Rhapsody of the Seas - May 23, 2008 Beginning of the Alaskan Season

[mcca2]

Wrona,

 

Wonderful review. We were on the Rhapsody when she left Galveston through the Panama Canal, when we sailed with your Mustard OTS Captain, Gunnar.

 

I agree the staff are wonderful. I would also like to know if Derrick Lewis is still on board. We had some great nights with him in the Schooner bar.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip, and thanks for the review.

[PC2]

Wrona: Glad you are having a great time. Two questions when you get a chance, what car service did you end up using to get from the airport to the Marriott and we'll be on deck 8, what is the Crown & Anchor Study and the Explorers Club used for.

 

Hope you continue having a great time and great weather!

 

Sandy

[wrp96]

Posting from a cybercafe in Skagway.

 

Answers to a few questions: yes, Derek Lewis has adult daycare every evening.

 

From the airport to the Marriott my best friend and I just took a taxi which was a joke. Two adult women who are members of overpackers anonymous and they tried to fit us in a small taxi, we barely fit in the crown victoria they finally brought.

 

From the hotel to the terminal, the hotel arranged a ride with Omar at A J Town Car & Limo Service. I believe we paid $35 for a van ride to the pier (flat rate). He has told us that it is $10 per person from the terminal to the airport so some members of our group will probably use him.

 

The Crown & Anchor Study is the loyalty ambassadors spot.

 

Yes, Fran and I have actually talked a bit about you Rick. We are sharing a table and lots of fun.

 

We had the top brass of Rhapsody onboard the ship for the first part of the cruise. AND Rhapsody had her inspection yesterday in Juneau. For those of you that are interested, she scored a perfect 100!!!:D :D :D

 

Captain Johansen is a hoot. We look forward to his announcements "Good morning sunshine..."

 

They are trying out new menus onboard the ship and we have all been very impressed with the new menus and the quality of the food. The only issues have been at breakfast where the bacon has been coming out not so crisp (I keep telling people to send it back) and they have troubles finding soy milk for me.

 

Today is a beautiful morning in Skagway. I sent the family off on the White Pass Railroad while I explore Skagway. I have rented a car for later from Avis which they let me leave in the lot while I explore. Rhapsody is at the Railroad Dock which is about a 1/4 mile walk from town but very beautiful. Veendam and Celebrity Millenium are elsewhere closer to the center of town. What's cool is at the railroad dock they have this rock wall that is painted with the names of ships and captains that have visited Skagway.

 

When the family gets back we are going to use Murray's Guide and drive to Canada. Hopefully my Canada, Eh friends will let me in.

[crazy 4 cruising]

Posting from a cybercafe in Skagway.

 

Answers to a few questions: yes, Derek Lewis has adult daycare every evening.

 

What's cool is at the railroad dock they have this rock wall that is painted with the names of ships and captains that have visited Skagway.

 

.

 

Derek is there? now I am really bummed that we didn't go with Rhapsody, if you come back on here and tell me that Chan is on her, I am really going to be upset. my sister voted for Radiance becasue of the AFT GS we scored and the concierge lounge.

 

speaking of Derek, the Today show is on and the B52's are singing Love Shack, one of Derek's favorite "randomly" chosen songs.

 

have fun

[madforcruising]

Wrona,

send Derek my greetings. We had great fun with him on the Rhapsody repo Galveston to San Diego. Not sure he remembers me but send my greetings anyway. He sure will remember the guys I was with, Allan in his kilt and Daniel from Australia who was on crutches after hurting his knee while dancing on the table in the Schooner Bar:eek:

[wrp96]

One more note, Captain Johansen's announcement this morning was extremely funny because he talked about us having 12 hours in port, but if that wasn't long enough be sure to take your camera for the extremely rare photo of Rhapsody of the Seas sailing away - without you!!! He did this because yesterday we had a family of 4 that we waited for before departing - and when they arrived at the pier they acted like they still didn't realize that they were late. The Captain was out on the bridge wing while we waited and he did not look happy about it.

[B'smeme]

Wrona, You don't miss an opportunity to post, do you? Thanks for taking all this time to keep us informed. I find myself being drawn to cruise critic to see what else is being said about your cruise. You mentioned using a shuttle in Juneau. Are the shuttles located at the docks? Do they only go to Mendenhall or are there shuttles to take you other places (like Macauley Salmon Hatchery)? Also you talked about AJ Town Car & Limo Service from the port to the airport. I've been concerned about how to get back to the airport after we dock for a 12:10pm flight. Do you need reservations in advance or is there transportation just waiting for people to use? Glad your having a great time and the weather is cooperating!

Joyce

[cmyers]

quote: Hi cmyers...come say hello to us over on our cruises message boards. There are a few that have joined us in the last few days. Are you signed up for Meet and Mingle? If not, I think you can still do so. We're almost there! Here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showt...540185&page=18

 

I have no idea how all this stuff works but I think I added a response to the link. My husband and I are celebrating 35 years. Where are you meeting and mingling?

[nmcrzer]

Thank you for the updates! We are boarding her on Friday.

 

Quick question: what is the general temperature in the interior areas of the ship, particularly the dining room? Does it seem comfortable, or is a sweater necessary?

[crazy 4 cruising]

Wrona, will you ask Derek how long he will be on Rhapsody please. This has me seriously considering changing from Rdiance to Rhaps--plus we can save quite a bit on the cruise cost AND flight cost. but if I tell my sister that Derek is there & we go and he is on vacation--I will be murdered and not able to enjoy anymore crusies;)

thanks

[gizzy15@iowatelecom.net]

Thank you for the updates! We are boarding her on Friday.

 

Quick question: what is the general temperature in the interior areas of the ship, particularly the dining room? Does it seem comfortable, or is a sweater necessary?

 

Wonderful question!!! I am curious to the anser tothis aswell, Wrona:)

[PudgiPoo]

Thank you for your posts from the Rhapsody. Hate to not have her here in Texas. Wish I was traveling on her this summer, but will have to wait until next year. I will live vicariously through your post. I am so happy to hear she is still the friendliest ship on the seas.

[PC2]

Thanks for the information, Wrona. I think we will stick with Executive Town Car from the airport. We will also be going back to the Marriott from the cruise for 2 more days. How did everyone like the White Pass Railroad? We are thinking of doing the 6 hour tour from the ship. Great news about the food. We are 2 cabins down from the C&A study so I guess we will be in there booking something.

 

Happy cruising.

 

Sandy

[habq]

Hi my family (Bill 44, Tammy 43, Jennifer 15, and Zachary 12) is on the May 30 cruise also. To sign up for our meet and mingle group you can go to the link below. Or you can also get there by going to the cruise critic boards main site and go down to Roll Calls and click on Royal Carribiean Meet and Mingle. Look near the top of the page for a link that says "Register to attend meet and mingle party".

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

 

 

Once signed up you can go to the thread for our cruise. It is under Royal Carribiean Meet and Mingle/Roll Calls - Rhasphody of the Seas/Sawyer Glacier May 30, 2008. The meet and mingle party is scheduled for Saturday May 31, 2008 at 12:30 in the Moonlight Bay Lounge but you need to register so Royal Carribean can now how many people to provide refreshments for.

 

Looking forward to meeting you.

 

Tammy

[DJTexas]

Hi my family (Bill 44, Tammy 43, Jennifer 15, and Zachary 12) is on the May 30 cruise also. To sign up for our meet and mingle group you can go to the link below. Or you can also get there by going to the cruise critic boards main site and go down to Roll Calls and click on Royal Carribiean Meet and Mingle. Look near the top of the page for a link that says "Register to attend meet and mingle party".

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=35

 

 

Once signed up you can go to the thread for our cruise. It is under Royal Carribiean Meet and Mingle/Roll Calls - Rhasphody of the Seas/Sawyer Glacier May 30, 2008. The meet and mingle party is scheduled for Saturday May 31, 2008 at 12:30 in the Moonlight Bay Lounge but you need to register so Royal Carribean can now how many people to provide refreshments for.

 

Looking forward to meeting you.

 

Tammy

 

Don't worry CM, we are here to guide you through. Just follow Tammy's instructions and you'll be fine. The boards are wonderful! I mean, look at what we are getting to do the week before we leave. We get to see what all we have in store, thanks to Wrona. One more thing, if you like slots, we are having a slot pull right after Meet and Mingle. It's gonna be fun! If you have time, read our posts from the beginning.

Donna

[CAC104]

ANY MORE PICTURES TO SHARE???????

[SweetpeaOne]

Thanks for posting the pictures of Seattle. We really do love going to visit the city..

[MellowMel]

I can't wait to read today's post!

[RoofingPrincess]

Hi Wrona! Thanks for sharing your cruise with us! I'm sure you're taking good notes so you'll know *ALL* the best spots and can advise Carol & I accordingly.

I thought of you on the Caribbean Princess. Especially when I took my girly shoes off to go down the stairs! :D

We had souffles for dessert on the CB but no one fed them to me... you just lead a charmed life. My mom wants to know how you got in so good with the upgrade fairy....

[wrp96]

Answers about Skagway, everyone LOVED the White Pass Railroad.

 

I myself was glad though I didn't do it after seeing the tracks from the Klondike Highway. If you are like me and are afraid of heights, I recommend getting a rental car from Avis like I did and driving the Klondike Highway. Murray's Guide is a fantastic resource and is totally true. I believe I took 470 photos on the drive alone. If you do rent a car, don't get a full size. We were given a Chevy Impala which was nice but had one problem - it only showed miles per hour and once you get into Canada the signs are in Kilometers per hour. I also got my passport stamped coming back into the US. Note: If you are a Canadian citizen, you cannot rent a car in the US and drive it back into Canada so this isn't an option for you.

 

Places to eat in Skagway - I got some good sandwiches from the Sweet Tooth Cafe which is on Broadway around 3rd street. At the railroad dock is the Skagway Fish Co which had EXCELLENT halibut fish and chips and King Crab legs.

 

 

Answering some questions I've seen about Juneau: in Juneau, at the AJ dock you go one way if you have a prebooked excursion, and another way if you want to catch the shuttle to town. Once you get to town (you are dropped off at the Mt Roberts Tramway) there are tons of kiosks where you can pick up tours, like the Mendenhall Glacier shuttle.

 

I have been taking tons of photos but every single time I go to use the wireless on the ship I can't locate it. I will try and upload once I get to my hotel in Seattle on Friday.

 

Temperature inside the ship, I have been comfortable most of the time, but then again the outside temps have been the 70s. I've been wearing short sleeves most of the time. I would plan on layering that way you are able to adjust temperatures for yourself.

 

Last night was "italian" night in the dining room, dress code was Smart Casual. The waiters sang and danced for us.

 

We had another alpha, alpha, alpha call yesterday. A woman fell and hurt her head. They observed her in the infirmary and think she has internal bleeding. So in the middle of the night we diverted on our route from Skagway to Tracy Arm over to Auke Bay (near Juneau - it's actually where we did our whale watch tour from in Juneau) so they could get her and her husband off the ship. They used the tenders to transport her to the waiting ambulance.

 

Tracy Arm was magnificent. I was up by 7am and we were already well into the Fjord with icebergs passing us by. On both sides of Tracy Arm mountains tower with occasional valleys. You see tons of water falls, trees, snow covered valleys, icebergs etc. The Captain was even pointing out wildlife to us from the bridge wings. We made it within 6 miles of the North Sawyer but had to turn back because there was too much ice. We were not disappointed though because what we saw was spectactular. For most of the time, we had someone narrating to us about glaciers and Tracy Arm. I had invited the ladies of my group to our suite so we all sprawled on chairs and couches and watched it go past (when we weren't on the balcony itself) and it was like a live documentary with the commentary.

 

About 2:15 this afternoon I got to watch the Alaska pilot leave the ship on the port side.

 

Of course at 3:30 we met for our bridge tour. We were basically given access to everything and the 3 officers on the bridge were answering constant questions. We even got to sit in the chair!! They are the ones that told us about the diversion as most people wouldn't know about it unless they happened to be up and about when it happened. The Captain was not there as he had a late night with the diversion and an early morning with Tracy Arm.

 

Tonight is casual night (country attire).

 

Weather is still continuing to be wonderful although it is a little cooler today out at sea than other days. There are also a few clouds for the first time since we left Seattle.

[wrp96]

Hey roomie, hope you had as great a time with your mom as I am having with mine.

[travelforlife]

I will be with my family in July on the Rhapsody!! Could you tell me if they have family swim time in the covered pool, as I will be bringing my kids. Do they do anything different during an Alaska cruise, compared to a Caribbean cruise?

 

Thanks!!

[wrp96]

Yes, the family swim time is 12 to 2pm, then again from 4pm to 8pm.

 

I haven't seen as many activities this trip as on previous cruises, but it may have to do with this being the first cruise of the season - they are still in transition from Asia where many things were done completely differently. Love and Marriage was last night, I believe Quest is tonight.

[crazy 4 cruising]

Yes, the family swim time is 12 to 2pm, then again from 4pm to 8pm.

 

I haven't seen as many activities this trip as on previous cruises, but it may have to do with this being the first cruise of the season - they are still in transition from Asia where many things were done completely differently. Love and Marriage was last night, I believe Quest is tonight.

 

great info Wrona, thanks. I had no idea about Tracy Fjord, that sounds wonderful, especially since we hhave already been to Glacier Bay. Whaqt side of the ship is your cabin?

 

We did switch from Radiance to Rhapsody Aug 22 sailing. I know we will not be disaapointed being back on our favorite ship

 

Question--does Rhapsody still have Drinking Academy? when I have asked other ships, they thought Rhaps was the only one doing it.

 

thanks again for this live posting

[travelforlife]

Thanks so much for the nightly posts, as you are bringing joy to me each day:) My kids, husband, and I are so excited for our July cruise!!

 

Have a safe and wonderful trip!!