Just Returned From Rhapsody Of The Seas July 17- July 24

[DJ TOM]

This was my third Rccl cruise, third time aboard Rhapsody Of The Seas. My sixth cruise overall 3 Rccl/ Rhapsody, 1 Carnival Inspiration, 1 Premiere Big Red Boat, 1 Dolphin Cruise Line SS. Dolphin.

 

Embarkation : Fast and easy very organized. I am the custodial parent of my 14 year old son and in he past have always had my proper documentation as far as a notarized letter from my son's mother and have never been asked for it. This time I had a little trouble getting it from th ex-spouse and she finally mailed it and it arrived on the Friday before my Sunday Departure. Good Thing because now this time they asked for it and I was so glad I had it. I was quite surprised because with my son being older now I would have never imagined that this would actually be asked for. No They didnt ask when my son was an 8 year old cruiser but they did now, Go Figure. My Advice to other cruisers: Be sure too have this document if you and your child are traveling without the other parent. This may have been a problem for me had I not been prepared.

 

Cabin was #7652, cabin steward was Billy from Costa Rica. This was my 2nd stay in this cabin. Overall I was satisfied but Cigarette Butts were all over my balcony upon my arrival. Billy was very nice and I am sure did his best but I did not feel that I was receiving "Gold Anchor Service". Upon arrival I noticed the sliding glass door was dirty with finger prints and greasy forehead marks. Througout the week I dont think the room was vaccumed much. However these are only my observations and in no way mad my cruise any less awesome than it was. I ran out of toilet paper and tissue paper and was unable to find the room steward. I finally settled for stealing some refills off his cart in the hallway. I wondered though why he was not observant enogh to see that I had a back up roll and box of tissue in the first place. The first three nights the cabin steward did not bring a cruise compass and I had to walk down to deck 5 to pick one up. I dont mean to be so critical of this guy because I did enjoy talking with him but I felt there was a little room for imrovement, especially when the suggested tipping rate for the cabin steward is $3.50 per day per guest. Last year my cabin Steward was Stevie from St. Vincent and I looked for him till I found on the 8th deck forward because i wanted to say hello. It was great to see him and he remembered us. And he made an effort to stop by our cabin #7652 where was our steward last year to say HI.

 

Cruise Director Staff : A+++++++ Awesome Great Work I did notice lots of changes onboard Peter Benifield is no longer onboard. Dan Whitney "Dan Dan The Party man" Is the New Cruise Director. Also not present from my past Rhapsody cruise was Jackpot Julie. New faces are the cruise activities manager Hammish from Jamaica. Other cruise director staffers are : Brad from from England, Luca From Brazil, Dj Alberto From Mexico and a few others I cannot remember the names of. Overall by the end of the cruise this cruise director staff had all the guests full attention, and very entertained. These guys and Ladies work so hard and are very funny.

 

Shows: Bealtemania Live is a show you should not miss. Great singing and great Beatles humor. They will leave you feeling like the Beatles have just played for you on The Rhapsody Of The Seas. I really enjoyed they guy who plays John Lennon in the show. It was really funny when he mentions "Live 8" the benefit concert for Africa that was held a few weeks ago. He says "I would have been there if I wasnt dead yet, and then breaks into a remarkable version of John Lennon singing "Imagine". All the shows were superb, the Beatles were my favorite. The RCCL Singers and dancers were fantastic and I really enjoyed watching what seemed to be the lead girl singer "Heather" whew what a beautiful girl. Hey Heather thanks for making my eyes feel good for the past seven days. LOL Oh yea great singing also.

 

Dining Room : Our table # was 52 and our waiter was Alifton and his assistant Daniel and this is where I really felt Gold Anchor service. I feel so lucky to have had them as my waiter and assistant waiter. My waiter last year was Maximo and it was great to see him again and I really felt special because he remembered my son and I. Maximo last year was another waiter who provided Gold Anchor service. Great Food Thanks to the dining room staff as I say they exceed my expectations. Daniel after learing on the first night that I had purchased the Soft-drink package, always had 2 cokes in front of me. I never had ask for a Coke it usually was waiting for me.

 

Softdrink Package: Now available when you board, available in the windjammer comes with a cool souvenier coke cup. It is my understanding that this package is only available on Day 1 so if you want it get it. I did run into a few people who didnt get it and wished they had. Would I get it again ? Hmmmmm, I kept the Cokes I brought cold in the mini fridge in the cabin and next time I plan to try and cut that cost and be diligent enough to carry a can of soda with me when I go to a show, or to the pool. The later it got in the cruise I felt it became harder to find a waiter who did not have his tray loaded down with so many specialty drinks that there would be no room on his tray for you to bring you a drink. The two softdrink packages cost $80.00 for my son and I and I may try to cut this cost next time.

 

To Be continued................

[DJ TOM]

Continuation......

 

Schooner Bar: Derek Lewis * Derek Lewis * Derek Lewis

 

Kamikaze Karaoke Do not miss this guy he is a blast and packs the schooner nightly ripping on his guitar, and selecting guests to sing Karaoke however they do not know what song till they get up there to sing. Very funny and lots of fun. All the great sing alongs lots of great music and fun. Derek also has his own parody songs which will cause you to laugh like crazy. This guy needs a bigger lounge, his show are a riot. I was saw him on the Rhapsody last August 2004 and was so happy to see him onboard again in 05. Hope to see his Karaoke shows again next summer.

 

Hurricane Emily & Ports Of Call: Upon embarkation I dont think any guests were sure where this cruise would take us. First stop Key West, Perfect weather. Booked Light tackle Fishing Through RCCL, was lucky enough to be assigned to Captain Mo who took us to the flats. My 14 year old son caught a 13 pound Barracuda and I was very satisfied with my 2nd Light Tackle Fishing Trip booked through Rccl. We had dinner at Jimmy Buffets "Margaritaville". I very much enjoyed my "Cheesburger in Paradise".

 

Grand Cayman, third trip to Grand Cayman it has rained every time. This time it was terrential downpoor. Mostly my son and I planned to shop. The gameplan was to get Tortuga Rum Cakes, since last years hurricane Chrarlie prevented us from visiting Grand Cayman. After mission rum cake was completed and my son I could no longer walk around in the rain we opted for lunch at the Hard Rock. Good Choice because it was about 11:30 am and with 2 Carnival Ships and 2 Rccl ships in port and massive rain falling, as well as I hear many excursions were cancelled. Arriving at the Hard Rock at 11:30 am they were already busy but we got a table reasonably quickly. As we left the Hard Rock I was thanking my lucky stars I wasnt one of the at least 100 people in line going out the door to get a table at the Hard Rock.

 

Cozumel: Ya-Hoooo we made it to Cozumel but it was raining hard and it never stopped all day. Parts of Cozumel were hammered by Hurricane Emily, I observed lots of trees up-rooted, roofs torn off near Chaakanaab (spelling ?), wires down, minor street flooding from the current rain. Six Ships were in port maybe 7. I had booked the Royal Swim on the internet with http://www.dolphindiscovery.com , and my appointment was 12:30. Upon my arrival I was greeted by a representative of Dolphin Discovery who informed me after verifying my reservation that the Royal Swims were cancelled due to Hurricane Emily damage and that a full refund will be issued. What a bummer, but at least a refund is coming and I am thankful. This would have been my third Dolphin discovery Royal Swim, and upon its cancellation I realized what is the really important issue is that Mexico has suffered a massive hurricane and that a quick recovery for the people who have been affected by this storm. Many stores in Cozumel did not have power and some businesses were still taking boards off their stores and buildings.

We had lunch at Carlos and Charlies which was packed and going wild as expected. Once again great music great fun everyone doing Chicken Dance, mambo #5, YMCA, Cha Cha Slide, etc.

 

Mix And Mingle: I registered but the invitation to attend did not come to my room until after the event was already over with. I did meet lots of wonderful people and hope to keep in touch with my new friends Derek Lewis, and Luca of the crusie director staff from Brazil.

 

Overall it was a fantastic cruise and I hope to go again very soon.

 

On a sad note I did see Saturday night a young boy with a group of older boys obviously an older brother in the group. And I observed the boy I estimate to be 11 yrs. old maybe 12 yrs. to appear drunk and I overheard the older boy say to the other kids about the young boy he has not been sober since we left Galveston. I wonder where the kids parents were, and it is important to remember that because he is drunk it is not automatically the cruise lines fault because someone could have been getting the drinks for him and maybe he was drinking from what his family brought on board assuming that they did bring alcohol on board. Lesson: Parents need to watch their kids. This is nobodys fault but the parents.

 

Any questions about the ports or Rhapsody please ask.

[VCruisers]

Thanks for the wonderful review, we're traveling on her in Nov of this year. Sad to hear about the cabin steward :( How did you find the ship??? Did you feel the service overall was attentive???

 

Your son was 13? We have a 15 year old....did he have activities on board? Did he meet some other kids his age to "hang" with?

 

Thanks again

[DJ TOM]

My son is 14, and he did not want to participate in the activities very much, he could have went out and found some friends but he just was as happy hanging around on the balcony, catching way to much summer sleep. The ship is in great condition. As i said though I felt the cabin steward lacked but this did not ruin my vacation. I did tip him and respect him and that he may have done the best he could and who knows what might be going on in his life.

[DJ TOM]

Continuation......

Formal Dress was barely followed, I did dress formal one night but after I saw many adult men in shorts. I dressed Business casual for the next formal night and by the final nights everyone was wearing whatever.

[Boo's Mom]

Hi DJ Tom.

 

Thanks for the review. We sailed on the Rhapsody during Spring Break.

 

That does just break my heart about that very young man drinking.

 

Where did Peter (the cruise director) go? We loved him.

 

About the Meet and Mingle Mess Up: This also occurred on our sailing. Folks who are getting ready to sail on the Rhapsody....probably should prepare for this. There appears to be a flaw in their organization.

 

Sorry about all of the rain you experienced. Yeah, July is hurricane month, but I don't think we typically see them in July. (still early). Right?

[DJ TOM]

I do not know where Peter went but his voice was still on some tv commercials on the Rhapsody CCTV. Dan Dan The Party man is a blast. I also wonder where jackpot julie has gone.

[lisaland15]

Hi DJ Tom!

 

We're in #7652 in Nov. I hope they have the room cleaned up by then!

[huskerdude]

DJ TOM,

Sounds like for the most part you enjoyed your cruise.

We will be sailing on the Rhapsody, but not until next September, and are curious about your room. We will be staying in 7152, which is on the other, port, side of the aft balconies on the seventh deck. Other that the room steward not being up to par, how was the room itself? It is a wrap around balcony right? The deck plans don't show this but from some pics of Rhapsody it looks like it is. Is the sitting area closest to the balcony, or is the bed? Did you hear any late night noise from the show room below.

This will be our first balcony and can't wait.:D

Thanks,

Ernie

[DJ TOM]

Ha Ha - I am sure it will be clean by Nov. 2005, these were just minor things but enough to make me consider my tip very carerfully. The steward was a super nice guy but I was getting scared when I saw that toilet paper running low and could not find him. Finally at last I spotted toilet paper on a cart and made the capture. I just felt that little things like that , the cigarettes, the floor vacuumed, lack of cruise compass being left for me, dirty sliding glass window were issues that should not be issues. There is no way I would ever let these issues become so big to me that my vacation was lessened by it. No way, I was on a cruise and that was most important to me.

[DJ TOM]

In ref to 7652 : the room is awesome, yes the sitting area is right next to the balcony. Huge balcony, there were 4 chairs, two deck type chairs also and a small table. No noise from down below at all, it is a wrap around balcony.

[kenandlaura06]

Thanks for the review!

[huskerdude]

DJ,

Thanks for the quick reply. We just wanted to verify that that's the type of room we booked.

Now we only have to wait 405 days.:o

[Cruise Cat]

Tom,

Thanks for the review. Also, thanks for the info on 7652 as I am looking very forward to it in September. I'm glad you had a good time. I personally will not accept bad service from "Billy" or his supervision and I will be having some discussions. Thinkig twice now about partially tipping him upfront as I has intended.

Chuck

[Live_2_cruise05]

Wow! Great review. We are looking at booking the Rhapsody or the Grandeur for next Christmas. Can't decide yet.

 

 

 

Lisaland15: This is probably a crazy question, but I was looking at your signature and you said you went on the Jubilee 12/2002. We were also on the Jubilee 12/2002 well 12/19/2002 to be exact. Maybe we were on the same cruise!!

[Oma24boys]

Hi DJ Tom!

 

We're in #7652 in Nov. I hope they have the room cleaned up by then!

 

Hey Lisa:

 

There are enough of us in the back that at least one of us can catch the Room Steward if our rooms are not up to expectation!:D

[Oma24boys]

Hi DJ Tom!

 

We're in #7652 in Nov. I hope they have the room cleaned up by then!

 

Hey Lisa:

 

There are enough of us in the back that at least one of us can catch the Room Steward if our rooms are not up to expectation!:D

 

Thanks for the review...so sorry about the rain. It sounds like you are a person who makes the best of it and that is how we travel!;)

[Grayce]

Great review, i don't have too much longer to wait and always enjoy hearing about the Rhapsody. :D

[BonnieNYTX]

Hi Tom: Sure sounds like you had a great cruise in spite of all that rain. We were on the Rhapsody July 3-10 and we had a different cruise director. Forgot his name but we loved Hammish! The cruise staff really worked hard to make our cruise as wonderful as it was.

Thanks for posting your review.

[barbydaul]

My husband and I will be sailing on Rhapsody in October, and I was wondering if Panchos near the pier had any damage. We really love the food and were planning on lunch there. Thanks for the review.

 

Barb

[DJ TOM]

Yes, it was probably Peter the cruise director when you were onboard. Did he have a really english accent and say "Cherrio" alot. The word I was just hearing about Dan Dan The Party man was that he had just gotten on board a week earlier.

 

Also the adventure ocean kids did a cute little pirate routine, i wish I would have had my video camera ready. I dont remember which night that was but it was the night where they did a salute to Grease, Tommy the movie, Hair, and the kids performed right before the show. Have those video cameras ready.

 

I also attended the Liar's Club game , belly flop competition, and Qwest in the Shall We Dance Lounge and enjoyed both of those events

[DJ TOM]

I dont know but their was alot of damage chaakanab trees, wires, signs, roof damage. I asked a taxi to take me Chaakanab he said it was closed. I wasnt sure whether to believe him or not. so i asked another taxi driver he said he didnt know but he thought it was closed. I asked a third taxi and he said it was open. So off we went it cost $10 to get the excursion and $10 to get back to the shopping area. Met at the gate by a dolphin discovery rep. who seemed to be taking some kind of roll of who showed up and then he advise me I was going to get a refund.

[Grace'sMom]

DJ Tom....

 

Thanks for the great review! I'm sailing on the Rhapsody next weekend (July31st) and I can't wait! Sounds like a great ship. =)

[lisaland15]

We were in aft cabin #7660 back in Oct. and had a wonderful cabin steward named Olinda (sp?). She was always around--sometimes we'd see her 2-3 a day! I was hoping we'd have her in Nov.

 

We're not super picky with the cabin, but with a 2 yr. old coming along, I wouldn't want to be picking up cigarette butts before she finds them or junk on the carpet. :confused:

 

I usually ask for 2 copies of the Compass--one to use and one to save and with 4 for us in the cabin, we'll need our toliet paper!!!

 

Hopefully, things will improve by then. But, of course, we love to cruise no matter what!

[llecamus]

We're on Rhapsody in September, and now I'm really excited. A BEATLEMANIA show???!!! I guess that will still be playing when we go?? I didn't really plan on going to any of the shows until I heard this. What night was it? Thanks.