Berlitz Guide to Cruising
Overview
Ryndam is one of a series of four almost identical ships – the others being Maasdam, Statendam, and Veendam. The exterior styling is rather angular (some would say boxy), although it is softened and balanced by the black hull. There is a full wrap-around teakwood promenade deck outdoors – excellent for strolling, and, thankfully, no sign of synthetic turf. The sunloungers on the exterior promenade deck are wood, and come with comfortable cushioned pads, while those at the swimming pool on Lido Deck are of white plastic. Holland America Line keeps its ships clean and tidy, and there is good passenger flow throughout the public areas.
In the interiors of this “S” -class ship, an asymmetrical layout helps to reduce bottlenecks and congestion. Most of the public rooms are concentrated on two decks, Promenade Deck, and Upper Promenade Deck, which creates a spacious feel. In general, a restrained approach to interior styling is taken, using a mixture of contemporary materials combined with traditional woods and ceramics. There is, fortunately, little “glitz” anywhere.
What is outstanding is the array of artworks throughout the ship (costing about $2 million), assembled and nicely displayed to represent the fine Dutch heritage of Holland America Line. Also noticeable are the fine flower arrangements throughout the public areas and foyers – used to good effect to brighten up what some consider dull decor.
Atop the ship, with forward facing views that wrap around the sides is the Crow’s Nest Lounge. By day it makes a fine observation lounge, with large ocean-view windows, while by night it turns into a nightclub with extremely variable lighting. The three-deck high atrium foyer is attractive, although its sculptured centerpiece makes it look a little crowded, and leaves little room in front of the purser’s office. A hydraulic glass roof covers the reasonably sized swimming pool/whirlpools and central Lido area (whose focal point is a large dolphin sculpture) so that this can be used in fine or inclement weather. There is a large and quite lovely and relaxing reference library.
Ryndam is a well-built ship, and has fairly decent interior fit and finish. Holland America Line constantly fine-tunes its performance as a cruise operator and its regular passengers (almost all of whom are North American) find the company’s ships very comfortable and well-run, even though the present food and service components let down the rest of the cruise experience.
Perhaps the ship’s best asset is its friendly and personable Filipino and Indonesian crew, although communication can prove frustrating at times. The onboard currency is the US dollar.
Holland America Line’s many repeat passengers always seem to enjoy the fact that social dancing is on the menu. The company provides complimentary cappuccino and espresso coffees, and free ice cream during certain hours of the day aboard its ships, as well as hot hors d’oeuvres in all bars – something other major lines seem to have dropped, or charge extra for. However, the score for this ship ends up a tad under what it could be if the food and waiting staff were better (more professional training might help). This ship is now deployed year-round in the Caribbean, where its rather dark interior decor contrasts with the strong sunlight.
An escalator travels between two of the lower decks (one of which was originally planned to be the embarkation point), but it is almost pointless. The charge to use the washing machines and dryers in the self-service launderette is petty, particularly for suite occupants, as they pay steep prices for their cruises. The men’s urinals in public restrooms are unusually high.
Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008
Ship Facts
Large (Resort) Ship: 55,451 tons
Lifestyle: Premium
Cruise Line: Holland America Line
Former Names: none
Builder: Fincantieri (Italy)
Original Cost: $215 million
Entered Service: Nov 1994
Registry: The Netherlands
Length (ft/m): 719.3/219.3 Beam (ft/m): 101.0/30.8
Draft (ft/m): 24.6/7.5
Propulsion/Propellers: diesel-electric
(34,560kW)/2
Passenger Decks: 10
Total Crew: 557
Passengers
(lower beds/all berths): 1,266/1,627
Passenger Space Ratio
(lower beds/all berths): 43.8/34.0
Crew/Passenger Ratio
(lower beds/all berths): 2.2/2.9
Navigation Officers: British/Dutch Cabins (total): 633 Size Range (sq ft/m): 186.2–1,124.8/
17.3–104.5
Cabins (outside view): 502
Cabins (interior/no view): 131
Cabins (for one person): 0
Cabins (with private balcony): 150
Cabins (wheelchair accessible): 6
Cabin Current: 110 and 220 volts
Elevators: 8
Casino (gaming tables): Yes
Slot Machines: Yes
Swimming Pools (outdoors): 1
Swimming Pools (indoors): 1
(magrodome)
Whirlpools: 2
Self-Service Launderette: Yes
Dedicated Cinema/Seats: Yes/249
Library: Yes
Classification Society: Lloyd’s Register
OVERALL SCORE: 1,537 (OUT OF A POSSIBLE 2,000 POINTS)
Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008
