How bad is the Ryndam?

[sea777guy]

Just wondering how bad of shape the Ryndam is that is due for dry dock refurbishment? I heard that things are very worn, towels stained, elevators out of service and such. Please advise, thanks.

[Cruzman]

Just wondering how bad of shape the Ryndam is that is due for dry dock refurbishment? I heard that things are very worn, towels stained, elevators out of service and such. Please advise, thanks.

 

I presume that you have gleaned this information from some reviews that you may have read. My advice, take those reviews with a grain of salt. Having said that, the Ryndam is scheduled for an extensive drydock this winter and she is to receive numerous upgrades, especially to her cabins.

[trvlcrzy]

From your other thread, I see that you are sailing in November. While things may change before then, I can certainly vouch for the condition of the Ryndam. We disembarked on July 31, and we have no complaints whatsoever.

 

We do notice wear and tear... and saw it on the Zuiderdam in April 2007 and some needed paint (and we reported a loose stair tread) on the Statendam in December 2008.

 

I hope you've read my review (and possibly my lengthy thread) covering our recent trip on the Ryndam. I did talk about the elevators and other elements we noted. Minor issues that you will find on any ocean-going vessel.

[DaveOKC]

Ryndam - while I cannot speak to the existing conditions, we have been on her twice and have had great service and cruise overall both times. The one issue that does seem to plague this ship is sewer problems. Even when we were in a Deluxe Veranda Suite we had problems. I hope the dry dock can resolve this issue.

 

DaveOKC

[pipedreams62]

Any good news about the Veendam?

 

How bad is the Ryndam?

 

These questions are laughable

 

These ships sail with 6000 people each month

and each month there's 4 or 5 malcontents who could never be pleased

 

What kind of images are people conjuring up of these ships? (one of them was just in drydock for 35 days)

 

[OldCodger73]

Any good news about the Veendam?

 

How bad is the Ryndam?

 

These questions are laughable

 

These ships sail with 6000 people each month

and each month there's 4 or 5 malcontents who could never be pleased

 

What kind of images are people conjuring up of these ships? (one of them was just in drydock for 35 days)

 

 

And from the reports of people who were on the Veendam's shake down cruise after dry dock, perhaps it should have been in dry dock for a week or so longer.

 

I'm always worried that people who ask the question "How bad is ..." are going into their cruise with a negative attitude already and perhaps would enjoy a different ship better.

[pipedreams62]

And from the reports of people who were on the Veendam's shake down cruise after dry dock, perhaps it should have been in dry dock for a week or so longer.

 

quote]

 

That was months ago and is "Old News"

[leoandhugh]

Just because a ship is scheduled to be dry docked has little or nothing to do with the "shape" it is in. Dry docking is regularly scheduled maintenance every couple of years to scrape and repaint the hull, check thrusters and screws, etc During that same time they also update the cabin and public rooms furnishings.

I also agree that when people ask "how bad is...." they are starting off on the wrong foot - the negative one.:(

[heathriel]

We were on the Ryndam last October, and all of the rooms on deck 3 were VERY warm, and on deck 4 the air conditioning was barely working.

 

We were offered 5 different cabins over the course of our trip, but none of them were any better. They managed to take out the air conditioning regulator in our original cabin so that it would just blow all possible air into our room.

 

Also, the crew had come down with a horrible flu, so they only had around 1/3 visible staff at the time, and they were working like mad, around the clock, but still very short staffed.

 

However, we still had an excellent experience on the ship. The crew was friendly and energetic, the food was ok - not great, but we chalked it up to cost cutting measures, plus we were expecting it to be better than Carnival and Royal Caribbean, and it just wasn't. The Pinnacle was excellent. DH and I figured that they put all the best of the healthy staff on the Pinnacle menu and the rest for the main room until everyone got better, and the regular dining room suffered for it. At least, we're hoping that is the case.

 

But we REALLY loved hearing the captain give his long, rambling announcements about the RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRynDAM, every day. You never knew if his announcement about the wind, seas, and things spotted offshore would devolve into a store about his ex-wife or current wife or early life or something fun. And watching the Activities Director Drew just shake his head was always priceless.

[jer_l]

We were on the Ryndam in June. There is some wear and tear and the elevators didn't always work, but the stairs are in fine condition. :)

 

Of the four HAL ships we have sailed (Oosterdam, Veendam, Statendam and Ryndam) the Ryndam was the best we've experienced. The Ryndam Pinnacle Grill was by far the best we've experienced both in terms of service and food. The room steward we had was perhaps the best we've had on any cruise. In fact, all the staff were excellent which goes a long ways when it comes to overlooking any "wear in tear" IMO. The Ocean Bar was also the best and their Coco Blue Mohitos were wonderful.

[brucory]

We thought the Ryndam was beautiful. In particular, they had the most comfortable in-cabin couches of the HAL ships we have sailed...

 

The crew is fantastic and there is a really relaxed feeling on the Ryndam... Hopefully that will overcome any skuffs or signs of wear...

 

:D:D:D

[Cruizer Bill]

We were also on the July 17 to 31st Ryndam cruise and loved it! The Ryndam is terrific! Go for it!

Bill

[Scrapchick]

We were on it at Easter... We went on with low expectations because we're spoilt on the Vista Class ships and the Ryndam is smaller and older than we prefer now. Does it show its age??? In some ways... But honestly?? We had one of the best cruises we've ever had... The ship was small enough to get around easily, it had much more of a friendly family atmosphere than some of the bigger ships. We loved it. The Captain and staff were relaxed, friendly, accessible and quick with a smile and a chat.

 

By the time all was said and done we couldn't wait to book another HAL cruise. Despite its age, I wouldn't hesitate to go back on it again.

[swedish weave]

We sailed the Ryndam in April, and the elevators were in need of service. Since I had to help my handicapped DW do the stairs, it was particularly noticable. We also had a thermostat problem in our cabin for a few days. Otherwise, the trip was not too bad.

[lstrong]

I loved my cruise on the Ryndam last April, but must agree the air conditioning in the rooms we had was a huge issue. We finally asked for and received fans which did help sleeping at night. BTW we were on lower deck, aft of elevators, oceanviews

[Himself]

I have not been on the Ryndam in several years. However, anytime I have taken her she was a nice ship. I thought that the Statendam and the Ryndam were the two nicest "S" class ships.

[Storylady]

We were on the Ryndam in May. So we knew that there was going to be some wear and tear. Basically, I thought the ship looked nice. But then I that didn't concern me as I was on the last cruise the Statendam before dry dock in Victoria in 2005. They were tearing up the teak decking. Did it bother me---it was a fabulous 4 day cruise with one of the best cruise directors that we have sailed with (Susan Woods). The crew make the ship. And the crew that was on the Ryndam in early May were absolutely fabulous. The Captain was Mark Rowden and the Cruise Director was Michelle Worthy. I think she is going to be another Susan Woods. The Captain, the CD, the Chef did a cook off on the Ryndam in the Queen's Lounge (where the cooking Demonstrations are) that was the funniest thing that I have seen cruising. They were so good, they could have been on TV. Hope you are lucky enough to have them on your cruise.

[Storylady]

The Captain was Mark Rowden and the Cruise Director was Michelle Worthy. I think she is going to be another Susan Woods. The Captain, the CD, the Chef did a cook off on the Ryndam in the Queen's Lounge (where the cooking Demonstrations are) that was the funniest thing that I have seen cruising. They were so good, they could have been on TV. Hope you are lucky enough to have them on your cruise.

 

I made a mistake, the CD was Rebecca Fabischek.

[papadave]

We got off the Ryndam on August 14th and can report that the ship is in pretty good shape. Small issues: some floor tiles will need to be replaced, a few areas of the ship had an off smell, toilets occasionally have a sewage smell. Nothing too frequent and nothing too bad. It is not a new ship, and my understanding is that dry dock will address everything that I noticed, but there are no major problems.

[notes4theheart]

Just wondering how bad of shape the Ryndam is that is due for dry dock refurbishment? I heard that things are very worn, towels stained, elevators out of service and such. Please advise, thanks.

 

I JUST got off this ship on Friday. I sailed her for 2 weeks. I'm the daughter of a travel critic and thus have a tendency to evaluate every hotel, airplane or cruiseship I stand on. Thus, I'll tell you what I noticed "lacking" in presentation on the Ryndam.

 

There was paint that is just beginning to crack around the drain of the sink in my stateroom.

The orange and green chairs in the Crow's Nest have considerable wear on their arms.

The carpets, in some small areas, have small stains on them.

The wonderful wood arm lounges have some places where the stain has worn off and could use a re-varnish.

The exterior paint could use a refresher. There are several scratches.

The tender steps paint was in need of a refresher.

One of the lights that light up her name "Ryndam" on the side of the ship was out, as was a light on the outside lido deck.

Some tiles are cracked or not quite flush on the floor of the cabin restroom. Public restrooms were fine.

 

This ship is 15 years old. It would CERTAINLY pass muster from a travel critic. I asked a few people if they noticed what I've mentioned and they looked at me like I was nuts, before realizing that, yes these things are "wrong". As I'm sure you can see, these are ridiculiously small things. I couldn't see the ships age in any other way. I was incredibly impressed and am already considering my next cruise on her. Her maintenance staff should be quite proud of this ship.

 

The 8 elevators were completely functional without exception. The towels were pristine white. She is not at all worn where it matters.

[Bill HaHa]

We were on the Ryndam last October in a deluxe sa suite... It was a wonderful cruise . We did not see any of the minor problems others have noted.. Perhaps my eye sight was somewhat limited. We thought everything was great. We are not that pickey about some of the problens. We never expect a perfect cruise

[SDHALFAN]

Any good news about the Veendam?

 

How bad is the Ryndam?

 

These questions are laughable

 

These ships sail with 6000 people each month

and each month there's 4 or 5 malcontents who could never be pleased

 

What kind of images are people conjuring up of these ships? (one of them was just in drydock for 35 days)

 

 

Ah, finally the voice of reason has made an appearance. Thank you.:D

 

 

I have not been on the Ryndam in several years. However, anytime I have taken her she was a nice ship. I thought that the Statendam and the Ryndam were the two nicest "S" class ships.

 

 

You will get no argument from me. I also have not been on the Ryndam in several years but she and the Statendam are definitely my favorite two S- class ships.

 

Valerie:)

[Copper10-8]

Two point seven cents: She's a cruise ship and carries up to 1,266 (and more) passengers on a different cruise every seven or ten days or so. She's at sea and only back at her change-over port for a limited amout of time so those same 1,266 can get off and another 1,266 can get on in order to start the whole thing all over again. While in port, there's no Manny, Moe & Jack where she can pull in to for a new water pump or carburator so there's gonna be wear and tear.

You wouldn't know it though unless you start looking for it like some have done. What you do see without looking, is her crew constantly maintaining, repairing, cleaning, varnishing and (where allowed) painting her. As part of her crew, she carries carpenters, upholsterers, plumbers, engineers and others who keep very busy repairing what her,for the most part, passengers have destroyed, soiled and/or broken.

She was built in 1994 which, with my limited math skills makes her fifteen years old, and has had several refurbishments/dry-docks and will have more in the future until HAL sells her. We were on her in FEB of this year and she looked fine; happy to go on her again. The "S" class is one of our favorites. Have a great cruise!

[fann1sh]

I loved her a couple weeks ago.

 

Here's my review:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=57282

[jobythebay]

was in drydock I think in February. Did they do any refurbishings?