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Royal Caribbean's
Rhapsody of the Seas
August 24 - 31, 2003
Cruise Review
by
Jeff and Debbie Woodard
Date: Sun, 7 Sep 2003 14:09:57 -0400
From: "Jeff and Debbie Woodard" <jwoodard@columbus.rr.com>
Subject: Review
We were aboard RCCL's M/S Rhapsody of the Seas from 8/24/03-8/31/03,
sailing out of Galveston, Texas. The ports of call were Key West,
Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We booked a Category C, suite with a balcony
on deck 8. We live in Columbus, Ohio, we are in our 30s and this
was our 8th Caribbean cruise, all with Royal Caribbean.
I've noticed that many cruise reviews flow along the same lines:
we get up, eat, do an activity, eat, another activity, eat, enjoy the nightlife,
eat, go to bed. I know when I'm reading reviews; I'm often looking
for helpful information on the Ship, crew and activities/services.
So, I am going to try to speak to this - if there is any further information
you would like to know, feel free to contact me and ask!
Pre-Day: Galveston
We arranged our own airfare and flew into Houston (IAH) on Saturday
August 23rd. (There are no flights directly into Galveston)
This was our first time to Galveston, so we did considerable research on
ground transportation and lodging options. Somewhat to our surprise,
we found it was most cost effective (and convenient) to rent a car in Houston
and drive to Galveston. We arranged to stay at a "no-frills" hotel
in Galveston that allowed us to park our rental car there for the entire
week, at no charge. We took a cab to and from the pier, for about
$12 each way. (There are various shuttle/limo/bus services that run
from Houston to Galveston and back - all were more expensive than what
we did, including the cost of the cab - we were also not impressed with
the parking facilities, or cost, at the pier.) Galveston is a relatively
small island town that looks to be in the midst of growing its tourism
and vacation appeal (from more of an industrial background.) We will
most likely return to using the Port of Miami in the future.
Embarkation:
We arrived at the Pier about 11 AM, made it through all security
in about 15 minutes. As we are Platinum Crown and Anchor members,
we checked in and received our SeaPass card right away. We waited
in a large holding room until about 11:50, at which time passengers were
allowed to begin boarding. We got our pictures taken by Ship's security,
and were about the 5th couple on board. I'm told it got much busier
from 1 to 3 PM. Our cabin was all made up, we met our stateroom attendant,
and headed off to start the week!
Debarkation:
As normal, we had to put our luggage outside our stateroom door
by midnight of the final day. We were given colored luggage tags
that designated the order we would leave the ship. We ate breakfast
in the dining room the waited in the Viking Crown Lounge with the other
Diamond/Platinum members for our color to be called. We left the
ship around 10:15 AM, picked up our luggage and got our cab out front in
about 15 minutes. The lines of people waiting to board busses and
shuttles, to get to their parked cars, or to the airport, were very long
and didn't appear all that organized.
The Ship: M/S Rhapsody of the Seas
Rhapsody is Vision class ship whose maiden voyage was in 1997.
While she may be starting to show some signs of wear, the ship is very
clean! We were on Explorer of the Seas late last year, so we did
notice the Rhapsody is not as open - especially when comparing Rhapsody's
boutique area to the Royal Promenade of the Voyager Class Ships.
The Solarium area and pools were very nice, and never crowded. Our
Category C suite was roomy enough for 2, the balcony was very nice - we
noted the clear Plexiglas that ran from the railing to the deck.
This made it easy to actually sit on the deck chairs and have a full view
looking out. The Edelweiss dining room was spotless! We enjoyed
dinner there every night, and a couple breakfasts and lunches. The
breakfast and lunch meals are open seating, making for a quicker meal,
and allowing you to meet and chat with more people. The Viking Crown
lounge was very roomy, had a great view and was never crowded during the
day. This is a great place to look out over the Sea! The ShipShape
center was nice and clean, but I would have liked to see some more exercise
equipment. The Windjammer Café was very well laid out, as
were the other lounges and the casino. On our last 2 days we were
dealing with Tropical Storm Grace, but as soon as both of Rhapsody's stabilizers
had been deployed, there was very little motion.
The Crew:
Captain Olaussen was by far the most personable captain we've ever
had. He gave a welcome aboard message on Sunday, and gave updates
everyday at noon. He had a great sense of humor and would talk for
10 or so minutes about our position, our depth, the weather forecast and
other maritime trivia and anecdotes. The Captain was also at the
Welcome Aboard party, the Repeaters party, frequently up on the pool deck
in the mornings and at the Parade. He also kept the passengers very
informed of the Tropical Storm when applicable.
Cruise Director Mike Hunnerrup was excellent! We first met
Mike when he was Assistant Cruise Director aboard Explorer. He presents
the perfect combination of quick wit and light-heartedness while always
acting very professional. His team is very hard working and seems
to want to do a good job for him. In fact, when Tropical Storm Grace
shut down the shore excursions in Cozumel, Mike and the staff printed a
Revised Cruise Compass which included numerous additional activities to
somewhat offset the inclement weather.
Our Cabin Steward Edgar was from the Philippines. We met Edgar
on the first day, he was quick to welcome us "back" as we were repeat RCCL
cruisers. He did all the expected towel animals and he kept our cabin
clean and the ice bucket full. I would see him often in the morning,
to and from my workouts, and he was a joy to talk to. He was a fast
worker and always treated us with nothing but top notch respect.
Our Dining room Staff consisted of Head Waiter, Amit, from Turkey,
Waiter Frederick, from the Phillipines, and Assistant Waiter Emmanuela,
from Romania. Frederick and Emmanuela were very good. Frederick
has been doing this for 13 years and was near perfect - very polished and
professional, while still being fun and informative. Emmanuela was
newer, she made a couple very minor mistakes, but was very respectful and
wanted to please. Our Head Waiter, Amit, was by far the best Head
Waiter we've ever had - he came by virtually every night (not just tip
night), and we could see him helping the others.
Erica the bar server!! We had the pleasure of meeting Erica
while aboard Explorer - she was the best bar server I have ever met (I
have 15 years of restaurant background). She is very fast and very
consistent. We very much enjoyed getting to know her aboard Explorer;
we were thrilled when we ran into her aboard Rhapsody! (it was a
complete surprise!) She was serving drinks in the Casino - so we
managed to end up there about every day!
The Food - was excellent! I've been hearing for almost 10 years
that RCCL's food is not that good. We have been on 6 different RCCL
ships and that cannot be further from the truth! While there were
a couple dishes that were not to our tastes (we try many different types
of dishes) we were given replacement(s) immediately. It is our biggest
pet peeve that some passengers are so arrogant (or stupid) that they do
not understand that there are 2000+ people that all deserve the same first
class treatment. We ate in the dining room, the Windjammer, ordered
room service, and ate in the Solarium Café - all were excellent!!
The Drinks. As my wife is pregnant, she had no alcohol, and
we purchased the Coke Card for about $35. They put a sticker on her
SeaPass card and she could get unlimited fountain sodas (Coke, Diet Coke,
and Sprite) all week. This was a very good value, as we both used
it off her card. We also had several frozen drinks (hers were all
virgins) and they were very good. A reminder here is to tell the
bartender/bar server that you want your beverage in a regular glass, or
they will serve it to you in a plastic souvenir glass, and charge you more
for it. I would also recommend not purchasing the pre-made drinks
the bar servers carry around, they are usually separated and melting, (and
in the souvenir glasses - more expensive) and generally not as good as
having them made at the bar. We did not have any wine with dinner
and I was told the after dinner shots/cordials were overpriced. (I
got my after dinner drink form Erica, while my wife played blackjack)
The Ports - Key West (arrive 3 PM, depart midnight)
Key West - we love Key West! We have never taken an excursion
here, just go hit the strip - visit Sloppy Joes (perform for the Live Duval
Street Web Cam), Hog's Breath and Margaretville. We love the hand
made jewelry on Key West - it is generally good quality and very unique,
we've had a couple pieces specially made for us while we wait. I
recommend visiting the nightly Sunset Festival at Mallory Square.
There you will see numerous artists performing for tips and selling their
goods - it’s a very entertaining event! Procedure note - passengers
are not allowed to go ashore until all non-U.S. citizens have presented
themselves for customs. We got off the ship around 4 PM I believe.
As the ship is in port during the dinner hours, the dinner times to eat
in the dining room are open from 6 to 8:30 - its generally a sparse crowd.
Grand Cayman (arrive 7 AM, depart 4 PM)
We always snorkel at Grand Cayman. Even with Tropical Storm
Grace looming and clouding up the skies, the snorkeling was very good.
We booked this excursion online (as we normally do with snorkeling excursions)
a couple weeks prior to the cruise. We had been on it before and
knew the 2 sites we would visit - both are very good for observing all
the marine life and to see the difference in depths (from 90 to 3000 feet)
right off Grand Cayman. As the Cayman dollar is stronger than the
U.S. dollar, we don't do much shopping while in port. We use the
"shopping time" to enjoy a not very crowded Rhapsody of the Seas!
Cozumel (arrive 10 AM, depart 7 PM)
Grace was picking up steam by now (wind and rain) canceling all
shore excursions. The Cruise Director's staff put out a revised edition
of the Cruise Compass and added more shipboard activities. Late in
the day we did go ashore to look at some of the close shops and the mall
right off the pier. Not much had changed since our last visit a couple
years back - the area wasn't that clean and I was continually offered drugs
and Cuban cigars. Next time we stop at Cozumel we will most likely
stay on board the ship.
Shipboard Activities: The Cruise Compass does a great job of
listing all the available activities you may want to take part in.
There really is something for everyone, and we've tried a lot of it.
Following is some of our comments on experiences we've had.
The Shows - we have not been to a shipboard show since the one we
walked out of on our very first cruise. I usually hear the same comments,
the cruise ship singers and dancers are good, the comedians are ok, and
the circus acts aren't so good. We have been taking an advantage
of a more and more frequent trend of the pre-dinner second seating show.
We eat second seating, the pre dinner show for second seating is at 7 PM,
during the first seating dinner, 1/2 the ship is eating dinner and the
other 1/2 is in the show, leaving virtually all other areas of the ship
deserted. This is a great time to have a Jacuzzi all to yourself,
be the only ones at the casino tables and slots, find your pictures at
the Photo Shop, visit the Purser's desk (if needed), be the only ones in
the Viking Crown lounge or just stroll around the top pool decks and enjoy
the privacy! (Almost all shows are replayed on the stateroom TVs
for the remainder of the week as well)
ShipShape activities - these are special activities noted in the
Cruise Compass that will earn you ShipShape dollars that you can redeem
for prizes at the end of the cruise. Activities range from workouts,
aerobics, stretching, pool games, walk-a-mile, to learning to dance to
ping pong and mini golf to shuffleboard and so on. I've found these
to be to be well run and a lot of fun. ShipShape offers some advanced
activities that sometimes cost a nominal fee (rock climbing, Pilates)
ShipShape also has a full Spa that is talked about non-stop. I'm
told its very pricy and nothing you can't get "back home" for much less
cost.
Men's sexy legs and belly flop contests. Both of these take
place at the main pool and are always a riot!
Karaoke - both the family and the adult Karaoke are usually a lot
of fun. The Cruise Director's staff does a good job of getting people
to get up and sing, and its surprising how many good voices are out there.
Bingo is big business!! They start hyping Bingo on day one
and keep it up until the final game on the last day. The big jackpot
is normally in the range of $10,000, and a lot of people play. We
took part in a couple Bingo sessions this trip, but the Bingo caller, Rikki,
wasn't that good, so we didn't play as much as we have in the past.
Bingo card packs sell for around $35 and $50.
Theme dance nights are fun. The Viking Crown Lounge becomes
a disco at night, we had 70s night, 80s night, 50s sock hop, Latin Dance
and the
Texas Hoedown. All were well attended and a lot of fun.
The staff keeps telling you that "you'll never see these people again,
so you might as well get up on the dance floor and dance!"
Art Auctions. Park West Auctions has some 800 paintings on
board for sale and auction. We were educated some years ago that
there are some good deals to be had, but you must do you homework to find
them. (as they are not all good deals, and there are hidden costs).
We normally look, might ask a question or 2; we've found the "good" paintings
go for $400-$900.
Schooner Bar activities. The informal Schooner bar has activities
such as trivia contests, "name that tune", handwriting analysis, napkin/towel
folding etc. These activities are not usually that well attended
but are fun for those who participate.
The Horse Race. Everyone makes a big deal about the horserace,
where passengers bid on "horses" that are being auctioned off and decorate
them. Some days later there is the horse race where you can make
actual cash bets on which horse will win. The horses sell for up
to $1000 and race is based on rolling oversized dice. A lot of people
really get into this event, but it can get fairly obnoxious and not one
of our favorites.
Marriage Game and Rhapsody Quest/Mania. These are regular events
on all of the RCCL ships that we've seen before. They are very funny,
but usually quite crowded, so we didn't attend this time around.
I recommend them both if you have never seen them before. (They are also
replayed on your stateroom TVs for the remainder of the week)
Special Event - Stars and Mars. As the planet Mars was as close
to Earth as it would get for the next 60,000 years Rhapsody put together
a "Stars and Mars" activity where the bow deck lights were turned off,
and some of the Ship's Navigational officers were present at the observatory
to point out Mars and answer questions. This was incredible, it was
a clear night and, with no ambient city lighting, you could see thousands
of stars, 3 planets and the actual Milky Way.
Rhapsody Question and Answer session. This was a highlight.
The Rhapsody's Environmental officer, Chief Engineer and Staff Captain
(Second-in-Command) gave a 20 minute presentation about the ship and then
opened up the floor for questions. There were only about 30 people
in attendance so all questions got asked. This was informative and
entertaining - topics discussed included Rhapsody history, engine specs,
how the toilets flush, size of the propellers, the various departments
within the ship and so on. I commented to RCCL that we would like
to see this offered on all ships - it was that good!
The Youth programs. We have a 2 1/2 year old, who did not accompany
us on this trip, but will on the next. We found out a lot about the
youth programs, both from the staff and other parents. All agree
that it is a very well run program with very well trained staff - we will
have no reservations about trusting our daughter's enjoyment and safety
to these programs.
The Parties - there are welcome aboard parties, newlywed parties,
singles parties, repeater parties, pool parties and the friendship parade/party.
Many of these serve complimentary cocktails/mocktails and appetizers, and
they are well run. You may not need to go to them all, but it’s a
good chance to see the officers and learn who does what.
The Bands. There are normally 4 or 5 different bands on board.
We love the Calypso Steel Drum band that usually plays poolside.
There is also a house band that plays pop-rock-country-oldies music.
The is usually a trio/quartet for chamber, dinner and big-band music; and
the Schooner Bar normally has a piano player and/or guitarist to entertain.
The bands are usually pretty good, and certainly good enough to enjoy for
a fun loving time away from it all!
OVERALL NOTES
We had a very nice time and are already planning our next RCCL cruise!
It should be mentioned that 80% of the passengers on this cruise were from
Texas, and the ship really plays to this theme. (In the menu selections,
some activities, the decorations, etc... It got a little old after
a while.) As I mentioned before Galveston is still somewhat
of a Work-In-Progress when it comes to facilitating a ship of this size,
and all the people it brings to town every week. I look forward to
the day that Embarkation and Debarkation are as organized as they are at
the Port of Miami.
We knew we were going into this trip with a more relaxed pace (we
are normally very active) so the smaller ship and the couple days of poorer
weather had no effect on us. I again compliment the staff - we had
no complaints with anyone we dealt with, all were top notch professionals
that did an excellent job. The ship was maintained well and everything
was working all the time.
My advice to anyone that wants it, is to go into your cruise with
a good positive attitude, understand and accept that things sometime happen
and be flexible enough to not let those things ruin your cruise - on this
point also - don't hold it in, if something is not right, tell the right
staff and I'll bet they will take care of you!!
I have many compliments for Royal Caribbean, they have always exceeded
our expectations and I think they do an excellent job of making cruising
fun and entertaining for everyone (not so stuffy like some of the competition)
Feel free to contact us if with any questions - we have copies of
all 7 days of the Cruise Compass that we are willing to share!
Bon Voyage,
Jeff and Debbie Woodard
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