Cruise Buzz

A 10-day cruise on Holland America Line’s Ryndam

The ship was very nice. A great size considering I was on the move – thanks to Brian a very energetic 3 year old. The purpose of the cruise was a quick Spring Break getaway. With me on the family cruise were Brian (age 3), Sophia (age 10) and Donna (age 70). There were 60 other young cruisers on the ship and Club HAL was in full swing.

I have been on the 7-day portion of the Mexican Riviera in the past. What I looked forward to was the Sea of Cortez. We left Irvine via Amtrak and had a restful journey down the coast. We arrived at the train station and were amazed at how close the port was.

Getting on the ship was so easy. There was plenty of staff on hand and the crowd did not exist. Once on the ship, we found our cabin. The cabin was a spacious oceanview cabin on the Main Deck.

Two days at sea found me using the gym, the kids club, the pool, and the Crow’s Nest. The Culinary Arts Center, Explorations Cafe, and the Lido buffet rounded out my days. Those that know me, know that I love the Explorations Cafe, powered by The New York Times. We rented dvd’s every night.

My favorite port was La Paz. We went to the beach and I had a Jacques Cousteau moment at the secluded beach. Port operations in all the Sea of Cortez ports were great. There were complimentary buses for people that did not have pre-arranged shore excursions. This was helpful to me because I could see the areas and then return to the ship at my leisure.

The most beautiful sunset was spotted after leaving Loreto. I was amazed by the colors and the small islands that surrounded the coastline.

We did our trip to the El Cid resort in Mazatlan. This timeshare property has an awesome pool and is situated on a nice beach. I have never attended the timeshare orientation and they are fine with that. The taxi fare from the port was about $12.00 us.

Puerto Vallarta was a fun stop. The Zip Line tour is a blast and a crowd favorite. Make sure to book ahead as this is a very popular shore excursion.

Topolobambo. What a fun word to say. This peaceful port in the Sea of Cortez is in a pristine area. We went on a shore excursion to see bottlenose dolphins, the bay, and a bird island. The shore excursion to Copper Canyon was a sellout. Enthusiastic cruisers left the ship at 4:00 am and returned at 10 pm. A long day.

I loved the cruise and the ship. Holland America delivers what it promises. The room was bigger than most in the industry, the service was good, the Club HAL for the kids was great, the food was plentiful and the public spaces were tasteful, elegant and not obnoxious.