Ryndam (Retired) Review

4.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Great crew, great value

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Ryndam (Retired)
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EmsMom
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Apr 2013
Cabin: Spa Verandah Suite
Traveled with children

We have recently been sailing with Oceania and Seabourn but had wanted to go to Spain and Portugal and this HAL cruise on the Ryndam had a deal that was too good to pass up. In addition, the third person was free so we were able to bring our 10 year old grandson along at no charge with the exception of his airfare. We have sailed on three previous HAL cruises and were satisfied with all of them so we had good expectations for this cruise. We were very pleasantly surprised with the quality of the cruise and we were most impressed with the wonderful crew.

The ship is an older vessel, however, it was kept clean and although I noticed a few nicks here and there, it was fine. The food was very good although there could have been more choices. We are not big foodies so as long as the food is good, we are happy. The dining staff was outstanding and went out of their ways to be of service. We ate in the Pinnacle Grill one night compliments of AMEX Platinum and while it was very good, I wouldn't have paid the extra money for it when the food was just fine in the dining room. The afternoon tea was also very nice. While Oceania and Seabourn offer more extensive and special items in the dining room and the afternoon tea, the HAL items were just fine and I just figured that we got what we paid for and more. This cruise was about 1/4 the cost of a similar Oceania or Seabourn Cruise. The entertainment was also very good and we enjoyed it very much. The afternoon Trivia was fun and entertaining as well. There was a nice variety of activities available on the ship for those that wanted it. We used the gym when we could and it was well equipped and we didn't have any trouble getting on the equipment. My DH took the spinning class and was the only one in the class.

We were a little concerned about have a 10 year old on a cruise that was taking place during the school year but we didn't have a thing to worry about. I don't have enough positive words to express what a good job Club HAL does with the kids. He couldn't wait to go there every evening and the staff was absolutely outstanding. They had interesting and fun activities for the kids and made every child feel welcome. We also found that our fellow passengers were very nice to him and we never felt like he was bothering anyone.

Cabin Review

Spa Verandah Suite

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