We are retired 60 yr olds who felt like a pre-Christmas cruise would be a nice get-away from the hustle and bustle before the Holidays. We were right! We've been on over 15 cruises, but usually choose HAL. Normally we take one of the Vista Class ships, but liked the Ryndam's itinerary. It had been awhile since we'd been on a ship that small, so didn't know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised!

We flew to Tampa 1 day early ( and leaving behind 8" of snow). There was no shuttle to our hotel, so we caught a taxi to the Downtown Marriot Courtyard for $25. It was a nice hotel with plenty of places to eat in the downtown area. They provided a free shuttle to locations within 3 miles, which included the pier. We chose to take a cab to the pier Sunday at 11:00 because we didn't want to make the stops at the other two ships while they dropped off passengers. The cab ride was quick and cost only $10.

At 11:15, we dropped our luggage off at the curb and proceeded directly up to the check-in. Since we were Neptune suite guests, we were immediately processed and given a seat . Just shortly after 11:30 we were allowed on board. Our cabin was ready and we went directly there. Before 2:00 our luggage was in our room and we were ready to cruise! After the 3:15 lifeboat drill, we went back to our cabin and met our cabin stewards who were there to take care of our every need. They didn't fail us the entire 2 weeks! Between Ari & Putu ( our stewards) and Vincent & Angelie ( the Navigator's lounge concierges ), anything we needed or wanted was quickly taken care of. Read more