Ryndam (Retired) Review
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This was the longest cruise I have taken. It was called a "Collectors Cruise" by Holland America, because it really consisted of two cruises packaged together - a 7 day Western Caribbean Cruise and a 14 day Southern Caribbean. There are some disadvantages to doing a cruise this way, which I will highlight below.
I was somewhat concerned before sailing on this cruise about the age of the vessel - it was launched in 1994. It has had a couple of significant make-overs during its life to date. I need not have been concerned. The Ryndam is in excellent condition overall. In fact, it is in far better shape, at least on the passenger decks, than much newer vessels I have sailed on. The hull was gleaming and everywhere on the ship it looked very fresh. The carpet in the hallway outside our cabin may have been a little past its prime, but they replaced the entire length on port days, during the cruise. The ship does not have central elevators and stairs, just fore and aft, but because the ship is fairly small, it is not a serious problem.
The ship was under the command of veteran Capt. Mark Rowden. This soft spoken gentleman was seldom seen but was very pleasant. Cruise Director Eric Dowis is also a 17 year veteran of HAL. He seemed at times bored with the job to me, but could be very funny when he wanted to be. His disembarkation talk is not to be missed.
Cabin Review
Verandah Suite
The cabin was in great shape. The bed was very comfortable although we were not especially happy with the pillows, even though there are three to choose from. Everything worked well. The thermostat is pretty slow to change the temp. in the room, but it gradually got it to where you wanted. The only complaint about this cabin, and probably others near it, is that at precisely 5:30 am (6 on Sea Days), a banging starts above our cabin, presumably in the Lido. It continues for maybe ten minutes, and it is very hard to get back to sleep after this. We sent a note to the Hotel Manager on this problem but it was not acknowledged and certainly not corrected.