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Created on Monday, 21 May 2012 03:08

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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 walk-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 cushion pads, and 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. A 2010 refurbishment created “Mix”, which combines library, lounge, internet center and coffee bar; and 16 cabins near the spa were transformed into “spa” cabins.
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 Americans) find the company sgips very comfortable and well-run.
Perhaps the ship’s best asset is its personable Filipino and Indonesian crew, although communication can prove frustrating. The onboard currency is the US dollar.

Ryndam in Bergen, Norway on May 15, 2012. Photo: Dex Sularte

Extracted from the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships 2011 http://www.berlitzpublishing.com/