Another Rhapsody Review 3/18....

[Mollypuss]

I am always so anxious to read anything recent before we cruise, so here goes a mini-review....

 

Flew in a day early and stayed at the Econo Lodge in Galveston. We didn't want to spend much.....sorry to say, we didn't get much. Our room was $100 with taxes and was awful. The sheets had not been changed, the carpet was stained and dirty and there was a large group of people that partied way into the night....screaming and running around. A toddler was not being watched and wandered into the elevator after we got off and nobody was around! I took his had and waited for a bit until a woman wandered over and took him from me...a little scary. We could not wait to get on the ship after that night.

 

We had a rental car, so hubby dropped me w/our bags about 10:30 and returned the car. I thought we were way too early, but they started the process about 11am and we were on by 11:45. Easy and quick. I wish it had been a little warmer....I wore a jacket the first day and the first sea day was very chilly if the sun went behind the clouds.

 

The food in the Windjammer was good, not great. We ate breakfast and lunch here everyday and the new station system works out great and there is never a line, except for the omelet station. I am a huge dessert person, and many days left without one....nothing was fabulous.

 

The dining room was better than great, and I looked forward to dinner every night. The bread was so fresh and warm and everything I tried was delicious. I always ordered more than one appetizer and on several nights ordered the pasta dish to go along w/my entree because it was all soooo good. The dining room desserts were so much better than the Windjammer.

 

The entertainment was wonderful and we went to the theater everynight. The production shows were great (we are not into that and have never gone on our previous 5 cruises), but we loved the Piano Man and also Pure Country. The other entertainers were awesome...I wish some of the older crowd had been a little more patient w/the acapella group.....they were fantastic, but so many of the older bunch walked out during the show.

 

We booked our own excursions in Ocho Rios and G. Cayman, but booked the speedboat adventure in Cozumel through the ship. That was awesome, but the outfit was having a hard time w/the boats breaking down....ours did twice. It was still a good time as we were with people we had met onboard and hung out with them the whole week.

 

To sum it up, we had a great time. We will most likely not sail out of Galveston again. The airport (IAH) is quite a ways from the port and it was warmer here in St. Louis than in Galveston. My husband said the ship met his needs just fine. We have sailed on the Voyager class and also the Destiny class on Carnival and I really missed some of the ammenities those ships have to offer. I like the alternative restaurants and also the sports deck on the Voyager class. We chose this ship because it was very affordable and the airfare was half what it is to Miami. It was a week in the sun, with good friends and that was our goal. Any questions...feel free to ask.

[bankonus]

Thanks for the review, we are going July 1st. Have done the speedboats in Cozumel 2 years ago, and had a blast. Booked them through ship last time, but found out booking directly this July we saved 21.00 pp. With 6 people that is quite a savings. Was the buffet during your excursion good? We had an awesome one and are hoping everything is still the same. From what I understand they moved the area where the buffet is to another side of the island. What activitis were available during the break? Thanks for your review.:o

[vickiw0318]

We did the speedboat adventure during our January Splendour cruise. All of us noted that the actual excursion was not as advertised on ship. (I will add that the description of the excursion for our upcoming Rhapsody cruise did accurately reflect the actual excursion we took.) We went north a little ways from San Miguel to a beach area. Our excursion departed from and returned to this same location. We were on the water for an hour. There was no trip to "a secluded location" for lunch and beach time. We went thru a very limited buffet of fajitas and tacos. There were also beans and chips and salsa. We had about 45 minutes to eat before the taxis returned to pick us up. The beach was "buggy". DH very much enjoyed driving his speedboat and there were no breakdowns that day. However, I would say go on the excursion for the driving experience - not the lunch!

[bankonus]

Yours did not sound quite as fun as our trip 2 years ago, although it sounds like you enjoyed it:) . Picked up at pier by vans, then transported to boats. We took boats to a beach location after about a 30-40 minute ride, then had about 1 1/2 hours to eat and play. (kayaks, pool, volleyball, and such) Then another 30-40 minute boat ride back to other side of island. They took us back in vans to pick up point. I spoke directly with the owner this time instead of booking through the ship, and found out it is the same one booked with RC, but do it directly and get the discount. (Actually it's not a discount you just get to keep RC's share:p ) Also guaranteed deposit back if no-show of ship or weather problems happen. Very friendly crew! From what they described it sounds as if it's the same as 2 years ago with a few extras small things included. No bugs on our trip, and the kids loved being in the boats!!

[wolfcathorse]

Mollypuss - who was your captain?

[vickiw0318]

Yours did not sound quite as fun as our trip 2 years ago, although it sounds like you enjoyed it:) . Picked up at pier by vans, then transported to boats. We took boats to a beach location after about a 30-40 minute ride, then had about 1 1/2 hours to eat and play. (kayaks, pool, volleyball, and such) Then another 30-40 minute boat ride back to other side of island. They took us back in vans to pick up point. I spoke directly with the owner this time instead of booking through the ship, and found out it is the same one booked with RC, but do it directly and get the discount. (Actually it's not a discount you just get to keep RC's share:p ) Also guaranteed deposit back if no-show of ship or weather problems happen. Very friendly crew! From what they described it sounds as if it's the same as 2 years ago with a few extras small things included. No bugs on our trip, and the kids loved being in the boats!!

 

Your description matches the way the excursion was presented to us in the onboard materials. The reality was quite different and much grumbling was heard from the masses! The new excursion description corresponds to the experience we had. (See below.) Maybe RCI is using another company now.

 

"Speedboat & Beach Adventure

 

Enjoy the thrill and excitement of your personal 2-person speedboat! After your exhilarating ride, relax at a local beach and partake in one of the many activities available to you. A Mexican buffet lunch is included. Guests must be a minimum of 6 years old to participate and 18 years old with a valid driver’s license to drive a boat. Maximum weight restriction per boat is 650 pounds.

Experience one of Cozumel’s most exciting tours. This high impact, high adrenaline tour is something out of the ordinary! Get behind the wheel of your 2-person speed boat as you ride the waves of the island’s turquoise sea. You will be greeted at the pier by your bi-lingual guide and then it is just a short ride to a local beach and your awaiting speed boat. Receive your safety equipment and orientation on the boats before you take the wheel and head out through the blue sea. You will drive your boat past sugar white beaches, hidden lagoons and local wildlife to prove your skills and feel the rush of these exciting machines. After your ride, get back to the beach club to taste a Mexican grilled buffet lunch. Bask in the sun, swim in the ocean, explore the beach, join in a friendly game of volleyball, paddle your kayak, enjoy the fresh water of the pool or just relax under your beach umbrella."

 

When we landed, we were told that we had just 45 minutes until the cabs came for us. Not a whole lot of time to take in any of the above activities. By the way, we were going fairly fast and leaning in at some uncomfortable angles. I am not sure if I'd put little ones in the boat unless you stayed at the end of the line and went a bit slower.

[bankonus]

vickiw0318.....Yes my husband was in front of me with my son, weaving back and forth making my daughter and I "eat" his wake, and it was kinda scary sometimes, but thrilling as well. Our girls were 10 at the time and going on 12 now, so they know what to expect from their dad!:eek: My son will be 17 1/2 when we leave and wishes he could drive his own boat! I guess as long as we drive the boat, it will be worth the trip, no matter what happens after, especially with the cheaper price:D Thanks!!:) PS-I wonder if they would really "check" his license for age. He is 6'3 and rather older looking with his facial hair:eek:

[packedandready]

Leaving on the Rhapsody in 25 days. DH is wondering if they still have the good cookies?:p Thanks

[Mollypuss]

Mollypuss - who was your captain?

 

You had to ask that question! It was Anders Inger--something. We were in such a 'relax' mode this time that I didn't bring home a single Cruise Compass and we didn't take a single picture. I'm sorry that I can't be 100% for you.

[Mollypuss]

Leaving on the Rhapsody in 25 days. DH is wondering if they still have the good cookies?:p Thanks

 

I only tried a few of the cookies....the coconut surprise were wonderful and the oatmeal were tasty.

[Mollypuss]

Thanks for the review, we are going July 1st. Have done the speedboats in Cozumel 2 years ago, and had a blast. Booked them through ship last time, but found out booking directly this July we saved 21.00 pp. With 6 people that is quite a savings. Was the buffet during your excursion good? We had an awesome one and are hoping everything is still the same. From what I understand they moved the area where the buffet is to another side of the island. What activitis were available during the break? Thanks for your review.:o

 

The speedboat adventure was fun, but all of us agreed that it wasn't worth the $98/pp. We were transported by taxi to Playa Barracuda (owned by the speedboat co.....which btw also does atv and go-kart excursions). We had a 30 second safety course and got in our boats. Ours wouldn't start, so we switched boats and didn't get a chance to hot dog around like the others. We started out and our boat was not going very fast at all, so they switched us again in the ocean and we went for about 30 min. to a secluded beach. We had all just gotten out of our boats when they started taking on a lot of water and our beach break was cancelled and we jumped back in and several were flooded and the mechanic had to work on them while we all just started heading back in the direction we came from. They said that the waves were very high that day and flooded the boats. When we returned to the beach, our buffet was waiting. It included (note the sarcasm) a chafing dish with stale tortilla chips, a chafing dish with grilled chicken, onions, and peppers....soggy corn tortillas and nacho cheese in a squirt bottle. I heard the 'chef' say something about beans.....also in a squirt bottle. That was the authentic buffet lunch. They had a pool availabe to use. I was enjoying it when I noticed it didn't have a filtration system...I'm guessing it didn't have chemicals in it either. It was not a saltwater pool. I quickly got out and spent the rest of the time on the beach. We enjoyed about an hour of beach time when the guy in charge came over and said he had called a taxi for us and it would be there in 10 min. Hmmmm....did we outstay our welcome?

[bankonus]

Mollypuss....NO, SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!! God I loved this excursion last time, and it was nothing like what you described. That must have been a real let down for you guys. Even though I would be getting it for $69 pp, that still doesn't sound like much of a deal! Gosh, now I am really rethinking my decision whether to put the deposit down.:confused: Our buffet was int he middle of the experience, and it was GOOD food, nothing like you described. This lady had really authentic beans, homemade tortillas, and the like. Maybe they realized this was too expensive:p Now what am I too do?? My kids were looking forward to this again, but maybe not the new "style".

[wolfcathorse]

You had to ask that question! It was Anders Inger--something. We were in such a 'relax' mode this time that I didn't bring home a single Cruise Compass and we didn't take a single picture. I'm sorry that I can't be 100% for you.

 

No problem, you remembered what I needed to know! You had Capt Anders Ingebrigtsen.

[vickiw0318]

We didn't even get to the secluded beach. :( I had forgotten about the beans in the squirt bottle, but, yes, they were there. Sounds like someone has ruined what used to be a great experience.

[Mollypuss]

When we were in Cozumel a few years ago, we booked a dune buggy excursion through a company called Tarzan Tours. They showed us an unbelievable day and we enjoyed an awesome and authentic Mexican buffet....it was midway through the trip. We also stopped along the way and had ice cold watermelon. You might want to check the website and see what excursions they offer..I do recall they had a number of excursions, not just the dune buggy.

[Mollypuss]

We didn't even get to the secluded beach. :( I had forgotten about the beans in the squirt bottle, but, yes, they were there. Sounds like someone has ruined what used to be a great experience.

 

Now that I think about it, I never actually saw a bean....it was more like bean 'juice'. Guess thats how they got it to pass through the tiny hole in the squirt bottle. The whole time I was eating, I was praying that I wouldn't be on the receiving end of some hideous G.I. problem! I can say w/total relief that I made it through unscathed.

[mdwstcruiser]

Mollypuss:

 

We sailed on the Rhapsody last summer and had so much fun we are meeting our friends in Texas and sailing her again this summer. I was wondering if Derek still does his karaoke show in the Schooner Bar at night. He was always so much fun. We also had the best waiter we ever had on the Rhapsody - Maximo. We hope he is onboard again.

I do agree that it is a hassle to get from the airport to port -we fly into Hobby and it is still cool in Galveston in March. We were on the Jewel out of Ft. Lauderdale on the 3/10 cruise and it was nice and warm there but we had 70 degrees temps here in St. Louis when we were gone! But no ocean to look at here!

[TXSailor]

We also had the best waiter we ever had on the Rhapsody - Maximo.

 

Maximo is the best!! He has served us many times on the Rhapsody. On one of our Rhapsody cruises, we didn't see Maxi in the dining room. Later that evening, we ordered some room service and guess who showed up? Maxi. Wonder where he will be transferring after the Rhapsody leaves Galveston?

 

Fausto

[mdwstcruiser]

He absolutely made our cruises ten times more fun!! We met a head waiter on the Jewel of the Seas a few weeks back who knew Maximo and said that he would not be going with the Rhapsody when it deploys to Asia. Not sure what ship he will be transferring to but we will find him this summer and ask him.

[vickiw0318]

I emailed RCI and Derek Lewis is scheduled to be on our 5/13 cruise. Hope he is onboard for your 7/8 one.

[RadioPeri]

I emailed RCI and Derek Lewis is scheduled to be on our 5/13 cruise. Hope he is onboard for your 7/8 one.

 

Absolutely LOVED Derek and his Kamikazee Karaoke in the Schooner bar on our January '07 cruise. I still pop the CDs in that we bought, and they always make me smile!

 

Enjoy.

 

~ Peri

[Cruise Passenger]

I am always so anxious to read anything recent before we cruise, so here goes a mini-review....

 

Flew in a day early and stayed at the Econo Lodge in Galveston. We didn't want to spend much.....sorry to say, we didn't get much. Our room was $100 with taxes and was awful. The sheets had not been changed, the carpet was stained and dirty and there was a large group of people that partied way into the night....screaming and running around. A toddler was not being watched and wandered into the elevator after we got off and nobody was around! I took his had and waited for a bit until a woman wandered over and took him from me...a little scary. We could not wait to get on the ship after that night.

 

We had a rental car, so hubby dropped me w/our bags about 10:30 and returned the car. I thought we were way too early, but they started the process about 11am and we were on by 11:45. Easy and quick. I wish it had been a little warmer....I wore a jacket the first day and the first sea day was very chilly if the sun went behind the clouds.

 

The food in the Windjammer was good, not great. We ate breakfast and lunch here everyday and the new station system works out great and there is never a line, except for the omelet station. I am a huge dessert person, and many days left without one....nothing was fabulous.

 

The dining room was better than great, and I looked forward to dinner every night. The bread was so fresh and warm and everything I tried was delicious. I always ordered more than one appetizer and on several nights ordered the pasta dish to go along w/my entree because it was all soooo good. The dining room desserts were so much better than the Windjammer.

 

The entertainment was wonderful and we went to the theater everynight. The production shows were great (we are not into that and have never gone on our previous 5 cruises), but we loved the Piano Man and also Pure Country. The other entertainers were awesome...I wish some of the older crowd had been a little more patient w/the acapella group.....they were fantastic, but so many of the older bunch walked out during the show.

 

We booked our own excursions in Ocho Rios and G. Cayman, but booked the speedboat adventure in Cozumel through the ship. That was awesome, but the outfit was having a hard time w/the boats breaking down....ours did twice. It was still a good time as we were with people we had met onboard and hung out with them the whole week.

 

To sum it up, we had a great time. We will most likely not sail out of Galveston again. The airport (IAH) is quite a ways from the port and it was warmer here in St. Louis than in Galveston. My husband said the ship met his needs just fine. We have sailed on the Voyager class and also the Destiny class on Carnival and I really missed some of the ammenities those ships have to offer. I like the alternative restaurants and also the sports deck on the Voyager class. We chose this ship because it was very affordable and the airfare was half what it is to Miami. It was a week in the sun, with good friends and that was our goal. Any questions...feel free to ask.

 

Read the Galveston port thread about hotels. There is some very nice hotels in the Galveston area.My opinion is Econo Lodge will not be nice anywhere. There is alot of old run down motels along the seawall to avoid.Like another poster said, Hobby airport is about 30 min's from Galveston. Fly into here if at all possible. Also much less crowded.Weather in south Texas is hit and miss. Very warm today just north of Galveston.I'll stll take our winters over St. Louis anyday.

[mdwstcruiser]

Thanks Vicki for checking about Derek. I'll keep my fingers crossed that he isn't on vacation in July.

[BonNYTX]

We were fortunate to have Maximo as our waiter on the Rhapsody in January. He was the absolute best. Knew our names after our first meal and always brought us food he knew we would want. DH had a shrimp cocktail every night. On our previous Rhapsody cruise we were told "you can only get shrimp cocktail on Sat. night". Maximo told us he intends to ask for a position on a ship out of Florida. Wish he would stay with the Voyager out of Galveston since that is what we are thinking for Jan. 2008.

Fausto, I hope you will submit a review of your final Galveston Rhapsody cruise.. sniff..sniff. And to think, when I read all your previous posts, before I ever sailed on her, I kept saying to myself "what is it about the Rhapsody that is so special anyway??"