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Ship Report
Holland America’s Ryndam
April 25 – May 1, 2008
San Diego – Puerto Vallarta – Mazatlan – La Paz – Cabo
Submitted by: Leon Banossian
I have just returned from site inspection of Holland
America’s Ryndam. It has been 4 years since I have been on
an S-Class ship. I had become accustomed to Holland
America’s Vista Class ships with many charters and groups on
them in the last couple of years and having a chance to sail
on the Ryndam was a great experience and in this day and age
of “newer, bigger, better” reminded me of the upside of the
smaller ships. I call the Ryndam a “smaller ship” because in
the premium mass market, Holland America’s S-Class is
exactly that – 1258 guests based on double occupancy.
The ship itself was in good form and although smaller than
her Vista Class sisters, features all of the amenities you
expect from Holland America and the Signature of Excellence
upgrades.
Staterooms – The ship has a total of 629 staterooms, of
which 485 are ocean view. Of those 485, 149 staterooms are
suites with verandahs. The remaining 144 staterooms are
insides. I sailed in a category C ocean view stateroom. The
cabin was well appointed and comfortable. My stateroom on
deck 6, was conveniently located on the ship’s promenade and
was a nice central location. Most oceanview staterooms
feature large picture windows and there are a few that have
partial obstructions due to lifeboats. I would estimate the
square footage to be around 190 and it was a comfortable
room for double occupancy.
The staterooms feature the enhanced bedding and flat screen
TV and DVD players in all staterooms that were implemented
in the Signature of Excellence upgrades. All oceanview
staterooms and suites also feature bathtubs and showers
which are often overlooked but just think of the mini shower
stall you get on most mass market ships and this truly is an
amenity to mention. There are also electronic safes and ship
to shore capable phones in each stateroom. Color schemes are
pleasant and there is ample closet and drawer space.
Public Rooms – There are several lounges and bars on the
Ryndam. The largest is the main showroom – The Vermeer
Lounge. This is where all of the production shows and late
night entertainment take place. A large lounge with a
capacity of near 600, the Vermeer would be used for large
groups only. The next largest lounge is the Wajang Theatre.
This theatre is used throughout the cruise to show movies –
complete with popcorn and also doubles as the Culinary Arts
Theatre. It features elevated seating and holds around 150
guests. This would be a good meeting room for multimedia
presentation as the lounge has the built in screen and
projection room. Just beyond the Wajang are the two meeting
rooms – The Hudson Room and the Half Moon Room which can be
combined into a single room if necessary. The Half Moon is
the larger of the two and either could be used for U shape
or board style meetings. Capacities are smaller than Wajang,
but if combined are obviously larger. The Vermeer, Wajang
and Meeting Rooms are all on deck 7. Deck 8 is the main
public deck. Here is the upper seating for the Vermeer and
also the Ocean Bar, Casino, Shops, Piano Bar, Pinnacle
Grill, Explorer’s Lounge and Internet Café and upper level
of the dining room. The only other room not here is the
signature Crow’s Nest on Deck 11 forward featuring panoramic
ocean views.
Dining – Dining on the Ryndam is split up between the main
dining room, the Lido, the Pinnacle Grill, and the poolside
pizza and grill at midship lido. The Rotterdam Dining room
is two levels and laid out nicely. The Lido features 5 food
stations which are laid out differently depending on the
meal (i.e. omelet station, continental stations, etc. for
breakfast vs. sandwich station, carving station for lunch).
Running from mid to aft the Lido also features a casual
dinner with selections from the main dining room nightly
complete with table service and wine stewards – a great way
to avoid formal night and still enjoy the quality food. The
Pinnacle Grill is Holland America’s up charge restaurant
with a $30 per person surcharge for dinner or $15 per person
for lunch. Steak is king at the Pinnacle and the food and
service are excellent as well as the expanded wine list.
Poolside pizza and taco bar and grill are open most
afternoons and evenings also. Last is 24 hour complimentary
room service.
Experience – I found that I enjoyed the smaller ship for a
variety of reasons. The first was that I was never very far
away from anything. Elevators are a luxury and not a
necessity on these ships. I found that the longest haul to
anywhere from my stateroom was to the lido/pool deck and
that was only 4 decks. Unlike the larger ships, you really
know your way around on the first day. The smaller ship also
is a plus for groups in that at even 50 people, you are not
lost in the masses. The comfort of the stateroom was a
bonus. The Signature of Excellence and upgraded bedding is
something to point out as well as the fact that the
bathrooms are spacious and having tubs in all oceanview
staterooms is a huge plus. The itinerary was great also. The
Mexican Riviera is a more cultural and “real” Mexico
experience versus the Caribbean cruises that call on Cozumel
or Cancun. La Paz is especially untouched – a quaint town
with wonderful beaches in a desert backdrop. Puerto
Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo are metropolitan by comparison
but still very nice with beaches, restaurants and shopping
that is superior to the Yucatan.
Holland America vs. Brand X – Holland America is a
consistent product. In the mass market and premium mass
market, they shine above the competitors. Comfortable
accommodations, quality food, and superior service are
staples of their fleet. I noticed that the demographic was
well spread on my cruise also. I recommend this product for
incentive groups both small and large. I also recommend the
Mexican Riviera as a choice for destination. With roundtrip
departures from San Diego there is ample air service and San
Diego is a great pre/post destination also. |
