Rhapsody questions...

[volvo99]

Hi! I'm new to this forum and I'm already finding it useful. My girlfriend and I are considering the Rhapsody ex Galveston on 13 November 2005, (Montego Bay, Georgetown, Cozumel). I'm concerned about some rather biting comments on reviews about the ship and service aboard. I last sailed RCCL in 2002 on the Explorer ex Miami and absolutely loved it; but this is a "just us" cruise and the departure date and port are the most convenient; (she's in San Diego, I'm in Houston). Any comments regarding your recent cruise on this ship?

 

 

Also, since I live in Houston, has anyone used a shuttle/town car service to the port as opposed to driving and parking?

[rrmanlht]

Well..... Volvo99

All I can tell you is we sailed Rapsody on our honeymoon Oct. 19th 2003 and loved her. We are sailing her again Sunday Jan. 23 rd. and can't wait. She is dumbed the friendlist ship at sea. As you will find out .. some people have a lot of different experiences and some aren't so good. I can tell you our cruiseing buddies just sailed on her in Dec. and loved her as always. Rapsody is a beautiful ship and you will love the spacious rooms and stunning Centrum. She is truly a beautiful ship. You could do a lot worse but not much better. Sail her and you will be going again.... Hope this helps.... ;)

[Sophie]

We sailed on the Rhapsody last month and are already planning to go again! After sailing on her, I knew what all the excitement was about! She's beautiful and we loved our first balcony cabin! Can't wait to sail her again!

[cruisecybill]

I have sailed on the Rhapsody twice and both time I've had nothing but fun on the ship. In fact one of my best cruises was on the Rhapsody. We are doing the Galveston trip in December going to Key West, Cozumel & Grand Cayman. I'm sure you'll love her.

[springtxbill]

You will love the Rhapsody and the staff and crew and the pax are the friendliest and most helpful I have seen. I think a lot of it is the large number of Texans which get along well with everyone. There are a few people that have said negative things, but they would probably not ever be happy.

 

You can look into excruiseparking.com and can park for about $40 for the week which makes it tough to match the cost of any other way. The only close alternative would be to call Enterprise rent a car at the Galveston office. They can arrange a good deal for the day down and the day back without a drop charge which could come very close to the other choice.

[Nitra]

I have done the Rhapsody a few times too and am doing her again in October. I take a group every year and last year we went to the Voyager, the majority of the group wanted to go back the Rhapsody this year they love her so much, so that is what we are doing. She is not too big, yet has plenty to offer. The ports are good, the crew is great, the people, mostly us Texans, are a friendly group of folks to cruise with so I think you will enjoy her.

 

I read these boards a lot, dont always post, and I see a lot of negative about every ship but I take my own view best. I think, no matter what the situation, you will always hear something negative. Just remember, it is what you make it and if you look at all the good, compare it to the few negative things, then the good far outweighs the negative. I see it as one bad grain of sand on the whole beach.

 

I could say a lot of negative about the Voyager but overall I think the things were so minor I dont see them as worth complaining about.

 

So go, enjoy, love your time on the Rhapsody, and forget all the little things and see the over all good and the fact you are cruising so who cares about a few little things anyway. I would rather be cruising than anything else.

[m00k3y]

We recently went on Rhapsody and comparing it to our only other cruise on Carnival's Elation. Rhapsody is a much more beautiful ship. The service on Rhapsody was outstanding. Food was acceptable to good, with most meals being good and a couple were moderate and a couple were outstanding. But no fear here, if you don't like a dish you ordered, don't hesitate to ask for a different item. It will be brought to you promptly. While we did find a couple of dishes we didn't care for, we enjoyed the replacement meals. The 3 shows that we did see, we enjoyed, but we found that we enjoyed having the Solarium pool and hot tubs to ourselves much more enjoyable.

 

Would we go on her again? Yes!

[medolee]

We will be sailin Nov 13th as well----soooo excited. I have a question--is there internet acess for a weekly fee or is it only by the minute? Also, does anybody sleep on the 2nd or 3rd floors? I never see any comments regarding these staterooms. Any comments???

[springtxbill]

Lot of rooms on floors 2 and 3 but nobody likes to admit they stay there.:)

[Pearland Cruisers]

We are sailing on the Rhapsody for our 4th time in April. We have always stayed on the 3rd floor, inside room. We love saving the money and sailing more often. We try to get one of the inside, inside rooms they have, that are in an inside hallway. So quiet! As we live in the Houston area as well, we either park the car or have someone drop us off, haven't tried a shuttle as I think it is too expensive.

[m00k3y]

Internet access is ONLY sold by the minute on Rhapsody. .50 a minute.

 

Once when we were trying to use it, the readers were down and we got about 15 minutes of Internet usage for free!

 

WOOT!

 

ah the small pleasures. ;)

[epdion]

Lot of rooms on floors 2 and 3 but nobody likes to admit they stay there.:)

 

OK, Springtexbill, I will admit to staying on deck 2 last summer. I will even admit to liking it and booking a similar outside cabin this Spring.

 

Acutally, we did no see any problem with it and didn't think it was worth paying more for a higher deck. You are lower to the water, so there is less motion in the event of rough seas. You also don't have to climb stairs coming back from port stops. The worst thing about it, is that you are the last to be scheduled to disembark.

[bosteph]

I'm going to be on deck 2 in 51 days and I can't wait!:D Who wants to be first to disembark anyway??? Getting off last just means that we get to stay onboard longer than those on other decks.:p

[phallock1]

After 32 cruises,(29 on RCCL & 4 on the Rhapsody), we find that we absolutely LOVE the Rhapsody-probably because we are Texans who love the friendliness of the staff and the convenience of getting there. We will be going on her again March 6. CAN'T WAIT!!!!

[Bargeo]

We just sailed the Rhapsody January 9th. We were impressed with how beautiful she is, how great the crew is, and how fun the people are. This was our ninth cruise, and was definitely the best crew and passengers. We loved it!!

[shmthaus]

Volvo, as you can "sea" :rolleyes: the Rhapsody is a great ship!! We have sailed on her 2 times now and loved it both times.

 

In fact, we are considering the same cruise you are. Keep in touch if you decide to go so we can start the M&M!!

[TahoeBob]

we absolutely LOVE the Rhapsody-probably because we are Texans who love the friendliness of the staff and the convenience of getting there.

 

I am from Nothern California, and I have been looking at a cruise on the Rhapsody, if I do book on this cruise with so many Texans there will be one of the best things to do.....

 

 

that would be give any one from Texas a bad time about the Cowboys, all I can say is

 

 

"let me dance on the star"

 

I feel better now:D

 

Bob P.

[volvo99]

Thank you all for your replies. When I peruse opinion forums, I automatically toss out the best and worst reviews, and look for a trend. There were several red flags, noticeably comments about the carpets, peeling paint, service issues, and food quality. I can separate pointless posts that simply nag or whine, but when I see the same complaints over and over, then I sense there is a consistent problem in need of remedy.

 

BTW, my G/F suggests that since this cruise is not likely to be heavily booked due to the time of year, that oftentimes cruise lines will upgrade those who have booked, say a deck 2 or 3 on their site early on, freeing up those cabins as the "last-minute deals" one sees so frequently. Is this so?

 

Anyway, I look forward to getting in on the M&M; it looks like we are in!