Having always previously enjoyed cruising but earlier this year been on a Royal Caribbean Cruise earlier this year which we found most underwhelming at times, we approached this cruise with a little trepidation having never sailed Holland America before and also finding out that the ship was moving on to pastures new.
However we found this cruise a thoroughly enjoying experience from beginning ...
We`d not been with Holland America before and hearing that they had already sold the Ryndam to P&O Australia with this being it`s (and Holland America`s) last cruise out of Harwich we wondered if we`d done the right thing in booking. Add to that the questionnable weather in the fjords in September and....We need not have worried. The ship and weather was amazing. Staff could not do enough for you ...
We have cruised many times before and are also used to the North Sea because we live close by.
As we left Harwich the Captain advised that the crossing to Norway was going to be rough - it turned out to be one of the worst journeys we have had although we have travelled in much bigger seas. We understand this was exacerbated by the lack of stabilisers on this older ship.
The ship is old and ...
This is an old ship and looks it. There is a desperate need for repairs, paint, new carpeting, new furniture and various other fittings. The ship was commissioned in 1994. I found out that Ryndam will be transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in 2015 and renamed 'Pacific Aria'.
Having said that, the crew is really terrific and does its best to clean and make the ship as attractive as possible. ...
This was our first cruise, so we had nothing to compare it to. It was a slick operation from start to finish, well organised, pleasant & efficient staff. The ship was well presented, clean & a very nice place to spend a week. We were reluctant to cruise as we're not keen on the glitzy dinners, casino, art auctions etc. however, there is no pressure to take part n any of that if you don't want to. ...
Our 7 night cruise to the Fjords was blessed with superb weather, not a single drop of rain for a good cruise. It was a shame that the Lido deck became essentially a no-go zone due to unruly children with little or no control by HAL and the smoker's at the aft area. We were glad of the lower promenade deck for some peace, quiet and clear air - thankfully only 2 seadays.
The maintenance staff ...
Although this is my first review on Cruise Critic, we have cruised with other lines in the past and made use of the site in order to assist us in our planning. On this occasion, I have decided to try and leave information for other travellers and would add it is our first cruise with Holland America Line. It is a great pity that the Ryndam is being transferred to the P&O Southern Fleet very soon ...
We read so many bad reviews we were not quite sure what we were getting into. However, we all had a great week cruising to Norway and would not have missed it for anything. This was our 2nd cruise with HAL and was much better than the first one. I was traveling with my husband and my brother and we were all very pleased with it.
We picked up the HAL bus at Heathrow and arrived at the ship ...
Very recently returned from a 7 day cruise on the Ryndam to the Norwegian Fjords (29 Aug to 5th Sept)
Both my partner and I are seasoned cruisers previously with Thomsons, Royal Carribean, and P&O
Embarkation at Harwich was excellent, luggage was dealt with easily, very little queuing, everyone friendly and helpful, security very efficient without being intrusive, and we boarded the ship ...
As Ryndam is going out of service, I will confine my comments to generalisations which could apply across the line.
Boarding and reception at Harwich excellent: pity they will not be using the port any more. Parking easy, and luggage (lots of it) taken out of our hands. Facilities in the Harwich Cruise port fairly basic, but you could get a coffee and a snack, but as you will get fed almost ...