Friends, we were on the Rhapsody of the Seas out of Galveston last week
and I thought I'd give you some quick impressions. Because she's been
around for a while, I won't go into great detail about the layout, etc.,
but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. This is more to let
you know how the ship, nearing 9-years-old, is holding up.

First a brief word about getting to Galveston, because the subject comes
up pretty frequently here. We flew from New York into Bush this time
(went to Hobby last time), and found the best way for us to do it was to
rent a car at the airport and drive. The cost was much less than a
private limo and just a tad more than a shuttle bus. Plus, we had the
flexibility to go where we wanted, when we wanted, as well as having
transportation in Galveston pre-cruise the next morning. Enterprise
upgraded us from the mid-size we booked up to a full-size, and
eventually into a van when their inventory proved light. It was great
for the cruise luggage. They also didn't charge us a drop-off fee,
which was a very nice, unexpected bonus.

We had already Pricelined a hotel to stay over Saturday night, so we hit
Casey's on the beach for a delicious fried seafood dinner. Thanks to
everyone who recommended it...it fit the bill perfectly: casual
atmosphere, friendly service and excellent food, all at a very
reasonable price.

After dinner we checked in at the Harbor House hotel. Nice, large room.
Nothing super special, but clean and convenient.

On Sunday morning we dropped our luggage at the pier, just a few minutes
away, and returned the van to Enterprise. They shuttled us back over,
and by 11:45 AM we were checking in. There were no lines to speak of,
especially for Platinum/Diamond Crown & Anchor members. At 11:50 we
were DONE and boarding the ship. Ah, the wonders of preregistration and
the Set Sail pass!

We snuck up to the cabin (which wasn't officially ready until 1 PM) just
to drop off our carry-ons, and were intercepted by our cabin steward,
Maria, one of the best we've had in fourteen cruises. She immediately
greeted us by name and joked with us about breaking the rules. Our room
had already been finished; we found our robes, coupon booklets, cruise
compass and life jackets displayed neatly on the bed, and a bottle of
wine from our TA in a cooler bucket. Dontcha just love the first day??!

Having skipped breakfast, we went up to the Windjammer for the
traditional welcome aboard buffet, and we were firmly in cruise mode!

From here forward, let me not dwell on all the minute details. I'll
just say that the ship is in beautiful condition. We loved the
(relatively) small size after cruising on her larger sisters and cousins
recently. Twice now, we have cruised from Texas and found the passenger
mix to be warmer and friendlier than anywhere else. While it's a
sweeping generalization, I know, the Texans, Oklahomans and Louisianans
that comprise the bulk of the guests seem to just want to have a good
time, and they're willing to take you along if you let them...which we did.

We were adopted by a group of about a dozen Texans (Fort Worth) whose
balconies were above ours at the aft of the ship. We made friends the
first afternoon while we were all outside enjoying the pre-muster drill
weather. As the token New Yorkers, we were simultaneously kidded and
embraced, all in fun.

The size of the ship made it much easier to make friends, as we wound up
seeing many of the same folks over and over again, and conversation came
easily.

One of our favorite -- no, THE favorite place to hang out was with the
incomparable Derek Lewis in the Schooner Bar at night. For those of you
who've partied with Derek, well, you know what I mean. If not, all I
can say is go! Honest to goodness, if you're looking for fun, I'd book
the Rhapsody just to spend the evenings in the Schooner Bar. Derek runs
the "adult day care at night" with a combination of "Kamakazee
Karaokee," sing-alongs, song parodies and general music run amok. A
good time is definitely had by all.

The entertainment on the ship was routinely good. I didn't hear the
pool band much, preferring the quiet of my balcony this cruise, but the
pop/dance band Diezel was excellent, the Royal Caribbean singers and
dancers were their typical energetic selves, and the other entertainers
we saw, comedian David Morgan and Chucky, and gymnast Lance Ringold
(surprisingly) were quite good.

Cruise Director Dan "Dan Dan the Party Man" Whitney was superb, showing
up at the Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle (which is rare), learning our
names and using them throughout the week. He was emblematic of the
entire staff: friendly, professional, involved (but not in your face),
and wanting to do whatever possible to ensure a good vacation.

The food was good to very good, certainly much better than merely
adequate. About my only quibble would be the lack of an omelette
station in the Windjammer for breakfast. Our waiter (Maximo from Chile)
was fabulous, and a true pro at steering us toward and away various menu
items. He was exactly on target all week. The breakfast buffet was
open until 11 AM every day, lunch came immediately thereafter until 3
PM, and following that, they went right into the afternoon snack setup.
Additionally, there were hot dogs, decent pizza, excellent fries and
more in the Solarium pool area throughout the day until late at night.

They threw a top notch repeaters party for Platinum and Diamond members,
as well as another nice one for all Crown & Anchor guests. The captain
(Teo) was as warm and approachable as everyone else on board, making
this truly the friendliest ship we've ever been on. (And with 14
cruises in the last 7 years, that's saying a bit.)

As for the ports, we were in Key West from 3 PM to midnight, one of the
main reasons we booked this cruise. We totally enjoyed the sunset
celebration at Mallory Square, did our own version of the Duval crawl,
stopped for a bunch of cocktails, had dinner, and laughed the night away
at Irish Kevin's. An awesome stop.

We missed Grand Cayman due to rough seas in the harbor. To his credit,
the captain gave a thorough explanation and steered us straight for
sunshine and smooth water. We didn't miss the stop, having been there
several times before, but I felt bad for the first-timers. For us, it
was a beautiful bonus sea day. Dan and the cruise staff added a
boatload (no pun intended) of activities to the schedule, which became
jam packed with things to do (or not). Derek Lewis did an unscheduled
set out by the pool which was, typically, a lot of fun.

The weather was iffy when we got to Cozumel, so we decided to skip our
planned trip to Paradise Beach and wait out the tender crowd. We got
off, found an Internet Cafe ($1 for an HOUR), did some shopping, and
just beat the raindrops back on board. Friends who visited Mr. Sanchos
said the beach there is still mostly gone; others who were at Paradise
Beach reported it to be in better shape, similar to how it was
pre-Wilma. The downtown area seems to be pretty much back to normal,
and it was nice to contribute to the recovery by spending some tourist
dollars there.

Debarkation was quick and painless. They even gave us the option for
Express Departure, taking our own luggage with us and walking off. We
declined, having nowhere else to go but back to the airport in Houston.
Instead, we hung around the Viking Crown Lounge until we were ready to
leave. Did a rental car back to to the airport. As I said, quick and
painless.

Okay...I've rambled on far longer than I intended. I'll sum up by
saying I would take this cruise again in a hearbeat. The rates on the
older ships tend to be lower, especially those leaving from markets like
Texas. But I'd pay MORE to repeat this exact cruise...what stronger
endorsement could I give?