Just back from Rhapsody (10/3 -10/10) - Any questions

Just back from our cruise on Rhapsody and I'll post a review soon. We went to Key West, Costa Maya and Cozumel - then dodged Tropical Storm Matthew. Any questions? I'll try my best to answer.

How were Cozumel and Costa Maya? Did you do any excursions? Thanks in advance.

Can't wait to read your review!!

I'm curious too about Costa Maya although I remain hopeful that Grand Cayman will be ready for us by 11/28 sailing.

Cozumel was great as always. We have been there many times. Although we usually do not use the ship's excursions, this time we did. Went on the Catamaran snorkel & beach party. Had a great time, the crew of the catamaran was great and they have their own private beach. However, it was very pricey.

In Costa Maya we went to Majahual and hung out in the town and beach. It was very enjoyable for us but probably not for everyone. No paved roads in town. Good food though and cheap drinks. The pier area is OK too if you want to hang out at the pool. They have a swim up bar. Lots of shops selling typical Mexican tourist stuff. All in all, not a bad place and probably a really great place in 3 years. But all in all I would have rather gone to GC.

We sail on Nov 14th and hope GC is open again. We have been trying to figure out what to do in Costa Maya if GC hasn't recovered yet.

What room were you in?

We were in a Junior Suite (8032).

What time did you get into Key West ? What time did you leave? I would like to do conch train but also want to do a little shopping unsure of the time thing. How was the dinner seating arranged for that night?

Dinner seating is open on Key West. All passengers are due back onboard by 11:30 pm

Hi,

We are going on Rhapsody next Feb. for our first cruise. I have a few questions..

Do all of the rooms have a safe?

Did you see any of the shows and which ones would you recommend?

Did you do early or late seating for dinner?

Can't think of any more right now.. but I might come back for more!

THanks,

Kellye

Rhapsody - 2/13/05

All of the rooms have a safe and all of the shows are pretty good. You will have a great time on the Rhapsody as the staff and crew are fantastic.:)

I vouch for what Bill said.....

Fausto

How is the pool temperature in the solarium pool? I have been twice once in March & then in December and both time the pool was really chilly. I would really like to enjoy the pool some but I'm not fond of freezing!

What time did you dock in Key West?

How is the pool temperature in the solarium pool? I have been twice once in March & then in December and both time the pool was really chilly. I would really like to enjoy the pool some but I'm not fond of freezing!

I think the solarium pool is supposed to be cold. It is inside and next to the spas so you can go from hot to cold. I agree with you, it was very cold, but after about 5 minutes, it was refreshing.

shmthaus,

I couldn't get in past my knees and my teeth would already be chattering! I guess I just need to fall off the side into the water,maybe then I could get used to the icy water!

You arrive in Key West at 3:00 pm ships time (which is 4:00 p.m. Key West time). Back on board at 11:30 ships time.

We are going on Rhapsody next Feb. for our first cruise. I have a few questions..

Do all of the rooms have a safe? Yes.

Did you see any of the shows and which ones would you recommend?

We saw all the shows. Some of the headliners rotate so your cruise will be different. Laraf was very good and the reviews were good too.

Did you do early or late seating for dinner?

Late.

The Solarium pool was not cold on my cruise. Very comfortable.

robc

so, tell me the truth??? Were the kids on this ship as bratty as people are saying?:confused:

so, tell me the truth??? Were the kids on this ship as bratty as people are saying?:confused:

We have been on several diff ships with several diff lines, but found the TEXAS Kids that were on Rhapsody to be very well mannered when we were on last year.:rolleyes:

I agree the Rhapsody kids have always seemed to be the best. Apparently it was only this one group that has been so bad.:)

I honestly saw only one incident where I thought the kids were out of line. I had no problems on this cruise. Most of the kids I saw were VERY well mannered. Its always a monority that causes the problems. There were over 450 kids on this cruise and probably less than 3% were a problem.

Since I benefitted greatly from the advice and enjoyed reviews shared by others on the CC boards , I thought I'd return the favor and share a summary of my family's recent (October 3) cruise on the Rhapsody out of Galveston.

This was our fifth cruise: the first in the Caribbean and the second on RCCL. We had greatly enjoyed a wonderful Alaska cruise on the Legend in 1998 and looked forward to a relaxing week on the similar Rhapsody. The ship did not disappoint: the Rhapsody is a truly beautiful ship, very well run and maintained. Public rooms, most especially the Centrum atrium and adjoining areas, the Broadway Melodies Theater, the Schooner Bar and the Shall We Dance Lounge, were a delight. The ship's design is wonderful--lots of windows keep the sea in view, and there is elegance and space even with a full ship. The staff was very good and hardworking, although not truly excellent (many seemed a little tired out and distant--I wondered if they were at the end of their season given that the ship may head into drydock next month?). The young cruise director (Goose) and his collegues were fine, but lacked the maturity and sophistication I remember from the Legend (I recall more than a few British accents on that staff--which perhaps added an air of formality and polish the Rhapsody's staff lacked).

The main entertainment ranged from good to excellent: the requisite 2 comedians, a couple of above-average magicians and a fun Mexican juggler, together with the "RCCL Singers and Dancers". The latter were better than good: the Broadway review show in particular had some surprisingly effective moments that took the show up a few notches from acceptable dinner-theater entertainment. Bar/Deck/Atrium entertainers ranged from fair to good. I didn't appreciate the non-stop pounding of loud music on the pool deck--there were times when that was appropriate to add energy to create a party atmosphere, but no one wants to party for 12 hours (well, some may, but others might enjoy a chance to just relax a little).

MIld disappointments included the quality of food (dinner on two of the seven nights was poor, and I'm not picky). The best meals were very tasty and enjoyable, but not fine dining or surprising in any way. The worst (a chewy piece of beef on the first night and an awful, dry and processed turkey meal on the last night) made one long for Luby's. Not impressive--don't cruise the Rhapsody expecting fine dining. Service at our table was fine, but not welcoming in a particularly genuine way. I had wondered if RCCL's traditional table seating approach would evidence better service than we'd experienced on Norwegian's Freestyle dining ship: I found the level of service to be about the same (which is to say, lower than we'd experienced on some earlier cruises, while still o.k.). Windjammer breakfasts were a little chaotic, and there were times when food items ran out and were not promptly replaced (if at all, in a couple of instances). The only big disappointment was plain bad luck: we drew a very poor table (extreme edge of dining room, almost in the entryway). After requesting a change we were pleasantly and efficiently relocated to what was essentially a separate overflow room--much cozier than our first table, and pleasant enough, but like sitting in an adjacent conference room with none of the grandeur and elegance of the main dining area, and cut off from all festive events. This was the "luck of the draw", I guess, but it was a significant let-down to miss out on the dining room experience.

Our interior deck 4 cabin was exactly as expected: completely adequate and efficiently designed. There was some visible wear and tear, but nothing too off-putting. The mattress and pillows were hard/lumpy--the only real negative. I wished I'd brought my own feather pillow, at least.

Other ship comments: the fitness center was smaller and less well fitted than what I remembered of the Legend, and the Shipshape programs were under-promoted and under-attended. This sailing was overrun with kids on Fall Break, which seemed to overwhelm the Youth Activities program (and led to a couple of ship-wide announcements from the Captain urging parents to consider supervising their kids, who were having a tremendous time roaming in packs up and down the stairs, elevators and common areas). I think because of the younger crowd (parents and kids) and the itinerary, it felt more like a "Carnival" cruise than our more refined/elegant prior RCCL experience.We lost a bit of money in the Casino and at Bingo (as is traditional); ordered more of the overpriced supersweet umbrella drinks (virgin and not) that could be rationally explained (or believed, on receiving the itemized bill), enjoyed trivia and name that tune distractions and some time playing games in the card room, and otherwise made the most of the extensive time at sea. Best of all, the seas were calm almost the whole trip (just a bit of weather the last day--no big deal).

Embarcation was smooth enough and fairly easy (with some long lines and merging crowds, but they moved well enough). Disembarkation was tiresome, since the line of cars returning from off-site parking to pick up passengers/luggage from the pier was bottle-necked by the folks pouring off the Carnival Elation. Galveston needs to fix the logistics of that area--there was no excuse for the delays (I suspect that an hour later there were folks trying to exit while incoming passengers arrived!

Itinerary:

Key West isn't much of a port of call, especially after two days of sailing. We took the tram tour, which was a good, if passive, introduction. We had been told that because of our late (i.e., post 4 p.m. local time) arrival, it was necessary to book through the ship, since the office would otherwise be closed. That didn't appear to be true (we saw trams for the next hour or more)--but the $2 premium wasn't a big deal and it did get you off the ship promptly. We thought the area had some charm, and we spent some time wandering in and out of t-shirt and similar shops and bars up and down the main drag. Not exotic or special (but totally comfortable, non-threatening and familiar, which has its merits).

Costa Maya, substituted for Grand Cayman, was better. Thanks to the great advice from these boards, we quickly exited the Disney-lite manufactured entry point and took a cab to Mahahual. The beachfront is charming and relaxing, with friendly service, cheap beer, decent food, and warm and inviting waters (with that always-cool view of the beautiful ship docked in the distance!) We had reserved a spot on a "Let's Go Snorkeling" tour that left (by rickety boat) from Mahahual. We enjoyed puttering along the coast a ways, and our guide was charming and friendly, but the sea was quite rough and the snorkeling was pretty mediocre. At least it was a bit of a workout to justify a few hours lolling on the beach afterwards.

At Cozumel we headed for Chankanaab (Paradise Beach seemed redundant after the beach at Mahahual, and we were eager to try to redeem the poor snorkeling experience). We weren't disappointed: the snorkeling was very good (not Hawaii good, but very enjoyable), and a whole lot of fun, and the setting was postcard nice. A relaxed and fun day--one of the highlights of the cruise. We snorkeled above a scuba excursion as they made their way along the shore to the mouth of the underwater caves, and watched them disappear into the dark opening--that looked like a cool trek for scuba-enabled. Speaking of cool, the fresh water pouring into the ocean from these caves was about 15 degrees colder than the ocean--brrr! Never made it to "town", since shopping isn't high on our must-do list.

Bottom line: a very nice (B to B+) cruise experience offering excellent value--you'll enjoy it!

Thank you so much for your review. I am sailing the Rhapsody in July for the first time, after many Carnival and a couple of Princess sailings.

TxCrsrs:

So are you saying to book train excursion or to just go it on your on? We would like to do this excursion but I was unsure since website shows last train at 4:30pm if we would have time. Please advise!

TxCrsrs:

thanks for your lengthy and detailed review; we are leaving on Oct 24 and can't wait. What time did you get off the ship at Costa Maya? Did you have a long taxi wait?

Just like you, we will quickly bypass the 'fake' town and head to Majahaul. Did you eat anywhere there?

The tram tour is a good idea--and if you book it through the ship you will not have to worry about the late arrival (as I mentioned, they seemed to run for a few hours past the scheduled times, anyway). The patter was fun, and you get to breeze by all of the "sights" of Key West without having to walk it or navigate (many of them seemed walkable, but you criss-cross so much it feels less compact than it is!). Worth doing. By the way, a friend and his family took the evening "ghost tour" (sorry, I don't know which one, I believe there are a couple) and said it was super--the guide was great and their young son really enjoyed it. The afternoon arrival wasn't a big deal--I believe that the Aquarium and shipwreck museum stayed open late because the ship was in port (didn't go to either), and the main drag, Duval street, is actually a bit livelier and more attractive as evening hits and the temperature drops.

Taxi to Mahahual: no waiting at all (we were the only ship at Costa Maya). You can walk straight back to the stand (the ship will give you a little map of the entry area). It is all extremely user/American friendly, efficient and relaxed. No idea what the name of the beachfront restaurant was, sorry -- it was close to the "ship/entrance" end of the little village strip. I wouldn't worry too much--just find a spot on the sand, under a palapa or other shade, order a beer and relax--if you want, you can always pick up and move a hundred feet further down the beach. Not many other options for Costa Maya - I know someone who took a horseback ride and enjoyed it. The little entry area is o.k., but save it for the trip back toward the ship. We sat through a little free folklorico show, wandered the shops briefly, and thought the large pool (with swim up bar and all) looked pretty, but Mahahual is closer to a real Mexican beach experience, in a low-key and relaxed way. Enjoy.