Harry Nieves

Age: 59
Occupation: Retired Deputy Probation Officer
Number of Cruises: 4
Cruise Line: Holland America
Ship: Ryndam
Sailing Date: April 5th, 2005
Itinerary: Mexican Riviera

This was our first Holland America cruise as our three prior were with Carnival. All were to Mexico. The immediate difference is the age of the passengers. We were among the older group in the Carnival cruise while on Holland American we were among the youngest. The average age was near 80. Numerous passengers had canes, walkers or were in wheelchairs.
This has it's advantages since few of the passengers smoked or were involved in rowdy behavior in the late evenings. In fact everyone was in bed by 11 p.m.

The initial boarding process was timely and we were able to have lunch on board although the cabins were not available until 1:30p.m. The dining room dress included informal as well as casual and formal. Informal was new to me since the prior cruises only indicated casual or formal. I wore a sport coat to the informal dinners although some gentlemen wore ties also.
The food was excellent as well as the service. Just a sideways glance would bring the waiters attention. By the second night the servers knew our drink preferences. Throughout the cruise the service was impeccable. I was able to have my shoes shined several times on very short notice (this is a complementary service).

On the minus side the toilets did not function on two occasions. One time for several hours. In the mid "A" deck corridor a sewage smell was apparent at times.

The off ship tours were informative and the guides seemed knowledgeable. I did not take the Copper Canyon tour since it did not seem to allow sufficient time. Most of the passengers who took the tour were extremely disappointed and upset.

If you do not mind a mature crowd I highly recommend this ship and line.