Some friends ask me to compare the different cruise lines I will attempt to do that as I review the Holland America's, Ryndam. I am 70 and have cruised about 20 times and have seen big changes over the years in "Cruising Services". The cruise lines used to cater to the customer but now they appeal to the masses. I see little difference from Holland America, Princess and Celebrity (I took a 15 day cruise last Oct on the Summit). You could throw a blanket over the three. Only small differences from cruise line to cruise line. I do feel there is a marked difference from NCL, RCL and Carnival Lines (not as good for the money). Cristal, Sterling are a couple of notches above all the rest (but so are their prices). This cruise was a Mexican Rivera cruise (April 12-22) that included "Copper Canyon" this being the real draw. The time of the year was perfect (temps and humidity were perfect, most kids are in school). The Ryndam hold 1258 passenger (a medium size ship, 55000 tons) (launched in 1994 and refurbished two years ago) and carries a crew of 600. I think that Celebrity is the most friendly cruise line. Then comes Holland America. Princess the most organized from start to end. Room stewards and table waiter by far are the most warm and loveable on all ships. Ship Captains are hard to talk about as they change ships ever couple of years and personalities vary . Ours was above average as to friendliness, and being around the ship to talk to, the crew responded very positive to him. The age of the HAL passengers are a little older, slower and undecided (On this cruise the age was late 70s to mid 80s) but with that comes some common ground. My wife found it irritating in the buffet lines and hallway (passageways). Princess and Celebrity are about the same (passengers of 50s & 60s years of age)
This Ship has had problems in the past. Last year the sewer (black water) flooded some staterooms for several days. That has been fixed. The first trip this year to the Mexican Rivera a good share of the passengers and crew were sick from viruses and the next trip was cut short due to sterilizing the ship from top to bottom for two days. The ships crew was sterilizing the ship every where you looked all the time (even at 3 am). Before meals I was given sanitizer maybe three times. Every place a person touches they have someone (crew) wiping the area down with disinfectant. Most crew wear surgery gloves. On the trip to Copper Canyon the ship sent a half dozen crew to wipe the buses and the train down (the train line sent an attendant to keep the rest rooms constantly clean. As a result there were only two passengers that got sick due to the virus the whole time on the cruise (That is unbelievable but true). For me that was a little over kill, but I didn't get sick and is what we expect. We (a group of 11) arrived at noon to board and after checking in at the dock we were told to go and eat on shore (the ship would give each cabin $ 10 of credit for our lunch) as they were trying to fix a propulsion problem.
We left the dock for Mexico near 10 PM. During the whole cruise a group of plumbers replaced the entire fresh water pipes of the ship. In our cabins one entire day we had no water. We took it in stride and had a good time. The ship is appointed in good taste. I think the cabins are a bit larger than the norm (182 sq ft) and I found plenty of room to store what I brought (I bring a lot). If you select an inside cabin you will need a night light and an LED clock. A helpful item to bring also is an electrical multi-plug or extension cord as there is only one pug in the cabin and one plug in the bathroom. The electrical system is 115 and 50 cycle (that is different than yours at home). Your battery chargers and the like may not work well. One of our group was unable to charge his cell phone. With all my gadgets all seem to work fine. My night light bulb burn out a couple of times though. All cabins have a new flat screen TV and a DVD. Bring a DVD movie you have been waiting to see and music you enjoy. The ship has movies to rent if you prefer. We had two days at sea (time for seeing a movie or listening to music) at the beginning and one day on the return trip home.