Overall, this cruise was very enjoyable, because of the ports of call and the never ending graciousness of the Indonesian staff. However, HAL management is doing a very good job of destroying a luxury brand by eliminating staff.

My first Ryndam cruise was 14 years ago when there were 1100 pax and 800 crew. With additions of cabins, there are now 1300 pax, but staff have been cut to 500. Where this is really noticeable is in the dining room, where waiters now have to take care of 32 - yes thirty-two diners, compared with 16 many years ago. Consequently the whole dining experience takes nearly 2 hours. On our cruise, the two maitre d's spent their entire time, evening after evening, placating irritable diners, and attendance dropped off, probably as people decided to slum it in the Lido to save time.

It makes no sense that the most visible aspect of the cruise experience, dining, should be trashed to save a few bucks. This cruise was for me, among the least expensive I have taken, yet there have been 14 years of inflation since my first cruise. Prices should have gone up, not down. I would rather pay more and have exceptional service. Read more