Ryndam
Sept. 3-10, 2008
Roundtrip Cruise Vancouver:
Alaska via Inside Passage
By Patrick and Harriette Regan
We had been looking forward to an Alaska cruise, this year on the
Ryndam. We had a good time on a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Vista
Class Oosterdam last year, and we
chose the older, smaller (but refurbished in 2004) Ryndam. We have
cruised Alaska seven times in the past six years on the Zaandam,
Summit, Mercury, Sapphire Princess, Coral Princess and the Island
Princess. We live in North Vancouver BC, across the water from the
Canada Place cruise terminal, where we can watch the various cruise
ships sailing in and out of the harbour, beginning in late April.
This whets our appetite to cruise Alaska once more!
We prefer to take our Alaska cruise in May, which some of the
time has put us as the first ship to arrive in various Alaskan
Ports. May also brings a warmer Alaska. In February of this year we
cruised to Antarctica on the Azamara Journey for 18 days, which ate
a large amount of our yearly cruise budget. We decided to wait until
the end of the Alaska season in September when prices drop fifty to
sixty per cent. The trade-off is that it will be a colder Alaska in
September, and we will bring our parkas, which we never have to do
in May.
After four months of watching Alaska-bound ships coming and
going, we were very happy to board the Ryndam. The other huge plus
for us was not having to fly in either direction on this round trip
cruise. The round trip Vancouver cruise doesn’t go as far north as the
seven-day one-way cruises that end in Seward or Whittier. You still
see a lot of Alaska, including Glacier Bay, on the round trip inside
passage cruises.
VANCOUVER
The Alaska cruise gives cruisers an opportunity to
check out one of the world’s most beautiful cities. The Seabus and
Sky Train stations share a waterfront building next to
the Canada Place cruise terminal. The Seabus is a scenic 12-minute
ride across Burrard Inlet to North Vancouver. The Sky Train crosses
the city of Vancouver and gives you a chance to see the city above
the traffic. There is excellent bus service, and a one day transit
pass will allow you to use all three and save some money.
BOARDING
Was very easy. We arrived 2 hours after boarding time began, and
there were no lines anywhere. We had preregistered our credit card
and immigration info using the internet and printed our boarding
pass. It took about five minutes to clear immigration, complete the
check-in process, and board the ship.
CRUISE VALUE
The good news was that the price was right for this
window cabin. We have been cruising in balcony cabins almost
exclusively and wanted to see if we could enjoy our cruise as much
without the balcony. We did save a considerable amount versus the
price of a balcony cabin and we had a good time, but the fact is we
are going to cruise in the future only in balcony cabins. The reason
for this is that we miss the fresh air, and the expansive feeling of
large glass doors opening on to the world.
WINE, COFFEE & SODA CARDS
HAL offers discounted cards for wine, coffee, soda
and cocktails. We opted for the wine card, which is $36.00 for ten
glasses of house wine; the soda/soft drink card,
which costs $18.00 for twenty drinks of bar soda and is good in the
dining room too; and the designer coffee card at $26.00, which gives
you 10 designer coffee drinks in
grande size with an extra shot included if you wish it, as well as
shots of flavor syrup if you desire. There are no free specialty
coffees in the Rotterdam dining room any
more. These cards are an excellent value based on the prices of
single orders of house wine, coffee or soda. There is a 15% tip
added to the basic cost of each of these cards.
SAILAWAY FROM VANCOUVER
It was a balmy, sun-warmed afternoon as we backed
out of our berth at Canada Place and turned toward Lion’s Gate
Bridge. We headed across Burrard Inlet toward the harbor entrance,
giving us a stunning view of downtown Vancouver, Stanley Park and
the tree-covered North Shore. We slipped under the bridge and headed
for the inside
passage. We sailed at 5PM, and an hour later we were having our
dinner in the dining room. As we dined we felt the ship begin to
make a slow turn away from the direction
of the inside passage. Captain Smit made an announcement that we
were returning to Canada Place; two passengers needed to go to a
hospital immediately. Cruise ships usually do not sail under Lion’s
Gate Bridge into Vancouver in the afternoon; the beauty of the
bridge and the city in the warm afternoon sun was remarkable in a
bittersweet sort of a way. We’re keeping our hopes up for the two
would-be cruisers.
CABIN
This Ryndam outside cabin was poorly laid out. The
head of the bed was directly under the window, making it impossible
to stand anywhere near the window or sit near
it without getting up on the bed and sitting crosslegged. There was
a monster couch eating up the rest of the cabin space, and we felt
very cramped. It turns out that this
cabin was a triple, and the big couch was a sofa bed. We spoke to
guest relations, and they arranged for the bed to be moved to where
we wished it and for the sofa that ate up cabin space to disappear,
to be replaced by an extra chair and another small table.
These changes made the cabin much more comfortable for us. Many
thanks to Guest Relations Supervisor Caroline, the Assistant
Housekeeper, the Cabin Inspector and Oman our cabin steward for
making this happen on the first evening, while we were dining. Oman
was one of the best stewards we have ever had. He quickly sensed our
daily routine, and the cabin was always done when we returned to it.
A gold star for Oman.
The lighting in this cabin wasn’t upgraded either when they
refurbished the Ryndam in 2004. It was hard to read even if you sat
directly under the overhead lights. The
bedside lighting was a neon tube light that was hardmounted and not
adjustable in any way. We spoke to management and requested a floor
or desk lamp for reading,
but they were unable to provide one. We will bring a book light or a
small folding reading lamp next time we travel on a fifteen year old
ship.
We will be travelling on smaller ships (which are older ships)
more often because we are turned off by the ‘cruise ship as a theme
park’ feeling that we get on the megaships of three or four thousand
passengers. We are glad the cruise lines are attracting many new
families to cruising with these megaships but for us smaller is
better. There was another opportunity for comfort and privacy
ignored in the refurbishing: at the point where the bed ends and the
sitting area begins, the opposing walls of the cabin are dressed
with curtain ‘legs’ that extend into the room just about 18”. If
these legs were full-fledged curtains that could be drawn all the
way across the cabin, then one member of the party could sleep while
others could sit up and read or watch TV.
The other negative for us was the location of the TV. The TV was
a nice LG hi-def flat screen which was hard-mounted on the shelf
that previously held a boxy older model TV. The overhang on the
shelf should have been cut to match the size of the flatscreen when
the Ryndam was refurbished, because when you are in bed the shelf
extends out and blocks the TV’s remote sensor. When in bed you are
well below the shelf and have to sit up as high as you can and crane
your neck to see the screen. You also have to raise the remote as
high as possible into the air to clear the shelf overhang and
connect to the remote sensor. The inputs on the flat screen were not
accessible, because the TV’s position could not be altered; we
couldn’t use our Nintendo Wii (a preferred exercise for us) and
couldn’t adjust the angle of the TV toward the bed or the chairs. On
HAL’s Oosterdam, which we cruised last year, the flat screen TV was
on a simple and inexpensive swing arm which made it easy to watch TV
from anywhere in the room. The modern cruiser wants access to the
inputs on these flat screens for viewing video footage or playing a
video game.
BATHROOM
The bathroom was the best part of the cabin, nicely
modernized with a newer, spacious, one piece sink/countertop and a
one-handled faucet of good design. There was also a metal shelf over
the sink with a high enough lip to keep your grooming items from
falling off. The newer shower/tub was deeper than we’ve ever seen on
a
ship, with a grab bar to hold when climbing in or out. There was a
high quality shower wand with an adjustable head and a hose, so you
could remove it from its base and
spray your whole body.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
While resting in one’s cabin it is nice not to be
subjected without consent to the announcements of the captain and
the cruise director (the announcements are uniformly too loud; only
the elevator’s programmed announcements of the various decks were at
a comfortable level -- and still clearly audible). But what would
have
been even nicer is to have the choice! The announcements were not
played on any of the ship’s channels that we were able to find. The
announcements made in the casino were easy on the ears. Casino staff
who called cruisers to various games spoke in a more conversational
manner, properly relying on the microphone to project their voices
rather than summoning up excitement in order to reach their
audience.
ELEVATOR
It may not be customary to mention the elevators in
a review, but the elevators on the Ryndam had another attractive
quality besides the moderate volume of the
announcements inside the car: each day the carpet was changed,
always naming the day of the week. It sure is nice to be taken care
of so thoroughly that you do not
even have to remember what day it is when you step in the elevator.
The announcements in the elevators of megaships we’ve sailed on are
ear splittingly loud.
LIFE BOAT DRILL
Very organized and well run. Crew members took
attendance, called the names of the missing, and sent other crew
members to get them. We were carefully placed, with women and
children lined up in front of the men. Crew members checked
everyone’s life jacket to make sure they were worn properly. This
was the most organized and
careful drill we have seen. We appreciate the Ryndam’s approach to
safety at sea. The one negative was the volume of the announcement
portion of the drill. The captain’s voice boomed over the
high-volume outdoor loudspeaker system -- very shrill.
HAND SANITIZER
It’s available everywhere on the Ryndam, not just
near the dining areas. You have it available boarding and leaving
the ship, near the theaters, outside the dining venues,
the cocktail lounges, the gym and the spa. We’ve been carrying hand
sanitizer for years, and it’s good to see it everywhere on this
ship. The hand sanitizer dispensers
are automatic too. Just place your hand under the sensor and a
predetermined amount drops into your hand.
ROTTERDAM DINING ROOM
HAL has altered their usual dining room color scheme
in this refurbished version -- greens, blues and gold with just a
hint of HAL’s old signature orange dining room theme. Very pleasant.
The dinners, under the direction of Chef Andreas Bruenett, are of
high quality and very imaginative in this dining room. The meals are
beautifully presented here, and the service is friendly and
organized. We heartily thank our waiter Suharyanto and his assistant
Adhi. We also extend our thanks to Asst. Dining Room Managers Arinto
and Marijn. This room excels in the service area. The Beef
Wellington was delicious -- a quality cut of filet mignon with a
delicious pastry crust that was still crisp surrounding the layer of
pate wrapped around the filet.
Other food highlights were an eggplant parmesan in the form of a
cannelloni. There were wafer-thin slices of the eggplant wrapped
around the ricotta cheese filling, with a simple pomodoro sauce. The
soups were innovative and uniformly good; the Cobb salad with slices
of grilled chicken breast was good. We could go on and on. Suffice
it to say that the food in the Rotterdam dining room on this ship is
at a high level, comparable to the Azamara line, which has much
higher cruise fares. The only negative was the breakfast in this
dining room. The omelets and egg dishes were much better in the Lido
buffet, where you can walk right up and have an omelet or eggs
cooked to order by the omelet chef.
COFFEE
very weak and devoid of coffee taste and smell. The
Rotterdam dining room, the Lido buffet, and room service had
uniformly mediocre coffee. The only good coffee was the coffee we
had to pay for at the Explorations cafe or Pinnacle Grill. The last
time we sailed on Royal Caribbean, the coffee was “Seattle’s Best”
brand, available everywhere for free all over the ship.
HIGH TEA
Served most days with live music and a groaning
board of pastries and finger sandwiches.
LIDO RESTAURANT (BUFFET)
Well laid out. You may choose a station and not have
to stand in a long slow line that snakes past all the food
offerings. There is a carving station, various entrees, omelets,
pastas, deli and salad bar. The ice cream is free on the Ryndam all
afternoon, unlike ships which are now charging for ice cream. There
are trays to use, and tables are always cleared and cleaned quickly
by the buffet staff. In the evening the buffet is open for table
service for those who don’t wish to dress a bit for dinner.
THE TERRACE GRILL
located in the pool area and serving burgers, hot
dogs, nachos, brats, pizza and tacos from 1130AM until 6PM. Nicely
grilled snack food.
LATE NIGHT SNACKS
There is a themed (French, Mexican, Asian, etc.)
light meal available in the Lido from 11PM to midnight replacing the
midnight buffets of yore.
EXPLORATIONS CAFE
is combined with the library. Not a cafe at all,
just designer coffee drinks for sale here along with complementary
pastry and snacks. The baked goods on the Ryndam were to put it
gently, substandard. Not very cruisey.
LIBRARY
The large spacious rooms of the library surround the
Explorations Cafe. The library is organized like a proper library,
and has a knowledgeable library staff. There was a varied, quality
selection of fiction and non fiction -- the best we have seen on a
cruise ship. The room had plenty of comfy chairs and chaises facing
big windows. DVD’s were available for a $3.00 charge.
DECK 8
The library, casino, Explorer’s Lounge, casino bar,
Ocean Bar, piano bar, shops and Explorations Cafe were all located
on deck 8. The upper level of the Rotterdam Dining Room was aft, and
the upper level of the Vermeer Lounge showroom was all the way
forward. The delicious Pinnacle Grill was also on this deck. It was
easy to access these venues, and the pedestrian traffic flow was
excellent. This deck was our home away from our cabin.
CRUISING THE INSIDE PASSAGE
There is always something to see on sea days. We
sail close to land and there are seals and all kinds of birds
(including eagles) along the way. We also saw some Orcas
popping out of the water. Nature is everywhere on these Alaska
cruises.
JUNEAU
is the state capitol of Alaska, the only state
capitol in North America you can’t drive to. It’s an island.
Everything comes in by plane or ship as in Hawaii. We docked right
downtown, and we relaxed in our cabin while those passengers on the
ship’s excursions debarked first. A half an hour later there were no
lines, and we strolled off the ship onto a large wooden deck. One
side of the dock area had a long row of booths, selling every kind
of excursion at prices well under those offered by the cruise lines.
We walked across the platform to the crosswalk, where a uniformed
crossing
guard held traffic for the arriving passengers. Shopping in Alaska
was fun, because there were many items on sale -- this being the end
of the tourist season. We walked 3 blocks to 113 Seward Street, the
home of Rainy Day Books. We always go there when we dock in Juneau.
We were informed they were going to change their name to
Rainy Retreat Books soon, because the owner of the name requested
they no longer use it. They have a wonderful selection of books well
beyond the limitations of a chain book store, and their selection of
used titles is very good.
SKAGWAY
We sailed up the Lynn canal and docked. There is a
shuttle bus making regular stops in town, which is about a mile from
the dock. Three dollars round trip and you can get off at any stop
in town and then get on again at any stop for the trip back to the
dock. The town resembles the Western Street on a movie studio lot --
lots of old false front buildings. The White Pass and Yukon train
pulls right up next to the dock and picks up passengers for the
scenic trip. You can also rent a car and follow the route of the
train, stopping to take pictures when you wish. The White Pass and
Yukon train station has magnificent vistas with the ships berthed in
the background.
ALTERNATIVE RESTAURANT-PINNACLE
GRILL
Maitre d’ Matej sat us at a window table, and we
relaxed with beverages and drank in the scenic beauty. We opened
with corn bruschetta, replacing the traditional tomato,
topped with a couple of jumbo prawns. We enjoyed five cheese-onion
soup and a green salad for mid courses and finished with a blue
cheese encrusted “Silver Steak”. The dessert was a crisp gaufrette
on a bed of sliced strawberries, topped with rasberry sorbet.
Designer cappucino (included) completed this dinner, which cost
$20.00 per person. This was a far superior Pinnacle Grill to the one
we tried on the Oosterdam. We enjoyed a couple of tasty lunches
($10.00 per person) at the Pinnacle
Grill, also.
GLACIER BAY
The ship picked up the Park Rangers at Bartlett
Cove, and at 10AM we were sailing Glacier Bay. The Rangers gave
talks, and we marveled at the beauty of this place. It was a
perfectly clear day, and we could see everything -- there was no
hanging fog. The scenic highlight of this Alaska cruise.
KETCHIKAN
The next morning we docked in Ketchikan. We headed
over to the nearby Salmon Plaza to use the Internet cafe. We were
docked literally downtown, and it was an easy walk everywhere to all
kinds of shopping. There were plenty of last minute excursions for
sale in town.
INSIDE PASSAGE BACK TO VANCOUVER
We headed south back to Vancouver, enjoying the
scenery of the forests and islands of British Columbia along the
way. We’ll be docking in Vancouver tomorrow.
TIPPING
There is a $10.00 per person charge added to your
hotel bill. This money does not cover the level of service available
on the Ryndam. We bring a hundred US one dollar bills and as we go
along we reward those who serve us well. We add a dollar to the
built-in 15% tip when we have soft drinks, and we give a couple of
dollars to the room service waiters when they bring us a snack. This
is a hard-working crew who made our voyage a pleasure. We also
happily augmented the suggested tips for our cabin steward and our
dining room staff and assistant maitre d’. We had a nice cruise on
the Ryndam and we will be sailing HAL again.
PIANO BAR
There is some kind of metal-themed decor on the
walls which plays hell with listening to the amplified piano and
vocalist. The intimacy of a piano bar setting is destroyed by the
poor acoustics.
CASINO
One of the best layouts we’ve seen on a cruise ship.
Wider aisles and the occasional free drink. The slots are tight, but
there are table games with better odds. The dealers and the floor
men are knowledgeable and courteous.
ENTERTAINMENT
A “Hits of Broadway” revue with the costumes of
award winning designer Bob Mackie; the silly songs of comedian
Elliott Max, the classical piano wizardry of Garin Bader and a
Motown musical salute were offered in the Vermeer Lounge
Showroom/Movie Theatre. There were recent movies such as “Indiana
Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” showing most days in the
theatre.
The Ocean Bar and the Crow’s Nest were places for live music and
dancing at various times. The Crow’s Nest, at the top of the ship,
was a great place to relax and listen to the piano, but at 8PM, the
piano player finishes and they crank up the volume to an
earsplitting level with the DJ, Jason. We spoke to a knowledgeable
staffer who confided to us that they were under orders to raise the
volume based on the time of day.
HOTEL MANAGER & STAFF
The customer relations staff is courteous and
attentive. The Hotel Manager David Wood is out and about daily
checking different areas of the ship. We like seeing the
management process happening. This is a well run hotel with a
propeller, kept very clean, not just picked up by Chief Housekeeper
Soeparno and staff. Some ships at the
end of the long Alaska cruise season are not kept clean enough but
the Ryndam sparkled.
CRUISE DIRECTOR & STAFF
There were all kinds of staffed events from Bingo to
the Not So Newlywed Game, etc., which were listed in the ship’s
paper, The Daily Program. Cruise Director Travis La Marche seems a
bit too high energy and loud (especially on the Public Address
System) to suit our taste on this Holland America cruise. The
Ryndam’s newspaper The Daily Program was well laid out with the
entertainment, food, music and shows listed and organized in an
orderly manner, making it easy for the cruiser to plan for day and
evening.
TIRED CREW
We feel badly for the non-sailing crew. We know they
are making good money compared to the salaries available where they
live in the world, but their fatigue is obvious, especially at the
end of the long Alaska cruising season. The service and the attitude
of this Ryndam crew is exemplary.
We would gladly make our bed one day on a seven-day cruise
and even get our meals in the buffet, if the main dining
room could be closed for the day, but we sense that’s not
going to happen. We hope someday they can figure out a
way to give them at least one day off a MONTH. One would
think that schedules could be arranged for that. The
navigation/sailing crew doesn’t have this problem, because
they are protected by regulation.
SUMMING UP
We had a wonderful time on the Ryndam, a lovely
voyage through the inside passage to the Glaciers and towns of
Alaska.
The food on the Ryndam is very good, comparable to Celebrity’s
Azamara line, which is a lot more expensive than Holland America.
The service is excellent, and the ship is easy to get around because
of its size. Holland America is maintaining a standard that’s hard
to beat at this price range.
We’re heading back to Princess in keeping with our theme of
‘cruise value’ in these harsh economic times. We found a very
well-priced cruise in a balcony cabin on the Coral Princess for Dec.
9th, 2008. We’ll depart from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades and
take a 14-day cruise through the Panama Canal, ending in Los Angeles
on the
23rd of December.
Copyright 2008 by Patrick & Harriette Regan
patrickandharriette@mac.com
