Ryndam (Retired) Review

4.0 / 5.0
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Re-conquering the Sea of Cortez

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Ryndam (Retired)
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brucory
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Nov 2008
Cabin: Verandah Suite

Pre cruise. We travelled from Australia and spent some time in San Francisco before this cruise. As we had limited time to enjoy maximum vacation, we decided to travel to San Diego on the day of our sailing. We were a little nervous about this as there are so many horror stories about people missing their departures because of delayed flights. Our Southwest Airlines flight was early into San Diego, and we looked out of the window and saw the Ryndam lined up at pier B and ready to go! This was a great photo opportunity, so would definitely recommend trying to get a window seat on the left side for cruise ship viewing at San Diego. I have to say that we chose Southwest as we got to have a couple of checked bags each for no extra cost, and the flight itself was great, although the comedy routines from all the crew were a little on the overkill. The planes were comfortable and clean, though their boarding system seemed a little quirky. We bumped into a HAL rep at the airport and asked about how best we should get to the ship. She recommended a cab, which was a great idea as it was less than $10. When I asked if we should have purchased HAL transfers, she said they were $18 per person, so apparently we had already started saving.

Embarkation It is difficult for cars/taxis to stop and it is busy in terms of traffic at the San Diego cruise ship terminal, so taxis get a little anxious about stopping in front of the pier. We got out about 25 meters in front, but it was another 100 meters inside the gate till we could drop our luggage off. There had been no porters at the street to take luggage. This is where the HAL transfers would have been useful, as they take your luggage for you, so you don't have to worry about it once you hand it over to them at the airport. We didn't mind lugging our stuff, particularly as we had wheels, however it would have been a drag if bags had no wheels, or there were mobility issues etc. We arrived at the terminal at about 1130. As we entered the check-in area, we were given a number tag, which was for calling groups in an orderly fashion to board. Ours was number 17. We lined up for about 5 minutes waiting to check-in, during which time they started calling the numbers to board. By the time we were checked in and got our room key-cards , they were up to number 15, so we didn't have to wait long. One lady in front of us was horrified that she was in group 16 because she thought she would be waiting around for a while to get on, but she seemed pleased when she didn't have to wait.

We had to climb a set of stairs and walk through an aerobridge style walkway to get on board, which seemed strange as there was an access point at pier level which was reserved for staff and passengers not capable of using the stairs. It was hot and a little on the steamy side, which caused a little fluster for some, but before long we were on board and directed to the Lido lounge. The HAL crew had to staff the elevators to stop people getting off at their floors to drop stuff off at their rooms. People didn't seem to like this, and tried to walk back down the stairs, but the crew were fairly strict and there were no exceptions. There was a check facility on the Lido deck for those not wishing to carry their things. It seems as though the best policy would be to board with light hand carry, and check in everything else so that you can move around and explore a little. We had boarded the ship at about 1150, and the rooms were ready by 130pm. To our delight, the announcement that rooms were ready came over the loudspeaker by way of an Australian accent, which we later found out belonged to Drew Smith, from Perth Australia. We understood perfectly, as did most of the people in the lido, as there was a mass exodus as people headed for their rooms. The Lido then became a fairly civilized place without any lines and all the service stations open. If I had to make a recommendation at this point, it would be that the best time to board would be at or after 130, as you don't miss out on anything but the crowds. We also heard a welcome aboard announcement from Captain Frans Consen, who from the start was an entertaining and comforting Commander from the bridge.

Cabin Review

Verandah Suite

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