Pre-night stay: Shuttle wanted a voucher which we were not given so I paid the $12 which was promptly refunded at the hotel by the HAL rep. Westgate Hotel was very nice and elegant. Huge lobby, big crystal chandeliers. Food was not so great, small portions with very high prices. This is probably why we were the only ones in the dining room. Embarkation: This was very smooth. We left hotel on the bus at 11:35 and was in the Lido by 12:30. Cabin 191: Several issues were found. First of all we could not open cabin door. I got another set of keys but the problem was the latch needed adjustment. It took a strong force to turn the handle. The latch was repaired in about 48 hours. Next issue was the cabin frig was out of order and replaced by a portable unit. The portable was placed under the desk so you could not sit at the desk and the refrigerators power cord was plug into the one extra 110 outlet at the desk. Those issues were resolved when I had our steward "Dodit" move the portable and get a power strip for the 110 outlet. Next was that there was only one bath robe in the cabin which I discovered at a very nasty looking brown spot on it. I leave that to your imagination. I called the desk and the robe was removed and replaced instantly. While not an issue for us 191 is directly below the service bar near the Navigator deck pool. There were times during the day when we could hear furniture being dragged along the deck. But after the refit of the Ryndam in 2010 I would think that problem would go away as cabins will be installed in that area. Definitions of Smart & Casual and Formal:. S&C seemed to allow everything except shorts and tank tops. Blue jeans are definitely in. "Formal" was dressy but not formal for most diners. Probably less than 10% of the gents wore tuxes. Coats and ties and suits. The ladies all looked terrific however. AYW Dining: We had no problems showing up at 7:15. However at 6:45 one night we were told it would be at least a 30 minute wait so we went to the Lido. At the Lido our room number was recorded and DW was assisted all `along the line by an attendant. That was very thoughtful of them. The tables had white table cloths and candles but the bright lighting did nothing for the ambience. Picking up all of your courses at one time was not by idea of restful l dining. What was interesting was the next morning I as called and asked if I wanted to make a reservation that night. We had reservations at the Pinnacle Grill so they made reservations for the 2nd night at 7:15. And for all future e dinners they made reservations at 7 or 7:15 for either 2 or 3 of us. Something they did not do a year ago but are doing now is confirming AYW dining in writing by a card left at the door. It lists the table number. Saves time at the podium when checking in for dinner. Meet & Greet with the Captain, Hotel Manager and Guest Relations Manager. This was in the Crows Nest morning after sailing. A couple of interesting things were mentioned. The refit will raise the Navigator deck pool to the Lido deck and cabins added on the Navigator deck. I think he said 50-60. When asked about room stewards being paired he said the feeling was that 2 could do the work faster and better than one and that they had limited space to add crew to serve the additional cabins being added. That sounds to me like a reduction of crew to passengers' ratio. Another change mentioned was that cabins on the lower promenade deck would have an exit door to allow guests to go directly onto the deck. Door would only open from the inside. Other gems from the captain: Crew works under Dutch labor laws, no more than 11 hours a day with a short break. Crew paid in US $$s, most sent directly home. Food: Main dining room it was very good but not gourmet, in the Pinnacle it was gourmet. The Lido breakfast offered more choices than the dining room. Oh my! I got Traveler's Diarrhea: On day 7 I got ill and went to the medical center. I was requested to stay in the cabin for 24 hours. A different crew made up our cabin and they gave me a list of DVDS that I could order. Staying in our Veranda while at a port I had been in before was really quite relaxing. On the day before we had gone to Los Mochis and had lunch and a margarita at the Santa Anita Hotel which was AAA recommended.. I wonder if the ice in the margarita had anything to do with my illness.

All in all we had a great time and recommend HAL, but the Ryndam does need to be upgraded. And they should skip Topalambamo (sp). Only 185 passengers took the Copper Island Tour while the rest of us sat around or went into Los Mochis.