After a wonderful experience on the Zaandam last year the Ryndam was a bit of a downer. The staff try hard but they are young and inexperienced. There is a training issue on this ship. The food was bland, dreary, and repetitive. We heard a lot of comments from fellow passengers that Holland America was slipping badly. If the Ryndam is the new world of Holland American then it is a real shame. We thought that Holland America was a cut above the others but maybe the bean counters have finally got to it.

The ship is smart enough. The room was good and the appearance of the room and the ship as a whole was very smart. Entertainment was pretty good and you cannot expect a winner every night.

To be fair, I must say that we enjoyed the trip overall but there was a noticeable difference in the quality of food and service on this ship compared to any of our previous cruises on Holland America and other lines. Shame on you HAL