Rhapsody 5/6 got back yesterday!

[Nitra]

Okay this will be short right now but mainly because I am sick and need to sleep some more.

 

We were late leaving last Sunday, no big deal, just a delay in some cargo for the ship and they had to hold things up a little bit. Got underway, no delays the rest of the week.

 

No plumbing or other issues. Vibration only when ship was slowing down, otherwise never noticed.

 

I was on deck 7 midship - no issues.

 

Windjammer - love the new layout, food was good as far as what I ate. Hot dog buns got a bit on the hard site sitting out under the warmers, but we just asked them for another one and it as brought out within minutes.

 

Dining room - great as always! Forgot my camera so did not get the menu information but part of the fun is waiting to see what is for dinner! Food was great as always. I got my steaks in the perfect medium rare without issue. Dont ask me about seafood, cant help there since I dont eat any fish or seafood.

 

New Bedding - I did not like, found it to be hard and uncomfortable, had to get the foam on top. Most say they loved it. I think it is a personal thing. I happened to like the old bedding, found it softer. I like a really soft bed and cannot sleep if it isnt. Mine at home is like sleeping on a big pillow.

 

The new duvets are very nice.

 

Derek Lewis was there from what I heard, I did not see him perform but mainly because I dont like to hang out in the Schooner Bar, I prefer to do other things.

 

Did not attend any shows. I have seen Piano Man and the others did not appeal to me.

 

Embarkation - Got there early, around 11am. They opened up security about 1130ish. I have priority boarding so was on the ship before noon. Had to wait for the Windjammer to open..

 

Time to do some work and sleep a bit more... be back later!

[TEXASMUNK]

Who is the Captain?

 

Was Derek in his usual "rare form"????

 

Here is the tough one...who are the bartenders at the pool these days? have they already replaced them?

 

Your M & M group had an amazing number of posts, hopefully you guys did get to meet and spend time together.

 

Where is your review?????

[Nitra]

Who is the Captain?

 

Was Derek in his usual "rare form"????

 

Here is the tough one...who are the bartenders at the pool these days? have they already replaced them?

 

Your M & M group had an amazing number of posts, hopefully you guys did get to meet and spend time together.

 

Where is your review?????

 

Captain Chaveau still... but he is going on vacation so only on for a few more weeks.

 

Read my post - I did not see Derek. Not my thing.

 

Bartenders were great. Steve Bailey - been there over 5 yrs now - wonderful and loads of fun. Juan Gomez - Tastes like chicken - great guy with adorable dimples... both can mix a great drink. Bartenders are rotated so they might not be there when you are.

 

We did the M/M. Several of us stopped by then skitted out of there to go to the cocktail seminar.. Spoke to Dominique about this being at the same time and he said no one told him they had decided to do the CS on Monday since we had so many port days...

 

Again read what I wrote. I will be back with my review. I am very sick and can hardly sit up. I am now in bed working and posting. Almost time for another nap!

[TEXASMUNK]

Just scanned your post. We are still bummed out that we did not make your sailing...had some customers sail with you..nice folks.

 

Sure hope you feel better.....quickly!!!!!

 

Thanks for info on those critically important folks...the bartenders...they rotate, but always seem to find them over the course of the week!

 

Get well soon.

[petel]

Nitra, thanks for all the good words. Hope you feel better soon. Sounds like you had way too good of a time and didn't get enough rest......We'll be on RH Aug 12th so we'll make Jim answer all of our questions since he'll be there in June :)

 

 

Hi Jim :D

[Nitra]

Oh boy I feel like I was beat up. Stomach, throat, congestion etc but hey just means I had fun! I did notice people leaving the bathroom without washing hands.. :rolleyes: and we wonder why there is sickness on the ships.. Even with all the signs, it was done. I heard of one case of Noro on board and they were confined asap, first time cruisers, not happy.

 

It was bittersweet in many ways, I got to see a lot of folks I know that work on board and they are not happy either. Some will sail the reposition, few will stay on in Asia, a few will. Bong and JR were the bar waiters in the VC. The guy doing the bottle thing in the cocktail seminar is from China, he was funny. He speaks very little English, but they have been teaching him slang. One word he knows well is Damn... LOL We would walk past each other and both say Damn... LOL He came up to me as I was leaving the VC one last time and tapped me on the shoulder, when I turned he grinned and yep said it again, then stuck his hand out to shake, I gave him a hug.. heck let em know us Texans are not bad folks... he just grinned and hugged back. Nice guy.

 

I noticed more fish on the menu than usual. There were a few new soups too. The Windjammer layout is so nice now, they have the omlet station, which for lunch becomes a sandwich station, the salad bar, the breads and soups, an asian bar, a grill with burgers and hot dogs etc, and then the main one with veggies, meats, etc.

 

The Asians are wanting the ship to be totally changed to make it Feng Shui (sp) and RCCL said umm not happening. There was something about the corners are not right, the cabin configurations are not correct, they wanted an entire deck removed - how they thought that would happen not sure, and I forgot what else I heard. Anyway it isnt happening. Also I was informed this is just a test for RCCL for that market. If it does not do well it will only be for one season and they wont return.

 

The casino had lots of slots but more smaller demoninations, like nickles and quarters.

 

The drinks were great as always, the people wonderful, and I really wish I could afford to go in September but I be poor folks and it is just not in the books for me.

 

Umm what more... cant think.. so much was the same, or the changes not really an issue. I did not like the 4 port stop, I am a sea day person.

 

I could skip Roatan totally - we got off ship for about an hour to shop and then went back. Too much like Jamaica for me. Progreso - had loads of fun, went to Corona Beach Club and drank, then we shopped a little on the way back to the shuttle. I found it to be a nice port, clean and welcoming. Did not even get off the ship in Costa Maya. Cozumel we went shopping right at the port and had a drink at Senor Frogs 1/2.

 

So many changes are happening on board, from June to August is going to be different. I hate to see it, but it is happening and not much we can do. If I could have found a way to get that sign that says Deep In the Heart, off the wall and home, she would sail the rest of this trip without that sign.. LOL

 

Bar manager Franklin is still there, as well as Anthony. Both really nice men.

 

Oh there are stories to tell but I will probably reserve that for the roll call post.. LOL Watch for it. It will take time to pull together all the information. Security, dancing on bars, are only small parts.. LOL Ooo wee there was some fun had.

 

Jim I skim too sometimes and found out I end up asking stuff that was answered... LOL Oh well Im old so I am allowed... :D

[jdotexas]

Nitra - Hope you feeling better soon!!!!

What did you trhink about the new itinerary?

Coz

Bay Islands

Costa Maya

Progresso

 

We sail out on this coming Sunday and will be on this same intinerary

 

JD

[Nitra]

It is a personal thing, I did not care for it. Too many port days. I sail for the ship so not a biggie but I would prefer not to have that many days in port.

 

Go, enjoy, stop by the pool bar and ask for Juan Gomez... then tell him - Tastes like Chicken! He kept giving me diet coke, which I do not like, and then told me, but it tastes like chicken! It was funny. Since you are going soon, they may still be in that same location. Depends on the rotation.

 

OH Maria is not on the ship, someone was asking about her. She was on vacation, but Shirley and Fhey are in the champagne bar as well as Andre and Fredy, both great guys, so if you go there, you will be taken care of.

[crazy 4 cruising]

It is a personal thing, I did not care for it. Too many port days. I sail for the ship so not a biggie but I would prefer not to have that many days in port.

 

Go, enjoy, stop by the pool bar and ask for Juan Gomez... then tell him - Tastes like Chicken! He kept giving me diet coke, which I do not like, and then told me, but it tastes like chicken! It was funny. Since you are going soon, they may still be in that same location. Depends on the rotation.

 

OH Maria is not on the ship, someone was asking about her. She was on vacation, but Shirley and Fhey are in the champagne bar as well as Andre and Fredy, both great guys, so if you go there, you will be taken care of.

 

hope you're feeling better. I saw the Chinese guy in April--juggles the bottles, right? I was in awe when he juggled the bottles and then the "Booze Man" balanced the bottle & tray on his head right behind the juggling:eek: ..Juan is great, as well as FRanklin--he has been ont here a long time. Our favorite bartender is Chan, who is in the casino bar now:( , but we manged to stop there frequently. Derek is still on and said he would be taking vacation the first 2 weeks of July, then he will be doing the repositioning. I talked to Chris Amas 1 night in Derek's show and said that I could not imagine that Derek's show would go over in Asia (hey we are groupies, we love him, BUT...) Chris said he figured that Derek would not be going to Asia, but there is still a while before they actually go there. I sure wish they would transfer Derek to the Voyager, he said that would be fine with him!!! I wish I could sail on the ROS 1 more time, but it just won't be possible. I'm with you Nitra about the sign, took another picture of it. wonder what they will do with it. I had to laugh at all of the "y'alls" said in foreign accents:)

[Nitra]

I knew Franklin when he was just a bartender.. we were laughing about that. When you have been going on the same ship for over 5 yrs, you get to see a lot of folks work up thru the ranks...

[TEXASMUNK]

I spent ten days trying to talk the Purser into selling me the 4 ft by 6 ft map Galaxy had on display for their Panama Canal route on her last voyage out of Galveston. They looked at me like I had three heads. I have to believe they will do the same thing when we are on Rhapsody in Aug on her lat sailing...but I am going to try!

 

Thanks for the input on Progresso. We have the other ports figured out but still had nothing in mind for this port. :)

[Nitra]

TxSailor was talking to them about the texas sign. I believe they told him it was up to corporate what would happen, maybe when he gets back from the Conquest this week he can confirm. They got off Rhapsody, walked next door and boarded Conquest...

 

We had a great M/M turnout. Mike has posted some of the photos and is getting others up so keep an eye out.

 

 

Rhapsody 5/06/07

 

I have attached a few I took, I am still feeling funky so time to lay down. More pics will get up soon I am sure. Our group was snapping photos every chance they got.

[springtxbill]

Hope they save the Texas sign so after the experiment in the Asian market fails, the Rhapsody can come back home.:)

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks Nitra for the info. I'm with you - I like 3 ports too. We are thinking of doing a ship excursion in Roatan or pretty much treat it like a sea day. Corona Beach Break - is that somewhere you go on your own or through the ship? Chan is our favorite bartender too - hope he will still be with us when we sail. Jim - your mission is to find out if Chan will be there August 26th. We will find him no matter where he is. :) Sorry you are sick - I came back and got sick from one a year ago so I feel your pain. Unfortunately once they bring Rhapsody back from Asia they are sending her to Alaska. Maybe the Voyager will inherit the Texas sign. I've wondered about that very thing too. Funny. Maybe this time we will finally see Adult Daycare (yeah right we can't tear ourselves away from the casino after dinner)- my experience with Derek consists of a 3 Frisbee collection for knowing Cheeseburger in Paradise. I'm afraid if I try again he'll recognize me. LOL

[Nitra]

The Voyager is only doing runs here on a seasonal basis so she wont get the sign. They have no plans to Texanize her and will leave the European flavor on her since that is where she is based most of the time. I believe the only reason we are getting her at all is because it is the end of the 5 yr contract and they put something there just to make use of the port space.

 

I still say wait until the Bayport Terminal opens and see what they give us. I really believe that is what RCCL is holding out over. Why commit to Galveston when they do not have to or if there is a better option on the horizon?

 

The crew wants Rhapsody to come back here too, and feel many of the crew would come back if they did. I dont think it will happen, but who knows. We already know you cannot go on commitments or itinerary listings, if that was the case, then Rhapsody would be here until the end of this year since that was how she was sheduled until last fall.

 

Unless they parked Voyager here for a few years, year round, and brought us our crew, I will not be sailing on her. I am still holding out hope for a Radiance class. Remember schedules get changed.. so dont go on what you see out there...

[bmw mama]

Okay this will be short right now but mainly because I am sick and need to sleep some more.

 

We were late leaving last Sunday, no big deal, just a delay in some cargo for the ship and they had to hold things up a little bit. Got underway, no delays the rest of the week.

 

No plumbing or other issues. Vibration only when ship was slowing down, otherwise never noticed.

 

I was on deck 7 midship - no issues.

 

Windjammer - love the new layout, food was good as far as what I ate. Hot dog buns got a bit on the hard site sitting out under the warmers, but we just asked them for another one and it as brought out within minutes.

 

Dining room - great as always! Forgot my camera so did not get the menu information but part of the fun is waiting to see what is for dinner! Food was great as always. I got my steaks in the perfect medium rare without issue. Dont ask me about seafood, cant help there since I dont eat any fish or seafood.

 

New Bedding - I did not like, found it to be hard and uncomfortable, had to get the foam on top. Most say they loved it. I think it is a personal thing. I happened to like the old bedding, found it softer. I like a really soft bed and cannot sleep if it isnt. Mine at home is like sleeping on a big pillow.

 

The new duvets are very nice.

 

Derek Lewis was there from what I heard, I did not see him perform but mainly because I dont like to hang out in the Schooner Bar, I prefer to do other things.

 

Did not attend any shows. I have seen Piano Man and the others did not appeal to me.

 

Embarkation - Got there early, around 11am. They opened up security about 1130ish. I have priority boarding so was on the ship before noon. Had to wait for the Windjammer to open..

 

Time to do some work and sleep a bit more... be back later!

 

How was the balcony midship deck 7? We are staying near the elevator (hope it is not noisy) Are the rooms larger than the oceanview cabins? I know they say they are but, just wondering???:confused:

[Nitra]

Corona Beach in Progreso - you can take a cab there and they drop you at the door or you can take the free shuttle downtown and it will drop you about 2 blocks away.

 

I have never stayed in an outside so cant say, only done inside, balcony and JS on this ship.

 

How much time do you plan on spending in the cabin?

 

The area between the beds and wall was not a lot, barely could walk thru there, there was plenty of room for our stuff, 2 women in the cabin. Basically it is a nice enough cabin, full size sofa, vanity, beds, end tables, balcony that you have to climb over the furniture to get sit down or stand at the railing, but then for me, I am seldom in the cabin so did not care, I was on the balcony ONE time the whole week and that was to check out the Carnival Liberty right next to us.

 

I was in cabin 7594, you fall off the elevator roll around a corner and are there! right next to the library. I always stay as close to the elevator as possible, it is not noisy, no big deal really.

 

I was only in there because mom paid for the cabin, personally I would save my money and book the cheapest cabin I could find but then again I am in my cabin only a few hours a day and just dont think the extra is worth it.

 

If a JS is not much more, I would go for that, definately worth the extra if not much, if you are into the balcony thing and spend time in your cabin.

 

Someone did take our white luggage tags off, ALL of them! We had to hunt the terminal for our luggage and not one piece had the tags. Good thing I did not leave the ship until 930, so not as much luggage left in the terminal. We found pieces in 3 different locations...

[Nitra]

Hope they save the Texas sign so after the experiment in the Asian market fails, the Rhapsody can come back home.:)

 

You know what is funny about this comment, it has more truth than I think even RCCL will admit.

 

When you look at the demands they are already making, then talk to the crew and hear stories from those that have worked that market, RCCL is setting themselves up to take a dive after the first season. thats okay, we will gladly take her back..

[Emi's Mom]

As luck would have it I know Juan Gomez. We were on the Rhapsody in April and he is just the best bartender. I could never decide what to drink some nights in the casino and I would walk up to the bar and ask him to just fix something pretty. He NEVER disappointed me, and when he saw me coming the following nights, he would ask me "Something pretty, right?". Great guy!

[crazy 4 cruising]

Hope they save the Texas sign so after the experiment in the Asian market fails, the Rhapsody can come back home.:)

 

 

great idea--hey RCCL, are you listening/looking?

[Nitra]

One more thing - I have talked about this so most know, but I traveled this cruise with a walking cast, no biggie, I get around well, except stairs are tricky for me. Well more than once I was unable to get on an elevator and had to take the stairs. People pushing in ahead of me or people just hopping on to go 1 floor, yep saw it many times, and I normally dont care because I understand things, but we are talking teens that sure can run hard when they need, so I am sure they could have used the stairs. I was waiting on an elevator more than once with others, the elevator would come and it was pretty full, obvious not all of us gonna fit, guess who got left behind.. I got pretty good at those stairs by the end of the week...

 

Please, please, please, if you see someone that obviously will have issues taking the stairs, make room or if you can, use the stairs and let us on the elevator. I hated depending on them, I usually dont make it a habit except formal nights or when I have on heels. This was the first time it was crucial for me. I get around well, as I have said, but it is big and heavy and bulky and tricky to use on stairs.

 

For the most part it was good, but there are always those that just left their manners at the port when they boarded I think...

[crazy 4 cruising]

One more thing - I have talked about this so most know, but I traveled this cruise with a walking cast, no biggie, I get around well, except stairs are tricky for me. Well more than once I was unable to get on an elevator and had to take the stairs. People pushing in ahead of me or people just hopping on to go 1 floor, yep saw it many times, and I normally dont care because I understand things, but we are talking teens that sure can run hard when they need, so I am sure they could have used the stairs. I was waiting on an elevator more than once with others, the elevator would come and it was pretty full, obvious not all of us gonna fit, guess who got left behind.. I got pretty good at those stairs by the end of the week...

 

Please, please, please, if you see someone that obviously will have issues taking the stairs, make room or if you can, use the stairs and let us on the elevator. I hated depending on them, I usually dont make it a habit except formal nights or when I have on heels. This was the first time it was crucial for me. I get around well, as I have said, but it is big and heavy and bulky and tricky to use on stairs.

 

For the most part it was good, but there are always those that just left their manners at the port when they boarded I think...

 

 

well said Nitra--as you know I am in the exact same type of boot & faced the same things on the 2 cruises I took with the boot. Also, folks, let people OUT of the elevator before you get on:rolleyes: