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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be not so quickvbg
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? |
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be not so quick vbg
Peri,
First, I can't remember reading another one of your reviews comments and discussion, sure, but review, no, but how could I not remember, you are such a terrific writer?! Your "quick" recap was delightful to read. Thanks for making the effort. Second, I am so glad you had fun on the Rhapsody. I worried about reassuring you that you'd like it--thanks for coming back and telling all of us what a good time you had. I am impressed with the consistency of the Rhapsody. Your take on it as an experienced cruiser reinforces my opinion that it's a "recommendable" cruise. I'm actually kinda tempted to go out on her again, esp. if I could be sure that Dan Dan the Party Man and Derek Lewis were still aboard! And thanks for the plug for the locals who tend to make up the majority on those ships out of Galveston! I agree, we're a fun-loving and friendly bunch! I married a New Yorker, so I gotta love you guys, too. But there's nothing like Texans...okay, you Okies and Cajuns, too! Thanks, Peri. What's next for y'all? Diana Ball near Houston, TX |
#3
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be not so quick vbg
Peri,
What an excellent job with your review. We took the Rhapsody in 2004 and have another booked for this September. I too hope the same crew may be aboard. Your review was exactly as we view the Rhapsody and those who sail in her. We are native New Yorkers, but should be receiving our Texas citizenship papers any day now having lived in the Ft. Worth area for over 27 years. We look forward to cruising with our kind of people again. Thanks, Ray Bensch "Peri" wrote in message ... 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. |
#4
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be notso quick vbg
Peri wrote: 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. We sailed on the Rhapsody in Feb. '04 and we also had the best cabin stewardes that we had ever had. That was the cruise I got sick on and she was so attentive and worried about me. We loved the (relatively) small size after cruising on her larger sisters and cousins recently. We had sailed on her sister, the Splendor in '96 and loved both ships. I also think that this class of ship is just the right size. 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. It sounds as if the food has improved since our sailing on the Rhapsody! I hope that the improvement continues, since the mostly lousy food has stopped us from sailing RCCL for now. I just asked Kevin and we are both pretty sure that there was an omelette station when we were on the ship. Thanks for your review, it gives me hope that we will be back on this class of ship and RCCL again one day. sue |
#5
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be not so quick vbg
Hi Sue & Peri,
We had sailed on her sister, the Splendor in '96 and loved both ships. I also think that this class of ship is just the right size. I totally agree with both of you that the size of this class ship is just right. I think they have gotten far too large and you lose that more intimate feeling and don't feel as much a part of what's going on. I just asked Kevin and we are both pretty sure that there was an omelette station when we were on the ship. I forgot to address this before. Yes, there is an omelet station, but he's kind of hard to find. He is sandwiched in the middle between the two serving sides in the Windjammer. Happy Cruising, Ray Bensch |
#6
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be nots...
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#7
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be notso quick vbg
D Ball wrote:
Peri, First, I can't remember reading another one of your reviews comments and discussion, sure, but review, no, but how could I not remember, you are such a terrific writer?! Thanks, Diana, I consider this quite a compliment coming from you...someone whose writing I enjoy immensely. Thanks, Peri. What's next for y'all? Unfortunately, we have nothing booked until a Brilliance partial Panama Canal in January of '07. We would have joined the SGC this year, except our daughter's Bat Mitzvah is Labor Day weekend. Yes, some things in life are actually more important than cruising :-). We visited the future cruise consultant on this past cruise to also book another family trip. We tentatively decided on the Millennium with an Eastern itinerary in April of '07. It's good to take advantage of the shipboard credit for booking on board, and we can change the reservation if we come up with something else instead. How about the Ball family? Where are you headed next? I sure hope that one day we wind up in the same place at the same time!! ~ Peri |
#8
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be notso quick vbg
Ray Bensch wrote:
I forgot to address this before. Yes, there is an omelet station, but he's kind of hard to find. He is sandwiched in the middle between the two serving sides in the Windjammer. I think this used to be the case, Ray. We checked, and it was NOT there this sailing. Maybe it was just an anomaly of this cruise, but the only omelettes to be found were in two chafing dishes at the end of the buffet line. (I'd never seen this before.) There were two different ones daily, one with cheese, say, and another with mushrooms or peppers. The variety changed each day, although there was usually one with cheese. You could, of course, order custom omelettes in the dining room. We had breakfast there one morning when the Windjammer was unexpectedly closed. Turned out there was a HUGE list during the night (we slept right through it) that dumped gallons of water into the area. They spent the rest of the overnight and morning cleaning up and drying it out. To their credit, they did a fabulous job of handling the 2000 some odd passengers in the dining room...traffic that is not normally seen there for breakfast. I took advantage of the opportunity to order the eggs benedict (with a side of bacon, of course vbg). Omelettes were also available from room service for breakfast. Tom K, you'll be happy to know that the salmon on the breakfast buffet was excellent and available every day. There were capers and onions on the side. No chocolate croissants, a la Celebrity, but yummy plain ones. ~ Peri |
#9
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be not so quick vbg
Peri,
Hmmmm, well I'll have to wait until September to report back about the omelets ... LOL I'm sure however they serve them, they are great. Heck, we may try breakfast in the dining room for a change for a change of pace. You mentioned the HUGE list one night. Someone at work was on the Rhapsody recently and said something about a 16' wave. I wonder if you were on the same cruise? Get your cruise on, Ray Bensch I think this used to be the case, Ray. We checked, and it was NOT there this sailing. Maybe it was just an anomaly of this cruise, but the only omelettes to be found were in two chafing dishes at the end of the buffet line. (I'd never seen this before.) There were two different ones daily, one with cheese, say, and another with mushrooms or peppers. The variety changed each day, although there was usually one with cheese. You could, of course, order custom omelettes in the dining room. We had breakfast there one morning when the Windjammer was unexpectedly closed. Turned out there was a HUGE list during the night (we slept right through it) that dumped gallons of water into the area. They spent the rest of the overnight and morning cleaning up and drying it out. |
#10
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Quick Rhapsody Roundup -- okay, well it turned out to be notso quick vbg
Ray Bensch wrote: Peri, You mentioned the HUGE list one night. Someone at work was on the Rhapsody recently and said something about a 16' wave. I wonder if you were on the same cruise? When we were on the Rhapsody, 2/04, we had hurricane force winds and the ride was very smooth. That had to be really bad if the ship had a HUGE list. sue |
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