Rhapsody Post-dry dock?

[tigfam]

Lori -- They have almost a month to get it straight -- we should be fine!

 

Hog Wild -- I signedup my kids & DH for the meet & mingle -- should be fun, and if anyone is unhappy -- they can leave. Sounds like a great way to meet new friends!

[tigfam]

Lori -- They have almost a month to get it straight -- we should be fine!

 

Hog Wild -- I signedup my kids & DH for the meet & mingle -- should be fun, and if anyone is unhappy -- they can leave. Sounds like a great way to meet new friends!

[TEXASMUNK]

Meet & Mingle is usually set up for MONDAY at 11a. NOT on sail-away day at 3pm

 

Many folks who are signed up for M & M set up their own get together at 3PM, pool side on sail away day

[Lake Erie Boaters]

THanks Jim, I had no idea there were 2! :D Good to know!

[wolfganghowell]

BS - sorry it was a disappointment. It will be interesting to hear from more cruisers. This is why the rates were dropped so low after dry dock. It's a shame the ship was not more........ship shape. However, I shake my head when people start screeching (or muttering) class action lawsuit. Read the contract, my friends. You accepted the ship in advance. I'm sorry it sounded bad but as we always seem to do on this board - was there anything positive? You say the crew really tried hard. How was the actual new bedding, new refurbishing? What are the rumored changes in Schooner Bar and Casino and other areas? Have they changed the decor? Believe me, I understand the disappointment and I am reminded again to NEVER book after a dry dock. The cruisers took a calculated risk - some perhaps not knowing any better - and apparently they lost.

[p2lockhart]

Sorry your cruise experience was so disappointing. I hope that all the kinks are worked out by next Sunday when we cruise. I, too, would like to know about the bedding and other refurbishments that have taken place.

Also, when and where was your M&M? On the Oct. 1, 2006 cruise it was on Monday; 12:30-1:30; Moonlight Bay Lounge, Deck 6 aft. Just wondering if it has changed. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[BS102]

Sorry I was so downbeat, and I thank ou for your sympathies. There were some good things. :) Food was good at night. Weather was great, and after they got the pool area fixed, it was good, too. The new bedding has < I think< ducets (?)--anyway, those blankets in a bag, except the bag is a nice sheet with crown and anchor logos. Very comfortable. The inside of the ship looked great, and by end of the cruise, so did the outside. New phone system. The lounge entertainers were very much above average. I guess I do need to pay more attention--I didn't know it was going into drydock. I agree about lawsuits. I don't like cruisers who beg for compensation. I am still peeved--and it would have been nice for the Captain to at least say he was sorry:mad: BS

[Chardo]

I'm back too. Bedding was new and very good. My room didn't appear to have new carpet. It wasn't old and worn out, but clearly wasn't new. My room never lost power, but it's true that most clocks had the incorrect time. The other comments above are mostly on the mark. I didn't notice lots of butts and other litter, but the windows were very dirty. There were also quite a few leaks from the ceilings in the hallways.

 

I'm a very easy going person, so I still put on a smile and had a fun vacation. However, I'm very disappointed with RCCL about the whole experience. This ship should not have sailed in this condition. They should have known the renovations would take longer and not scheduled any sailing last week. Failing that, we should have been told all the details before booking our vacation rather than finding out all the problems when it's too late. Also, a $20 credit for losing the first day of vacation is pathetic. They should at least offer us a significant credit toward a future cruise if they want to earn back our business.

[wolfganghowell]

Chardo and Bs - thanks for all the info. I suggest writing a nice even toned letter to RCCL - you might get a nice discount. Glad it was not all bad. Had they discounted the rates for this week? I'm curious how good the rates were since you obviously missed some nice amenities - like the Solarium and Windjammer. was it Captain Michel or Captain Anders? Anxious to hear about Schooner Bar and casino since we heard those were being redone. Glad they did duvets - those are nice and comfy. Thanks again for giving us the good, the bad and the ugly.

[kristnn]

BS - sorry it was a disappointment. It will be interesting to hear from more cruisers. This is why the rates were dropped so low after dry dock. It's a shame the ship was not more........ship shape. However, I shake my head when people start screeching (or muttering) class action lawsuit. Read the contract, my friends. You accepted the ship in advance. I'm sorry it sounded bad but as we always seem to do on this board - was there anything positive? You say the crew really tried hard. How was the actual new bedding, new refurbishing? What are the rumored changes in Schooner Bar and Casino and other areas? Have they changed the decor? Believe me, I understand the disappointment and I am reminded again to NEVER book after a dry dock. The cruisers took a calculated risk - some perhaps not knowing any better - and apparently they lost.

 

 

We were on the 2/18 sailing of the Rhapsody and yes, it was a big pain walking around Galveston with our hand luggage for 5 hours and it was cold waiting outside the terminal, but ultimately we we got on board and ended up having a great vacation. The beds are awesome and we slept like babies every night. Windjammer not done and buffets done in the dining room and Solarium which did make the Solarium very crowded and never saw anyone hardly get in the pool in there. I did not see any changes in the Schooner Bar or Casino. Think they are putting new outdoor carpet around pool as I saw rolls of it on the upper deck. Other than those things, I didn't notice anything else new or changed. The crew was awesome and we had the smoothest seas and greatest weather possible the whole week. We loved our dining room waiters (Ferdi & Sheldon) and we ate in the dining room every night which we did not do the first time and we loved the food! I know that many people are angry and upset, but my family can look past the bad and find the good. Maybe we aren't quite as picky as some? We booked this cruise a couple months ago and we had no idea it was going in for drydock and no representative from RCCI told us when we called and booked. Yes, it could have been better, but we could have had rainy, cold weather and 20 foot waves and been sick with Norovirus or something :eek: I will sail with RCCI again and remember life is short.. why keep crying over the bad stuff when you could be laughing about the fun stuff!!:p :p :p

[kristnn]

Chardo and Bs - thanks for all the info. I suggest writing a nice even toned letter to RCCL - you might get a nice discount. Glad it was not all bad. Had they discounted the rates for this week? I'm curious how good the rates were since you obviously missed some nice amenities - like the Solarium and Windjammer. was it Captain Michel or Captain Anders? Anxious to hear about Schooner Bar and casino since we heard those were being redone. Glad they did duvets - those are nice and comfy. Thanks again for giving us the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

 

Our rates never changed from the time we booked until we sailed. All we got was the $20 pp credit for missing dinner the first night. Captain Anders was on board and as I said above, the Schooner Bar and Casino were not changed.

[Chardo]

It was Captain Anders. Don't know if they were new, but the Schooner Bar and the casino looked very nice. Except for the craps table, with that vacuum at the bottom that sucked away all the chips.

[cruisecrazymama]

We were on the 2/18 sailing of the Rhapsody and yes, it was a big pain walking around Galveston with our hand luggage for 5 hours and it was cold waiting outside the terminal, but ultimately we we got on board and ended up having a great vacation. The beds are awesome and we slept like babies every night. Windjammer not done and buffets done in the dining room and Solarium which did make the Solarium very crowded and never saw anyone hardly get in the pool in there. I did not see any changes in the Schooner Bar or Casino. Think they are putting new outdoor carpet around pool as I saw rolls of it on the upper deck. Other than those things, I didn't notice anything else new or changed. The crew was awesome and we had the smoothest seas and greatest weather possible the whole week. We loved our dining room waiters (Ferdi & Sheldon) and we ate in the dining room every night which we did not do the first time and we loved the food! I know that many people are angry and upset, but my family can look past the bad and find the good. Maybe we aren't quite as picky as some? We booked this cruise a couple months ago and we had no idea it was going in for drydock and no representative from RCCI told us when we called and booked. Yes, it could have been better, but we could have had rainy, cold weather and 20 foot waves and been sick with Norovirus or something :eek: I will sail with RCCI again and remember life is short.. why keep crying over the bad stuff when you could be laughing about the fun stuff!!:p :p :p

 

 

We had Ferdi and Sheldon on our Thanksgiving cruise. We just loved them, esp Ferdi. She is so sweet.My teens, and DH too, just loved the way she says would you like some PEP per. Awww we sure miss them, and Rhapsody.

Glad you were able to overlook the negatives and still enjoy your cruise.

[hog_wild]

I am so happy to hear some good things. I too hate (and roll my eyes) at the lawsuit talk. I do however believe that there are some good points that need to be put into a letter to RCCI. The first is the no knowing about dry dock. I think that needs to be told to clients!! Even if it means an email or phone call to each passenger who booked. Second is that I agree $20 is not enough. If I am understanding correctly, you weren't able to board the ship around noon, when you usually would be able to, right? I would think that RCCI would have created a place in the termainal where the passangers could go, maybe set up a buffet there. They HAD to know prior to Sunday that they weren't going to be ready.

 

I know we head to the ship ready to eat lunch on board. We have never budgeted for lunch on our own, or for a "taxi" or what ever if we weren't able to get on the ship. I think this is were RCCI could have really stepped up and made some kind of difference.

 

I would send a letter pointing out the biggest problems. I would also suggest that they look into their dry dock procedures and how they notify passangers on the ship that will be on the first sailing.

 

So trying to stay on the positive side... what was your favorite thing about your trip? There has to be something and coming home doesn't count! Was there a crew memeber who went out of their way or an excursion that was awesome...

[cruiseknots]

BS - sorry it was a disappointment. It will be interesting to hear from more cruisers. This is why the rates were dropped so low after dry dock. It's a shame the ship was not more........ship shape. However, I shake my head when people start screeching (or muttering) class action lawsuit. Read the contract, my friends. You accepted the ship in advance. I'm sorry it sounded bad but as we always seem to do on this board - was there anything positive? You say the crew really tried hard. How was the actual new bedding, new refurbishing? What are the rumored changes in Schooner Bar and Casino and other areas? Have they changed the decor? Believe me, I understand the disappointment and I am reminded again to NEVER book after a dry dock. The cruisers took a calculated risk - some perhaps not knowing any better - and apparently they lost.

 

 

I have to disagree with the "calculated risk" part of your post. What exactly do you mean by this? If by this you mean that taking a cruise post dry dock may mean the ship will still have large areas closed for renovations, loud construction going on etc, then I think you are wrong. If anything, one might think that a post dry dock cruise is when the ship should be in it's finest shape. I agree that cruise lines rush their ships out of dry dock to minimize lost revenue. However, it is the cruise line that should take the blame for putting a ship in service that isn't quite ready, not the passengers who book them. I can't find anywhere in the brochure that warns passengers about post dry dock cruises. When your average person goes to a travel agent, books online, etc., they are booking a cruise that in their mind is just like the brochure or similar to a past experience. You should not have to ask about dry dock.

 

Instead of blaming passengers for booking these cruises, it should be the cruise line that accepts responsibility for putting revenue first and customer satisfaction second. I know when I book a cruise, I expect the ship to be in perfect working order and not under construction regardless of whether the ship was in dry dock or not. Now I know that there are some things that are beyond the control of the cruise line such as an unanticipated problem, but not scheduling enough time for a dry dock does not fall into that category. You can bet RCI would not accept a brand new ship in that condition simply because it can recover lost revenue from the builder.

[firefly333]

Of course you should not have to deal with those problems or know that the ship was in dry dock the week before you booked and think it was a risk on your part.

 

Some folks want to blame posters and so you have to consider the source in some of these cases.

 

Those of us who have booked Rhapsody in the near future are sorry you had problems and glad of your report.

[tkportersat]

I'm back too. Bedding was new and very good. My room didn't appear to have new carpet. It wasn't old and worn out, but clearly wasn't new. My room never lost power, but it's true that most clocks had the incorrect time. The other comments above are mostly on the mark. I didn't notice lots of butts and other litter, but the windows were very dirty. There were also quite a few leaks from the ceilings in the hallways.

 

I'm a very easy going person, so I still put on a smile and had a fun vacation. However, I'm very disappointed with RCCL about the whole experience. This ship should not have sailed in this condition. They should have known the renovations would take longer and not scheduled any sailing last week. Failing that, we should have been told all the details before booking our vacation rather than finding out all the problems when it's too late. Also, a $20 credit for losing the first day of vacation is pathetic. They should at least offer us a significant credit toward a future cruise if they want to earn back our business.

Yeah they should have given you a more significant OBC, Carnival gave us $50 OBC per person just because they changed Cozumel to Progreso on my last trip. Personally I feel what ya'll went through is worse than that. Carnival will also give OBC when a port is missed, RC doesn't. For me that is what gives Carnival the slight edge because it is just nice customer service. I do love RC too, so no one needs to send me nasty replies :)

[cruise.freak]

I have been on three cruises and I would have also assumed that the ship would have been completely done coming out of dry-dock. Those passengers should have been warned and given more compensation.

[kendy]

I am sorry the Rhapsody was not it's perfect self. Did anyone who was on the cruise happen to notice if they had or were turning the card room into a concierge lounge?????

 

Thanks!!

[BS102]

Kendy, the card room looked unmodified. They did schedule some '42' domino games there.

[Snoozeman]

Lot's of good advice on here. Yes, OBC probably should have been more than $20, but this cruise did have lower fares than sailings before and after. I too hope you get a future cruise credit. Maybe $50-100 to be applied with next booking.

 

I think BS had it right when she mentioned subcontrators in her original post. They probably over promised to RCL. There may have been problems at Mobile facilities as well, who knows.

 

As far as not booking the week after a dry dock, RCL can not assume that things will 'not be right' so they don't mention any possibility of everything not being ready. An experienced cruiser will not do so because it does seem to happen a lot to every cruise line.

 

Glad the weather was nice. Let us know about writing a letter to RCL.

[nursecruiser]

I have been on three cruises and I would have also assumed that the ship would have been completely done coming out of dry-dock. Those passengers should have been warned and given more compensation.

 

Hopefully, it will all be "ship shape" when we cruise in 3 weeks!!

[wolfganghowell]

Knot and Firefly - I did not mean to imply in any way that passengers were at fault. I term it a calculated risk because the trade off in these cases is you are charged a lower than normal fare. Why is that? Because corporate probably knows there will be a higher incidence of issues and they also take the calculated risk of dropping the fare to increase passengers. For a new cruise passenger, they took the risk unwittingly whereas an experienced cruiser knows what the potential problems could be. You are right to "expect" a perfect ship but unfortunately it has been shown that when most ships come out of service there are still glitches. I'm taking a calculated risk by cruising in hurricane season for the first time. The rates unfortunately are not lower than normal - probably because the ship is leaving so the demand is high. I won't complain about any missed ports, bad weather, rough seas or itinerary changes because I know the possibility exists.

I feel bad that these passengers didn't have a good cruise. I'm not blaming them. I think they deserve more than a $20 OBC for their late boarding. Most dry docks finish on time and whatever is not done is a minor inconvenience. This seemed more than minor but had RCCL cancelled the cruise, MORE people would be screaming. It's a no win situation sometimes. It doesn't make it right but life is like that sometimes. If it were me, I would write a well reasoned straightforward letter to RCCL - those are the type of responses that get results and can get policy changes. I heard before the cruise that some passengers in the rooms above the Windjammer were warned in advance of noise and inconvenience issues and were told pre-cruise there would be no compensation and no way to move them. Some were warned of potential problems.

 

I don't sound sympathetic when I hear class action lawsuit in this instance. For that I make no apologies. By the way, Carnival's OBC for changing ports was most likely a result of differences in port charges and tariffs rather than a corporate decision of Carnival's.

[firefly333]

I don't know what they paid that you seem to think they paid a lower rate. We got a very low rate for April 8th, so from the way you posted it, I should expect things to not be as great as if I had paid more for my cruise?

 

Call me a novice, but I sure would not have guessed from fares they paid either that it was because of coming out of dry dock. So if fares were even lower the week Im going....what could cause that and why? (tongue in cheek more or less to be honest). Because I think sometimes there just are more unsold cabins so they have a lower price, not because folks should be expecting trouble like you say. I didnt say to myself, there must be something wrong with the week I picked the price is too good.

 

Sorry, I dont buy your theory of calculated risk. We do have a good time no matter what happens, even bad weather. But the things the ship CAN take care of, we expect them to take care of them. Id have been dissapointed especially if they cancelled one of the shows on my cruise, that's my favorite part.

 

I think they have the right to feel the ship was not up to par if its true.

[wolfganghowell]

Fly, I think you are reading your own interpretation into my comments. I NEVER said they didn't have the right to feel disappointed or unhappy. I too would be the same way. Rates are priced differently for many reasons - and it was stated by other posters that they got lower rates that sailing date BECAUSE the ship was coming out of dry dock. I've gotten great prices for what I felt were perfect cruise weeks and others have been overpriced for whatever reason. I'm not asking you to buy my theory - it's just one person's opinion. That's what great about this board - everyone has an opinion and everyone is entitled to theirs. But please don't interpret mine to be unsympathetic to the passengers on this sailing. I've stated repeatedly I am and I'm disappointed for them that they didn't have a great cruise. However, having done my research and having been on a cruise after a European repositioning, I know that those are the very weeks that more problems arise. That's also why this board exists - so that people may research and make decisions based on what is right for them. Because of this, more people may be leery of a post dry dock cruise. Because of this, RCCL may rethink its policy on sending a ship out that is not 100% ready to go. I think what is also going unsaid is that this was not a normal dry dock where it's spit and polish but a "refurbishment". Of course RCCL could have handled the problems better - that's nothing new for a cruise line. Now - let's keep to the topic which is actually hearing about the good and bad information on the ship itself.