Review: Holland America Line - Ryndam - [March -- , 2005]

[Net Reviews]

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Reviewer Comments:

Well I guess the biggest drawback to start the review, was the lack of a
convenient Hotel near the San Diego cruise Terminal (due to some in-town
convention). You may recall my dilemma of a few months back where the
Holiday Inn, across from the terminal had availability only for 3 or
more days, but not one for the single night. Why do conventions have
to take the few hotels convenient for cruisers too use? Would they not
have been better off in the Best Western dump we ended up in, about 5
miles away?

The morning of boarding went quite well. I think we were on the ship by
lunch time. We had our old Suite from the previous year, but I had a
heck of a time convincing the Steward in the elevator that we were
allowed to drop our carry-on bags off in the Neptune Lounge prior to
heading up to the Lido. Finally, he relented. I noticed on this ship,
they shut the fire doors by the elevators to discourage the cruisers
from heading directly to their cabins. You feel like you're Captain Kirk
off the Enterprise, if you've ever tried to open these big doors.
Must be operated by air.

So we finally made it to the Neptune Lounge. Met Ellen (The
concierge); dropped off our bags, and proceeded upstairs for a bite to
eat.

We had two Filipino girls to tend to our needs in the lounge: Ellen and
Daffodil. God, I love the Filipino girls -- they are all so beautiful.
I wish I could have carried Daffodil back with me.

I was totally thrilled to see they've reverted back to their old serving
ways, in the Lido. I was on the Ryndam last fall, just after the
re-build. They tried to change the salad and desert bar around, such
that a server put all the food on your plate for you. (Ever try to
explain to someone who can't speak English, what exactly you want on a
salad plate? and how much?)

The food was quite good on the cruise. I was happy to see that they've
not only kept the exotic appetizers: Mussels, Escargot, Oysters
Rockefeller etc., but they've also expanded the formal night menu such
that the "fire-cracker" prawns they serve, are those guys as big as
lobster tails. (You remember these? They are those gigantic prawns you
only see on cruise ship brochures, pre: 1980) There was one drawback:
One of my favorite soups: Cream of Asparagus, is only available in
the Lido, on formal night.

The Flambes are back on the desert menu. (They were noticeably absent,
last fall); however, gone are the fancy names. Now you get " <insert
fruit name here>, covered with a liquor-caramelized coating" IE: They
use the same liquor concoction for every fruit. It was terrible. And
beware: stay away from the mango flambé. I still have nightmares over
that one.

"Dutch Nights" are definitely gone with the wind. I think if a few of
the cruise ships are still having them, it's only because they've got a
surplus of hats. We haven't had a Dutch Night for the last 3 HAL
cruises.

We did have a deck barbecue on this cruise. (Something lacking from the
previous 2) But, where did they get those God-awful ribs from?
Tough, and tasteless. And what happened to the usual abundance of
King Crab legs? The only time I saw them this time, was for one meal. On
every HAL cruise I have taken, they usually have one Lido lunch where
they slap a bunch out for the guests.

I took in one theatre performance on this cruise. Normally I avoid this
place like the plague. The seats are the most uncomfortable, and if
there is so much as one other spectator seated in front of you, then
half your vision of the stage is blocked. No wonder you see people
racing out of the dining room to get in line for a seat. There are two
good viewing seats upstairs, and about a dozen downstairs (not counting
the "prone to be picked for embarrassment" ones.) I learned, after
the first few cruises, that half the music and singing is pre-recorded.
So they have the Ryndam cast lip-sync to the same old tired tunes. Not
worth torturing oneself for an hour secured to those uncomfortable
seats. And listen This is from a guy who has never been plagued by
hemorrhoids.

Overall, it was an enjoyable cruise, but I think I might opt for the
Hawaiian one next time. We just couldn't find the heat on this one,
even though it was sunny everyday. Must have been a major cold front
sitting over us, as I don't think the temp. even hit the low 80s for the
whole cruise. We did have one neat day, as I think the guy in charge
of the aft pool screwed up. The temp. in the pool water must have soared
to over 100 degrees. Easiest time I've ever had getting wet. I
definitely like the salt water that HAL now uses in their pools (I think
they switched last fall, from the fresh)

One of my biggest complaints (that I added to their questionnaire) is
the lack of personal compliance to the formal and semi-formal dress-code
nights. I think this is terrible. And it's getting worse. One of the
few aspects of cruising life where one can still experience the elegant
lifestyle (that you're paying for), and here, every other guy is walking
around in a t-shirt and jeans. I think it's time the cruise ships
started to think about going back to the different classes of cruisers (
actually, I think they're already headed in that direction now) Then
for those who pay the steerage rate, they can enjoy their beans on toast
and dress accordingly. To me, the whole cruise is an experience. We
pay approximately $500 pp pd. We prefer to have something better than
a McDonalds get-together. If the cruise ship states: Formal night.
Then everyone who so much as ventures outside of their cabin, should
be dressed accordingly. And for the entire evening.