Just back- Rhapsody - first timers and teens

[bdb5853]

Cruise Notes:

 

Here's a review of our trip on the Rhapsody. We are first time cruisers and have two teen daughters, ages 14 and 17.

We had an awesome time on our cruise! It was a once in a lifetime experience. I’m so glad we went.

 

Our trip started on Saturday. We drove to Galveston. That was a long trip from KS! Thirteen hours! We spent the night in a Comfort Inn and were able to leave our car there for the week we were gone, instead of putting it in the cruise parking lot. We had a great dinner at a mexican restaurant recommended by the motel owner. The girls swam in the pool in the evening.

 

Sunday – we checked out at 11pm and got ready to leave. The motel had a shuttle service to the pier. Our first impression of the RCI Rhapsody ship… it’s so BIG! We boarded the ship after checking through security and found our rooms. We had a balcony room on the 7th deck and the girls had a stateroom (no windows) right across the hall. That arrangement worked out well. There’s no way that 4 people would have fit in one of those rooms, even one of the bigger ones. I can't imagine sharing that tiny bathroom with 2 teenagers! We went to the Windjammer Café and had lunch, which was good. As we left the Galveston port, we saw dolphins, which was really neat! We explored the ship for the rest of the day and then had dinner in the dining room, which we would do every night. It was extremely fancy food, but excellent. In the evening, we saw a comedy show in the theater which was really funny. The girls went to the teen "mix and mingle" and ended up meeting a great group of friends there that they spent the whole week with. When we returned back to our rooms for the evening, they had turned our bed down with chocolates on the pillows and we had towel animals each night.

 

Monday – a day at sea. DH tried out the rock climbing wall in the morning. The girls swam in the pool, laid out, and hung out in the hot tub with their new friends all day. In the afternoon, we went to an art auction, which we enjoyed. It was free champagne and they were very generous. You could have had 10 glasses if you wanted. We also went to a shopping seminar on what to buy in the ports of Grand Cayman and Cozumel. (I felt like this was very slanted towards certain stores that RCI has a contract with.) That night was one of the two formal dinners. Everyone really got decked out in tuxedos and prom wear. At 10pm, the girls went to a prom put on for the teens! They said it was really fun. We saw a Dancing On Broadway show in the theater which was great. We thought the dancers and singers on the ship were very good. We spent some time in the Casino after the show.

 

Tuesday – we got room service for breakfast which was fun. It’s nice to not worry about meals or how much they cost as everything is included. The girls said that some of their new guy friends would order 4 or 5 dinners sent to their rooms in the evenings! We spent the afternoon in Key West. We shopped and stopped in an outdoor café for a piece of key lime pie, which was excellent. We also spent several hours at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum. (It was expensive - $65 for the 4 of us - but the girls thought it was great.) The girls wanted to hurry up and get back on the ship by 8pm so they could meet up with their friends. We saw a magic show in the theater which was really entertaining.

 

Wednesday – a day at sea. We lounged around all day. The girls spent most of the day with their friends. We ended up seeing them for dinner each day and would check in with them during the day, but they spent most of the time with their friends. The girls had a teen pool party in the evening. Late that night we could hear a lot of talking and laughing across the hall so we looked out and they had 13 people crammed into their room to watch the Coach Carter movie on TV. They really did have fun with their new friends.

 

Thursday – Grand Cayman Island day. We had an excursion to stingray city and seven mile beach. It was AWESOME. This was booked through RCI and was worth it. I talked to some people who did tours on their own and they went to the 'other' stingray city which is on a sandbar. It was so crowded!!!! Wall to wall people. Our guide saw the congestion at the sandbar and took us out the Stingray City "proper" which is out in the middle of the ocean. You don't stand up, you snorkel, and the stingrays aren't as plentiful. However, we thought it was MUCH better than being shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of people. This was our most memorable day.

 

It is impossible to describe how blue and clear the ocean was and we were able to snorkel for several hours and see all kinds of tropical fish. Our guide also took us out to a place where two nurse sharks lived and he fed them and we also saw a gigantic moray eel. Stingrays were everywhere and would come right up to you to be fed. They had a bucket of squid available for people who wanted to feed them. They would glide over your hand and suck the squid up out of your hand! Amazing! They were big – some of them were over 5 feet across. In the afternoon, they took us to Seven Mile Beach where we had a buffet lunch and then spent several hours at the beach. The buffet was crowded and just fair there. The beach was great though.

 

That evening was the second formal night and they served lobster as one of the choices. (We all ordered it and it was fantastic!) I had heard that the lobsters were small, but ours were huge – a good six inches or so long and several inches wide. They were better than anything I’ve had at Red Lobster. In the evening, we went to the theater and watched an awesome dance show.

Friday – Cozumel day. We had an excursion to Passion Island. We took an air conditioned bus to the opposite side of the island, which took about 40 minutes. This was also booked through RCI and I would definitely recommend it. Our tour guide was excellent and pointed out many sights along the way. Then we boarded a boat which took us over to the island. They had some hurricane damage, but it wasn’t too bad. The water was very warm and clear and the sand was pure white. We had a buffet lunch there. They also had an open bar, which many people took advantage of. Be aware, though, (if you have teens) that they don't care who gets drinks there. We saw an 8 year old walk up and get a tequila sunrise (which she later took over to her parents). They just hand them out to anyone who can see over the bar.

 

DH took a long walk down the beach and found some gorgeous shells. If you dig a bit in the sand, you can find whole BIG conch shells. Amazing. I sat in the shade and read my book! Unfortunately, I got a really severe sunburn which has blistered and hurts like crazy. I used lots of sunscreen, but the sun is so HOT down there! On the way back to the ship, we shopped for several hours. I bought a gorgeous tanzanite and opal bracelet. Be sure and compare prices. I was quoted anywhere from $550 all the way down to $200 for the same thing. In the evening, we watched a comedy show at the theater.

 

Saturday – last day at sea. We played Bingo in the morning. It was $35 to play the simplest package they have. David won one of the raffles and got a DVD of the cruise. That will be fun to watch. We saw a talent show in the afternoon which was good. In the evening, we watched a Farewell show in the theater which featured the Royal Caribbean singers and dancers and an awesome juggling act. It was very good.

Sunday – we had the early disembark time, so we were able to be up and off the ship by 8am. We took a taxi back to the motel instead of waiting for the shuttle and were on the road early. It still took us 13 hours to drive back to Wichita, which was grueling.

 

All in all – a great trip!

[budaman]

Great review! Nice to see the Rhapsody still has its charm and to get some feedback from a teens perspective...not that it will have any impact on me for at least 14 more years if the kids get busy right now:D

 

Mike

 

www.homepage.mac.com/csealove/

[cruiseman_tx]

Great review!!! Glad y'all came down to Texas and had such a good time.

[shmthaus]

Great review, Rhapsody is a great ship and I can't wait till we see her again in November.

 

Glad to hear your teens had such a good time. I was reading a thread about another RCL ship and the teens were being blasted.

 

This is the reason I will continue to cruise Rhapsody..... :D

 

Thank you so much.....

[BirmanCrazy]

Thanks for the great review! Glad you had a great time! We'll be sailing in a few weeks so I'm sure the sun will be just as blistering! I will definately go out and buy a little extra sunblock! :) I also saw dolphins by the dock just after the Elation departed Galveston. Must be getting a fish dinner! We had driven to Galveston a couple months ago for the day and I wanted to watch the Rhapsody depart so I could take some digital pics to put on my wallpaper. Something to dream about when you sit down to the computer! :) I do that for every vacation.

[BonnieNYTX]

Wonderful review. Sounds like you all had the best time, but then I'm not surprised. Rhapsody passengers consistently give it raves. I call it the Rhapsody Phenominum.

[barbydaul]

Great review! Hubby and I will be sailing her in October and can't wait. Sounds llike we should have a great time. Our itenirary calls for a stop at Ocho Rios instead of Key West, but we haven't been to either place so it should be fine.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

Barb

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for taking the time to post a review. Sounds like you had a wonderful family vacation! Thanks for sharing with the group.

[Ali-in-Texas]

I didn't realize the Rhapsody has a climbing wall. My husband and sons will be so happy.

[bgomes]

Barbydahl:

 

I see you that you are sailing on the Oct 16th Rhapsody. We have a thread going over at the Meet & Mingle page, join us there. I am going on that sailing also, with my 3 sisters and my mother.

Barb

[kenandlaura06]

Thanks for the Review!

[Cason36]

Great review!!! Glad y'all came down to Texas and had such a good time.

 

I TO AM FROM EAST TEXAS....I WILL BE SAILING ON RHAPSODY 21st OF AUG. ONLY A FEW MORE DAYS LEFT FOR VACATION TO START.I CAN HARDLY WAIT.GREAT TO MEET ANOTHER EAST TEXAN.

[newmexicoNita]

Nice review, the Rhapsody is one of our daughters favorite ships. We did the Believe it or not museum several years ago, loved it!!!!

Glad the girlsl had a great time, one of our favorite activities when cruising with our now grown granddaughters is watching them have a good time. NMNita

[SeaDays]

Thanks for your well-written review. We'll be on the Rhapsody tomorrow.

 

I do take one exception to your review.... "(it was a) once in a lifetime experience". Nope. Do another one!

[Zimomiller]

Nice review.

 

We too will be boarding the Rapsody tomorrow and look forward to making some memories to share back here when we return.