Just off the Rhapsody 4/1-4/8:

My husband and 14 yo son just got off this cruise - it was our 6th having cruised the Navigator 2x, the Voyager, the Golden Princess and the Carnival Miracle to give you some perspective.

- We flew into Dallas for family reasons and booked a car one way from Hertz. Drove that same day to Clear Lake outside of Houston and stayed at the Towneplace Suites - $122 for a 2 bedroom but we were a bit disapppointed - kind of old and dingy and very crowded area. Drove to Galveston the next morning - my dh dropped myself and ds and luggage off and he easily returned the car and called a taxi which he shared with 4 others who had also dropped off their cars (the 10:30 Hertz shuttle no longer exists - only 11:30, 12:30 and 1:30. We were on the ship by noon.

Ship: Great condition - I was quite concerned about it being 10 years old but I thought it was terrific. We shared an inside cabin on the 4th floor which is a nice location since we were about 20 feet from the Centrum. Beds were very nice but seemed to be less room for storage than other ships we have been on. Our room steward was nice but not particularly thorough.

We did miss some of the bells and whistles the bigger ships have - the basketball court, putt-putt, it had a limited arcade. On sea days it seemed very crowded - chair hogs were out in full force. There were lots of kids on this ship - it seemd like more than any prior cruises and we only sail on school breaks since my dh is a teacher and the kids ran down the halls late late into the night.

Food: We really liked the food - for a cruise ship that is. Compared to the Miracle we took last June - this food was much better. We were a bit disappointed in the limited Windjammer hours and there didn't seem to be a place always open for a quick snack other than the Solarium which just had pizza burgers and fries. It didn't have any place like the Cafe Promenade on the Voyager ships where you could get cookies.

Shows: Only watched the comedy shows but thought they were quite funny especially one particular act. I think RCCL has the best comedians hands down.

Itinerary: Again the 2 consecutive sea days were kind of tedious with people elbow to elbow but got better when we hit the ports. Since this was an "extra" cruise we sailed on a tight budget and ended up not doing any excursions just walked around the ports - cabbed it to 7 mile beach which was a disppointment. I was told though the recent hurricanes have really slowly made it worse than it used to be. It was nice to return to the ship early as it had emptied out on the port days. We got to dock in Cozumel which was great as we got on and off a couple times during that day.

Ship staff: Great CD - we really enjoyed him. The rest of the staff seemed kind of sophmoric and adolescent though - hard to describe but we found them rather lame. Would walk right by them in the hallway ready to greet them and they would turn their face away - huh? Great wait staff.

Disembarkation: Since the rental car agencies were closed on Easter Sunday and RCCL had sold out their transfers we used Gulf Coast Limo - it was $144 for the 3 of us including tip. They were great - big black stretch limo - came early after we called them letting them know we were ready and they were there. Highly recommend their services especially considering RCCL charges $45 a head. Other tip is we were at the airport by 11 am and easily made a 12:21 flight out of IAH and we did not do the early departure.

Smuggling booze: We did not do this but we have brought on wine and beer in the past on RCCL - both in packed bags and carry-ons. The Galveston port is strict - one of my bags I packed Febreze and they did not deliver the bag to my room until I went down to security and unlocked my bag and let them look at it - it was Febreze! But they thought it was alcohol. You could see a table of all the confiscated wine and booze when we were getting off the ship.

We had a great time. Was a great cruise for the money but we will probably return to the bigger ships in the future.

Thanks for the update -- we leave in a few months. As far as the staff being not as friendly, I understand that they are training new staff to go with the Rhapsody to the Med. Sea.

I hate that they are losing their Southern hospitality..

great review!:D

We are leaving June 17th on the Rhapsody. We are 2 adults 38/39 and 2 kids ages 12/14.

My husband just okayed me to switch from one inside cabin to two instead....

In your opinion, would we really feel crowded having four of us in the room. Three of us are 5 feet 2 inches tall and my hubby is 6 foot. Any opinion is appreciated!

thanks!:)

I will be spending 10 days on Rhapsody in Sept. And am so nervous about it not being one of the "bigger" ships. What did you miss the most? Speciality restaurants? Just more room in general? Thanks for the review but I would love more feedback Thanks so much

prior poster I would say get the two rooms if you can. We took our two boys and put them in the room across from us. Much better!! 4 is a little too cramped in my opinion.

My husband and I didn't really miss anything - it was my 14yo son - he missed Johnny Rockets; the bigger (much bigger) arcade; the promenade; the putt putt golf course - and it just seemed like there was more room to just hang out, more bars to hang out.

Don't get me wrong - the Rhapsody is a great ship especially at the price we sailed at.

Another thing is the cabin's TV - it is like 13" and didn't have any pay movies - you may laugh - why watch TV on a cruise but we have found that late afternoon on prior cruises we would crash in our cabins and flip on a pay movie and relax. The Rhapsody's channel selections combined with the tiny TV had very little.

Odiesam...Do you happen to have any pictures of menus??

Who was your captain?

Thank you again for all your reviews and responses. Much appreciated

No pictures of the menu - sorry and I don't remember the captain's name other than when he spoke to us at the various functions I believe he said he has been on the ship a long time as he told everyone about the adjustments he had to make to sail aroung the various hurricanes Rita and katrina.

We just got off the Rhapsody 4/8th and had a fabulous time. We stayed on the 4th floor ocean view room and had a wonderful stateroom attendant. Never did I run in to any blah staff, all were extremely friendly and accomodating.

We were able to find lounge chairs both days at sea without any problems either. Yes, there were an estimated 600 kids on board of all ages but that is symptomatic of SPRING BREAK!

The food was excellent and we were NEVER hungry. In my opinion there is always too much food.

The ports were wodnerful as well. I booked nus on 2 private excursions seperate from the boat and they were awesome. I booked with Marva Shaw in Jamaica and she took very good care of us. We did Dunns River Falls and Mahogonay beach where my daughter had her hair braided and we relaxed.

Grand Cayman was spectacular! I booked with Island Marketing Waverunner and Sting Ray City. To see my parents on a jet ski at 65 yrs of age was something I will never forget!! The guides were accomodating, informative, and lots of fun!!!!! Highly recommend them and this tour.

Cozumel we did with the ship. Just a beach day at Playa Mia. Very relaxing. Got rained on but it was still a great day! Lots of time for shopping afterwards.

I have been cruising since I was 15 and have been on at least 10 cruises. Never had a bad cruise, they are all different and offer great things. If you are open to them, you can find fun in everything.

My daughter was in the talent show, I did the Miss Biceps contest, and the rest of my family enjoyed all the activities offered.

All in all, a great trip! The only shocker was the cold weather in Galveston the day we got off the boat.

We were on this cruise and had a great time, too! USC Girl, we also used Marva Shaw, and I think our family might have been on the same tour with you and your folks- we were the family from NE. (We really enjoyed Jamaica too, BTW)

Our overall impression of the Rhapsody was very positive. This was only our 2nd cruise, and we found the service onboard to be excellent. Most of our meals were eaten in the dining room - we only used the windjammer a few times and the solarium a few times. Our waiters were very prompt and professional, our stateroom attendant was consistent and attentive (Loved those mints and towel animals!!), and the staff in the hallways were always very courteous to me. We had 3 inside cabins on floor 4 behind the champagne bar- big family.

Our kids didn't really use the kid program too much -just the last day for the talent show- my youngest got a hoot out of playing piano on stage for that. Mostly they just hung out with us, which was pretty nice. We really liked the family oriented activities offered on this ship: Family scavenger-hunt; Family-karaoke; 80's trivia (my older kids are big-time into that with us); the family talent show; the magic show; the towel-folding seminar, and all of the entertainment offered after the dinner was for the most part, kid-friendly. We went to all of the shows, except the first night out- they were all fantastic. We did the behind the scenes tour in the Broadway Melodies Theatre- my daughters got a kick out of meeting the female singer and dancer. The shows are really entertaining.

While the kids were hanging out with grandma, my husband and I enjoyed the cocktail seminar- VERY FUNNY and well worth the $10 (you receive 4 cocktails). The mojitos and pina coladas in the SCHOONER BAR are wonderful, and come with some incredible views. Great bartenders and wait staff in the Schooner Bar.

We don't really gamble, so I can't offer comments on the casino. The pool area did seem pretty crowded, but we were able to find chairs. I prefer the upper deck where I can view the ocean, and the chairs are more plentiful there, but it is windier.

I really don't have any negatives to say about this cruise. Our shore excursion in Grand Cayman was through Cpt Marvin and was fun. Cozumel was through RCI and was combination Tulum/Xel-ha. We enjoyed this least of all excursions- too crowded, too rushed, and not quite enough bang for the buck in my opinion on this tour- so maybe I do have a negative to offer after all. But I don't feel this is a reflection of the Rhapsody but rather the tour itself. Or maybe just not the right tour for our family. Live and learn....

If anyone is getting ready to go aboard Rhapsody- get ready for the time of your life--you'll have a GREAT cruise!! We definitely did and are already thinking ahead to our next one!

Oh WOW! I think you were with us if you remember my folks. I was with my husband (big guy) and 2 kids too. We had Bridget as our tour guide for that day and only saw Marva in the beginning and a little at the beach.

Yes, we had a great time. My kids mostly hung out with us too. Nothing wrongwith the kids programs, just liked being a family thing.

Our table mates did the same tour I believe as you did in Cozumel. They too felt very rushed. They barely made it back for the last ferry. Had to literally run to make it. The bus they came in on actually left a person behind after waiting 20 minutes for her. The family could not find her either so the bus left!!! I don't know the out come. BUt our mates were of the same opinion of the tour but did love the ruins.

Glad you had a good time too. My daughter played the piano as well. DId your daughter play the lady bug piece? My daughter is the 14 year old that played her original song. She had fun too!

I don't think any vacation is ever perfect, but I definately rank this one very close!!!

I too was on this cruise. Great time. Nothing like sitting on your balcony watching the sea, eating cheese and crackers and the cookie of the day at 5 in the afternoon!

Food was plentiful and good. Service was excellent and never found the staff to be indifferent.

All of our excursions were through RCI and not crowded. We did the canopy tour, land tour and sting rays, ATV's.

I found the lack of towels to be a big problem. Always had to find someone to get a towel. Didn't care for the late shows. We had late seating and preferred when the shows were at 7pm and not 10:45pm.

Overall an excellent cruise.

Denise

Does anyone know of a nice resort to go to after Dunn River Falls, and what is the beach like at the falls?

We are going April 29th on the Rhapsody

Oh WOW! I think you were with us if you remember my folks. I was with my husband (big guy) and 2 kids too. We had Bridget as our tour guide for that day and only saw Marva in the beginning and a little at the beach.

 

Yes, we had a great time. My kids mostly hung out with us too. Nothing wrongwith the kids programs, just liked being a family thing.

 

Our table mates did the same tour I believe as you did in Cozumel. They too felt very rushed. They barely made it back for the last ferry. Had to literally run to make it. The bus they came in on actually left a person behind after waiting 20 minutes for her. The family could not find her either so the bus left!!! I don't know the out come. BUt our mates were of the same opinion of the tour but did love the ruins.

 

 

Glad you had a good time too. My daughter played the piano as well. DId your daughter play the lady bug piece? My daughter is the 14 year old that played her original song. She had fun too!

 

I don't think any vacation is ever perfect, but I definately rank this one very close!!!

Yes, that was us! When you mentioned your parents and Marva that tipped me off. Bridget was our guide. Plus, I think we saw you guys at the Kaibo Yacht club on your tour the next day while we were with Cpt Marvin. Looked like you were having fun. And our bus did leave a family behind at Xel-ha- I honestly don't know how they made it back to the ship in time because we did have to run to catch what seemed like the last ferry before the ship sailed.....We really felt for them because I think with the size of that place and the limited time we had there, it would have been a very easy mistake to have fallen into.... Xel-ha is tremendous and has a lot of paths that lead the opposite way from the parking lot so it is easy to get disoriented. I was just glad my husband had on his watch and we remembered the way out...

Our daughter Kat did play Lady Bug Boogie. She got a big thrill out of being up on stage where all the shows were- she really loved the magician. My son bought his DVD. And the meals, WOW. Dinner just seemed so ho-hum last night. My husband asked where was the soup and my kids expected pepper ground over their entree. :confused:

The kids are in agreement that this was their best vacation ever, so we are already plugging the piggy bank for the next cruise! (Why can't it still be last week????)

There isn't much of a beach at the Falls, but it is fun to get in the water there and stare up at all the water cascading down. That is really beautiful.

If you go out in the ocean there (at the base of the falls), watch out for the guy on the jet ski that is selling "merchandise". Still can't believe that my DH was approached while in the water by someone who asked him if he was a friend of Bob Marley.

Look on the Jamaica board to get info about beaches.

USC GIRL- was your daughter the young lady that played piano and sang a song that she wrote the music and lyrics to? We left after about an hour or so and didn't get to hear everyone's performance because our youngest was rather vocal about being hungry. However, we were fortunate to hear one very gifted young girl play and sing her own composition. She was amazing.

BJP, Yes that was my daughter playing the piano. She is a freshman in highschool and has very strong ambitions to be a music producer someday. She has played the piano for 5 years now but has a real love for the guitar. SHe really enjoys performing as well and has written over a dozen songs.

Thank you so much for the compliment......of course I am a super proud mommy but it means even more to her when she gets feedback like yours! I hope your daughter keeps up with the piano too!

Limeychefsue,

Are you signed up for the meet and mingle? Come and see our thread under meet and mingle and join our group.

We got off the Rhapsody today....if anyone has any questions.

I enjoyed the cruise as always.

My one complaint is with the food. I think Princess has better food in general. More specifically, Rhapsody had exactly the same food in the buffet every day and the same exact menu for lunch in the dining room every day, they only changed the dinner menu. What's up with that? First RCI cruise and the food was the one thing I found a little dissapointing.

Ship was gorgeous and found the staff friendly and enjoyed the shows, especially Glen (Glenn?) Smith the Piano player. I took tons of pics of Mickey Dolan from the Monkeys (and his sister Coco). Enjoyed his show a lot, but think the piano player had the edge on the overall show.

I too was on this cruise. Great time. Nothing like sitting on your balcony watching the sea, eating cheese and crackers and the cookie of the day at 5 in the afternoon!

Denise

I love cookies so was very dissapointed that the non sugar free "cookie of the day" as you call it was coconut it seemed like every other day. Im very allergic to coconut, it makes me throw up, its not a matter of just being picky.

Wish they would offer TWO cookies of the day in non sugar free varieties. Not everyone loves or is able to eat coconut cookies.

As I said my one complaint this past week was the food, didnt stand up to Princess. I do realize food is subjective and one just had more things I liked than this particular cruise on Rhapsody. I would still go back again in a heart beat, still better than my own cooking and I dont have to clean up.

Don't get me wrong - the Rhapsody is a great ship especially at the price we sailed at.

 

Another thing is the cabin's TV - it is like 13" and didn't have any pay movies - you may laugh - why watch TV on a cruise but we have found that late afternoon on prior cruises we would crash in our cabins and flip on a pay movie and relax. The Rhapsody's channel selections combined with the tiny TV had very little.

We too had a great price, so Im not complaining believe me. Just commenting. We had a laugh about the tv's which someone said were new when the ship was built in 1997? Its been a long time since I used a tv that you had to wait to see the picture and let it warm up. Cracked us up.

We did find that we had lots of storage in the cabins, in spite of them being smaller than any others we have been in. Lots of drawers and nooks and crannies for storage, more than we needed.

Being a small ship everything was handy and easy to get to. I thought the ship was beautiful.

Being a first time RCI cruiser, we had trouble remembering where to find our cabin. We were used to odd on starboard side and even on the port side. I was continually getting off the elevator and couldnt remember which way to turn :cool: , I know duuh!!!! hahahahah but we had fun. RCI has one crazy numbering system on cabins.

For those who have just been on Rhapsody of the Seas. What nights are causual/informal/formal? Just curious, planning out our wardrobes...

Smuggling booze: We did not do this but we have brought on wine and beer in the past on RCCL - both in packed bags and carry-ons. The Galveston port is strict - one of my bags I packed Febreze and they did not deliver the bag to my room until I went down to security and unlocked my bag and let them look at it - it was Febreze! But they thought it was alcohol. You could see a table of all the confiscated wine and booze when we were getting off the ship.

That is so interesting!

I was just onthe Splendour out of Galveston, March 31, 2007. I "smuggled" 2 gallons of water in my checked luggage and had no issues with anyone asking me to "identify" them.....

For those who have just been on Rhapsody of the Seas. What nights are causual/informal/formal? Just curious, planning out our wardrobes...

Monday and Thursday were formal. The rest were casual with Wednesday being Caribbean night.