would take care of it and he did. Upon return from breakfast the cabin was made up and the cover installed.

 

I went to the Captains A&A session and another passenger questioned the Captain about the vibration and he indicated they were operating with all engines and that was probably the cause. However, in our cabin we had vibration while at the pier. It is worse now.

 

Breakfast was great. Fresh scrambled eggs, bacon, etc. My wife ate the healthy stuff. Staff in the Lido were very helpful. And yes, there are still trays in the Lido!

 

It is very sunny and looks to be a beautiful day. On to Cabo.

 

Gary

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Nutrioso

Nutrioso

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Have been on the Ryndam a bunch of times and have always found her to be a most happy ship. The management work to keep everybody happy, including the crew. Wish I was sailing with you!. ----Penny

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SpankysMom

SpankysMom

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We sailed the Ryndam in May of '05 to Alaska and were in cabin B182. It was our first and so far only cruise so I thought the engine vibration was normal. I distinctly remember the engines running a lot even when in port as we could feel and hear them. I didn't know to ask for an extra cover for the mattress. That's a hmmmm for our upcoming Alaska cruise on May 10 on the Westerdam.

 

Also had the same problem with the smoke on the verandah. No offense intended here but we would go out on our balcony and the people forward of us would stand out on theirs to smoke and the smoke definitely blew into our space and ran us back inside our cabin. I didn't notice it so much on deck just in some of the bars as walking by. Our average age on that trip was around 65 so it was a very serene voyage (loved that!).

 

Other than the lifejackets stinking up the closet, we didn't have any complaints. I wrote that the lifejackets needed cleaning as they had the most awful old sweat smell. I hated putting it on for the drill and when I would open the closet door, it would almost knock me over, that smell was so powerful. Anyone else ever notice that?

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

SM

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solocanadian

solocanadian

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We sailed the Ryndam in May of '05 to Alaska and were in cabin B182. It was our first and so far only cruise so I thought the engine vibration was normal. I distinctly remember the engines running a lot even when in port as we could feel and hear them. I didn't know to ask for an extra cover for the mattress. That's a hmmmm for our upcoming Alaska cruise on May 10 on the Westerdam.

 

Also had the same problem with the smoke on the verandah. No offense intended here but we would go out on our balcony and the people forward of us would stand out on theirs to smoke and the smoke definitely blew into our space and ran us back inside our cabin. I didn't notice it so much on deck just in some of the bars as walking by. Our average age on that trip was around 65 so it was a very serene voyage (loved that!).

 

Other than the lifejackets stinking up the closet, we didn't have any complaints. I wrote that the lifejackets needed cleaning as they had the most awful old sweat smell. I hated putting it on for the drill and when I would open the closet door, it would almost knock me over, that smell was so powerful. Anyone else ever notice that?

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

SM

You are so right about the stinky life jackets. :eek: The stale old sweat stink is overpowering. Really noticed it for the first time on the Ryndam in 2006. Now I take fabric softeners to stuff in the closets that hold the life jackets. That helps a little.;)

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garydm

garydm

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Monday-Cabo

 

We have just pulled into the bay and dropped anchor. I am typing from the verandah looking out at Los Arcos-no sign of another ship yet. Weather is very nice with highs predicted in the low seventies. Yesterday, while at sea, it was cool and cloudy in the afternoon.

 

Last night was the first formal night and for the first time we have decided not to do the formal nights. We ate in the Lido and it was a traditional buffet. You did not order and then the entrée was delivered, as I had for some reason expected. The entrees were all lukewarm and very tired. I had rack of lamb which consisted of about 3 bites, along with something I think was zucchini and some boiled potatoes. My wife had the pasta dish. I am sure all of this was quite good and tasty at some time in its life.

 

Went back to the Lido for breakfast this morning and it was very good. Everything appeared quite fresh. Staff is very nice.

 

Our cabin steward, Farid, continues along with his assistant to do a fine job. Cabin is made up each morning by the time we get back form breakfast.

 

On Sunday, as mentioned earlier, I attended the “Q&A” (not to be confused with the “A&A”) session with the Captain. I asked him what he personally did to instill the sense of customer service in his staff that appears evident on this ship. His response was that he is very visible to his staff and impresses on them that “everything is possible.” Building on his comments, I approached the front desk to ask if anything was possible to resolve the vibration problem in our cabin, like changing cabins. The very nice young guy said he would check it out and check out our cabin. Sure enough in about 10 minutes he was up here and substantiated there is a problem and he would see what could be done. I gave him four hours and had not heard anything so I went down to the desk and asked (very courteously) to speak with the GRM. I spoke with her and she acknowledged that some cabins do have problems. She is very good at assuring you that she feels your pain but there is really nothing possible to be done. I guess she had not gotten the Captain’s memo on possibilities. She indicated that there were some vacant cabins but they were being held for Cabo boarding passengers who had missed embarkation in San Diego. I then asked if I could buy an upsell to an S, should one be available. I did not get much of an answer to this, other than she would talk to Engineering to see if anything could be done about the vibration. Yeh, right. Interesting that the vibration is most significant when the ship is not moving. This morning if you stood in the middle of the cabin you would shake so badly your voice could not be heard. Later it settled down. I promise not to dwell on this more!

 

We will take the tender into Cabo after the initial crowd clears. More later.

 

Back onboard. The wait for the tender was about an hour and that is about how much time we spent in Cabo. It has only been about 18 months since we were last here, but now you must run the gauntlet of vendors for about 4 city blocks with little option to escape. I wanted to try a Mexican wine so I bought a Chenin Blanc at the wine store in the enclosed mall. I figure if I get it cold enough how could it be bad? While we were gone the NCL Star pulled in between Ryndam and Los Arcos obscuring the view.

 

Quite warm here but with a breeze. Had a nice lunch in the Lido. The staff there are some of the most personable we have ever encountered. I am doing an unscientific poll among them to see if their President will be reelected, which I think is this week. So far, it is looking good for him.

 

Gary

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garydm

garydm

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Tuesday

 

It is around 8 am and we see the beautiful eastern coastline of Baja California off our port side as we head to Loreto. As Explorations is just below us, I dropped down and bought coffees this morning-almost as good as Peets.

 

What you want a towel? Did not notice any towels available enroute to the tender yesterday and there were no clean towels at the Navigation Deck pool in the afternoon when we got there. On return to our cabin we had only one bath towel which was still damp from my wife’s shower. I talked to a crew member and he said that the washing machine had broken down and there were no clean towels. So, I guess I will wash our towel along with some clothes later today in the self serve laundry.

 

We had dinner in the main dining room last night and brought with us a lovely bottle of 2000 Cing Cepages Cabernet, for which the corkage fee of $18 was assessed. It was well worth it. I tried the Mexican Chenin Blanc I had purchased in Cabo before dinner. It was drinkable, with just a hint of something like gasoline and citrus in the taste! There was nothing that inspired me on the main menu last night (lasagna, chicken breast, perch, etc.) so I ordered the New York steak and it was very good. My wife had the chicken breast which was fairly disappointing. Shared a table with a delightful couple from Arizona and a gentleman from San Diego. I thought the service was fine-others at the table found it slow. A subjective thing.

 

Contemplating our tender strategy for today-we either make a run for them when initially available or wait 2-3 hours, so as to avoid the delays of yesterday.

 

Update-it is now 2 pm. An absolutely beautiful day in Loreto. Went to town and bought shirts for the grandsons. I went down early and got in tender group #1. When it came time to head for the tenders, people in front of us were from group #11, #5, whatever. No one was checking for tender tickets yet there were about 150 people sitting in the lounge waiting for their number to be called. In town we had a few beers and sodas at Café Ole off the plaza along with some fresh made tortillas, guacamole, salsa, etc. Came back and had a salad in Lido rear deck outside. Sat with a gentleman from Auckland who is a retired tug boat captain-what an interesting guy.

 

Still no towels so it appears they have not been able to repair the laundry. Vibration is less today so perhaps it was laundry related!

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cruz chic

cruz chic

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Still no towels so it appears they have not been able to repair the laundry. Vibration is less today so perhaps it was laundry related!

That is too funny:D. I hope that things will improve for you. I'd be none to happy if I was facing the issues you are on the cruise. Good luck!

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