This was my 45th cruise, 26th with HAL, and my eighth Transatlantic. Obviously I enjoy days at sea and usually enjoy HAL's cruises and the Ryndam. I have never taken a cruise that I did not enjoy, but this one came close. I will get my "beef" out of the way and go on to more pleasant observations.

WORD of CAUTION! Perhaps it is better not to take a cruise when your ship is scheduled to go into dry-dock upon disembarkation. The Ryndam was scheduled for a minor (one week) dry-dock in Freeport after dropping us off. Some preparatory work commenced on our cruise. The work that I object to was cosmetic and in one way affected the safety of the ship. Two or three days into the cruise the crew began to remove tiles from the Lido enclosed pool area. The work proceeded in the afternoon into the early evening both on port and sea days. We were in cabin 006 directly below a quiet area of the spa complex and for several hours each afternoon until we went out for pee-dinner drinks the banging reminded me of Verdi's Anvil Chorus.

I complained to the Concierge and to the front desk several times. The banging would stop only to restart after an interval. Lest you think I am too picky, others on the Navigation deck also were quite upset. I believe that the executives in Seattle should allow HAL's fleet more time in dry-dock so that noisy preparatory work does not have to interfere with the enjoyment of HAL's guests. Read more